The British Antarctic Survey holds a catalog of 150,000 Antarctic field samples, often with associated geochemistry data, and information for nearly 500 marine cores. Specimens date back to the 1940s from regions including the Antarctic Peninsula, Scotia Arc, Ellsworth Mountains, and Transantarctic Mountains. Metadata and data are stored in Oracle databases, though some datasets remain in analog archives.
Use Cases
- Analyze geochemistry data associated with rock samples to study regional mineral composition.
- Map fossil collection locations from the catalog to study paleontological distributions across the Antarctic Peninsula.
- Correlate marine core data with terrestrial sample records to investigate climate history.
- Study the temporal distribution of samples, including those from early 1940s expeditions, for historical geological research.
Strengths
- Catalog contains 150,000 field samples.
- Includes data for nearly 500 marine cores.
- Specimen records span from the 1940s to present, providing historical depth.
Limitations
- A significant number of datasets exist only in analog form within individual geologists' archives.
- Specific row counts, column details, and sample data are unavailable from the abstract.
- Geographic coverage is biased towards the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc regions.
Provenance
- Source
- British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
- Collection Method
- Field samples and marine cores collected, numbered, and cataloged during Antarctic expeditions; data stored in Oracle 10g databases.
- Time Range
- 1940s to present.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Antarctica, primarily Antarctic Peninsula, Scotia Arc, Ellsworth Mountains, Marie Byrd Land, Transantarctic Mountains.