Antarctic blue ice gypsum: genesis revealed by fluid inclusion study
This Master's project was designed for Silje Torjell who started the Master's program in Earth sciences, UiB, fall 2025. The Master's project is given by the research group Geodynamics and basin studies.
Hovedinnhold
Project description:
During the international GEA-II expedition to Sør Rondane (East Antarctica), unusually large aggregates of gypsum crystals were discovered within blue-ice moraines on the southern flank of the Sør Rondane Mountains, at an elevation of approximately 2000 m and about 250 kilometers inland from the present-day coastline. These gypsum aggregates reach up to one meter in diameter, with individual crystals measuring as long as 20 cm. We hypothesize that the gypsum likely formed in a subglacial lake located inland and was subsequently transported to the southern side of the mountain range after the lake froze out. The crystals became stranded on the southern slopes of the Sør Rondane Mountains following the sublimation of blue ice and progressive exhumation.
The gypsum crystals contain abundant primary fluid inclusions, which may provide valuable insights into the composition of the subglacial lake in which they formed. This MSc project will focus on analyzing these primary fluid inclusions to better characterize the subglacial lake environment that facilitated gypsum growth. All investigations will be conducted at GEO’s well-established, state-of-the-art fluid inclusion laboratory.
Proposed course plan during the master's degree (60 ECTS):
Geov 243, 200, 300, 245, 242, 205
FI Kurs
Field-, lab- and analysis work:
FI lab