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Scientists Discover Massive Granite Slab Under Antarctic Glacier

10/23/2025

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Summary

Story summary

British Antarctic Survey scientists have identified a granite slab beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, 62 miles wide and over four miles thick, located beneath Pine Island Glacier.
The team detected the slab through gravitational surveys.
Pink boulders on nearby mountains, likely glacier-transported, link the granite to the region's geological history and may improve ice-flow models.

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Story summary

British Antarctic Survey scientists have identified a granite slab beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, 62 miles wide and over four miles thick, located beneath Pine Island Glacier.
The team detected the slab through gravitational surveys.
Pink boulders on nearby mountains, likely glacier-transported, link the granite to the region's geological history and may improve ice-flow models.