Continental breakup-driven uplift instigated East Antarctic Ice Sheet formation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gernon, Thomas M.; Hincks, Thea K.; Goodwin, Philip; Paxman, Guy J. G.; Brune, Sascha; Rohling, Eelco J.; Keir, Derek; Braun, Jean
• 署名单位: NERC National Oceanography Centre; University of Southampton; Helmholtz Association; GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences; Durham University; University of Potsdam; Utrecht University; University of Florence
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adz6758
• 发表日期: 2026-07-02
• 页码: eadz6758
• 关键词: GAMBURTSEV SUBGLACIAL MOUNTAINS; TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS; climate; temperature; topography; MODEL; EVOLUTION; plate; glaciation; landscape

摘要

Why Antarctica became glaciated similar to 34 million years ago (Ma) remains debated, as relatively warm climates and sea temperatures appear inconsistent with ice sheet formation. Although a critical decline in CO2 is considered primarily responsible, evidence suggests that other factors were important, too. We investigated whether regional topographic uplift, rooted in Jurassic continental breakup and mantle-surface feedbacks, enabled nucleation of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). By integrating geodynamic-topographic models with ice sheet and energy balance models, we show that progressive plateau growth in East Antarctica, including Eocene uplift of the Gamburtsev Mountains, pushed landscapes above the threshold for ice sheet nucleation by similar to 45 Ma. Uplift enabled EAIS growth under warmer-than-expected climates, producing hemispheric asymmetry in early glaciation and reconciling Oligocene polar warmth with the onset of the modern icehouse world.