How long has Antartica been covered with ice?

Question

It used to be land, didn't it?

Answer 1

For the last 15 million years or so, Antarctica has been mostly ice covered. But underneath, the ancient rocks that make up this continent are still there.

Before that, it was still connected to Australia and India and was located farther to the north on the globe.

Far enough back (about 160+ million years) and it was located on the equator.

About 25 million years ago it split off from the other continental bits and once the Antarctic circumpolar current developed, the weather isolation and cold kicked in, creating a very cold desert with little precipitation, but no meltingof the snows.

Over the subsequent millions of years an average ice pack depth of 2 miles developed.

if it all melted, the oceans would all raise something like 200 feet!

Answer 2

Antarctica has been for over millions of years and according to a co-worker, he stated that when he was in school in the '70's, a scientist stated that earth went through 4 cycles of being covered in ice and then receded to no ice on this planet by studying the pattern of ice build up in North and South pole. I am not sure if Antarctica used to be just land with no ice covering it at one time.

Answer 3

Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, the first confirmed sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. However, the continent remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolated location.

Belief in the existence of a Terra Australis — a vast continent located in the far south of the globe to "balance" the northern lands of Europe, Asia and north Africa — had existed since Ptolemy suggested the idea in order to preserve symmetry of landmass in the world. Depictions of a large southern landmass were common in maps such as the early 16th century Turkish Piri Reis map. Even in the late 17th century, after explorers had found that South America and Australia were not part of "Antarctica," geographers believed that the continent was much larger than its actual size.

More than 170 million years ago, Antarctica was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. Over time Gondwana broke apart and Antarctica as we know it today was formed around 25 million years ago.

Answer 4

BWT 10,000 TO 12,000 YRS SINCE LAST ICE AGE.

YES LAND MASS.


BUT NOT FOR LONG WITH THE ICE MELT..

Answer 5

since the last ice age it is really starting to melt.

Answer 6

Since I froze it.

Answer 7

12,000 years