Marine Glacial formations in the Eastern Ross Sea

meScientific discovery is often serendipitous. In February of 2004 an earth science research expedition was conducted aboard the N.B Palmer in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. The scientists came to the Ross Sea to gather seismic and sonar data in the area to help them to understand marine volcanism and tectonic structures in this region of Antarctica.


Much of the attention on the cruise was paid to identifying volcanic features like marine seamounts and vents and structural features of tectonic origin like faults.  What became clear during the cruise was that the sea floor in this area had been dramatically affected in some of the areas by past glaciers. 

Background Information

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A primary goal of this activity is to establish a growing, collaborative Polar Learning Community of teachers, students, and researchers. This collaboration has been facilitated through the efforts of researchers at the University of Texas Institute of Geophysics.  In 1995, and 2004, Steven Stevenoski, a high school science teacher from Wisconsin, had an opportunity to participate in a two geophysics research cruises in Antarctica.  On both cruises he worked with Dr. Lawrence Lawver of UTIG, conducting marine seismic geophysics surveys. In 2004 Dr. Terry Wilson of The Ohio State University, collaborated in the research.  The scientists made these data available for student investigation following the 2004 cruise.  Initial presentations of the data were made at the 2004 AGU Fall Meeting by Lawver, Wilson and Stevenoski and at the 2004 NSTA National Conference by Stevenoski.

This student inquiry has been piloted at two locations.  The project has been used at Lincoln High School, Wisconsin Rapids, WI during the 2005 and 2006 school years.  During the summer of 2005, the data was used by Turtle Haste at the John's Hopkins summer program with the Center for Talented Youth at Stanford.