East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Quick Summary
The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is a massive body of ice covering approximately 10,200,000 square kilometers. It is separated from West Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountains. The bedrock beneath this ice sheet is largely at sea level, though the ice surface can reach over 4,000 meters above sea level on the polar plateau.1
This ice sheet is part of the larger Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds about 91 percent of the world's glacier ice. Scientists believe the East Antarctic Ice Sheet may have originated in the Gamburtsev Mountains over 14 million years ago. The climate in East Antarctica is extremely cold, with temperatures on the polar plateau being the coldest on Earth.123
The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is considered more stable than the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. If it were to melt entirely, global sea levels could rise by approximately 60 meters.4
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