Ancient Ice Age landforms discovered under North Sea, shed light on glacial history

Massive landforms dating back to the Ice Age have been discovered beneath the North Sea, providing critical insights into glacial movements and climate patterns from over a million years ago.

Researchers used advanced high-resolution imaging to reveal these structures, which were created during the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) when Earth experienced longer and more intense glacial periods.

A study published in Science Advances uncovered the buried landforms beneath 1 kilometer of sediment. These features were remnants of a vast ice sheet that spanned from modern-day Norway to the British Isles during the MPT. Previously, scientists believed multiple smaller ice sheets shaped the region, but new evidence suggests a single expansive ice sheet was responsible. Christine Batchelor, a senior lecturer at Newcastle University, noted that the findings challenge earlier theories about glacial dynamics in this area.

The landforms reveal how the massive ice sheet advanced and retreated, leaving distinct marks on the seabed. Streamlined features aligned with ice flow direction were carved during its progression, while transverse patterns such as crevasse-squeeze ridges emerged during its retreat. These ridges formed as soft sediment was forced into ice base cracks, a process enhanced by meltwater undercutting the ice sheet.

The mid-Pleistocene transition is a critical period in Earth’s glacial history, characterised by significant changes in climate and glacial behavior.

The new findings offer a window into how ancient ice sheets reacted to climate shifts, providing valuable data for modeling historical glacial patterns. By studying these ancient systems, researchers hope to draw parallels with current environmental changes and better understand the feedback mechanisms influencing today’s climate.