Antarctic Marine Heat Flow

在我们对南极板块构造演化的理解方面取得了重大进展。古地磁数据、海洋磁异常识别、地球卫星构造线条、热流海底年龄和围绕三个结合部的板块运动的数学解，都有助于更好地描述环南极地区的构造演化。即便如此，南极大陆边缘的中生代到近代的构造演化仍然存在重大问题，可以用热流测量来解决。该奖项支持对热流可以解决的构造问题的研究，对西南极半岛末端鲍威尔盆地年龄的确定及其与德雷克航道开放的关系。具体来说，将使用热流测量来研究鲍威尔盆地的地壳伸展年龄和模式，在那里，标准年龄测定失败，热流是唯一可以用来确定其开放时间的方法。

Major progress has been made with respect to our understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Antarctic Plate. Paleomagnetic data, marine magnetic anomaly identifications, Geosat-derived tectonic lineations, heat flow derived seafloor ages and mathematical solutions for plate motions around triple junctions have all contributed to a better model for the tectonic evolution of the circum- Antarctic region. Even so, major problems still exist with respect to the Mesozoic to Recent tectonic evolution of the Antarctic continental margin which can be tackled using heat flow measurements. This award supports the study of a tectonic problem that heat flow can address, the determination of the age of the Powell Basin at the end of the West Antarctic Peninsula and its relationship to the opening of Drake's Passage. Specifically, heat flow measurement will be used to study the age and mode of crustal extension of the Powell Basin, where standard age determination fails and heat flow is the only method that can be used to date its opening.