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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1984-85: VUWAE 29

IMMEDIATE REPORT OF VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON ANTARCTIC EXPENDITION 1984 - 85

IMMEDIATE REPORT OF VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON ANTARCTIC EXPENDITION 1984 - 85

Wellington April 1985

This report is interded to fulfil the requirements of the Ross Dependency Research Committee (Scientific Achievements) and Antarctic Division, DSIR (Field Notes). The Report has also been prepared for the Council of Victoria University of Wellington, the University Grants Committee, and other organisation and individuals who have assisted the Expendition in the execution of its research programme. It is not a final publication of scientific results, and if reference is made to the Report, its interim nature should be made clear.
page i

CONTENTS

LIST of FIGURES and TABLES iii
SUMMARY OF VUWAE 29 1
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS
PLIO-PLEISTOCENE
CIROS (K041) - P.J. Barrett and Scientific Staff 2
Abstract 2
Introduction 2
Background 2
Programme 3
Results 5
Publication 12
Future work 12
Acknowledgments 12
References 12
GRANITE HARBOUR SEDIMENTATION STUDY (K042) - Tony Macpherson 14
Abstract 14
Introduction 14
Mackay Glacier Movement 14
Glacial Debris 15
Ocean Currents 15
Aeolian Sediment 16
Sediment Trapping 17
Equipment 17
BEDROCK STUDIES (K043)
Structure and Metamorphism of the Basement Complex (K043A) - R.J. Korsch 18
Abstract 18
References 21
Bedrock Studies (K043B) - P.G. Fitzgerald 22
Abstract 22
New Harbour 23
Miers Valley 24
Blue Glacier area 25
References 25
GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION IN NVL (K045) - Jean Olson and Richard Kellett 26
Abstract 26
Programme 26
Introduction 27
Geophysical Surveys on Browning Pass 27
Geophysical Surveys near the Priestley Glacier Field Camp 30
Geophysical Survey of the Campbell Glacier near the Mt Queensland Field Camp 30
R.E.S. Surveys 30
A.A.M.T. Surveys 33page ii
Future Research 36
Management 36
Acknowledgments 36
FIELD NOTES
CIROS SCIENCE LOG - A.R. Pyne 37
GRANITE HARBOUR STUDIES (K042) 46
Narrative 46
References 48
Vehicle Summary 48
Field Equipment 48
Garbage Disposal 49
Communications 49
Recommendations 49
ADDENDUM TO 1984 IMMEDIATE REPORT - GRIZZLY DELUXE MOTOR TOBOGGAN 51
BEDROCK STUDIES (K043A) 52
Narrative 52
Weather 53
Communications 53
Transport 53
Field Equipment 53
Refuge Hut 54
Guest Foreign Scientists 54
Itinerary 54
BEDROCK STUDIES (K043B) 56
Narrative 56
Helicopter Movements 58
Weather 58
Communications 58
Recommendations 58
Itinerary 58
NOTES on TRAVELLING with TOBOGGANS - Simon Vincent 60
Sea Ice 60
Notes 60
Blue Glacier 60
Notes 60
Suggestions 61
Summary 61
Notes on travelling in the Blue Glacier area 62
Notes on Field Equipment 62
Vehicle Itinerary - Grizzly toboggans SM053, SM054 62
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 63
VUW Publications 1984 64
Appendix 1 - VUWAE 29 Cargo 67
page iii

LIST of FIGURES and TABLES

Figure 1. The Ross Sea region showing the location of the Victoria Land basin and the area of CIROS drilling (Fig. 2) 3
Figure 2. A. Map of McMurdo Sound area, showing the main physiographic features, the location of MSSTS-1, and deep DVDP drill holes (numbers). X-Y locates the section shown in Figure 2B.
B. Geologic section across McMurdo Sound (line X-Y in Figure 2A). Offshore structure extrapolated from Iles and Dibble (1981) and Wilson et al. (1981). Faulting has been inferred from topography (Webb and Wrenn, 1982) but has in places been confirmed by field observations (P.G. Fitzgerald, pers. comm.) 4
Figure 3. Growth is sea ice thickness at CIROS 1 compared with that at nearby DVDP 15 in 1975, a normal year 5
Figure 4. Active crack in sea ice at the tip of the McMurdo Ice shelf. The crack is 10 m wide and the ice at this time (September 4, 1984) is 30 cm thick near the margin and 5 cm thick in the middle 6
Figure 5. The Longyear 44 rig and Science Hut at CIROS 2 with the Ferrar Glacier in the background 6
Figure 6. Drilling progress and the percentage of core recovered from CIROS 2 7
Figure 7. Horizontal movement of the sea ice at CIROS 1 (N.Z. Department of Lands and Survey) 7
Figure 8. Cross-section of Ferrar Valley through the CIROS 2 site, showing water depth and 3 estimates of the geometry of the valley fill 8
Figure 9. Stratigraphic column showing the major lithologic units in CIROS 2. Insets show the main facies: core width is about 45 mm, top to left 9
Figure 10. Map showing the 1984 sample sites and dominant wind directions in Granite Harbour 16
Figure 11. Minor F1 fold with curved axial surface being refolded by F2 folds. Ridge between Meserve and Hart glaciers, lower Wright Valley 20
Figure 12. Part of oblique aerial photograph TMA360-00166 (F33) looking south, showing the south wall of the Wright Valley between the Goodspeed and Hart Glaciers. Note the obvious large F2 folds visible in the valley wall. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey 20
Figure 13. The New Harbour and Blue Glacier areas showing localities sampled for fission-track dating this season 23
Figure 14. Model for the uplift history of the Transantarctic Mountains in the Miers Valley area based on observed apatite age variation versus elevation and the estimated depth to zero age 24page iv
Figure 15. Satellite image map of the Terra Nova Bay area. 1 - Gondwana Station, 2 - Mt Queensland camp, 3 - Priestley Glacier camp. Location of surveys in Browning Pass. R.E.S. profiles on the Campbell Glacier 28
Figure 16. Relative Gravity observed on Browning Pass in the area indicated on Figure 15 29
Figure 17. Block diagram of R.E.S. equipment 31
Figure 18. Plan view of the R.E.S. equipment mounted on skidoo and sledges 31
Figure 19. Photograph of a high resolution R.E.S. record 32
Figure 20. Example of a low resolution R.E.S. record from profile E-E′ 32
Figure 21. Block diagram of the A.A.M.T. transmitter 33
Figure 22. Location of A.A.M.T. stations 34
Figure 23. Results of A.A.M.T. sounding 35
Figure 24. Results of A.A.M.T. sounding 35
Figure 25. Schlumberger electrode configuration 35
Figure 26. Graph of resistivity versus depth for geo-electric sounding 35
Table 1. Drill site personnel for CIROS 1984 4
Table 2. Basic data for CIROS 2, drilled between October 10 and November 9 1984 5
Table 3. Work in progress on CIROS 2 core chronology 10
Table 4. Diatoms in samples from CIROS 2 core (J.A. Ashby, Victoria University of Wellington, pers. com.) 10
Table 5. Tidal records during CIROS 2 drilling in Ferrar Fjord. Mean sea level determined from major peaks and troughs. Time shown in decimal hours NZST ± 0.2 hrs 11
Table 6. Mackay Glacier Movement 14
Table 7. 1984 Sample Sites 15
Table 8. Aeolian Sediment 17
Table 9. Correlation of fold generations with those of Murphy (1971) 21page v
Table 10. Summary of event movements and scientific work carried out by K045 27
Table 11. Vehicle maintenance summary - K042 50
page 1

SUMMARY OF VUWAE 29

The CIROS drilling project, which is attempting to obtain a record of the early history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the rise of the Transantarctic Mountains by offshore drilling in McMurdo Sound, dominated the University field programme. Dr. Peter Barrett and Mr. Alex Pyne, with graduate students Jeff Ashby, Tony Macpherson, Barbara Ward and Ian Wright, flew with the 16-man drilling team to Scott Base in late August, but unseasonally thin ice, bad weather and equipment failures reduced the programme. Nevertheless, one hole, CIROS 2, was successfully drilled to basement 167 m below the sea floor with good core recovery. The core appears to represent 7 glacial advances over the last 4 million years. The core will be studied in more detail over the next year to improve the chronology and climatic interpretation.

Field work for Tony Macpherson's PhD study of Granite Harbour sedimentation was completed this year with a further glacier survey, collection of wind-blown dust from the sea ice and the setting and retrieval of sediment traps in water depths to 800 m. The sediment trap work was carried out in conjunction with a Rice University group carrying out a similar survey of sedimentation rates in McMurdo Sound. Dr. Brad Pillans, Department of Geology, with a special interest in Quaternary processes, assisted with this and the CIROS core logging.

Three other groups from VUW all worked on some aspect of the structural history of the Transantarctic Mountains: Dr. Russell Korsch and Annette George took detailed measurements and samples of basement rocks in the Dry Valleys to establish the history prior to 400 million years ago. Paul Fitzgerald, accompanied by Des Patterson, completed the mapping of major faults and sampling to determine uplift rates for the Transantarctic Mountains in South Victoria Land by apatite fission-track dating. This joint PhD project with the University of Melbourne has already identified the main fault zone and has established that most of the uplift took place over the last 50 million years. The third group, geophysics students Jean Olson and Richard Kellett, worked as part of the West German Expedition to North Victoria Land, investigating the gross structure of this part of the Transantarctic Mountains by magnetic and gravity surveys. In addition to the above, Dr. John Gamble, Department of Geology, joined a U.S. party led by Dr. Phil Kyle (ex-VUW) to look for fragments of the deep crust in the volcanic rocks of McMurdo Sound.