Antarctic Permafrost Core Stratigraphy And Drilling Fluid Contamination

8.2 meters of core were recovered from two holes at Allan Hills Trudge Valley, with an additional 18.67 meters from six holes at Table Mountain revealing a new fluvial gravel facies. The dataset also includes 15.9 meters of core from nine holes near Lake Vida's DVDP-6 site to assess diesel fluid contamination from 1972 drilling. Data was collected by the SCIOPS organization and last updated in December 2000.

Use Cases

• Analyze core thickness and recovered length from specific holes (e.g., 8.2m from 2 holes) to model sediment deposition volumes.
• Compare facies types (e.g., Sirius regolith, debris flow, new fluvial gravel) between Allan Hills and Table Mountain sites for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
• Assess spatial distribution of diesel drilling fluid contamination using core samples from a grid pattern around the DVDP-6 hole.
• Correlate temperature records from thermistor arrays (12cm intervals to 2m depth) with core properties to understand permafrost thermal regime.
• Use beryllium and nitrogen inventory data from three aged deposits at Table Mountain for comparative geochronology.

Strengths

• Core recovery totals are precisely quantified (e.g., 8.2m, 18.67m, 15.9m) across 17 distinct drill holes.
• Temperature data was recorded at 12cm intervals to 2m depth, four times daily for an 11-month period.
• Spatial coverage includes three distinct Antarctic field sites: Allan Hills, Table Mountain, and Lake Vida.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited with core recovered from only 17 holes total across all sites.
• Temporal data is stale, with the last update recorded in 2000 and primary fieldwork occurring in the 1970s.
• Specific column names, data formats, and row counts for the recorded measurements are unknown.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS organization via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Shallow coring of permafrost glacial sediments, deployment of thermistor arrays, and grid-pattern drilling for contamination assessment.

Time Range

Fieldwork likely centered around 1972 drilling, with data compilation up to 2000.

Geography

Allan Hills (Trudge Valley), Table Mountain, and Lake Vida in the Antarctic Dry Valleys region.