Antarctica: the continent that remembers

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22201/ceide.16076079e.2025.26.3.13

Keywords:

Antarctica, Geology, Climate Change, Fossils, Paleontology

Abstract

Wrapped in ice and mystery, Antarctica holds the memory of the planet in its rocks. In this scientific chronicle, a geologist from the unam narrates his participation in an expedition to the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary, one of the least understood passages in geological history. Alongside an Argentine team, he spent weeks in isolated camps, on nunataks surrounded by glaciers, collecting fossils and fragments of a marine past hidden under millions of years of sediment. Amid extreme temperatures, gusts of wind, and a routine without internet or electricity, daily life becomes survival, science, and communion with the landscape. Antarctica, far from being a static wasteland, reveals stories of ancient forests, giant penguins, and temperate oceans. Today, its ice also records the impact of climate change. This account not only explores a scientific expedition but also the way deep time speaks to us about the present—and the future—of the planet.

Author Biography

Rafael Antonio Lopez Martinez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Geología, México

Doctor en Ciencias de la Tierra e Investigador de Tiempo Completo en el Instituto de Geología de la unam. Dirige el Laboratorio de Carbonatos y Procesos Kársticos de dicho Instituto. Su línea de investigación se enfoca en el estudio del karst y pseudokarst, así como en el análisis geológico de los periodos Jurásico y Cretácico. A lo largo de su carrera, ha publicado diversos artículos científicos sobre estos temas y ha dirigido tesis de licenciatura, maestría y doctorado. Su trabajo es fundamental para comprender los procesos geológicos que moldean la Tierra, y su contribución a la ciencia ha sido reconocida tanto en el ámbito académico como profesional.

References

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Mörs, T., Reguero, M., y Vasilyan, D. (2020). First fossil frog from Antarctica: Implications for Eocene high latitude climate conditions and Gondwanan cosmopolitanism of Australobatrachia. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 5051. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61973-5.

Published

2025-05-12