资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

East Antarctica is the least well‐exposed Precambrian shield on Earth. What is known, or surmised, of its geological structure comes from extrapolation over large distances and from geophysics. Here we present a map of effective elastic thickness, T_e, computed from Antarctic bedrock topography and both terrestrial and satellite gravity data. T_e is directly related to lithospheric strength and can distinguish domains of differing tectonic history. Our map reveals a broad region of high T_e in Wilkes Land, interpreted as a craton, while elsewhere a corridor of low T_e meanders between areas of higher T_e. The low‐T_e belt follows the trend of prominent linear magnetic anomalies identified in the Gamburtsev and Dronning Maud Land provinces, two of which have previously been identified as possible Grenville or Pan‐African age sutures. (128 words)

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