Giant river system that existed 40 million years ago discovered deep below Antarctic ice

By Kristel Tjandra published 2 days ago

"There was this gigantic river system": Researchers find ancient lost world deep beneath Antarctic ice.



A research icebreaker Polarstern in front of a giant iceberg in the Amundsen Sea. Researchers on this vessel have discovered evidence of a giant river that once ran across West Antarctica. (Image credit: Johann Klages)


Geologists digging into the massive ice sheet of West Antarctica have discovered the remains of an ancient river system that once flowed for nearly a thousand miles.

The discovery offers a glimpse into the Earth's history and hints at how extreme climate change could alter the planet, according to their findings, published June 5 in the journal Science Advances.

"If we think about a potentially severe climate change in the future, we need to learn from periods in Earth's history where this already happened," Johann Klages, study co-author and a sedimentologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research in Germany, told Live Science.

Between 34 million to 44 million years ago, an epoch known as the middle-to-late Eocene, Earth's atmosphere transformed drastically. As carbon dioxide levels plummeted, global cooling triggered the formation of glaciers on an ice-free Earth.

More:
https://www.space.com/giant-river-40-million-years-old-discovered-below-antarctic-ice