Grenoble. Mountains similar to the Alps under the pack ice: we explain

Don’t worry Grenoble is not (yet) submerged under water. If you wish, you can still take a look at the window to make sure.

Scientists have established the presence of a mountain range in all respects resembling the Alps. In Antarctica, the composition of the pack ice or what is called the ice cap is a mystery for specialists. The discoveries are linked decades after decades.

At the end of the 2000s, radar sensors made it possible to identify sub-glacial mountains of Gamburtsev. As their name suggests, its mountains are therefore under water. An anomaly that can be explained.

Ice peaks created during the formation of the ice cap

The Antarctic ice sheet is approximately 14 million km2 in size. Under all this expanse of ice, peaks of ice like in the Alps have formed.

The mystery remains despite everything around the formation of these submerged mountains. We know, for example, that mountain ranges like the Alps or the Himalayas were formed following a collision between several continents, around 50 to 60 million years ago.

But the last time that Antarctica suffered a shock of such power, we have to go back more than 500,000 million years. This would make what scientists have named the Gamburtsev Mountains the oldest on the planet.

Submerged lakes and valleys

Instinctively, one would think that under the ice is ice. No. Under the vast expanse of ice that is Antarctica, there are lakes and valleys. As surprising as it may seem, Lake Vostok is submerged more than 3,700 meters below sea level. forms of life were even found.

The mountain range that looks like the Alps has valleys dotted with ice peaks like the Alps. It would also be of a similar size to the Alps since on average, it is estimated at 4,000 meters with peaks that can reach 4,500 meters.

These mountains have been covered in ice for about 35 million years. Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by 57 meters. Grenoble is 212 meters above sea level, so don’t worry.

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