Expedition GEA I (2010/2011)
Report of the project:
In the 2010/11 Antarctic season, combined geological and geophysical surveys were carried out in Sør Rondane, eastern Dronning Maud Land, as part of the GEA I expedition. Sør Rondane is located east of the GEOMAUD area, which was investigated by BGR in the 1994/95 season. The GEA I expedition was carried out in close cooperation with the AWI, BELARE, and the University of Bergen (Norway). In addition, comparative geological investigations targeted the Schirmacher Oasis at the Russian station Novolazarevskaya. In detail, GEA I involved structural geological field work, ground-based geophysical and aerogeophysical measurements. The research aircraft "Polar 5" of the AWI served as measurement platform for the aerogeophysical survey.
Working area GEA I
Source: BGR
The scientific crew left Cape Town at the end of December 2010 and reached the Russian Novo airfield in Antarctica on board of an Ilyushin 76TD operating for DROMLAN. The onward journey to the Belgian station "Princess Elisabeth", which is situated on the Utsteinen Ridge, took place on board of a Basler DC-3. Geological and ground-based geophysical work was conducted over a period of four weeks by using skidoos within a range of roughly 30 kilometers distance from the station.
Utsteinen nunatak close to Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctic research station
Source: BGR
More than 80 outcrops were visited, about 250 structural geological measurements were accomplished and more than 100 rock samples were collected for later lab-based microtectonic, petrological, geochemical and geochronological analyses. Additionally, 163 magnetic susceptibility measurements were taken at the same locations. The aerogeophysical survey with the research aircraft "Polar 5" started in mid-January 2011. The scientific crew reached Cape Town on February 1, 2011 again by plane via Novo airfield.