Seismic and Stratigraphic Data Acquisition and Integration for Cenozoic Tectonic and Paleoenvironmental Analysis in McMurdo Sound

0128782 Harwood该奖项由极地计划办公室提供，允许美国调查员加入由新西兰南极洲（新西兰国家南极计划）和新西兰地球物理与核科学研究所赞助的地质野外小组，收集具有潜在重要的古环境条件沉积记录和邻近山脉构造隆起的地区的地震数据。由于目前的冰盖，南极洲新生代地层暴露的数量很少，需要从钻取的岩心中收集地质数据。地震数据对于未来钻井的正确选址是必要的，并提供了一种了解钻井地点沉积环境的方法。在过去的20年里，DSDP、ODP以及DVDP、MSSTS、CIROS和罗伯茨角项目钻孔的固定冰和陆地钻探都学到了很多东西。一个新的国际钻井计划，ANDRILL，正处于早期发展阶段，最初的重点是在麦克默多声音地区使用成熟的罗伯茨角项目钻井技术。该奖项为三个ANDRIL目标区的现场调查工作提供支持，这些工作将产生新的地震信息，以解决构造，盆地历史和古环境问题。已邀请主要调查员在2001-2002年南极考察季节与新西兰地震队合作，并与联合王国和新西兰一道进行国际合作，收集和解释来自麦克默多海峡地区海冰和冰架的地震数据。美国的参与将使地震计划包括美国相当感兴趣的地区。为在三个目标地区获取地震数据提供财政支助的责任是：美国负责纽港，新西兰负责无风湾，联合王国负责南麦克默多冰架。该项目最初是新西兰和英国为世行和SMIS开展的一个为期2年的合作项目。在ANDRILL研讨会（2001年4月，牛津大学）上，很明显，在新港地区建议的钻孔可能是ANDRILL的最初目标，因为现有的钻井系统几乎不需要修改，因为科学目标需要在新的现场调查数据方面进行相对适度的投资。邀请美国加入这一合作努力，以便在该项目的第一年在新港收集数据。除了必要的现场勘测工作外，地震数据将有助于解决当前的以下问题：（1）沉积序列的几何形状，这将为有关维多利亚陆地盆地开发的相互竞争的理论提供深入见解，以及相邻的跨南极山脉的成因和隆起历史;（2）Ferrar和Taylor山谷中记录的对比地层历史;（3）在过去的2000万年里，在寒冷的极地气候下，干谷景观的假定稳定性。新的地震信息还将使现有的岩心数据能够扩展到更广泛的地层框架。通过罗伯茨角项目发展起来的国际合作精神以及安德里尔项目的延续，将导致在所有三个目标领域的后续研究期间进行科学交流。在麦克默多峡湾/干河谷地区有12个钻孔，加上本项目将获得的新的地震数据和来自海洋船只的数据，以及今后的钻孔，将使该地区成为南极大陆架今后年代地层对比的重点。

0128782HarwoodThis award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs, allows a US investigator to join a geological field team sponsored by Antarctica New Zealand (the New Zealand national Antarctic program) and the Institute of Geophysical and Nuclear Sciences of New Zealand to gather seismic data over regions that have potentially important sedimentary records of paleoenvironmental conditions and tectonic uplift of the adjacent mountains. The paucity of exposures of Cenozoic strata in Antarctica, due to the present ice cover, requires the collection of geological data from drill cores. Seismic data are necessary for proper site selection toward future drilling and provide a means of understanding the depositional context of the drill sites. Much has been learned over the last 20 years of drilling by the DSDP, ODP and via the fast-ice and on-land drilling of the DVDP, MSSTS, CIROS and Cape Roberts Project drill holes. A new international drilling initiative, ANDRILL, is in an early stage of development, with an initial focus in the McMurdo Sound area using the proven Cape Roberts Project drilling technology. This award provides support for site survey work in three ANDRIL target areas that will result in new seismic information to address tectonic, basin history, and paleoenvironmental questions. The Principal Investigators have been invited to collaborate with a New Zealand seismic team during the 2001-2002 austral field season, and join an international collaborative effort with the United Kingdom and New Zealand to collect and interpret seismic data from the sea-ice and ice shelf in the McMurdo Sound region. US participation would allow the seismic program to include areas with considerable US interest. Financial support to enable the acquisition of seismic data in three target areas is the responsibility of the United States for New Harbour (NH), of New Zealand for Windless Bight (WB), and of the United Kingdom for Southern McMurdo Ice Shelf (SMIS). This project began initially as a 2-year NZ and UK collaborative project for WB and SMIS. At the ANDRILL Workshop (4/2001 at Oxford University) it became apparent that drill holes proposed in the New Harbour area could be the initial targets of ANDRILL because the extant drilling system would require little modification and because scientific targets require relatively modest investments in new site survey data. An invitation for the US to join this collaborative effort was extended to enable the collection of data in New Harbour during the first year of this project. In addition to the requisite site survey work, the seismic data will help address current questions regarding: (1) the geometry of sedimentary sequences that will provide insight on competing theories regarding development of the Victoria Land Basin, as well as cause and uplift history of the adjacent Transantarctic Mountains; (2) the contrasting stratigraphic history recorded in the Ferrar and Taylor valleys; (3) the postulated stability of the Dry Valley landscape under a cold, polar climate for the last 20 million years. The new seismic information will also enable the extension of existing drill core data into a broader stratigraphic framework. The spirit of international collaboration developed through the Cape Roberts Project and continuing with ANDRILL will result in scientific exchange during the follow-up studies of all three target areas. The existence of 12 drill holes in the McMurdo Sound/Dry Valleys region, combined with new seismic data to be acquired by this project and from marine vessels, and future drill holes, will make this region a focus of future chronostratigraphic correlation on the Antarctic continental shelf.