Scientists Uncover Unexpected Fossils Beneath Antarctic Ice

A team of 29 scientists lived in tents on snow in Antarctica for nearly ten weeks. They drilled more than 200 meters into bedrock, deep under ice. The team worked at a remote camp.

They succeeded on their third attempt. They pulled up a 228-meter-long cylinder of mud and rock. This is the deepest sediment core ever taken from an Antarctic ice sheet. The layers inside are surprising scientists. Some were formed when the Earth was much warmer.

To reach the sediment, the team melted a hole through 523 meters of ice. They found different types of sediment. Some was coarse gravel, while other parts contained fine mud with shell pieces. This shows there was once open ocean where there is now thick ice.

The sediment may explain how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet reacts to climate change. The core could provide information about environmental changes over 23 million years. The team will send the core to New Zealand for further study. Scientists aim to learn more about the past ice-sheet conditions and how they affect future sea levels.

How much do you know?

How long did the team of scientists live in Antarctica?

Five weeks

Eight weeks

Ten weeks

Twelve weeks

How many meters did the team drill into the bedrock?

100 meters

200 meters

300 meters

400 meters

What is the length of the sediment core pulled up by the team?

200 meters

218 meters

228 meters

250 meters

How many meters of ice did the team melt to reach the sediment?

423 meters

503 meters

523 meters

600 meters

Where will the sediment core be sent for further study?

Australia

New Zealand

Canada

Argentina

What type of sediment was NOT found by the team?

Coarse gravel

Fine mud with shell pieces

Sand

Ice

The team of scientists worked at a remote camp for nearly three weeks.

True False

The longest sediment core ever taken from an Antarctic ice sheet is 228 meters.

True False

Some layers of the sediment were formed when the Earth was much colder.

True False

The core will provide information about environmental changes over 12 million years.

True False

There was once open ocean where there is now thick ice in Antarctica.

True False

The team made their first attempt successfully on the first try.

True False

The team of scientists lived on snow in Antarctica for nearly weeks.

They drilled more than 200 meters into under ice.

To reach the sediment, the team melted a hole through meters of ice.

The sediment may explain how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet reacts to change.

The sediment core could provide information about environmental changes over million years.

The team will send the core to for further study.

This question is required