New map of Antarctica shows big surprises

Brian G Turner

Brian G Turner

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New map of Antartica - apparently showing a massive trench 11.5km below sea level:

www.bbc.co.uk

Denman Glacier: Deepest point on land found in Antarctica

Denman Glacier reaches down to more than 3,500m below sea level. Only ocean trenches go deeper.
www.bbc.co.uk

EDIT: Here's a copy of the image:

1576247492518.png
 
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It's weird looking terrain: those spiky mountains, unlike any other continent. Amazing to see it revealed
 
First thought is how much of the big, roundish continent that we're used to seeing is just ice.

Second thought - what a great map on which to base a best-selling, multi-volume fantasy epic...:unsure:
 
The new finding shows, for example, previously unrecognised ridges that will impede the retreat of melting glaciers in a warming world

Trenches might impede the retreating motion of glaciers but I don't think the trenches will impede the melting. Water will settle in the bottom of the trench and help to melt the ice from the bottom up.
 
I've added a bigger picture to the original post to show how fascinating Antartica is.

Some of the underlying geology must be fascinating - those super-deep trenches might suggest tectonic boundaries that haven't been accounted for yet. :)
 
pyan said:
First thought is how much of the big, roundish continent that we're used to seeing is just ice.

Second thought - what a great map on which to base a best-selling, multi-volume fantasy epic...:unsure:
Click to expand...
If you remove the ice cap from Greenland, you get quite a chunky archipelago/ ring of mountains with an inland sea (depending on sea level!)
 
I wonder how much of that depth is from centripetal effects and how much is due to the glaciers themselves acting as structural material.
 
It makes a lot of sense if you figure the polar regions have already melted, they just haven't finished melting yet. This statement is based on the concept of momentum.
 
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