How long can it take for snow to become glacier ice in Antarctica?

High on the plateau of Antarctica, the transformation of snow into glacier ice is a slow process that can take several thousand years and require burial to depths of approximately 150 meters.1

This transition occurs as snowpack undergoes densification, eventually reaching a density of about 830 to 840 kilograms per cubic meter, at which point air spaces between grains are sealed off and the material becomes impermeable to fluids. While this process can happen in as little as three or four years in warmer, wetter environments, the extreme cold of the Antarctic plateau significantly slows the necessary physical changes, such as the rounding of ice grains and recrystallization under the weight of overlying snow.1