A Novel Artificial Seismic Exploration Method for Antarctic Ice Sheet Measurement via a High-Precision Acquisition System

Antarctica possesses abundant natural resources and significant scientific research value, but its extreme environmental conditions and unique geographical features bring great challenges to resource exploration and scientific research. Seismic exploration technology has become an effective method for investigating subglacial lakes in Antarctica because of its advantages of large detection depth and high resolution, but factors such as extremely low temperatures and complex terrain impose strict requirements on equipment. To meet the core need of measuring Antarctic ice-sheet thickness, this study innovatively proposes an artificial seismic exploration method applicable to the Antarctic ice sheet, and conducted field trial verification using a self-developed polar seismic data acquisition system. The system adopts a lightweight design combined with low power consumption and high precision, and can adapt well to the extreme working environment of Antarctica; its core performance indicators are as follows: seismic signal acquisition precision better than 0.65 μV@20 dB, dynamic range up to 135 dB, low-temperature tolerance limit of −50 °C, and standby power consumption of 24 mW. At the same time, the system integrates a wired – wireless self-storage hybrid networking technology, which enhances the flexibility and stability of data acquisition. Antarctic field trial data successfully revealed the subglacial medium structure; the acquired controlled-source data confirmed the reasonableness of the medium propagation model via a first-arrival apparent velocity of 1538 m/s, and the simultaneous appearance of two separate sets of in-phase axes revealed clues of possible fluids at the ice–bedrock interface. The gas-explosion source records show a clear strong ice–water interface reflection at a two-way travel time of 2.5 s, indicating an ice-sheet thickness of approximately 4500 m, and based on the subsequent 0.4 s delay of the water–bottom interface reflection, an approximately 300 m thick subglacial lake was estimated. This result is highly consistent with airborne gravity inversion data, validating the system’s accuracy in detecting macroscopic structures and providing strong technical support for Antarctic subglacial geological research.