The Gamburtsev subglacial mountains are a range of mountains in the central part of Eastern Antarctica which are as large as the European Alps. These mountain ranges extend about 1,200 to 1,300 km. The height peak of these mountains is about 3,390m above sea level. These mountain ranges are completely buried under more than 600m of the Antarctic ice cap. The range was named after a Soviet geophysicist, Grigoriy A. Gamburtsev who first discovered it along with a Russian expedition team in 1958, and mapped it with seismic reflections.
Seismic reflection is a method which is used to map the thickness of sediments in many parts of the oceans. It could also reveal sediment type and the process of sedimentation. According to some scientists, the initial glacier that thickened over a period of time and became the vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet was originated in this mountain range more than 14 million years ago. These mountain ranges are considered to be the nucleus around which the vast 10 sq. km. East Antarctic ice sheet exists.
Gamburtsev Province Project
The latest finding about this range was published in the journal Nature. From 2007 to 2009, during the International Polar Year, a team of scientists from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US analysed these mountains which are lying three kilometres beneath the ice. The team of research scientists of the Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province Project (AGAP), at first, worked on the mapping of the project in harsh weather conditions of about -30°C around Dome A, which is the highest point on the Antarctic ice sheet. The researchers flew aeroplanes fitted with radar, magnetic and gravity sensors over the ice for studying the Gamburtsevs. The measurements helped them see the rock beneath. Their research revealed a mountain range of about 800 km long and up to 400 km wide, covering an area of about 20,00,000 sq. km. beneath the ice. The research further showed peaks of 3,000 m above the sea level and valleys down to 1,000 m below the sea level. The rift system was also found to contain the largest subglacial lakes in Antarctica.
The researchers found resemblances between the East African rift system and the East Antarctic rift system. It helped them in understanding the Gamburtsev subglacial mountains. They also found that it contained the largest subglacial lakes in Antarctica. From the data, it was discovered how a crustal root was formed beneath the mountains and the rift system in the East Antarctic during the last billion years. This fracture stretched 3,000 km, till India.
Creation of Original Mountains
Several continents crashed and original mountains and the root were created, before life was formed. These mountains eventually eroded and the Gondwama supercontinent including Antarctica broke, warming the root. This later recreated the mountains that were preserved by about 10 million sq. km. vast ice sheet. The peaks were lifted by the glaciers and the rivers that were formed underneath.
The researchers also stated that the belief that mountain building relates to a single tectonic event is a customary fact. However, learning from their research that multiple events led to the formation of Gamburtsevs would help studies of history of other mountain belts. The AGAP research scientists have collected the rock samples of the mountains which would help them ascertain when the ancient piece of crust was rejuvenated to grow into a mountain range.
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