Imagine a continent frozen in time, where whole landscapes sleep under kilometers of ice from the era of the first mammals.
This almost mythological vision becomes reality: researchers have just revealed the existence of a perfectly preserved fossil territoryhidden under the ice cap of the eastern Antarctic more than 30 million years. And this discovery could well transform our understanding of the terrestrial climate on a planetary scale.
A landscape sculpted by water before the arrival of the ice
To go back so far, you have to dive into an era between 80 and 34 million years. During this period, Antarctica was not yet the icy desert that we know today. He was part of the Supercontinent Gondwanaand vast rivers crisscrossed his lands. It is they who slowly carved a spectacular landscape: old plains, deep valleysand reliefs of a Surprising flatness.
These natural training courses, extended on more than 3,500 kilometersare the remains of a forgotten past, frozen in the rock. They tell us how river erosion, long before the appearance of the ice cap, shaped the very base of this isolated continent.
Cutting-edge technologies to unravel the underglacial secrets
This geological reconstruction would never have been possible without Recent progress in radar imaging. Indeed, scientists used data collected during Four air exploration campaigns. Thanks to these measures, they were able to map the topography hidden within several kilometers of ice.
To their surprise, they discovered Incredibly flat surfacespresent in all regions analyzed. This recurring motif suggests that a common process occurred on a large scale, long before Antarctica freezes. Another important revelation: contrary to what we thought, the ice cap did not always eroded these reliefs. In some cases, she even has protected these old training courseslike an ice armor against time.
A direct influence on the melting of the ice and the level of the seas
But this discovery is not limited to geological curiosity. She has Concrete implications on the current climate. Indeed, these fossil reliefs modify the way in which Antarctic ice flow to the ocean. THE Plane surfaces slow down the icewhile the deep valleys create real Quick cast iron corridors.
However, Antarctica contains enough ice to cause a elevation of sea level of over 50 meters. Understand the slip mechanisms therefore becomes absolutely vital To anticipate the impacts of global warming. Now researchers integrate this data into their Climate models To refine future predictions.
A precious time capsule to better understand the future
This buried world acts as a real geological time capsule. By exploring this fossilized past, scientists discover not only how the earth has evolvedbut also how she could react tomorrow. The next step? Drill through ice to take Rock samplesand thus better understand the history of this ancient soil.
Finally, this spectacular discovery reminds us of an essential thing: to better understand our climate future, it is sometimes necessary to dive very far in the past.
