Problem No. 1

Glacial History of Ross Dependency

As a result of work on previous expeditions Wilson has worked out a glacial history of the Ross Dependency. Part of this history involves an ice sheet from the sea which entered the Taylor Valley to cover the slopes of Erebus and Terror up to 1000ft. This glaciation has been called the "Great Flood Glaciation" by earlier workers.

One explanation for this glaciation is that due to sea level lowering during the last glaciation the ice shelf became grounded and hence became part of the Continental ice sheet. If this explanation is correct one would expect the retreat to have taken place about 6000 years ago, and hence the glacial moraine would be very fresh as compared with the glacial debris in the dry valleys. Thus it is proposed to study the moraines on the slopes of Erebus which are easy to find and well described by early workers. The weathering of the granite should provide a good indication of age. It is desired to travel by motor toboggan rather than by helicopter as this will give a greater range and enables one to take one's camp with one when mapping the moraine.