Scientists have explored the glacier on the summit of Mount Ararat for the first time
An international team of scientists has carried out the first-ever geophysical survey of the glacier on the summit of Mount Ararat in Turkey. The researchers have mapped the thickness of the ice and the subglacial topography in order to select a site for drilling the first-ever ice core, which could preserve records of climate and human activity spanning thousands of years.
The expedition carried out its work at an altitude of over 5,000 metres above sea level. Over the course of two weeks, the experts took measurements in conditions of strong winds, low temperatures and thin air.
Until now, the Ararat Glacier has been virtually unexplored, which is why scientists refer to it as a ‘blank spot’ in scientific knowledge.
Details
The researchers used two methods: radar probing and active seismic surveying.
These technologies make it possible to determine the thickness of the glacier and map the surface of the bedrock hidden beneath the ice.
The data obtained will help to select the most suitable location for drilling a long ice core.
If the next expedition is successful, scientists will, for the first time, obtain ice samples from the summit of Mount Ararat.
Each layer of ice gradually accumulates dust particles, bubbles of ancient air, traces of volcanic eruptions and other substances that entered the atmosphere during different historical periods.
By analysing these layers, researchers will be able to reconstruct the region’s climate history over thousands of years and track how natural conditions have changed.
Ice may preserve traces of ancient civilisations
The project is also of particular interest to archaeologists.
Mount Ararat is situated near the regions where some of the world’s earliest agricultural cultures emerged — in Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the Caucasus.
Scientists suggest that the ice may contain minute particles linked to the activities of ancient people. For example, traces of early metallurgy or slash-and-burn agriculture.
However, the researchers emphasise that this is, for the time being, merely a scientific hypothesis. It can only be confirmed once the ice core has been analysed.
The glacier is shrinking rapidly
The project’s authors note that Ararat’s ice cap is shrinking rapidly due to climate change.
With each passing year, as the ice melts, unique information about the region’s past – which cannot be recovered by other means – may be lost.
This is precisely why scientists are hoping to obtain the first ice samples as soon as possible for further analysis.
Source
Research: a joint project between the Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany), the University of Münster and Turkish scientific organisations.