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USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program

Field Activity Details for field activity 1993-028-FA

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Other ID: EAST93

Status: Completed

Organization(s): USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Funding Program(s):

Principal Investigator(s): Uri Ten Brink

Affiliate Investigator(s): Stephen Bannister - IGNS

Information Specialist(s):

Data Type(s): Electro-Magnetic: Gravity, Electro-Magnetic: Magnetics, Location-Elevation: Navigation, Seismics: Multichannel

Scientific Purpose/Goals: By imaging the bedrock under the East Antarctic ice sheet between the Transantarctic Mountains and the Wilkes subglacial Basin, the experiment provided: 1) quantitative constraints for modeling the uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains and the subsidence of the Wilkes Basin as a flexed lithospheric plate with a free-edge at the boundary with West Antarctica; 2) mapping of the extent of the Ferrar dolerite sills and basalts inland from the mountains to discern whether they originated from an active mantle plume or from rifting and passive upwelling; and 3) analysis of the seismic stratigraphy of the Wilkes Basin sediments to resolve climatic conditions and size of the ice sheet in the Cenozoic, when parts of East Antarctica were deglaciated during much of the Late Cenozoic.

Vehicle(s):

Start Port/Location: McMurdo, Antarctica

End Port/Location: McMurdo, Antarctica

Start Date: 1993-12-01

End Date: 1994-01-29

Equipment Used: LaCoste-Romberg gravimeter G-179, Geometrics G-856 magnetometer, GPS (wh), Multichannel seismics

Information to be Derived: Morphology;

Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: Multichannel seismic reflection: 236 km; Gravity: 312.6 km; Magnetics: 312.6 km; Ground penetrating radar: 205 km

Staff: Uri Ten Brink

Affiliate Staff:
Stephen Bannister - NZ Inst. Geological and Nuclear Sciences - co-Ch. Sci./Shooter; David King - NZ Inst. Geological and Nuclear Sciences - Elect tech.; Mike Collins - NZ Antarctic Program - Mechanic; Bill King - NZ Antarctic Program - Search and rescue; Jan de Vries - NZ Antarctic Program - Search and rescue; Ron Hackney - Victoria Univ.
Wellington
NZ - student; Rafael Katzman - WHOI - student; Yizhaq Makovsky - Stanford - student

Notes: Project = EAST93, EAST93

Location:

Taylor Dome, Lashly Mountain, Transantarctic Mountains, Wilkes Basin, East Antarctic Polar Plateau, Antarctica;

Boundaries
North: -77.1940121 South: -78.72659055 West: 141.50959408 East: 160.83496094

Platform(s):


Tracked Vehicle

Publications

ten Brink, U., and Bannister, S., 1995, EAST93—Geophysical traverse from the Transantarctic Mountains to the Wilkes Basin, East Antarctica—A joint United States-New Zealand science project: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-225, 30 p., URL: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr95225.

Portals/Viewers

Data Acquired

Survey EquipmentSurvey InfoData Type(s)Data Collected
LaCoste-Romberg gravimeter G-179 --- Gravity
Geometrics G-856 magnetometer --- Magnetics
GPS (wh) --- Navigation
Multichannel seismics --- Multichannel

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