Find the mysterious mountain range in Antarctica

The Gamburtsevs mountain range in Antarctica has the same height as the mighty Alps strip in Europe but is hidden under a giant ice sheet. International scientists are working on the project to accurately determine the size and shape of this mountain range.

The research team's aircraft took off to measure the Gamburtsevs range.Photo: BBC.

The presence of mountains in the Gamburtsevs range, discovered in the 1950s, shocked the scientific community. Earlier it was thought that the interior of Antarctica was relatively flat. But modern detection techniques today prove the opposite.

'We can confirm that these mountains exist. We see them below the tape. They are the size, sharp peaks and valleys similar to the European Alps , 'said Dr. Fausto Ferraccioli, a scientist who joined the expedition program.

The presence of the mountains in Antarctica raises many questions as to how mountains form and why they are not eroded by ice. The project is named Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province in order to understand the mysterious mountain range involving scientists, engineers, pilots and support teams from the UK, USA, Germany, Australia, China and Japan.

They set up two camps in Antarctica and allowed the plane to constantly hover above the mountain range to determine their shape with radar waves. Other devices on the aircraft measure electromagnetic fields and gravitational fields. Scientists have flown a total of about 120,000 km (equivalent to 3 trips around the earth) and discovered more than 20% of Antarctic ice.

Data processing on computers to determine the peak of the mountain range.Photo: BBC.

Data on the lower part of the Gamburtsevs range is provided by a seismic network. Dr. Robin Bell of Columbia University (USA) said: "On a location 3 km from the ground we see water. That may be the bottom of the ice. Wave from the wing radar flying through the ice, so we know that the temperature below the ice is much higher than the surface '.

The team hopes to find the best location to drill a hole in the iceberg. The air trapped between the ice layers will help them understand more about the earth's climate history. 'Our findings are like the first page of a book. We have a lot of data to handle, ' Dr. Ferraccioli announced.