Investigation of Plate Movements on the Antarctic Continent and Its Surroundings Using GNSS Data and Global Plate Models

The Earth’s lithosphere, the rigid outermost layer of the planet, is composed of numerous tectonic plates of varying sizes that move over the underlying asthenosphere. The motion and interaction of these plates give rise to a wide range of geodynamic processes. Accurate monitoring of these processes is essential for maintaining a stable, up-to-date, and reliable terrestrial reference frame. This study investigates the horizontal and vertical motions of the Antarctic Plate resulting from its interactions with adjacent plates. Tectonic plate movements can be determined using several space-geodetic techniques, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Among these methods, GNSS is currently the most widely used, as plate motions can be derived from continuous observations recorded at permanent stations and processed using scientific or commercial software. Within the scope of this research, GNSS data collected between 2020 and 2023 were processed using the GAMIT/GLOBK V.10.7 software package to estimate the coordinates and velocities of stations located on the Antarctic, South American, African, and Australian Plates in the ITRF14 reference frame. Furthermore, plate-fixed solutions were generated to analyze the relative motion of the Antarctic Plate with respect to neighboring plates. The results indicate that the Antarctic Plate moves at an average velocity of approximately 4–18 mm/year in the ITRF14 frame. The plate diverges from both the African and Australian Plates and exhibits predominantly strike-slip motion relative to the South American Plate. A comparison with existing global plate motion models demonstrates that the obtained velocities are consistent within 0–5 mm/year.