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Masterprosjekt - Ressurser

Subice geology of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, revealed by U-Pb zircon study of metasedimentary rocks from Kirwanveggen and the Shackleton Range

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Project description
Norway claims a large region in Antarctica, Dronning Maud Land, which is seven times larger than Norway. However, it is largely ice-covered such as most of Antarctica. Therefore, we know comparatively little about this huge region of the Antarctic continent. There are several ways to explore the subice geology of ice-covered regions, such as drilling, connecting geology with geophysics as well as provenance studies of glacial drift. 

In this project we will undertake a U-Pb zircon provenance study of sedimentary and meta-sedimentary rock samples from two different and so far very little studied regions in Dronning Maud Land and the Shackleton Range. The sediments are derived from erosion of the cryptic basement underneath the ice. 

In western Dronning Maud Land (student 1) we will study the Cambrian Urfjell Group in Kirwanveggen that appears to be sourced from inland East Antarctica. 

In the Shackleton Range (student 2) we will target the Cambrian Blaiklock Glacier Group and the Precambrian Read Group.

The two projects complement each other. 

The project will be conducted in collaboration with the Federal Institute of Geosciences, Germany and other international collaborators. Samples are being provided by the German National Polar Archive, Berlin.

Dronning Maud Land
Photo:
J. Jacobs

Proposed course plan during the master's degree (60 ECTS):
GEOV241 Mikroskopi
GEOV252 Feltkurs i geologisk kartlegging
GEOV343 Petrologisk feltkurs
GEOV251 Videregående strukturgeologi
GEOV341 Termokronologi og Tektonikk

Field- lab- and analysis
• Mineral separation 
• U-Pb zircon geochronology 
• Petrographic and structural description of rock samples and thin sections