{"id":487087,"date":"2026-11-11T13:24:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T20:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=487087"},"modified":"2026-11-11T13:24:59","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T20:24:59","slug":"seafloor-clay-reveals-west-antarcticas-ice-collapsed-repeatedly-over-800000-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=487087","title":{"rendered":"Seafloor Clay Reveals West Antarctica\u2019s Ice Collapsed Repeatedly Over 800,000 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Infographic
AI generated by Grok<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) found strong evidence from seafloor sediment (clay and mud) cores that West Antarctica\u2019s most vulnerable ice streams, including Thwaites Glacier, repeatedly collapsed and retreated far inland during natural warm periods (interglacial) over the past 800,000 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key signal comes from the clay mineral kaolinite <\/strong>(also known as china clay). This mineral formed under warmer, wetter conditions on Antarctica<\/strong> more than 34 million years ago and is now locked in bedrock beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glaciers like Thwaites and Pine Island grind it out and deliver it offshore via icebergs and currents. In sediment cores recovered from ~4,000 m depth on the Amundsen Sea continental margin (IODP Expedition 379 sites U1533 and U1532), the kaolinite signal drops to near-zero during every interglacial in the record. This indicates that marine- based ice in the Amundsen Sea sector retreated far into the continent\u2019s interior, cutting off the supply of that glacigenic debris.\u2060<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting evidence includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n