Antarctica’s Terrain: Ice Sheets, Mountains, Dry Valleys & More

Major Landscape Features

1. Ice Sheet: Up to 4,000 m thick; compressed snow accumulated over millennia.
2. Mountains & Valleys: Transantarctic & Ellsworth Mountains (>5,000 m); deep glacial valleys.
3. Coastal Zones: Rocky cliffs, ice shelves, ice cliffs calving into ocean.
4. McMurdo Dry Valleys: Ice‑free, hyper‑arid; unique microbial ecosystems.
5. Oases: Coastal ice‑free patches near volcanic warmth; mosses, lichens, flowering plants.
6. Icebergs: Massive tabular bergs calved from shelves/glaciers, drifting in Southern Ocean.

Extreme conditions create one of Earth’s most unique and fragile environments.