Modelling of geomechanical processes of interaction of the ice cover with subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: As a result of analysis of the ice cover, geological structure and tectonics of the underlying rocks in the Lake Vostok area of Antarctica, a layered sub-horizontal structure of the ice cover and a distribution of the parameters of the ice composition were established. The physical and mechanical properties of the underlying rocks were determined experimentally. Complex tectonics revealed an increase in geothermal flow in the Vostok Basin region, which plays a role in the evolution of the Earth's crust and in shaping the morphology of its physical properties. A three-dimensional geomechanical model of the unified system ‘glacier-Lake Vostok-bedrock ’ was constructed and investigated. Regularities in the changes to the stress-strain state were revealed. Zones of development of plastic deformation in the ice cover along the perimeter of Lake Vostok and their distribution over the lake were established, which were confirmed by results from field observations. Modelling of geomechanical processes shows that the change in the mechanical state of the Earth's crust, taking into account the creep deformation of the ice sheet, relates more to nonlinear dynamic systems, which are characterized by unstable changes and should be considered as fractal systems.
Source: Antarctic Science
Authors: Vladimir Litvinenko, Vladimir Trushko
Institution: Saint Petersburg Mining University
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
OpenAlex ID: W4407257741