- Scientists working in Antarctica have discovered the Earth's oldest directly dated sample of ice and air from the Allan Hills region of East Antarctica.
- This sample contains microscopic air bubbles trapped within ice that is six million years old.
- Its age was determined through an analysis of argon isotopes present in the trapped air.
- The Allan Hills site is located in East Antarctica, a region renowned for its ancient blue ice.
- The sample obtained from this region provides directly dated air, distinct from older climate records derived from other climate proxies.
- This ice sample is approximately six million years old, and the air bubbles trapped within it preserve the ancient atmospheric composition.
- The study also revealed that, over the past six million years, Antarctica's temperature has undergone a long-term decline of approximately 12 degrees Celsius.
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