Antarctica has a valley deeper than the Grand Canyon under the ice

Scientists are always exploring our planet looking to make new discoveries. For all of recorded history, Antarctica has been covered with a massive sheet of ice many miles thick. This thick coating of ice hides all the actual land underneath form view.

Back in June of 2013, NASA offered up a rendered image (above) that shows what the land underneath all that ice looks like. A team of scientists discovered a massive canyon last year in Greenland that was longer than the Grand Canyon hidden away under its thick ice sheet. Another group of British scientists have discovered a massive canyon in Antarctica.

The scientists say that the sub-glacial canyon is nearly two miles deep, 186 miles long, and 15 miles wide. By comparison, the Grand Canyon is only one mile deep, 277 miles long and 18 miles wide. The hidden valley has been dubbed Ellsworth Trough by the research team.

The team of researchers has radar data on both ends of the valley, but currently don't know what lies in between those ends. The researchers estimate that the massive canyon dates back about 80 million years.

SOURCE: Authintmail