New Harbor and Windless Bight Seismic Data for ANDRILL
Entry ID:
ANDRILL_Geophys_surv_2001-2002
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Summary
Abstract:
This was a joint project between scientists and scientific programmes of the US, UK, Germany, and New Zealand to collect geophysical and site survey data in support of the ANDRILL Program. Surveys were conducted over two successive Antarctic field seasons. In the first season, the program acquired 40 km of seismic reflection data in the New Harbour area and on ... the Ross/McMurdo ice shelf between Hut Point Peninsula and Ross Island. Three 80 km line grids (New Harbour, Windless Bight/McMurdo Ice Shelf, Southern McMurdo Ice Shelf) were traversed with a magnetometer and gradiometer for gravity and magnetic measurements. An area of 5000 km2 was covered by a helicopter-borne aeromagnetic survey between Hut Point Peninsula, White Island and Minna Bluff/Brown Peninsula. Immediate scientific goals were to identify sedimentary basins beneath New Harbour and the McMurdo and Southern McMurdo Ice Shelves, determine sediment thickness and the nature of bounding faults. Beneath New Harbour, a series of 200-500 m deep/thick channels and channel fill sediments are identified that relate to the Taylor and Ferrar paleovalleys. The Taylor sequence appears to pre-date and be overprinted by the Ferrar sequence. The channel sediments overlie an older east/north east dipping set of strata cored by CIROS-1. The stratal sets are bounded west and east by major north-south trending faults related to the Transantarctic Mountain front, however, making it difficult to correlate directly to the nearby CIROS and MSSTS drillholes. In the second season, 40 km of seismic reflection and gravity data was collected from the McMurdo and southern McMurdo Ice Shelves. Immediate scientific goals were to gain new knowledge of the role of volcanism on the development of the Victoria Land Basin, and to better understand the relationship between volcanism and sedimentation in the vicinity of Ross Island and Minna Bluff. In terms of ANDRILL drill site location this new data has elucidated 2 thick sedimentary records under the McMurdo Ice Shelf: (1) A >1000 m thick sedimentary fill beneath the 900 m deep flexural moat around Ross Island between Ross and White Islands. (2) A >600 m sedimentary record under 500 m of water in the flexural moat related to Mt Discovery/Morning between Mt Discovery and Black Island. A total of four seismic lines have now been acquired in Windless Bight which elucidate sedimentray basins that have formed as a consequence of loading of the crust/seafloor by Mt Terror volcano and the Younger Erebus volcano. This new data allows us to understand the geometry and age of the drilling targets. The data will also be used in developing models of crustal flexure as a result of volcanic loading. Key results include: 1. Identification of a c. 500 m composite cross-cutting Miocene-Pliocene channel sequence beneath New Harbour. 2. Identification of up to 1 km of sediment under the McMurdo Ice Shelf, in the "moat" east of Ross Island that has accumulated in the last 5 million years. 3. New estimates on the water depth beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf between Mt Discovery and Black Island (up to 600 m) 4. Identification of up to 600 m of sediment under the McMurdo Ice Shelf, in the moat between Mt Discovery and Black Island. 5. The geometry from seismic stratigraphy of the flexure "moat-fill" basins in Southern McMurdo Sound. 6. An estimate of sediment age based on the age of volcanic loading of the crust and development of sedimentary basins. 7. The relationship of the volcanoes to the adjacent sediments. 8. Greatly improved understanding of the water depth, stratigraphy and rates of ice movement likely to be encountered at proposed ANDRILL drill sites. Funding Agencies: University of Otago, NZ - FRST-funded "Palaeomagentic records of climate and environmental change" and ORG-funded "Physiography, recent history and vulnerability of the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica". University of Oxford, UK - NERC-funded "Evolution of Sedimentary Basins in Southern McMurdo Sound: Implications for Antarctic tectonic and climate history". University of Nebraska, USA - NSF-funded "Seismic and stratigraphic data acquisition and integration for Cenozoic tectonic and paleoenvironmental analysis in McMurdo Sound" Geological and Nuclear Sciences, NZ - FRST-funded "Antarctic Drivers of Climate Change Objective" Victoria University of Wellington, Antarctic Research Centre - "FRST-funding Antarctic Climate Evolution programme" BGR, Germany - "Aeromagentic investigations of the McMurdo volcanoes and their expression beneath the Ross Ice Shelf in support of ANDRILL". Personnel supported by project: Dr. T. Naish, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand Dr. G. Wilson, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK and University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Mr. Alex Pyne, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand Dr. Mohammed Ali (postdoctoral researcher), University of Oxford, UK Mr. Alan Aitken (graduate student), University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Mr. Cliff Atkins (graduate student), Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand Ms. Natalie Balfour (graduate student), Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand Mr. Hayden Caskey, Webster Drilling Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand Mr. Andrew Clifford (graduate student), University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Mr. Mike Collins, Independent, Christchurch, New Zealand Dr. Detlef Damaske, BGR, Germany Mr. Mike Finnemore (graduate student), University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand Mr. Ricky Henderson (undergraduate student), Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand Mr. Mathew Hill, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand Mr. Huw Horgan (graduate student), Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand Mr. Tom Jordan (graduate student), University of Oxford, UK Mr. Tony Kingan, Webster Drilling Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand Dr. Mark Lavell, British Antarctic Survey, UK Mr. Jono Leitch, Industrial research Limited, Wellington, New Zealand Dr. Dieter Moeller, BGR, Germany Ms. Sarah Thornton, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand Ms. Kirsty Tinto (graduate student), University of Oxford, UK Mr. Joel Vanderburg, Independent, Dunedin, New Zealand Mr. Hayden Webster, Webster Drilling Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand Dr. Jason Whitehead (postdoctoral researcher), University of Nebraska, USA Dr. Julio Friedmann, University of Maryland, USA
Geographic Coverage
(Click for Interactive Map)
Spatial coordinates
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N: -62.83
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S: -90.0
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E: 180.0
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W: -180.0
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Paleo Temporal Coverage
Paleo Start Date:
18 Ma
Paleo Stop Date:
0 Ma
Chrono Unit:
Personnel
Role:
DIF AUTHOR
Phone:
402-472-6745
Fax:
402-472-6724
Email:
dharwood1.unl.edu
Contact Address:
ANDRILL Science Management Office
126 Bessey Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
City:
Lincoln
Province or State:
NE
Postal Code:
68588-0341
Country:
USA
Role:
DIF AUTHOR
Phone:
+64 3 479 7509
Fax:
+64 3 479 7527
Email:
gary.wilson at stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Contact Address:
Department of Geology
University of Otago
PO Box 56
City:
Dunedin
Country:
New Zealand
Role:
DIF AUTHOR
Phone:
+64 4 570 4767
Fax:
+64 4 570 4603
Email:
t.naish at gns.cri.nz
Contact Address:
Inst. Geological and Nuclear Sciences
Lower Hutt
PO Box 30368
City:
Wellington
Country:
NEW ZEALAND
Publications/References
Publications: Aitken, A., 2003, Preliminary fieldwork report for a geophysical assessment of the lithospheric flexure associated with the load of the Ross Archipelago, Antarctica. University of Otago Masters Thesis Progress Report. Balfour, N., 2002, Seismic Investigation of the Victoria Land basin under Ross Island, Antarctica. Unpublished geophysics ... BSc honours thesis, Vicotria University of Wellington. Bannister, S. and Naish, T., 2002, ANDRILL Site Investigations, New Harbour and McMurdo Ice Shelf, Southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Institute of geological and Nuclear Sciences Science report 93/14, 16 p. Clifford, A., 2003, GPS Data collection for geophysical exploration and ice shelf surveying, Windless Bight & Southern McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica, October/November 2002. University of Otago Summer Bursary Report Horgan, H, Bannister, S., Naish, T., Wilson, G., Pyne, A., Clifford, A., Finnemore, M., 2003, ANDRILL Site investigations/seismic surveys, McMurdo and southern McMurdo ice shelf, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Institiute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Science Report 2003/05, 47 p. Horgan, H., Naish, T., Bannister, S., Balfour, N., Wilson, G., Pyne, A., Finnemore, M., 2003, Seismic stratigraphy of the Ross Island flexural moat under McMurdo-western Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Abstract for poster to be presented at the EUG/EGS/AGU Joint Meeting, Nice, France, April, 2003. Jordan, T.A., 2002, Lithospheric strength of the Ross Embayment, West Antarctica. Unpublished MESc thesis, University of Oxford, UK, 86 p. Tinto, K., 2002, Investigating the uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains. Unpublished MESc thesis, University of Oxford, UK, 60 p. Wilson, G, Naish, T., Jordan, T., Damaske, D., Ali, M., Horgan, H. and ANDRILL Site Survey Team, 2003, Using flexural modelling and geophysiucal data to define Neogene stratigraphic drilling targets in moat basins beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Abstract for poster to be presented at the EUG/EGS/AGU Joint Meeting, Nice, France, April, 2003. Data can be found in the following reports: Bannister, S. and Naish, T., 2002, ANDRILL Site Investigations, New Harbour and McMurdo Ice Shelf, Southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Institute of geological and Nuclear Sciences Science report 93/14, 16 p. Clifford, A., 2003, GPS Data collection for geophysical exploration and ice shelf surveying, Windless Bight & Southern McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica, October/November 2002. University of Otago Summer Bursary Report Horgan, H, Bannister, S., Naish, T., Wilson, G., Pyne, A., Clifford, A., Finnemore, M., 2003, ANDRILL Site investigations/seismic surveys, McMurdo and southern McMurdo ice shelf, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Institiute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Science Report 2003/05, 47 p.
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date:
2003-06-03
Last DIF Revision Date:
2010-07-09
Future DIF Review Date:
2004-06-03
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