UND Geologist Unearths World’s Oldest Ice

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Researchers at the University of North Dakota have come across five-million-year-old artifacts that could provide more details about the planet’s ancient history.

Geologists at UND unearthed sheets of ice during a trip to Antarctica in 2018, and new research indicates how long the ice dates back.

To unlock more details about the history the ice contains, the scientists will examine the amount of CO2 in the ice, as well as any DNA or biological activity that’s preserved in it. The ice is being stored in a commercial freezer on the UND campus.

Scholarly journals are being already written about their discovery.

The UND scientists say the ice could open the door for more researchers around the world to get a deeper understanding of the earth’s ancient climate by performing additional drilling expeditions in Antarctica.