Crustal Velocity Imaging of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, Antarctica, Based on Ambient Seismic Noise

Abstract The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM) are located in the cratonic interior of East Antarctica and may have served as the starting point for the growth of the Antarctic ice sheet. The tectonic evolutionary history of the GSM is controversial. Here, we use ambient seismic noise data recorded by the Gamburtsev Antarctic Mountains Seismic Experiment (GAMSEIS) to establish a three‐dimensional shear wave velocity model of the East Antarctic GSM region using Rayleigh wave dispersion curves with 5–35 s periods. Our inversion reveals several key features. First, the GSM is underlain by a thickened crust reaching 57–58 km, with a distinct low‐velocity anomaly along its southern margin that is likely associated with the South Pole Province. A central low‐velocity zone within the GSM is interpreted to reflect the presence of fault systems. Second, seismic evidence of a thrust‐nappe structures is observed along the probable terrane boundaries, while low‐velocity anomalies in the lower crust appear to be dynamically linked to decompression melting processes in the upper mantle. We infer that the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains underwent multi‐phase uplift, which was probably driven by the combined influence of lithospheric thermal anomalies, crustal buoyancy, and glacial erosion and unloading.