Scientists working in Antarctica discovered the oldest directly dated ice and air sample ever found on Earth

Scientists working in Antarctica discovered the oldest directly dated ice and air sample ever found on Earth

¨     Scientists working in Antarctica discovered the oldest directly dated ice and air sample ever found on Earth.

¨     The sample was recovered from the Allan Hills region of East Antarctica.

¨     It contains tiny air bubbles trapped inside ice that is around 6 million years old.

¨     Scientists determined the age of the samples through argon isotope analysis.

¨     The Allan Hills region is known for its ancient blue ice layers.

¨     Air trapped inside the ice provides direct evidence of Earth’s ancient atmosphere.

¨     This differs from many other climate records that rely on indirect indicators.

¨     The study indicated that Antarctica experienced around 12°C of long-term cooling over the past 6 million years.

¨     The discovery was made by scientists associated with the National Science Foundation-supported Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX).

¨     The research was led by Sarah Shackleton and John Higgins.

¨     The findings were published in October 2025 in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”

¨     Researchers used argon isotopes trapped in air bubbles to determine the age of the ice.

¨     The European “Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice” project completed its final Antarctic expedition in May 2026.

¨     Under the project, a 2.8-kilometre-long ice core was extracted from the Little Dome C region of East Antarctica.

¨     The ice core is estimated to be about 1.2 million years old.

¨     It contains greenhouse gas bubbles such as carbon dioxide and methane.

¨     The “Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice” project involves 14 laboratories from 10 European countries.

¨     Ice cores are considered important for studying Earth’s ancient climate and atmosphere.

¨     Scientists use these samples to understand how Earth’s climate changed over millions of years.

¨     The study is expected to improve understanding of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.

¨     The Mid-Pleistocene Transition was a period when the pace and pattern of Earth’s ice-age cycles changed significantly.