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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 2001-02: VUWAE 46

1 Popular Summary of Scientific Work Achieved

page 2

1 Popular Summary of Scientific Work Achieved

A model to explain the occurrence of ground ice in glacial sediments and bedrock at high altitudes (>1000m) throughout the Dry Valleys where liquid water is rare was developed from work on Table Mtn. (Dickinson and Grapes 1997; Dickinson and Rosen 2002). The model is based on mineralogical, chemical and isotopic analyses of ground ice and frozen sediments that come from cores of Sirius Group sediments at Table Mtn. It indicates that the ground ice and diagenetic minerals accumulated over long periods of time from atmospheric water vapour and brine films formed on the surface of the ground. Although this model may apply at Table Mtn. for the very old glacial sediments of the Sirius Group, it has yet to be tested at other locations in the Dry Valleys.

The sampling programme of the 2001/02 season aims to test the Table Mtn. model by examining soils and ice cemented sediments from three geologically different locations, which are in close proximity to each other in the Dry Valleys. The three areas included: Beacon Valley for its polygonal ground, glacial sediments and old ice, Arena Valley for its potentially old, non-glacial soils, and Pearse Valley for its abundance of young glacial sediments at a low elevation. Evaluation of analytical results may lead to shallow core drilling of certain sites in the future to test the Table Mtn model.