The mountains did not rise, but the land near them sank
The Trans-Antarctic mountain range, which is 3,000 kilometers long, is one of the most prominent features of the Antarctic continent, but until now scientists have not had a satisfactory explanation as to how it was formed.
In a new geological study, it is reported that this ridge is probably the end remnant of a huge ancient plateau, which began to stretch and flatten about 105 million years ago. The remaining peaks curve along the contour of that ancient plateau.
The research caused a revolution in scientific thinking about the development of Antarctica. In previous studies we discussed the different ways in which the mountains could have risen, while the current study claims that it was not the mountains that rose, but that the land near them sank. After the ridge was isolated, its topography, which includes peaks rising up to 4.5 kilometers in height, was further accentuated by glacial erosion.
Some of the researchers even carried out extensive field studies in Antarctica, where they collected rock samples and geophysical data that support their hypotheses.
The study, led by scientists from the Lemon-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, appears in the current issue of "Geology", published by the American Geological Society.
One response
If the land around sank, it means that the plateau was less than 4.5 kilometers high, so the question is how could there be such a huge and high plateau
Can anyone explain ??