Scientists discover vast geological structure hidden beneath Antarctica's ice

Researchers have found the presence of a vast geological formation hidden nearly two miles beneath the frigid ice of Antarctica. According to a study published in the journal Nature, the structure incorporates several well-known glacial landforms, including the Wilkes and Aurora subglacial basins in East Antarctica and Lake Vostok, the largest known subglacial lake buried beneath ice on Earth.

While these features have long been studied individually, researchers have now linked them as parts of a much larger system. Named the East Antarctic Fan-shaped Basin Province, the newly identified formation could rank among the largest geological structures of its kind on the planet. Although further research is needed to confirm the findings, scientists believe the discovery may provide important insights into Antarctica's geological evolution and how its major ice sheets could respond to future climate change.

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To map the formation, researchers have compiled datasets from a buffet of sources that include geological observations, gravity measurements, magnetic data, and models of the Earth’s crust, among others. Those datasets led researchers to conclude that the geological feature was likely made through a process known as “distributed rotational extension,” where continental crust gradually extended outward from a central point over millions of years.

“Because these basins underlie about half of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, they are likely to heavily influence both ice-flow and landscape evolution, making them essential to Antarctic glacial and hydrological processes,” the study’s authors write.