Geological Mapping for Antarctic Protected Area Management

Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 143 Marine Plain in East Antarctica is valued for its fossil fauna and geological features. This dataset presents results from geological mapping, aerial imagery collection, and field observations to assess the impact of human access and provide management options. The work was presented at the SCAR Open Science Conference 2024 and builds on regional mapping of the Vestfold Hills.

Use Cases

• Assess risks from foot and helicopter traffic based on mapped surficial geology and recommended landing zones.
• Monitor vulnerable geological formations like the Sørsdal Formation based on high-resolution landform mapping.
• Inform management plans for Antarctic Specially Protected Areas based on evidence from aerial photos and field observations.
• Study Pliocene marine inundation limits and thermokarst features based on geological mapping.

Strengths

• Derived from regional-scale surficial geology mapping at a 1:2000 scale covering a 400 km2 ice-free region.
• Integrates multiple data sources including aerial photos, satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and field observations.
• Provides specific, actionable outputs like polygons outlining recommended helicopter landing areas.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; last metadata update was 2026-05-14.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Geological mapping using aerial photos, satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and field observations.

Freshness

Last metadata update 2026-05-14; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 143 (Marine Plain, Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica)