International Team Explores Antarctica's Last Mystery

The Gamburstev mountain range is one of the last mysteries yet to be revealed in Antarctica. The way in which these mountains formed is still unknown and represents a great scientific puzzle, so an international scientific contingent, made up of researchers from six nations, is scheduled to begin uncovering the mountain range, using advanced 3D mapping techniques and satellite imagery. The final goal is to create a tri-dimensional virtual model of the mountains that are buried under thick layers of ice.
 

There are currently two theories regarding how the Gamburstev mountains were formed. One states that tectonic activity is responsible for the formation of the chain, while the other one argues that they were formed millions of years ago, when Antarctica was still the central part of a super-continent that occupied lower latitudes on the globe. After that continent broke down, it formed the two Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as Antarctica and the North Pole. The second theory holds that, after reaching low temperatures, the peaks of the Gamburstev mountain range started to be covered in ice that, due to favorable conditions, eventually covered the mountains completely and buried them.

 
This is also one of the theories that explain how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet came to be. Researchers are also trying to virtually "peel off" about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of rock-hard ice, in an attempt to figure out exactly how the mountains were formed, if tectonics played any role in their current shape and if the Gamburstevs really rival the Alps in elevation, as it's now believed. "At the same time, we will hunt for ice that is more than 1.2 million years old. Locked in this ancient ice is a detailed record of past climate change that may assist in making better predictions for our future," said U.K. geophysicist Fausto Ferraccioli, at the British Antarctic Survey.
 

Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States all sent scientists and support personnel to help with the expedition. The members of the international team will work at very high altitudes, in a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius (-104 degrees Fahrenheit), and it will have about 23 outposts built for tectonic activity recordings. The logistic requirements for this mission are extensive and include nine aircrafts, two deep-field bases of operations, 3 logistical support camps and other field depot camps, all meant to offer the team the best conditions possible under the circumstances to complete its mission. The program is part of the International Polar Year, an international initiative that made such an undertaking a reality.