Discovery of Billions of year old River in Antarctica
Scientists have discovered a hidden river hidden billions of years old under Antarctic ice of Antarctica. It is considered a revolutionary discovery in the History of science.
This can present a glimpse of what the Earth’s climate and ecosystem were millions of years ago, and perhaps also how life can be suited to extreme conditions. What I find especially attractive is how this hidden world remains for so long – it is like a natural time capsule.
Did he mention any specifics about whatever he found within the river systems? I wonder if there is a protected life, ancient fossil, or even microbial life that survived under snow
Scientists discover 34 million year old river
Both northern and southern poles are hidden under thick sheets of snow throughout the year. In such a situation, most parts of these poles remain unseen by mankind on a large scale, whereas under which many secrets are hidden. Meanwhile, scientists have discovered a new world hidden under thick ice of East Antarctica, which was untouched by humans till now.
The team of researchers found an extraordinary thing like an ancient river-carved terrain, which was equal to the size of Wales and which was closed under two kilometers of snow. According to the report of Bryter Side News, Jamison said, this discovery is like highlighting a time capsule. The untouched condition of the landlord can be due to its excessive age. Protected under heavy weight of ice sheet, it remains unchanged long before the land glaze starts.
This hidden world is from the time when Antarctica was not the icy desert that we know today. At that time, the continent was part of Gondwana, a continent shared with Africa, South America and Australia. The rivers flowing in Antarctica, instead of snow, were forests and dinosaurs. This changed about 20 million years ago when the glaciers put the history of the region under the increasing sheet of ice.
How did Antarctica turn from Gondwana to Glasia
The Eastern Antarctic snow sheet began to be formed during the EOCIN-Oligosine infection about 3 million four million years ago, when global temperature declined and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels went below a significant range. Gambertsev subglassial mountains and high -altitude areas such as the transntarctic mountains became the center for the growing snow mass. In the next millions of years, these glaciers spread and finally found in that huge snow sheet which is still present today.
EAIS has seen significant ups and downs in its entire history. During the Myosin period, about 17 to 14 million years ago, the activity of climate change expanded the ice sheet and decreased. Evidence from sea sedes shows that it showed that its size decreased during warm gaps.
This team of scientists, using the radarsat satellite system, saw the subtle changes in the slope of the ice surface. These small clues helped to bring out the hidden terrain of the rivers long before the snow sheet came into existence millions of years ago. Scientists used radio-eco sounding (RES) and computer models to study the land below to search deeply. His discoveries showed a scenario that did not match the modern ice flow pattern, which proves that it was made long before it became a glacier. Scientists also used flexural modeling to check whether the ancient highlands were once part of a constant landlords, which later broke with natural erosion.
But why does this discovery matter today
Understanding this ancient environment helps scientists to guess how Eastern Antarctic snow sheet can behave in our hot world. The study report of Jamison’s team appeared in Nature Communications. During that time, the importance of this work for climate science was discussed. He said, it is a serious concern to understand how this giant snow sheet will react to human-powered climate change.
This discovery also gives a big message that the past, present and future of the Earth are connected deeply among themselves. As stated in Scientific American, many scenario buried like this river are like a time machine today. By opening the threads of their secrets, we can be better prepared to deal with the climate challenges of the coming times .
