Scotland and the Antarctic

Section 1: Background - Arctic and Antarctic ... The Nature of Antarctica

Where does Antarctica come from?

The Antarctic continent is 750 kilometres (470 miles) away from South America. Was it always in this position?

Millions of years ago the Antarctic continent was part of a huge super-continent - the only one in the world. About 180 million years ago this super-continent began to break up due to movements in the Earth's crust and mantle.

The rocks in Antarctica are similar to the continents that once touched Antarctica. East Antarctica is a Pre-Cambrian shield over 500 million years old - mainly igneous and metamorphic rocks. West Antarctica contains younger rocks. The youngest of these in the Antarctic Peninsula are similar to the Andes and mountains of New Zealand. It is in this area that the only volcanic activity is found in the Antarctic today. South America separated from Antarctica around 25 million years ago.

Antarctica has not always been at the South Pole and has not always been covered in ice. Recent research has shown that:

96 million years ago

- Antarctica had a sub-tropical climate

50 million years ago

- Antarctica had temperate forests

14 million years ago

- the East Antarctic ice sheet was the present size

Five million years ago

- the West Antarctic ice sheet was the present size