Geological Map and Rock Samples from Fosdick Mountains, Antarctica

Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica is covered by a 16,000 km² GIS-based 3-D geological map consolidating bedrock geology, airborne geophysics, structural data, and geochronology. The resource includes rock sample collections, predominantly migmatite gneisses and plutonic rocks, registered with IGSN numbers. The database is intended for publication as a dynamic GIS by the Antarctic Geospatial Information Center at the University of Minnesota.

Use Cases

• Analyze 3-D geological architecture based on the GIS-based relational framework
• Study metamorphic textures and rock composition based on the migmatite gneiss and plutonic rock samples
• Correlate structural data with geophysical provinces based on the consolidated airborne geophysics
• Access geochronological and thermochronological data for selected rock samples
• Use digital photographs of glacial features and migmatite textures for undergraduate teaching aids

Strengths

• Covers a 16,000 km² region of Marie Byrd Land
• Consolidates multiple data types including maps, geophysics, structural data, and geochronology
• Rock samples are registered with unique IGSN numbers in the SESAR system

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified

Provenance

Source

Antarctic Geospatial Information Center (AGIC) at the University of Minnesota (collaboration of Siddoway and Morin)

Collection Method

Consolidation of existing maps, airborne geophysics, structural data, geochronology, and sample collections

Geography

Fosdick Mountains, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica