Published in Daily Mail Online
Scientists have uncovered a vast ancient landscape buried beneath nearly two kilometers of ice in East Antarctica’s Wilkes Land, preserved almost untouched for more than 34 million years. Using satellite imagery and ice-penetrating radar, researchers mapped a river-carved terrain roughly the size of Wales — complete with valleys, ridges, and channels shaped long before the continent froze over.
“It’s like uncovering a time capsule,” said Professor Stewart Jamieson of Durham University, lead author of the study published in Nature Communications. The discovery offers a rare window into a time when Antarctica was warm and green, with rivers, lakes, and possibly even forests. Beyond its prehistoric intrigue, the research could help scientists predict how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet might respond to rising global temperatures.
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