A new method has mapped the bedrock beneath Greenland’s ice sheet, revealing previously unknown long, straight valleys in the west-central region for the first time.
Why it matters. Scientists now have a better understanding of Greenland’s hidden topography, which could impact climate and glaciology research.
A newly developed method for mapping the bedrock beneath Greenland’s ice sheet reveals the island’s hidden topography.
A newly developed method for mapping the bedrock beneath Greenland’s ice sheet reveals the island’s hidden topography. Among the most striking finds are long, straight valleys in the west-central region, some mapped for the first time and others extending farther inland than previously known (inset 3).
The new map reveals an expansive network of valleys carved into the surface beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. Many of the features formed well before most of the ice above them existed, offering new context for the island’s geologic history—and potentially helping scientists refine projections of the ice sheet’s future. Scientists described the newly mapped valleys in a NASA-led paper published in…
