Hard rocks and deep wetlands beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica

doi:10.1038/s43247-026-03502-2

Hard rocks and deep wetlands beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica

2026-04-24

0

OA

AI

DOI：10.1038/s43247-026-03502-2

Original

Save

View PDF

Abstract

En 中文

Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is losing ice rapidly and is considered especially vulnerable to retreat, but predictions of its future remain limited by uncertainties about its subglacial properties. Here we show results from 344 km of vibroseismic surveys collected along and across the glacier. The data reveal a heterogeneous bed of elevated ridges with steep upstream-facing slopes that form crag-and-tail landforms resisting fast flow. Between these ridges lie basins filled with consolidated sediments. Subglacial water is widespread, occurring in bed depressions and on topographic highs, including an active lake composed of tens of metres of highly porous, water-saturated sediments. Across the glacier, the bed beneath the eastern margin is mostly hard but contains isolated pockets of softer material. These findings demonstrate current models do not capture the full complexity of the bed beneath Thwaites Glacier, where water-bearing sediments and steep basal slopes strongly affect ice flow and retreat. Beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica lies a highly heterogeneous bed of elevated ridges and sediment filled basins as well as an active lake, which presents a level of complexity that current models do not fully capture, as revealed by vibroseismic measurements.

Keywords:

Thwaites Glacier

vibroseismic surveys

subglacial bed

sediment-filled basins

basal water

Hard rocks and deep wetlands beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica

Abstract

AI Summary

Journal

Organization