Antarctic Ice-Free Region Surficial Geology Maps for Environmental Management

Surficial geology maps of ice-free regions in Antarctica, specifically the Vestfold Hills, are presented. The data was used to inform management plans for Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) such as ASPA No. 143 Marine Plain. Results were presented at the 2024 Australian Antarctic Research Conference.

Use Cases

• Identifying recommended access points to protected areas based on regional geological mapping.
• Assessing vulnerability of fossil fauna and geological features to human impact based on field observations.
• Informing revisions to Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) management plans based on physical environmental datasets.

Strengths

• Data is directly applied to a real-world management case for ASPA No. 143 Marine Plain.
• Results were presented at a professional conference (2024 Australian Antarctic Research Conference).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Derived from regional geological mapping and field observations.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 10:13:00.480919; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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