Antarctic Surficial Geology Maps for ASPA Management in Vestfold Hills

The dataset likely contains surficial geology maps and field observations from the Vestfold Hills in East Antarctica, presented at the 2024 Australian Antarctic Research Conference. It was contributed by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-05 04. The data is intended to provide scientific evidence for managing Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), such as ASPA No. 143 Marine Plain.

Use Cases

• Identifying recommended access points to protected areas based on regional geological mapping.
• Assessing vulnerability of fragile fossil features, such as polychaete reefs, to human impact.
• Informing revisions of Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) management plans.
• Supporting wilderness and aesthetic value management with physical environmental datasets.

Strengths

• Data is linked to a specific, high-value protected area: Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 143 (Marine Plain).
• Results were presented at a formal research conference (2024 Australian Antarctic Research Conference).
• The work directly informed a revised management plan for consideration at an Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The primary file formats are PDF and DOCX, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data.gov.au

Collection Method

Regional geological mapping and field observations.

Time Range

Observations likely relate to work presented in 2024, but specific collection dates are unknown.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-04 23:24:18.907124; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica, including Marine Plain (ASPA No. 143) and Deep Lake.