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Health & Science5h 33m ago
Artificial intelligence (AI) has revealed hundreds of previously unknown earthquakes beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, including some in an unexpected place: in the middle of a tectonic plate, far from a plate boundary.
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East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Antarctica
Who
Long Ho, Richard Alley
What
Artificial intelligence (AI) has revealed hundreds of previously unknown earthquakes beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, including some in an unexpected place: in the middle of a tectonic plate, far from a plate boundary.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT · 5h 33m ago
Where
East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Antarctica ·
Why
The earthquakes occur where the cold, rigid crust and upper mantle beneath East Antarctica meets warmer, softer rock beneath West Antarctica, creating an abrupt change in tectonic strength.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery challenges previous assumptions that Antarctica was seismically calm and suggests that deep, continental-interior earthquakes may be more common than currently recognized, potentially requiring a re-evaluation of plate tectonics.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Currently Reading5h 33m agoArtificial intelligence (AI) has revealed hundreds of previously unknown earthquakes beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, including some in an unexpected place: in the middle of a tectonic plate, far from a plate boundary.
- Health & Science5h 33m agoArtificial intelligence has revealed over 500 previously unknown intermediate-depth earthquakes about 60 to 90 miles (100 to 150 kilometers) beneath David Glacier, bridging East and West Antarctica.Open article
- Health & Science5h 33m agoArtificial intelligence has revealed hundreds of previously unknown earthquakes beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, challenging the notion that Antarctica is seismically calm.Open article