ClimateAugust 30, 2026

subglacial

sub-GLAY-shul

Definition

Located, occurring, or existing beneath a glacier or ice sheet.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'sub-' (under) and 'glacies' (ice). It entered English in the 19th century to describe geological features situated under glacial ice.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe the hidden mountains, basins, and ridges beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that influence how ice flows today.

Antarctica developed a continental-scale ice sheet 34 million years ago while Earth was about 5°C warmer than today — helped by slow-moving mantle waves that had spent more than 100 million years lifting its interior high enough for permanent ice to surviv

Read the full article ↗

Space Daily

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