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Interpretation of airborne geophysical data acquired during PCMEGA

Entry ID: ASAC_2561

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Summary

Abstract: Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2561
See the link below for public details on this project.

The project aims to investigate the multidimensional sub-surface structures in the southern Prince Charles Mountains using the airborne geophysical data acquired during Prince Charles Mountains Expedition of Germany-Australia (PCMEGA). This will be of national significance as it will identify ... continental geological processes occurring in Australia-Antarctica, prior to and during their separation ~120 million years ago, and relate them to present day observations.

Taken from the abstracts of the referenced papers:

Geological exposures in the Lambert Rift region of East Antarctica comprise scattered coastal outcrops and inland nunataks sporadically protruding through the Antarctic ice sheet from Prydz Bay to the southernmost end of the Prince Charles Mountains. This study utilised airborne magnetic, gravity, and ice radar data to interpret the distribution and architecture of tectonic terranes that are largely buried beneath the thick ice sheet. Free-air and Bouger gravity data are highly influenced by the subice and mantle topography, respectively. Gravity stripping facilitated the removal of the effect of ice and Moho, and the residual gravity data set thus obtained for the intermediate crustal level allowed a direct comparison with magnetic data. Interpretation of geophysical data also provided insight into the distribution and geometry of four tectonic blocks: namely, the Vestfold, Beaver, Mawson, and Gamburtsev domains. These tectonic domains are supported by surface observations such as rock descriptions, isotopic data sets, and structural mapping.

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Three dimensional modelling of airborne magnetic data acquired in the Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica, provides an insight into the sub-ice distribution, and three-dimensional geometry of a Neoproterozoic sedimentary basin. A three-dimensional starting model was created from two two-dimensional GM-SYS modelling and our current geological understanding of the study area. Three-dimensional VPmg inversion modelling was performed on the aeromagnetic data to obtain an acceptable fit between the observed response collected in the field, and the calculated response of the three dimensional model. Modelling suggests that the base of the basin undulates and is relatively unstructured, however the margins of the basin thicken from north (~4 km) to south (~11 km). The volume of the Sodruzhestvo Group that in-fills the sedimentary basin has been calculated at approximately 35,000 cubic kilometres. Modelling of Banded Iron Formations at the southern margin of the basin and a sharp magnetic contrast in the north, reveal that both contacts dip toward the south. We interpret this asymmetric geometry of the sedimentary basin as having began as a set of half grabens, bounded by an underlying listric fault that flattened at depth below the sedimentary basin. Subsequent Early Palaeozoic inversion of this structure resulted in reactivation along the low-angle basal detachment, but rather than taking its original course underneath the sedimentary basin, the fault ramped up along the southern margin. This process caused exhumation of the underlying Banded Iron Formations, which are now juxtaposed at similar crustal levels to the Neoproterozoic cover rocks.

Related URL

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE

Description: Public information for ASAC project 2561

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: -65.0

S: -70.0

E: 70.0

W: 60.0

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2004-10-01

Stop Date: 2006-03-31

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > Prince Charles Mountains

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Science Keywords

SOLID EARTH > GRAVITY/GRAVITATIONAL FIELD

SOLID EARTH > GEOMAGNETISM

SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES

SOLID EARTH > ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS

ISO Topic Category

GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

Quality The Dates provided in temporal coverage are approximate only, and represent the beginning and end of the 2004 - 2006 Antarctic seasons.

The latitudes and longitudes provided in spatial coverage are approximate only.

See the referenced papers for further information.

Access Constraints This was a modelling project, and as such did not produce any data of its own.

PDF copies of the referenced papers are available for download to AAD staff only.

Use Constraints This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_2561 when using these data.

Ancillary Keywords

PCMEGA

geophysics

airborne

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia

Data Center URL: http://data.aad.gov.au

Data Center Personnel
Name: DATA OFFICER AADC Phone: +61 3 6232 3244 Fax: +61 3 6232 3351 Email: metadata at aad.gov.au Contact Address: Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway City: Kingston Province or State: Tasmania Postal Code: 7050 Country: Australia

Distribution

Distribution Media: HTTP

Distribution Size: 3.5 MB

Distribution Format: pdf

Fees: Free

Personnel

CHRISTOPHER KAY WILSON

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Phone: +61 3 9344 6538

Fax: +61 3 9344 7761

Email: c.wilson at earthsci.unimelb.edu.au

Contact Address:

School of Earth Sciences

University of Melbourne

City: PARKVILLE

Province or State: Victoria

Postal Code: 3052

Country: Australia

DAVE CONNELL

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: +61 3 6232 3244

Fax: +61 3 6232 3351

Email: dave.connell at aad.gov.au

Contact Address:

Australian Antarctic Division

203 Channel Highway

City: Kingston

Province or State: Tasmania

Postal Code: 7050

Country: Australia

Publications/References

McLean, Mark A.; Rawling, Timothy J.; Betts, Peter G.; Phillips, Glen; Wilson, Chris J. L. (2008), Three-dimensional inversion modelling of a Neoproterozoic basin in the southern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica, Tectonophysics, 456, 180-193, doi:doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2008.04.023

McLean, M. A., C. J. L. Wilson, S. D. Boger, P. G. Betts, T. J. Rawling, and D. Damaske (2009), Basement interpretations from airborne magnetic and gravity data over the Lambert Rift region of East Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 114, B06101, doi:10.1029/2008JB005650.

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2006-07-27

Last DIF Revision Date: 2012-03-14

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