In geology, a ice dome is the dome-shaped structure formed over an ice cap, mainly in Antarctica. They are not mountains, as they are composed of ice, but they can reach considerable altitudes, making them the highest points of the Antarctic Plateau.

The Antarctic Plateau is the ice-covered area located in the center of the continent that includes the geographic South Pole and covers virtually all of Queen Maud Land and Australian Antarctic Territory.

It reaches an average altitude of 3000 meters above sea level and collectively constitutes the place on the planet where temperatures are lowest.

Location of the three main domes A, C and F
Location of the three main domes A, C and F. Credit: Minghu Ding et al. / European Geosciences Union

There are three main ice domes located there, Dome Circe, Dome Fuji, and the Dome Argus, commonly identified by the initials of their names, C, F, and A.

All three exceed 3200 meters in altitude, with the Dome Argus being the highest at 4093 meters above sea level. Its name comes from the mythical ship Argo in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed in search of the Golden Fleece.

The three ice domes house scientific bases or research stations. The permanent Franco-Italian base Concordia has been located on Dome Circe since 2005, the permanent Japanese base Fuji has been on Dome Fuji since 1995, and the Chinese summer base (only active during summers) Kunlun has been established on Dome Argus since January 27, 2009, one of China’s four scientific bases in Antarctica.

Photograph of the snow surface around the Dome C station in Antarctica. It is representative of most of the continent's surface. The photo was taken from the top of a tower, 32 m above the surface
Photograph of the snow surface around the Dome C station in Antarctica. It is representative of most of the continent’s surface. The photo was taken from the top of a tower, 32 m above the surface. Credit: Stephen Hudson / Wikimedia Commons

The fact that the Kunlun station is only active during the summer months is partly due to the fact that Dome Argus is considered the coldest natural place on Earth. The lowest temperature measured with a thermometer on Dome Argus was recorded in July 2005, when it reached -82.5°C.

Satellite measurements on August 10, 2010, revealed the chilling temperature of -93.2°C at a location near Dome Argus, called Ridge A.

This ridge, located 144 kilometers southeast of Dome Argus, reaches an altitude of 4,053 meters and was identified by an Australian-American expedition, which reported that the place was so quiet that there is almost no wind or weather. In fact, all winds blowing in Antarctica in all directions seem to originate from a point on Ridge A.

Another view of the Dome Argus
Another view of the Dome Argus. Credit: Zhaohui Shang, et al. / Nature

Perhaps that’s why it has been found to be the place from which space can be seen three times more clearly than from anywhere else on Earth.

Since January 2012, a small observatory has been operating on Ridge A, the High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz (HEAT) telescope, operated by a team of Australian and American researchers.

Under Dome Argus and Ridge A is a layer of ice at least 2.4 kilometers thick, and beneath it is the Gamburtsev Mountain Range, which is equivalent in size to the Alps.

This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on May 14, 2024: El lugar más frío de la Tierra, donde la temperatura desciende por debajo de los -90 grados centígrados y el viento se detiene

Sources

Dome Argus (Australian Antarctic Program) | The Coldest Place in the World (NASA) | Will Saunders, Jon S. Lawrence, et al., Where Is the Best Site on Earth? Domes A, B, C, and F, and Ridges A and B. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 121 976, DOI 10.1086/605780 | Wikipedia

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