Synonyms
Definition
Antarctica is the ice-covered continent located in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. Ninety-eight percent of its 14 Mkm2 surface area is covered by a 1.6 km thick ice sheet, corresponding to 90% of the world’s ice. Antarctica reached its present position 25 Ma ago after the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana. It has been covered by ice for the past 15 Ma. About 400 subglacial lakes lie at the base of the continental ice sheet, the best known being the Lake Vostok, which is ca. 250 km long, 50 wide, and 200–800 m deep. Lake Vostok has remained isolated for 14 million years, making it a valuable analog for exploring deep biosphere niches. The surface of the ice sheets shares similarities with those of Jupiter's moon Europa, and the ice-free Dry Valleys are an analog of the martian surface.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pinti, D. (2011). Antarctica. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_83
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_83
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics