Overview
- The University of Southampton‑led study, published in Science on July 2, 2026, uses reconstructed paleotopography and computer simulations to trace how the continent’s surface rose over tens of millions of years.
- Researchers say 'mantle waves' removed dense rock under the plate and drove uplift that built a high plateau topped by the buried Gamburtsev Mountains.
- Models in the paper indicate a critical elevation threshold of about 1.5–2.0 km for permanent mountain glaciers and show nearly 90% of eastern Antarctica exceeded that height by about 34 million years ago.
- The work explains polar asymmetry by showing Antarctica had the high ground needed for stable ice long before the Arctic, which is ocean centered and lacked land at that elevation.
- The findings change how scientists link tectonics and climate by showing deep Earth processes gave Antarctica a head start in glaciation while also noting the conclusions rely on model reconstructions and their assumptions.