34-million-year-old world discovered buried deep inside Antarctic ice

Scientists have discovered an ancient world buried deep within Antarctic ice. Sitting over a mile underneath the surface in East Antarctica is a land that existed more than 34 million years ago. Satellite data and ice-penetrating radar show that it comprised rivers, forests, and palm trees. Researchers involved with the discovery described it as "uncovering a time capsule."

The hidden landscape was found in a remote region known as Wilkes Land. It is estimated to be more than 12,000 square miles in size. The ridges, valleys and ground underneath the Antarctic ice drifted south along with the continent tens of millions of years ago when the supercontinent of Gondwana started breaking apart.

Due to this movement, a powerful ocean current was formed around the continent. It was cut off from the warmer waters, and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels dropped. This cooling event is what froze the continent, forming Antarctica.

Also Read: The lost city of Tharais once part of Jordan's Holy Lands has been found

Around 14 million years ago, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet continued to expand and engulf the area in ice.

Professor Stewart Jamieson, lead author of the study from Durham University, said, "The land underneath the East Antarctic ice sheet is less well-known than the surface of Mars."

"What we find is an ancient land surface that has not been eroded by the ice sheet, and instead it looks like it was created by rivers before the ice came along," Professor Jamieson added.

3,900-feet-deep valleys discovered in Antarctica

The discovery includes deep valleys that separate three massive blocks of elevated ground. The blocks measure between 120 and 168 kilometres long, and up to 85 km wide. The valleys are 40 kilometres wide and plunge to a depth of nearly 3,900 feet.

Also Read: UFO Buga sphere has wires; 'invisible energy' dried up grass around it, SHOCKING claims by Mexican scientists

The landscape has been perfectly preserved because the ice in East Antarctica is extremely cold and slow-moving, shifting only about 16 feet per year. In scientific terms, it is known as a "cold-based" ice sheet, which means that the ice is frozen to the ground. This has kept everything intact, including the long-lost landscape.

Neil Ross, professor of environmental geophysics at Newcastle University and a co-author of the study, says the landscape has been "hidden in plain sight for many years" and can reveal a lot about "the early and long-term history of the East Antarctic ice sheet."

Using satellite imagery, the researchers detected small bumps on the surface. Computer simulations revealed the land and the fact that it hasn't remained still. The sheer weight of ice has led it to rise by as much as 1,600 feet.