The research conducted on the cruise will be used to
identify the boundary between East and West Antarctica along the Terror
Rift in the western Ross Sea. Using data gathered during this cruise
and from data collected using airplanes, the researchers will map the
fault patterns and volcanic structures in this area. We will also map
the orientations of volcanic fissures, vents, and seamounts on the
seafloor in the Ross Sea.
During the cruise a multibeam sonar mapping of
selected portions of the seafloor was conducted and the data will be
used to map the
orientations and forms of volcanic bodies and the extent and geometry
of neotectonic faulting associated with the Terror Rift.
The goals of the research are to:
- complete a map of faults and volcanic structures in the
Terror Rift,
- interpret the structural pattern to derive the motions and
stresses associated with the development of the rift,
- compare rift structures with faults and lineaments mapped
in the Transantarctic Mountains to improve age constraints on the
structures
Principal Investigators:
Dr. Terry Wilson, Ohio State University, and Dr. Lawrence Lawver,
University of Texas-Austin.
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