Scientists find East Antarctica is sliding sideways

It's official: East Antarctica is pushing West Antarctica around. Now that West Antarctica is losing weight--that is, billions of tons of ice per year--its softer mantle rock is being nudged westward by the harder mantle beneath East Antarctica.

The discovery comes from researchers led by The Ohio State University, who have recorded GPS measurements that show West Antarctic bedrock is being pushed sideways at rates up to about twelve millimeters--about half an inch--per year. This movement is important for understanding current ice loss on the continent, and predicting future ice loss.

East Antarctica is sliding sideways

They've been using GPS to observe vertical motion on the continent since the 1990's. But what surprised them was to find the bedrock moving towards regions of greatest ice loss. Even though it's only about 1/2 inch per year, this movement is important for understanding current ice loss on the continent, and predicting future ice loss.

"We're witnessing expected movements being reversed, so we know we really need computer models that can take lateral changes in mantle properties into account."

Wilson said that such extreme differences in mantle properties are not seen elsewhere on the planet where glacial rebound is occurring.

"We figured Antarctica would be different," she said. "We just didn't know how different."

expanding earth?
have to really wonder about that.. as things do kinda seem to be moving apart.
anyone can see that things once "Fit" and now are at what seems like a even distance
So if the earth wasnt expanding, then the US is heading into Europe..
Maybe the arctic region is heaving up due to this potential. for Core heating and expansion.

Great Catch OP! If you or anyone else is interested, IceBridge is the U.S. effort to establish exceptionally accurate surveys of not only the ice, but what is beneath it (Among other purposes) This is the program handling the data from the aircraft flying to and from The South Pole station and general survey patterns.

IceBridge

I tried working with the raw data sets to make my own simulations this past summer but, alas, at this point that's like a student trying to play a classical music sheet and it's way above my skill level. However, the software and web interface they provide is stunning and incredible to work with in their generated simulations of what is there.

It also covers periods of time in ways you can pull and look at apart from others, so perhaps helpful in checking out other things related to this?

reply to post by snarky412


1/2 inch per year world wide would be fairly normal

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Thank you....

And thanks for the link

Much respect~
snarky

reply to post by snarky412

... West Antarctic bedrock is being pushed sideways at rates up to about twelve millimeters--about half an inch--per year ...

Yikes, that means in 427,553,280 years New Zealand, location of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be bowled over, meaning the lush dairy farming landscape around the Waikato town of Matamata will never again be visited by fans of the book and movies...... Guess I better make travel arrangement soon.


Miles from the South Pole to New Zealand : 3,374 miles
Inches in 1 mile: 63,360 inches
Distance from South Pole to New Zealand in inches: 213,776,640 inches
Antarctic westward movement per year: 0.5 inches
Time in years for Antartica to slip over New Zealand: 3,374 miles X 63,360 inches / 0.5 inches = 427,553,280 years

Sounds like the earth is going to sprout a tail. Maybe as the ice goes away, the south pole will raise up and round the earth once again.......in another thousand years or so.

What I also find so amazing is the way there can be a precision of the tiniest of measurements.

I also wonder if the recent big EQs off the southern tip of Africa are related to this rise in the land?

reply to post by snarky412


Most likely to be related to this Volcano discovered smoldering under a kilometer of ice in West Antarctica

And Lil Drummerboy, you might be interested in my signature thread in the research forum dedicated to the possible connection between the electric universe and expanding earth theories. Lots of fantastic links and up to date research into both ideas that stimulate the mind in fascinating ways.