Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3295-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3295-2025
Research article
 | 
26 Aug 2025
Research article |  | 26 Aug 2025

Identification of 320 000-year-old blue ice at the surface of the Elephant Moraine region, East Antarctica

Giyoon Lee, Jinho Ahn, Hyeontae Ju, Ikumi Oyabu, Florian Ritterbusch, Songyi Kim, Jangil Moon, Joohan Lee, Yeongcheol Han, Soon Do Hur, Kenji Kawamura, Zheng-Tian Lu, Wei Jiang, and Guo-Min Yang

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Cited articles

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This study investigated ancient ice in the Elephant Moraine, East Antarctica. Using geophysical surveys and chemical analyses, we found surface ice of around 320 000 years old and ice thickness ranging from 200 to 800 m. These findings suggest that the Elephant Moraine region may preserve ice over 1 million years old at depths of several hundred meters. Recovering such ice is a key goal in paleoclimate research to better understand the climate history of Earth.
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