Underneath miles-deep ice sheets covering Antarctica lies the largest mountain range no one on Earth has ever seen. Even though a few of its tallest points peek through in some places, relatively few people know of the entire range’s existence.
However, geologists studying it have long argued about how and when these buried peaks were formed. A team of geologists propose a new explanation in an article in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
“The ice conceals some of Earth’s most enigmatic features,” according to the paper. One such feature is the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, which rises over 9,000 feet above sea level and is covered by about 10,000 feet of ice. Its highest point is considered the coldest place on Earth. The range is equivalent in size and shape to the Swiss alps.
Many geologists think these features were created when multiple tectonic plates that include what is ...
