Sub-EIS-Obs - Studies and geoscientific observations beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf

Country / Region: East Antarctica / Ekström Ice Shelf

Begin of project: January 8, 2017

Status of project: July 30, 2019

Station “Neumayer III”: the logistic base for Sub-EIS-Obs Source: BGR

The Project “Sub-EIS-Obs” (Sub-Ekström Ice Shelf-Observations) is a joined collaboration of AWI and BGR. Its main goal is to get information about structures and sedimentary and volcanic sequences off Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. These sequences can give hints to the glacial history and geological/tectonic evolution in this area related to formation and break-up of Gondwana and the subsequent evolution of Antarctica and its conjugate rifted margins. Of particular interest is the Explora Wedge, which is interpreted as volcanic seaward dipping reflector and is covered by sedimentary sequences and shelf ice on the continental margin. It is assumed that the Explora Wedge belongs to the Jurassic Karoo magmatism, which coevally took place in southern Africa and East Antarctica as result of the initial break-up of Gondwana. If the new data yield hints at the sedimentary and tectonic evolution related to the fragmentation of Gondwana in the middle/late Mesozoic until the greenhouse-icehouse transition at the Eo-/Oligocene boundary, a proposal for an international drilling campaign is envisaged. To achieve these goals, a net of seismic profiles were taken and a series of short cores were recovered from the seafloor at selected sites.

Project contributions:

• Sub-EIS-Obs I - Studies and geoscientific observations beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf
• Sub-EIS-Obs II – Studies and geoscientific observations beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf
• Sub-EIS-Obs III – Studies and geoscientific observations beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf

Partner:

The project “Sub-EIS-Obs” is conducted in close collaboration with the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and different universities and institutions (University Cologne, University Bremen, University Göttingen, Jiling University, Laeisz).