A landscape shaped by rivers and glaciers over millions of years appears to have been preserved beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet. The finding suggests that this area of Antarctica may have been covered in ice for more than 30 million years, which could inform models ofare covered in a sheet of ice more than 2 kilometres thick. Radar measurements have revealed the broad contours of this hidden landscape, but the details remain largely obscure.
Together, the radar measurements revealed a striking region dubbed “Highland A”, which was distinct from the surrounding landscape. The 32,000-square-kilometre area features three blocks of land, separated by wide, fjord-like troughs. If the ice were removed, the topography wouldn’t be dissimilar to the peaks and valleys of the Lake District in the UK, says Jamieson.around 180 million years ago.
The preserved landscape also suggests that the region has been covered in ice for at least the past 14 million years, if not 34 million years, says Jamieson. “If you had a huge retreat , then our landscape would have got scrubbed away.”Most research on melting ice in Antarctica has focused on the West Antarctic ice sheet.