Researchers have uncovered exceptionally well-preserved glacial landforms beneath the North Sea, providing new insights into past climate and ice sheet behavior. Using advanced seismic technology, a team of international researchers identified these Ice Age features hidden nearly 1 kilometer beneath thick layers of mud.
The findings, published in Science Advances, indicate that these landforms were created approximately 1 million years ago when an ice sheet originating in Norway extended towards the British Isles. This discovery aligns with a period of global cooling known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, shedding new light on Earth’s climatic history.
Glacial landforms reveal how past ice sheets responded to changes in climate, which can help make better predictions about today’s ice sheets responding to climate warming. The study also provides information on the mechanisms by which ice sheets retreat, including rapid lift-off and floatation of their frontal margin.
The mapped landscape includes streamlined features carved beneath the former ice sheet and ridges that record the imprint of the ice sheet as it started to retreat. These landforms have a striking resemblance to similar features produced by ice sheets much more recently.
In addition to glacial landforms, researchers found elongated furrows incised into the former seabed, which they interpreted to have been produced by strong ocean currents. The study’s findings shed light on the evolution of the North Sea in our recent geological past, revealing that it was characterized by strong ocean currents prior to about 1 million years ago.
While the study is significant, researchers acknowledge a limitation: a lack of data about the precise age of the landforms. To improve predictions about how today’s ice sheets will respond to climate warming, future research should focus on acquiring long sediment cores that can provide more accurate information on glacial events.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-unusual-1-million-year-old-glacial-landforms-under-the-north-sea