Slow rock movements deep under the Earth’s surface over tens of millions of years have led to the creation of a “gravity hole” below Antarctica.
Researchers at the University of Florida say gravity is at its weakest beneath the frozen continent after accounting for Earth’s rotation
The say the Antarctic gravity hole overlaps with major changes in Antarctica’s climate, and future research could reveal how the shifting gravity might have encouraged the growth of the frozen continent’s climate-defining ice sheets.
“Caused by different densities of rock far beneath the Earth’s surface, these variations in gravity are small in absolute terms,” the university said in a report on the research.
“But they can have particularly large effects on the oceans. Where gravity is weaker, the ocean surface can sit slightly lower relative to Earth’s center because water flows away toward areas of stronger gravity.
“Due to its gravity hole, the sea-surface height around Antarctica is measurably lower than it would otherwise be.”
The study, published recently in Scientific Reports, by the Paris Institute of Earth Physics, mapped the Antarctic gravity hole and revealed how it developed over millions of years.
“If we can better understand how Earth’s interior shapes gravity and sea levels, we gain insight into factors that may matter for the growth and stability of large ice sheets,” Professor of geophysics at the University of Florida Alessandro Forte said.
“Imagine doing a CT scan of the whole Earth, but we don’t have X-rays like we do in a medical office. We have earthquakes. Earthquake waves provide the ‘light’ that illuminates the interior of the planet.”
The full report is https://news.ufl.edu/2026/02/antarctic-gravity-hole/
