An international team of scientists announced the discovery of an intact ecosystem dating back 34 million years, buried beneath a two-kilometer-thick layer of ice in Antarctica. The finding unveils a prehistoric landscape that has remained untouched for millions of years.

Research and fieldwork for the discovery began several years earlier, in 2017. During that time, the team was drilling into the seabed of West Antarctica to extract sediments from beneath the ice layer. When the researchers analyzed the sediment samples, they found an ancient ecosystem preserved beneath the ice.

The sediments contained microscopic organisms, offering a window to study the Earth's ecosystem at a time that preceded the mass extinction event at the end of the Eocene epoch. When analyzed through microscopes and technologies, these fragments provided clues about a completely different environment from the current one, characterized by warmer seas and greater biodiversity.

"This finding is like opening a time capsule," said Professor Stewart Jamieson, a geologist from Durham University in England and co-author of the study, according to The Economic Times. "It's difficult to say exactly what this ancient landscape looked like, but depending on how far back you go, the climate might have resembled modern-day Patagonia, or even something tropical."

Jamieson and his colleagues uncovered a vast ancient landscape beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, shaped by flowing rivers, deep valleys, and rolling ridges. The landscape was preserved for 34 million years, effectively frozen in time due to the formation of the ice sheet.

The researchers identified valleys, ridges, and channels that do not correspond with current glacial flow dynamics, which are typical of river erosion. The erosive processes in the region stopped when the ice shield formed, effectively freezing the landscape in time—a phenomenon that is unusual, as ice sheets typically destroy such old landscapes.

"The geological history of Antarctica records significant fluctuations," explained Jamieson. "But such abrupt changes gave the ice little time to significantly alter the landscape beneath."

Technological advancements were key to the discovery. The Canadian RADARSAT mission allowed scientists to analyze small variations in the slope of the surface ice, revealing irregularities in the underlying terrain. Deep-penetrating radar studies confirmed the existence of subglacial topography eroded by ancient river channels, indicating that the landscape is even older, possibly formed before the first large-scale glaciation about 34 million years ago.

The team believes that linking the antiquity of Antarctic ice with current melting patterns can improve predictive models of sea-level rise. The East Antarctic ice sheet, although stable in appearance, may show an accelerated response to global warming, especially in low marine areas like the Aurora and Wilkes subglacial basins.

The research underscores the importance of understanding the structure and evolution of the hidden landscape to more accurately predict the impact of melting. It reinforces the need to continue monitoring the subglacial regions of Antarctica to anticipate their role in future climate scenarios.

"This type of finding helps us understand how climate and geography intertwine, and what we can expect in a world with rising temperatures," said Jamieson.

The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.