Prelims: Current events of National and International Importance| Science & Technology
Why in News?
Scientists have discovered ice cores on the Guliya Plateau in northwestern Tibet that are more than 128,000 years old, extending the known glacial record of the region by over 100,000 years.
- Location – Guliya Plateau, northwestern Tibet.
- Research Team– Led by Lonnie Thompson and Tatyana Woodall from The Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center.
- Discovery Method– Researchers analyzed ice cores drilled in 1992 and 2015 (23 years apart) and found strikingly similar oxygen isotope patterns.
- Dating Technique– They used radioactive isotopes of beryllium and chlorine to identify the chemical signature of the Leschamp Geomagnetic Excursion (a magnetic field disturbance from over 41,000 years ago) and matched the results with cave deposit records.
- Significance– The findings show that high-mountain glaciers survived major past climate shifts, proving that ice caps can be more resilient to environmental fluctuations than previously thought.
Reference
Science Daily| 128,000-year-old ice in Tibet
