Antarctica’s ice is more than just a frozen wasteland; it’s one of the world’s most revealing historical records. Deep beneath its surface, layers of ice from places like the Law Dome and WAIS Divide preserve snapshots of Earth’s past, going back 800,000 years. These natural archives hold traces of volcanic eruptions, climate shifts, and even human catastrophes. Plagues, wars, and genocide—frozen in time, waiting to be read.
Click through the gallery to discover how Antarctic ice helps connect the dots between natural events and the rise and fall of human history.