Thousands of tiny 'quakes' shake Antarctic ice at night

Scientists say they have recorded thousands of tiny 'ice quakes' in Antarctica at night, a phenomenon that may help track glacier melting and explain the breaking of large ice shelves.

Scientists at the University of Chicago in the US placed seismometers on the McMurdo Ice Shelf and recorded the 'ice quakes' that appear to be caused by pools of partially melted ice expanding and freezing at night.

"In these areas we would record tens, hundreds, up to thousands of these per night," said Douglas MacAyeal, a professor at the University of Chicago.

"It's possible that seismometers may be a practical way for us to remotely monitor glacier melting," MacAyeal said in a statement.

Climate change is causing the Antarctic to melt, but glaciologists are still mapping how, where and why.

There is much we still do not understand about the process -- as evidenced by the massive Larsen B ice shelf collapse in 2002, which took glaciologists by surprise -- and understanding these mechanisms is key to .