Summary

The Aurora and Wilkes Subglacial Basins are major features of East Antarctica, containing significant regions below sea level. Before the International Polar Year (2007-9), the extent and geology of the basins were poorly constrained by geophysical data. The IPY project, “Investigating the Cryospheric Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate (ICECAP)”, used long range aerogeophysical surveys with ice penetrating radar, gravimeter, magnetometers and laser altimeters. With this new profile data, we extend find that the Aurora Subglacial Basin is an extensive smooth floored region that extends from near Denman Glacier 1500 km into the interior. This basin, through low basal shear stress, has a significant impact on ice dynamics in central East Antarctica. This region contrasts sharply with ice-scoured terrain, shaped in part by a system of large pre-glacial rivers, in coastal regions to the northeast, and with the southern Wilkes Subglacial Basin, which hosts a major crustal boundary.

Authors:Young D.A. Blankenship D.D. Siegert M.J. van Ommen T.D. Wright A.P. Roberts J.L. Holt J.W. Greenbaum J.S. Frederick B.C. Schroeder D.M. Warner R.C. Young N.W. the ICECAP team Published in: 2010 Category 3: Verbal presentation Program area: Ice, Ocean, Atmosphere and Climate
Young D.A., Blankenship D.D., Siegert M.J., van Ommen T.D., Wright A.P., Roberts J.L., Holt J.W., Greenbaum J.S., Frederick B.C., Schroeder D.M., Warner R.C., Young N.W., the ICECAP team (2010) Extent, geomorphology and geophysics of the Aurora and Wilkes subglacial basins East Antarctica: Influences on ice sheet architecture, Proceedings of the SCAR 4th Open Science Conference, Buenos Aires, August 2010, (CD-ROM). Abstract number 855. 1pp;

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