First description of subglacial megalineations from the late Paleozoic ice age in southern Africa

Researchers have uncovered evidence of subglacial megalineations from the late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA) in the Twyfelfontein area of northern Namibia, providing new insights into ancient glacial dynamics. These asymmetric megawhalebacks, ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 km in length, suggest a paleo-ice flow directed northwestward, indicating the presence of an ice stream within the proto-Huab River valley. This discovery supports the existence of major terrestrial glacial outlet systems during the LPIA, comparable to modern Antarctic ice streams, and aligns with sedimentary records from southern Brazil. The study employed field observations and geospatial imagery analysis, followed by a geomorphometric assessment, to reconstruct the paleo-ice flow patterns and infer the extent of glacial activity in southern Africa.

Andrews, G. D., McGrady, A. T., Brown, S. R., & Maynard, S. M. (2019). First description of subglacial megalineations from the late Paleozoic ice age in southern Africa. Plos One, 14(1), e0210673. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210673