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Hot rocks in a cold place: high sub-glacial heat flow in east Antarctica

Created 16/10/2025

Updated 16/10/2025

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Numerical models are the primary predictive tools for understanding the dynamic behavior of the Antarctic ice sheet. But a key boundary parameter - the magnitude of sub-glacial heat flow - is controlled by geological factors and remains poorly constrained. We show that variations in the abundance and distribution of heat producing elements (U, Th and K) within the Antarctic continental crust give rise to regional sub-glacial heat flows as much as 2-3 times greater than previously assumed in ice modeling studies. We also recognize that, prior to the breakup of Gondwana, much of the East Antarctic continental crust was contiguous with southern Australia where extensive high-heat producing Proterozoic-aged rocks, and correspondingly elevated regional heat flows, are well documented. Such crustal rocks almost certainly extend beneath the modern east Antarctic ice sheet. This means that high sub-glacial heat flows are likely to be a regional phenomenon. Such fundamental geological controls on sub-glacial heat flow must be considered in accurately modelling ice dynamics, permitting more refined predictions of ice mass balance and sea level change.

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Field Value
Title Hot rocks in a cold place: high sub-glacial heat flow in east Antarctica
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/dee7f62f-ec62-4b4f-8c5c-3ef5c911476a
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 22/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        75.0,
        -70.0
      ],
      [
        150.0,
        -70.0
      ],
      [
        150.0,
        -60.0
      ],
      [
        75.0,
        -60.0
      ],
      [
        75.0,
        -70.0
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "Hot rocks in a cold place: high sub-glacial heat flow in east Antarctica". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/hot-rocks-in-a-cold-place-high-sub-glacial-heat-flow-in-east-antarctica