Brief communication: Identification of 140&thinsp;000-year-old blue ice in the Grove Mountains, East Antarctica, by krypton-81 dating

Z. Hu; W. Jiang; W. Jiang; Y. Yan; Y. Huang; X. Tang; L. Li; F. Ritterbusch; G.-M. Yang; Z.-T. Lu; Z.-T. Lu; G. Shi; G. Shi

doi:10.5194/tc-18-1647-2024

The Cryosphere (Apr 2024)

Brief communication: Identification of 140 000-year-old blue ice in the Grove Mountains, East Antarctica, by krypton-81 dating

Z. Hu,
W. Jiang,
W. Jiang,
Y. Yan,
Y. Huang,
X. Tang,
L. Li,
F. Ritterbusch,
G.-M. Yang,
Z.-T. Lu,
Z.-T. Lu,
G. Shi,
G. Shi

Affiliations

Z. Hu: MNR Key Laboratory of Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200062, China
W. Jiang: Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230088, China
W. Jiang: Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
Y. Yan: State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
Y. Huang: Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
X. Tang: MNR Key Laboratory of Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200062, China
L. Li: MNR Key Laboratory of Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, 200062, China
F. Ritterbusch: Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
G.-M. Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
Z.-T. Lu: Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230088, China
Z.-T. Lu: Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
G. Shi: Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
G. Shi: State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1647-2024
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 18
pp. 1647 – 1652

Abstract

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The presence of exceptionally old ice and relative ease of access make Antarctic blue-ice areas (BIAs) attractive paleoclimate archives. However, only a handful of BIAs, mostly situated in West Antarctica and along the Transantarctic Mountains, have been investigated for this purpose. Here, we present the age of surface ice from the Grove Mountains BIA in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, determined by measuring 81Kr in the trapped air. Two samples yield an average age of 143-29+33 kyr. Together with the reported terrestrial age of a chondrite, we conclude that the Grove Mountains BIA holds considerable potential for paleoclimate studies.

Published in The Cryosphere

ISSN: 1994-0416 (Print); 1994-0424 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences; Science: Geology
Website: http://www.the-cryosphere.net/

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