Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1982-83: VUWAE 27

PREPARATIONS FOR VUWAE 27

page 2

PREPARATIONS FOR VUWAE 27

PROGRAMMES:

Four separate projects involving nine people were approved by the Ross Dependency Research Committee for the 1982-83 field season:

Erebus Studies

Dr. Dibble was to continue his survey of seismic activity on Erebus volcano as part of an international programme. Transmission of data from sensors in the summit area ceased in July and an important task was to get transmission started again.

McMurdo Sediment Studies

This project was planned in two parts - (1) an operation on the sea ice to recover cores and survey the Mackay Glacier Tongue in Granite Harbour, followed by a seismic survey for sub-seafloor structure in the southwest corner of the Sound, and (2) a shipboard programme of bottom sampling and bathymetry.

Although most work was directed toward understanding modern sedimentation, an important part, and especially the seismic work, was to provide more information on drill sites proposed for 1984 and 1985 as part of the CIROS project.

Beacon Studies

An extensive field programme around the head of the Dry Valleys was planned for Mr. Walker, who is working on the character of the river system that existed in Victoria Land during Triassic times. Because of the importance of climatic information a more detailed study of Triassic soils and vegetation was proposed.

Bedrock Studies

A limited field programme was proposed for Dr. Korsch, recently appointed lecturer in structural geology, to introduce him to the basement rocks of the Dry Valley region, and to tackle the origin of rocks and structures on Shapeless Mountain, a volcanic-sedimentary complex.

The areas studied by VUWAE personnel are shown in Figure 1.

FINANCE:

A grant of $16,960 was obtained from the University Grants Committee to run the expedition. This was to cover food, travel and freight, insurance, field clothing and some scientific supplies for the 9 VUW personnel. The university's Internal Research Committee provided a total of $9,460 for the three student expedition members, for the purchase of a JMC depth sounder, page 3 for modifications to the winch and for a new motor for the ice auger.

EQUIPMENT:

A new portable winch capable of depths to 1000m was built for the sediment sampling programme by the Wellington firm, Accrescent Engineering. The VUW Engineering Workshop made the winch wire laying system and a load cell for measuring the tension on the wire.

The major part of the underwater camera housing was built in stainless steel by Centralloy Industries in Christchurch. The camera system which is being developed at VUW is designed to be deployed both from sea ice and shipboard platforms.

New equipment purchased this year consisted of a dual frequency echosounder used primarily for bathymetry surveys from the sea ice and a "Halda Twinmaster odometer" which was fitted to a toboggan for distance measurement. An accuracy of 5m per kilometre is expected over most sea ice "terrains".

Four new cargo boxes for scientific equipment were built in the Geology Department and orange peel grab and tide gauge recording mechanism borrowed from other departments within the University.

Two new sets of "Polar" sleeping bags and four sets of field clothing were purchased to replace worn stock.

page 4
FIG. 1. Satellite image map of the McMurdo Sound Region showing the areas studied by VUWAE personnel in 1982-83. (Map is from USGS Experimental Printing; Sheet: McMurdo Sound Antarctica 1972-1974).

FIG. 1. Satellite image map of the McMurdo Sound Region showing the areas studied by VUWAE personnel in 1982-83. (Map is from USGS Experimental Printing; Sheet: McMurdo Sound Antarctica 1972-1974).

KEY

Erebus Studies (Event 4)

1.Mt Erebus Summit.

McMurdo Sound Sediment Studies (Event 5)

2.Mackay Glacier Tongue.
3.Cape Roberts.
4.Butter Pt. seismic refraction survey.
5.Dailey Islands seismic refraction survey.
6.Blue Glacier snout.
7.Cape Chocolate.

Beacon Studies (Event 6ft)

8.Portal Mountain.
9.Shapeless Mountain.
10.Mt Bastion.
11.Allan Hills.

Bedrock Studies (Event 6B)

12.Miers Valley.
13.Shapeless Mountain.
page 5