Hard rocks and deep wetlands beneath Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica

Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is losing ice rapidly and is considered especially vulnerable to retreat, but predictions of its future remain limited by uncertainties about its subglacial properties. Here we show results from 344 km of vibroseismic surveys collected along and across the glacier. The data reveal a heterogeneous bed of elevated ridges with steep upstream-facing slopes that form crag-and-tail landforms resisting fast flow. Between these ridges lie basins filled with consolidated sediments. Subglacial water is widespread, occurring in bed depressions and on topographic highs, including an active lake composed of tens of metres of highly porous, water-saturated sediments. Across the glacier, the bed beneath the eastern margin is mostly hard but contains isolated pockets of softer material. These findings demonstrate current models do not capture the full complexity of the bed beneath Thwaites Glacier, where water-bearing sediments and steep basal slopes strongly affect ice flow and retreat.