When you look at a map of the world, Antarctica is just that big, white blob at the bottom. It looks flat. It looks empty. But honestly, if you could peel back that white sheet, you’d find a continent that’s more rugged than the Alps, buried under a weight so heavy it’s literally warping the Earth’s crust.
So, how deep is ice in Antarctica?
If you’re looking for a quick number, the average is about 2,160 meters (roughly 7,000 feet). But averages are kinda boring and, frankly, they hide the most insane parts of the story. In some spots, you’re standing on nearly five kilometers of frozen water. That is almost five Burj Khalifas stacked on top of each other.
The New King of Depth: Wilkes Land
For a long time, everyone thought the deepest ice was in the Astrolabe Basin. That was the "textbook" answer. But thanks to the Bedmap3 project—which is basically a massive international effort to "X-ray" the continent using planes and satellites—we found out we were wrong.
The deepest ice ever recorded is actually in an unnamed canyon in Wilkes Land.
It’s 4,757 meters deep.
To put that in perspective, if you were at the bottom of that ice, you’d be almost three miles underground. The pressure at that depth is soul-crushing. It’s not just "ice" like you find in your freezer; it’s a high-pressure, crystalline structure that flows like a very slow, very cold river of glass.
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Why the depth varies so much
Antarctica isn't just one big bowl of ice. It’s split into two main sections:
- East Antarctica: This is the big boy. It’s a high plateau, mostly sitting on solid rock that’s above sea level. This is where you find the thickest, oldest, and most stable ice.
- West Antarctica: This part is much sketchier. A lot of the ice here sits on rock that is actually below sea level. If you melted the ice, West Antarctica would basically be a bunch of islands.
The Transantarctic Mountains act like a giant dam, holding back the massive East Antarctic ice sheet from sliding into the sea.
Drills, Time Machines, and 2026 Breakthroughs
We don't just measure this stuff for fun. Scientists drill into the ice to look at the past. Every year it snows in Antarctica, a new layer is added. These layers trap tiny bubbles of air—actual, 100% genuine samples of Earth's atmosphere from hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Right now, in early 2026, the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) project in Australia is making headlines. Just a few weeks ago, in January 2026, they hit a major milestone at a site called Dome C North. They've designed a bespoke drill meant to go down 3,000 meters to reach ice that’s over a million years old.
Why does a million-year-old ice cube matter?
Because about a million years ago, the Earth's "heartbeat"—the way it cycles between ice ages—changed. It went from a 41,000-year cycle to a 100,000-year cycle. Nobody knows why. By looking at the chemistry of the ice at those depths, we might finally figure out what happened.
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The Land Below the Ice
One of the weirdest things about Antarctic ice is what’s underneath it. Because the ice is so thick and heavy, it has pushed the land down. If you took all the ice off today, the continent would actually "bounce" back up over thousands of years—a process called post-glacial rebound.
But for now, there are entire mountain ranges hidden under there. The Gamburtsev Mountains are about the size of the European Alps, with peaks reaching 2,700 meters high.
And yet, they are completely buried.
There’s also water. Lots of it. There are over 400 subglacial lakes trapped between the ice and the bedrock. Lake Vostok is the most famous one. It’s about the size of Lake Ontario, but it’s buried under four kilometers of ice. It hasn't seen the sun in millions of years.
Sea Ice vs. Land Ice: Don't Get Them Confused
When you hear news about "Antarctic ice hitting record lows," it’s usually talking about sea ice. This is the thin crust of frozen saltwater that surrounds the continent. It grows in winter and shrinks in summer.
In March 2025, sea ice hit its second-lowest minimum ever—about 1.98 million square kilometers.
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Land ice (the deep stuff we’ve been talking about) is a different beast. It stays there year-round. However, they are connected. When sea ice disappears, the big glaciers on land lose their "buffer" and start flowing faster into the ocean.
Quick Reality Check:
- Land Ice Thickness: Thousands of meters.
- Sea Ice Thickness: Usually just 1 to 2 meters.
- Volume: There is enough ice in Antarctica to raise global sea levels by about 58 meters (190 feet) if it all melted.
What This Means for You
You're probably not going to go drilling 4,000 meters into the ice yourself. But understanding the scale of this place helps put the planet in perspective. Antarctica isn't just a cold place; it's a giant planetary regulator.
If you're interested in the science or just want to stay updated on the 2026 drilling season, keep an eye on the British Antarctic Survey or the Australian Antarctic Division. They are the ones on the ground (or the ice) doing the heavy lifting.
Actionable Insights for the Curious:
- Follow the MYIC Project: Check the Australian Antarctic Division’s live updates for the 2026-2027 drilling season to see if they reach the "oldest ice" goal.
- Visualize the Scale: Use tools like Google Earth’s "Bedmap" overlays to see the mountain ranges hidden beneath the ice at your feet.
- Understand the "Regime Shift": Research the recent 2025 studies on "Antarctic Regime Shifts"—this is the new term scientists are using to describe why the sea ice isn't bouncing back like it used to.
- Check the Grounding Lines: If you’re tracking climate change, look at "grounding line" data rather than just surface melt; that’s where the deep ice meets the warm ocean, and it’s where the real action is.
Antarctica is basically a five-kilometer-deep history book. We’re only just starting to read the bottom pages.