The 2.8-kilometre-long ice core dates back at least 1.2 million years, the University of Bern said on Thursday.
It spoke of a “historic milestone” for climate research. The longest continuous ice core to date, which was recovered in 2004 also in the Antarctic, dated back around 800,000 years. The analysis of such old ice layers allows conclusions to be drawn about global climate history, such as the change between warm and ice ages.
According to the University of Bern, the interval between recurring ice age cycles suddenly increased significantly between 800,000 and 1.2 million years ago. Why this was the case is “still one of the greatest mysteries of climate science”. The analysis of the new drill core should now shed light on this, it said. The findings are also important for understanding future developments in the Earth system, it added.
The drill cores have now been transported to Europe in specially constructed refrigerated containers on an Italian research icebreaker.
According to the University of Bern, preliminary analyses indicate that the upper 2,480 metres of the ice core contain a “high-resolution” climate record dating back up to 1.2 million years. Up to 13,000 years are compressed into one metre of ice. Below this is heavily deformed, possibly mixed or refrozen, even older ice of unknown origin. Overall, the drill core reaches down to the bedrock.
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