USAP-DC

{"dp_type": "Project", "free_text": "Zircon"}

[{"awards": "1918338 VanTongeren, Jill", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Voluminous outpourings of iron-rich molten rock (magma), which can initiate from deep within the earth, occur regularly throughout geologic time. Understanding volcanic eruptions requires knowledge of the magmatic plumbing systems and magma chambers that feed eruptions. While many magma chambers are typically emplaced in the shallow subsurface of the earth, only rarely are the entirety of the solidified remnants of these chambers later exposed at the surface of the earth for study. One such magma chamber, the Dufek Intrusion, exists in Antarctica. The Dufek Intrusion is part of the Ferrar magmatic event, which was triggered by the separation or rifting of South America, Africa and Antarctic continents approximately 182 million years ago. The research objectives focus on analyzing existing samples to understand the thermal and chemical evolution of the magma in the Dufek Intrusion magma chamber and deciphering whether the exposed sections are part of the same magma chamber or represent two separate magma chambers. Results from this study may result in the research community questioning the assumption that small intrusions crystallized faster than larger layered intrusions such as the Dufek Intrusion. This project supports multiple early career researchers and provides laboratory training for undergraduate students. Preliminary high-precision U-Pb ages from zircon throughout the Dufek Intrusion show that rocks thought to represent the lowermost section of stratigraphy (the Dufek Massif) are younger than the rocks thought to represent the uppermost section (the Forrestal Range). This study tests whether the zircon ages represent a cooling profile of a single large layered intrusion, or whether the Dufek Massif and Forrestal Range are two separate smaller intrusions. Crystallization temperatures of the cumulus phases (plagioclase and clinopyroxene) and the zircons, as well as cooling rates from the cumulus phases will be obtained to test the cooling profile hypothesis. The research team will construct thermal models of emplacement and cooling to compare with the laboratory analyses. In order to test the two intrusions hypothesis, the team will analyze zircon Hf isotopic compositions and whole rock Sr, Nd, Pb isotopes from samples of the two intrusions to determine whether they are similar and therefore genetically related. Results will provide important constraints on the duration of magmatism associated with continental breakup and present a coherent picture of the construction of (possibly) one of the largest magmatic intrusions exposed on earth today. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AGE DETERMINATIONS; Ferrar Magmatic Province", "locations": "Ferrar Magmatic Province", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "VanTongeren, Jill", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "The Dufek Intrusion Ages: Crystallization or Cooling?", "uid": "p0010505", "west": null}, {"awards": "2332108 Loewy, Staci", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Technical Abstract This research evaluates whether the small Coats Land crustal block of East Antarctica is a tectonic tracer linking Kalahari and southern Laurentia within the Neoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodinia across an orogenic suture. A Pan-African (~600 Ma) suture separates the small Coats Land block from the main Mawson Craton indicating that this crustal block had an independent pre-Pan-African history. Existing data from the miniscule outcrops of bedrock in Coats Land provide critical clues to that paleogeography, suggesting that Laurentia collided with Kalahari across the Grenville-Namaqua/Natal-Maud orogen. The Coats Land block has only three small groups of bedrock exposures, two form nunataks and the third occurs in a cliff face. The two nunataks comprise granophyre and rhyolite contemporaneous with the ca. 1.1 Ga Keweenawan, mid-continent rift, volcanics of Laurentia and its proposed southwestern extension in El Paso, TX. Moreover, the Pb isotopes of the Coats Land and Keweenawan rocks are identical, and paleomagnetic data are broadly supportive of the Coats Land block having been located adjacent to the present southern margin of the Laurentian craton. Metamorphic rocks from the cliff face exposure lithologically resemble basement rocks of the El Paso, TX. The proposed research will further existing geochemical and geochronologic studies of specimens previously collected from Coats Land and new and existing samples of rocks collected near El Paso, Texas for detailed comparison. Analyses include zircon U-Pb dating and Hf and O isotope analysis, and whole rock geochemistry and Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope analysis. This research will make maximum use of existing material from this extremely remote part of Antarctica to test this hypothesis. Researchers will collaborate with 2 well-established education-outreach programs in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited from the Jackson Scholars Program (JSP). Researchers will provide a field- and lab-based seminar on reconstructing Rodinia for the JSP and will conduct research with high school students during GeoFORCE 12th grade summer academy. Non-technical Abstract This research evaluates whether the small Coats Land crustal block of East Antarctica is a piece of ancestral North America (Laurentia) that was transferred to southern Africa (Kalahari) during ~ 1 Ga collision, and subsequent breakup, of the two continents during the formation of the ancient supercontinent of Rodinia. Coats Land is separated from the adjacent Mawson Craton of Antarctica by ~600 Ma continental sutures indicating that Coats Land had an independent history prior to 600 Ma. Existing data from the miniscule outcrops of bedrock in Coats Land provide critical clues to that paleogeography, suggesting that Laurentia collided with Kalahari. The Coats Land block has only three small groups of bedrock exposures, two form nunataks and the third occurs in a cliff face. The two nunataks comprise granophyre and rhyolite contemporaneous with the ca. 1.1 Ga Keweenawan, mid-continent rift, volcanics of Laurentia and its proposed southwestern extension in El Paso, TX. Moreover, the Pb isotopes of the Coats Land and Keweenawan rocks are identical, and paleomagnetic data are broadly supportive of the Coats Land block having been located adjacent to the present southern margin of the Laurentian craton. Metamorphic rocks from the cliff face exposure lithologically resemble basement rocks of the El Paso, TX. The proposed research will further existing geochemical and geochronologic studies of specimens previously collected from Coats Land and new and existing samples of rocks collected near El Paso, Texas for detailed comparison. Analyses include zircon U-Pb dating and Hf and O isotope analysis, and whole rock geochemistry and Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope analysis. This research will make maximum use of existing material from this extremely remote part of Antarctica to test this hypothesis. Researchers will collaborate with 2 well-established education-outreach programs in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited from the Jackson Scholars Program (JSP). Researchers will provide a field- and lab-based seminar on reconstructing Rodinia for the JSP and will conduct research with high school students during GeoFORCE 12th grade summer academy. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Coats Land; Geochronology; ISOTOPES; Rodina; zircons; Paleogeography; Isotopes; PLATE TECTONICS; Texas", "locations": "Coats Land; Texas; Rodina", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Loewy, Staci; Dalziel, Ian W.", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Antarctica within Rodinia: Testing the Laurentia Connection", "uid": "p0010500", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2437938 Goodge, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((155 -82,156 -82,157 -82,158 -82,159 -82,160 -82,161 -82,162 -82,163 -82,164 -82,165 -82,165 -82.3,165 -82.6,165 -82.9,165 -83.2,165 -83.5,165 -83.8,165 -84.1,165 -84.4,165 -84.7,165 -85,164 -85,163 -85,162 -85,161 -85,160 -85,159 -85,158 -85,157 -85,156 -85,155 -85,155 -84.7,155 -84.4,155 -84.1,155 -83.8,155 -83.5,155 -83.2,155 -82.9,155 -82.6,155 -82.3,155 -82))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Non-Technical Abstract This project will examine ancient Antarctic rocks to understand the continent\u2019s early history, including how Antarctica was once connected to other continents. By studying rock samples from the Nimrod Complex, the project will gather data on the age and makeup of these rocks, showing how Antarctica\u0027s crust formed and changed over time. This work will not only expand scientific knowledge about Earth\u0027s history but also provide valuable training for college students at multiple universities, helping to grow a diverse community of researchers who can tackle big questions in Earth science. Technical Abstract This project seeks to unravel the origin, evolution, and geological significance of the Nimrod Complex in Antarctica\u2019s East Antarctic craton through detailed age and isotopic analysis of its igneous and metamorphic rocks. Using U-Pb zircon geochronology along with O-isotope, Hf-isotope, and trace element analyses, we will construct a comprehensive petrochronological profile of these Mesoarchean to Paleoproterozoic rocks to reveal their magmatic sources, metamorphic history, and role in the broader tectonic framework. The project aims to trace sediment sources and tectonic influences across sedimentary units spanning the Paleoproterozoic to lower Paleozoic eras, adding crucial data to supercontinent reconstructions (Columbia, Rodinia, and Gondwana) and Antarctic tectonic models. Broader impacts include collaborations between universities to develop a diverse STEM workforce, inter-laboratory partnerships, and a robust isotopic dataset that will contribute to models of Antarctic crustal evolution and its implications for ice sheet stability. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 165.0, "geometry": "POINT(160 -83.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ISOTOPES; Miller Range; Geologists Range; Zircon; Transantarctic Mountains; FIELD INVESTIGATION", "locations": "Transantarctic Mountains; Miller Range; Geologists Range", "north": -82.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "ARCHAEAN \u003e MESOARCHEAN; ARCHAEAN \u003e NEOARCHEAN; PROTEROZOIC \u003e MESOPROTEROZOIC; PROTEROZOIC \u003e PALEOPROTEROZOIC; PROTEROZOIC \u003e NEOPROTEROZOIC", "persons": "Goodge, John; Kylander-Clark, Andrew; Bell, Elizabeth; Pecha, Mark", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -85.0, "title": "The Nimrod Complex, an Ancient Window into East Antarctic Crustal Evolution", "uid": "p0010495", "west": 155.0}, {"awards": "1939139 Scherer, Reed; 1939146 Siddoway, Christine", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-120 -66,-117.5 -66,-115 -66,-112.5 -66,-110 -66,-107.5 -66,-105 -66,-102.5 -66,-100 -66,-97.5 -66,-95 -66,-95 -67.1,-95 -68.2,-95 -69.3,-95 -70.4,-95 -71.5,-95 -72.6,-95 -73.7,-95 -74.8,-95 -75.9,-95 -77,-97.5 -77,-100 -77,-102.5 -77,-105 -77,-107.5 -77,-110 -77,-112.5 -77,-115 -77,-117.5 -77,-120 -77,-120 -75.9,-120 -74.8,-120 -73.7,-120 -72.6,-120 -71.5,-120 -70.4,-120 -69.3,-120 -68.2,-120 -67.1,-120 -66))", "dataset_titles": "Pliocene diatom abundance, IODP 379-U1532; Population morphometrics of the Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis related to Sea Surface Temperature; U-Pb zircon and apatite fission track dates for IRD (ice-rafted cobbles and mineral grains) from IODP379 drill sites", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601828", "doi": "10.15784/601828", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Geochronology; Marie Byrd Land; Subglacial Bedrock; Thermochronology", "people": "Siddoway, Christine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Pb zircon and apatite fission track dates for IRD (ice-rafted cobbles and mineral grains) from IODP379 drill sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601828"}, {"dataset_uid": "601769", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Biogenic Silica; Diatom", "people": "Scherer, Reed Paul; Furlong, Heather", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pliocene diatom abundance, IODP 379-U1532", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601769"}, {"dataset_uid": "601804", "doi": "10.15784/601804", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Oceanography; Sabrina Coast; Sea Surface Temperature; Southern Ocean", "people": "Ruggiero, Joseph", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Population morphometrics of the Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis related to Sea Surface Temperature", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601804"}], "date_created": "Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I, Non-technical Abstract Concerns that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) might be susceptible to releasing its ice as giant icebergs into the Southern Ocean due to a warming climate, raising global sea level, were first expressed more than 40 years ago. To best-assess this threat, scientists need to know whether such events occurred in the geologically recent past, during warm intervals of past glacial-interglacial cycles. Ocean drilling near the most vulnerable sector of the WAIS, in 2019, yielded seafloor geologic records demonstrating times when icebergs dropped large volumes of sands and pebbles, called ice-rafted detritus (IRD) in deep water of the Amundsen Sea. Occurring together with IRD that was eroded from bedrock beneath the ice sheets, there are abundant microfossils of diatoms (algal plankton), which indicate high biological productivity in the open ocean. The new sediment cores provide a complete, uninterrupted record of a time of dramatic fluctuations of ice sheet extent that occurred over the last 3 million years. Therefore, they provide the means to obtain clear answers to the question whether ice sheet collapse occurred in the past and offering clues to its potential future. This project will investigate sediment intervals where IRD coincides with evidence of high diatom production, to test whether these two criteria indicate rapid ice sheet collapse. Geochemical analysis of IRD pebbles will help trace the source of the icebergs to likely on-land sites. By analyzing conditions of high diatom and IRD accumulation in deep ocean sediment, where local coastal influences can be avoided, we will assess oceanographic and climatic conditions associated with past ice sheet collapse events. Diatoms provide powerful evidence of temperature and ocean productivity changes in the past, that, when linked to time, can translate into rates of ice sheet drawdown. These results will provide critical data for designing, constraining and testing the next suite computer models that can determine the likelihood and timing of future ice sheet collapse in a warming world. The project will include training of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds, and the public will be introduced to Antarctic science and engaged through several different outreach efforts. Part 2, Technical Abstract New drillcores from the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica (IODP Expedition 379) contain a continuous record of oceanographic changes and iceberg rafted debris (IRD) spanning the last 5 million years. This study aims to identify the signature of retreat/collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in these continental margin, deep-sea sediments by quantitatively analyzing, in detail, diatom and IRD records across glacial-interglacial lithostratigraphic transitions to establish the timing and frequency of Late Pliocene and Pleistocene WAIS collapse events. The investigators will secure age constraints and diagnostic observations of marine paleoenvironmental conditions for selected interglacial intervals of cores from sites U1532 and U1533, using high resolution micropaleontology of diatom assemblages coupled with microstratigraphic analysis of IRD depositional events, while petrography, geochronology and thermochronology of iceberg rafted clasts will provide evidence of iceberg sources and pathways. Depositional paleotemperatures will be assessed via a new paleotemperature proxy based on quantitative assessment of morphologic changes in the dominant Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis. Their results will contribute to parameterization of new ice sheet models that seek to reconstruct and forecast West Antarctic Ice Sheet behavior. This project will directly contribute to undergraduate education at an undergraduate-only college and at a public university that serves a demographic typified by first generation university students and underrepresented groups. Spanning geology, geochemistry, sedimentology, paleontology and paleoceanography, the proposed work will allow undergraduate students to develop diverse skills through hands-on research within a collaborative team that is dedicated to societally relevant research. The two graduate students will conduct original research and work alongside/mentor undergraduates, making for a well-rounded research experience that prepares them for success in future academic or employment sectors. The discoveries that come from this deep-sea record from West Antarctica will be communicated by students and investigators at national and international conferences and an array of public science outreach events. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -95.0, "geometry": "POINT(-107.5 -71.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICEBERGS; SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE; Amundsen Sea; MICROFOSSILS", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": -66.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY; PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e NEOGENE \u003e PLIOCENE", "persons": "Scherer, Reed Paul; Siddoway, Christine", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Testing the Linchpin of WAIS Collapse with Diatoms and IRD in Pleistocene and Late Pliocene Strata of the Resolution Drift, Amundsen Sea, Antarctica", "uid": "p0010451", "west": -120.0}, {"awards": "1916982 Teyssier, Christian; 1917176 Siddoway, Christine; 1917009 Thomson, Stuart", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-160.16 -67.15,-154.572 -67.15,-148.984 -67.15,-143.39600000000002 -67.15,-137.808 -67.15,-132.22 -67.15,-126.632 -67.15,-121.04400000000001 -67.15,-115.456 -67.15,-109.868 -67.15,-104.28 -67.15,-104.28 -68.165,-104.28 -69.18,-104.28 -70.19500000000001,-104.28 -71.21000000000001,-104.28 -72.225,-104.28 -73.24,-104.28 -74.255,-104.28 -75.27,-104.28 -76.285,-104.28 -77.3,-109.868 -77.3,-115.456 -77.3,-121.044 -77.3,-126.632 -77.3,-132.22 -77.3,-137.808 -77.3,-143.396 -77.3,-148.98399999999998 -77.3,-154.572 -77.3,-160.16 -77.3,-160.16 -76.285,-160.16 -75.27,-160.16 -74.255,-160.16 -73.24,-160.16 -72.225,-160.16 -71.21000000000001,-160.16 -70.19500000000001,-160.16 -69.18,-160.16 -68.165,-160.16 -67.15))", "dataset_titles": "Apatite fission track thermochronology data for detrital minerals, offshore clasts, and bedrock; U-Pb detrital zircon geochronological data, obtained by LA-ICP-MS", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200333", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "in progress", "science_program": null, "title": "Apatite fission track thermochronology data for detrital minerals, offshore clasts, and bedrock", "url": ""}, {"dataset_uid": "200332", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "in progress", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Pb detrital zircon geochronological data, obtained by LA-ICP-MS", "url": ""}], "date_created": "Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Sediment records off the coast of Marie Byrd Land (MBL), Antarctica suggest frequent and dramatic changes in the size of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) over short (tens of thousands of years) and long (millions of years) time frames in the past. WAIS currently overrides much of MBL and covers the rugged and scoured bedrock landscape. The ice sheet carved narrow linear troughs that reach depths of two to three thousand meters below sea level as outlet glaciers flowed from the interior of the continent to the oceans. As a result, large volumes of fragmented continental bedrock were carried out to the seabed. The glaciers cut downward into a region of crystalline rocks (i.e. granite) whose temperature change as a function of rock depth happens to be significant. This strong geothermal gradient in the bedrock is favorable for determining when the bedrock experienced rapid exhumation or \"uncovering\". Analyzing the chemistry of minerals (zircon and apatite) within the eroded rocks will provide information about the rate and timing of the glacier removal of bedrock from the Antarctic continent. The research addresses the following questions: When did the land become high enough for a large ice sheet to form? What was the regional pre-glacial topography? Under what climate conditions, and at what point in the growth of an ice sheet, did glaciers begin to cut sharply into bedrock to form the narrow troughs that flow seaward? The research will lead to greater understanding of past Antarctic ice sheet fluctuations and identify precise timing of glacial incision. These results will refine ice sheet history and aid the international societal response to contemporary ice sheet change and its global consequences. The project will contribute to the training of two graduate and two undergraduate students in STEM. The objective is to clarify the onset of WAIS glacier incision and assess the evolution of Cenozoic paleo-topography. Low-temperature (T) thermochronology and Pecube 3-D thermo-kinematic modeling will be applied to date and characterize episodes of glacial erosional incision. Single-grain double- and triple-dating of zircon and apatite will reveal the detailed crustal thermal evolution of the region enabling the research team to determine the comparative topographic influences on glaciation versus bedrock uplift induced by Eocene to present tectonism/magmatism. High-T mineral thermochronometers across Marie Byrd Land (MBL) record rapid extension-related cooling at ~100 Ma from temperatures of \u003e800 degrees C to \u0026#8804; 300 degrees C. This signature forms a reference horizon, or paleogeotherm, through which the Cenozoic landscape history using low-T thermochronometers can be explored. MBL\u0027s elevated geothermal gradient, sustained during the Cenozoic, created favorable conditions for sensitive apatite and zircon low-T thermochronometers to record bedrock cooling related to glacial incision. Students will be trained to use state-of-the-art analytical facilities in Arizona and Minnesota, expanding the geo- and thermochronologic history of MBL from bedrock samples and offshore sedimentary deposits. The temperature and time data they acquire will provide constraints on paleotopography, isostasy, and the thermal evolution of MBL that will be modeled in 3D using Pecube model simulations. Within hot crust, less incision is required to expose bedrock containing the distinct thermochronometric profile; a prediction that will be tested with inverse Pecube 3-D models of the thermal field through which bedrock and detrital samples cooled. Using results from Pecube, the ICI-Hot team will examine time-varying topography formed in response to changes in erosion rates, topographic relief, geothermal gradient and/or flexural isostatic rigidity. These effects are manifestations of dynamic processes in the WAIS, including ice sheet loading, ice volume fluctuations, relative motion upon crustal faults, and magmatism-related elevation increase across the MBL dome. The project makes use of pre-existing sample collections housed at the US Polar Rock Repository, IODP\u0027s Gulf Coast Core Repository, and the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -104.28, "geometry": "POINT(-132.22 -72.225)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Marie Byrd Land; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; Zircon; Subglacial Topography; FIELD SURVEYS; TECTONICS; Ice Sheet; Thermochronology; Apatite; ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS; Erosion; United States Of America; LABORATORY", "locations": "United States Of America; Marie Byrd Land", "north": -67.15, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC", "persons": "Siddoway, Christine; Thomson, Stuart; Teyssier, Christian", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "in progress", "repositories": "in progress", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.3, "title": "Collaborative Research: Ice sheet erosional interaction with hot geotherm in West Antarctica", "uid": "p0010386", "west": -160.16}, {"awards": "1842542 Morgan, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -77,160.4 -77,160.8 -77,161.2 -77,161.6 -77,162 -77,162.4 -77,162.8 -77,163.2 -77,163.6 -77,164 -77,164 -77.1,164 -77.2,164 -77.3,164 -77.4,164 -77.5,164 -77.6,164 -77.7,164 -77.8,164 -77.9,164 -78,163.6 -78,163.2 -78,162.8 -78,162.4 -78,162 -78,161.6 -78,161.2 -78,160.8 -78,160.4 -78,160 -78,160 -77.9,160 -77.8,160 -77.7,160 -77.6,160 -77.5,160 -77.4,160 -77.3,160 -77.2,160 -77.1,160 -77))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 09 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The goal of this study is to identify and distinguish different source areas of glacial sediment in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica to determine past glacial flow direction. Understanding ice flow is critical for determining how the Antarctic Ice Sheets have behaved in the past. Such insight is fundamental for allowing scientists to predict how the Antarctic Ice Sheets will evolve and, in turn, forecast how much and how fast sea level may rise. The project study site, the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contain a tremendous record of glacial deposits on land that extends back at least 14 million years. Chemistry of the rocks within the glacial deposits hold clues to the sources of ice that deposited the material. The chemical analyses of the glacial deposits will allow mapping of the former extent of glaciations providing a better understand of ice flow history. The mapping of the largest ice sheet expansion of the past 14 million years in the McMurdo Dry Valleys is of broad interest to the global climate change community. Undergraduate students comprise the majority of the field teams and will be responsible for sample preparation and analysis in the laboratory. This project utilizes new geochemical techniques to test hypotheses about the source, extent, and flow patterns of the glacier ice that deposited glacial tills in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (MDV). The MDV contain an unparalleled terrestrial archive of glacial deposits, which record multiple sources of ice that deposited them. These include the northeast flowing ice that overrode the Transantarctic Mountains, the eastward expansion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, the westward extension of the Ross Ice Shelf representing an expansion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and the growth of local alpine glaciers. The glacial tills and drifts in the Antarctic are typically isolated in patches or disjointed outcrop patterns making it difficult to correlate tills and determine their source. This project will undertake a systematic study of the tills in the McMurdo Dry Valleys to determine their provenance with a variety of geochemical techniques including major and minor element analyses with X-ray fluorescence, heavy mineral composition, soil salt concentration, and determining the uranium-lead (U-Pb) ages of zircon sands contained in these tills. The primary tool will be the age distribution of the population of detrital zircon in a glacial drift because it reflects the source of the tills and provides a unique geochemical \"fingerprint\" used to distinguish source areas while correlating units across different sites. A deliverable from this project will be a community available library of zircon fingerprints for mapped glacial tills from archived samples at the Polar Rock Repository and the systematic collection of samples in the MDV. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 164.0, "geometry": "POINT(162 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIATION; Dry Valleys", "locations": "Dry Valleys", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Morgan, Daniel", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Unlocking the Glacial History of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica by Fingerprinting Glacial Tills with Detrital Zircon U-Pb Age Populations", "uid": "p0010368", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "1443557 Isbell, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -85,-177.1 -85,-174.2 -85,-171.3 -85,-168.4 -85,-165.5 -85,-162.6 -85,-159.7 -85,-156.8 -85,-153.9 -85,-151 -85,-151 -85.2,-151 -85.4,-151 -85.6,-151 -85.8,-151 -86,-151 -86.2,-151 -86.4,-151 -86.6,-151 -86.8,-151 -87,-153.9 -87,-156.8 -87,-159.7 -87,-162.6 -87,-165.5 -87,-168.4 -87,-171.3 -87,-174.2 -87,-177.1 -87,180 -87,179 -87,178 -87,177 -87,176 -87,175 -87,174 -87,173 -87,172 -87,171 -87,170 -87,170 -86.8,170 -86.6,170 -86.4,170 -86.2,170 -86,170 -85.8,170 -85.6,170 -85.4,170 -85.2,170 -85,171 -85,172 -85,173 -85,174 -85,175 -85,176 -85,177 -85,178 -85,179 -85,-180 -85))", "dataset_titles": "A LITHOFACIES ANALYSIS OF A SOUTH POLAR GLACIATION IN THE EARLY PERMIAN: PAGODA FORMATION, SHACKLETON GLACIER REGION, ANTARCTICA; A new stratigraphic framework built on U-Pb single-zircon TIMS agesand implications for the timing ofthe penultimate icehouse (Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil); Constraining late Paleozoic ice extent in the Paganzo Basin of western Argentina utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology for the lower Paganzo Group strata; Coupled stratigraphic and U-Pb zircon age constraints on the late Paleozoic icehouse-to-greenhouse turnover in south-central Gondwana; Isotopes to ice: Constraining provenance of glacial deposits and ice centers in west-central Gondwana; Late Permian soil-forming paleoenvironments on Gondwana: A review; Provenance of late Paleozoic glacial/post-glacial deposits in the eastern Chaco-Paran\u00e1 Basin, Uruguay and southernmost Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil; Supplemental material: Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis inferred from stable isotope analysis of fossil tree rings from the Oligocene of Ethiopia; When does large woody debris influence ancient rivers? Dendrochronology\r\napplications in the Permian and Triassic, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200266", "doi": "10.2110/jsr.2021.004", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "A LITHOFACIES ANALYSIS OF A SOUTH POLAR GLACIATION IN THE EARLY PERMIAN: PAGODA FORMATION, SHACKLETON GLACIER REGION, ANTARCTICA", "url": "https://www.sepm.org/publications"}, {"dataset_uid": "200274", "doi": "10.1130/G39213.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Supplemental material: Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis inferred from stable isotope analysis of fossil tree rings from the Oligocene of Ethiopia", "url": "https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-standard/45/8/687/207623/Nitrogen-fixing-symbiosis-inferred-from-stable"}, {"dataset_uid": "200273", "doi": "10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.04.020", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Isotopes to ice: Constraining provenance of glacial deposits and ice centers in west-central Gondwana", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018217309008?via%3Dihub"}, {"dataset_uid": "200272", "doi": "10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102899", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Constraining late Paleozoic ice extent in the Paganzo Basin of western Argentina utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology for the lower Paganzo Group strata", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120304429?via%3Dihub#mmc1"}, {"dataset_uid": "200271", "doi": "10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109544", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "When does large woody debris influence ancient rivers? Dendrochronology\r\napplications in the Permian and Triassic, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018219304006?via%3Dihub"}, {"dataset_uid": "200270", "doi": "10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102989", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Provenance of late Paleozoic glacial/post-glacial deposits in the eastern Chaco-Paran\u00e1 Basin, Uruguay and southernmost Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120305320#mmc1"}, {"dataset_uid": "200269", "doi": "10.1130/G46740.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Coupled stratigraphic and U-Pb zircon age constraints on the late Paleozoic icehouse-to-greenhouse turnover in south-central Gondwana", "url": "https://gsapubs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplemental_material_Coupled_stratigraphic_and_U-Pb_zircon_age_constraints_on_the_late_Paleozoic_icehouse-to-greenhouse_turnover_in_south-central_Gondwana/12542069"}, {"dataset_uid": "200268", "doi": "10.1130/B31775.1.", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "A new stratigraphic framework built on U-Pb single-zircon TIMS agesand implications for the timing ofthe penultimate icehouse (Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil)", "url": "https://gsapubs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplemental_material_A_new_stratigraphic_framework_built_on_U-Pb_single-zircon_TIMS_ages_and_implications_for_the_timing_of_the_penultimate_icehouse_Paran_Basin_Brazil_/12535916"}, {"dataset_uid": "200267", "doi": "10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110762", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Late Permian soil-forming paleoenvironments on Gondwana: A review", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018221005472?via%3Dihub"}], "date_created": "Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The focus of this collaborative project is to collect fossil plants, wood, and sedimentary and chemical information from rocks in the Shackleton Glacier (SHK) area of Antarctica. This information will be used to reconstruct plant life and environments during the Permian and Triassic (~295-205 million years ago) in Antarctica. This time interval is important to study as Antarctica experienced a large glaciation in the Permian followed by deglaciation and recovery of plant and animal life, only to be subjected to the largest extinction in Earth history at the end of the Permian. After the extinction events, the climate in Antarctica continued to warm extensively and there were forests growing close to the paleo-South Pole. These ancient environments provide a natural laboratory in which to study the effects of climate change on plant life. The results of this project will advance the field in the areas of changing sedimentary patterns during global cooling and warming, as well as plant evolution during times following glaciation and during global warmth. This project will study the extent of the Gondwana glaciation in the SHK area, the invasion and subsequent flourishing of life following glacial retreat, and the eventual recovery of plant life after Late Permian extinction events. Only in Antarctica does a complete polar-to-near-polar succession occur across this climatic and biologic transition. The SHK area is an important one as it is one of the few regions in the world where the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) is exposed within terrestrial rocks. The field and lab work for this project is organized around three hypotheses that address fundamental issues in Earth history, including changes in the extent and diversity of flora during the Permian build up to the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, the possible diachronous nature of the PTB, and that poor fossil preservation during the Early Triassic has given a false impression that Antarctica was devoid of plants during this time. The hypotheses will be tested by integrating various types of paleobotanical approaches with detailed sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geochemistry. Compression floras and petrified wood will be collected (constrained by stratigraphy) both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to obtain biodiversity and abundance data, and as a data source for paleoecological analysis. Standard sedimentologic and stratigraphic analyses will be performed, as well as paleosol analyses, including mineralogic and major- and trace-element geochemistry. Collections will also be made for U-Pb zircon geochronology to better constrain geologic and biotic events through time. Results of the project will be incorporated into educational and outreach activities that are designed to include women and under-represented groups in the excitement of Antarctic earth sciences and paleontology, including workshops in Kansas and Wisconsin, as well as links to science classes during fieldwork.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(-170.5 -86)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Shackleton Glacier; SEDIMENTARY ROCKS; GLACIATION", "locations": "Shackleton Glacier", "north": -85.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Isbell, John", "platforms": null, "repo": "Publication", "repositories": "Publication", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Permian and Triassic Icehouse to Greenhouse Paleoenvironments and Paleobotany in the Shackleton Glacier Area, Antarctica", "uid": "p0010287", "west": -151.0}, {"awards": "1443556 Thomson, Stuart; 1443342 Licht, Kathy", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Apatite (U-Th)/He and TREE Data Central Transantarctic Mountains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601462", "doi": "10.15784/601462", "keywords": "Antarctica; Beardmore Glacier; Erosion; Landscape Evolution; Shackleton Glacier; Transantarctic Mountains; (U-Th)/He", "people": "Licht, Kathy; Thomson, Stuart; He, John; Reiners, Peter; Hemming, Sidney R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Apatite (U-Th)/He and TREE Data Central Transantarctic Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601462"}], "date_created": "Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Antarctica is almost entirely covered by ice, in places over two miles thick. This ice hides a landscape that is less well known than the surface of Mars and represents one of Earth\u0027s last unexplored frontiers. Ice-penetrating radar images provide a remote glimpse of this landscape including ice-buried mountains larger than the European Alps and huge fjords twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The goal of this project is to collect sediment samples derived from these landscapes to determine when and under what conditions these features formed. Specifically, the project seeks to understand the landscape in the context of the history and dynamics of the overlying ice sheet and past mountain-building episodes. This project accomplishes this goal by analyzing sand collected during previous sea-floor drilling expeditions off the coast of Antarctica. This sand was supplied from the continent interior by ancient rivers when it was ice-free over 34 million year ago, and later by glaciers. The project will also study bedrock samples from rare ice-free parts of the Transantarctic Mountains. The primary activity is to apply multiple advanced dating techniques to single mineral grains contained within this sand and rock. Different methods and minerals yield different dates that provide insight into how Antarctica?s landscape has eroded over the many tens of millions of years during which sand was deposited offshore. The dating techniques that are being developed and enhanced for this study have broad application in many branches of geoscience research and industry. The project makes cost-effective use of pre-existing sample collections housed at NSF facilities including the US Polar Rock Repository, the Gulf Coast Core Repository, and the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility. The project will contribute to the STEM training of two graduate and two undergraduate students, and includes collaboration among four US universities as well as international collaboration between the US and France. The project also supports outreach in the form of a two-week open workshop giving ten students the opportunity to visit the University of Arizona to conduct STEM-based analytical work and training on Antarctic-based projects. Results from both the project and workshop will be disseminated through presentations at professional meetings, peer-reviewed publications, and through public outreach and media. The main objective of this project is to reconstruct a chronology of East Antarctic subglacial landscape evolution to understand the tectonic and climatic forcing behind landscape modification, and how it has influenced past ice sheet inception and dynamics. Our approach focuses on acquiring a record of the cooling and erosion history contained in East Antarctic-derived detrital mineral grains and clasts in offshore sediments deposited both before and after the onset of Antarctic glaciation. Samples will be taken from existing drill core and marine sediment core material from offshore Wilkes Land (100\u00b0E-160\u00b0E) and the Ross Sea. Multiple geo- and thermo-chronometers will be employed to reconstruct source region cooling history including U-Pb, fission-track, and (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite, and 40Ar/39Ar dating of hornblende, mica, and feldspar. This offshore record will be augmented and tested by applying the same methods to onshore bedrock samples in the Transantarctic Mountains obtained from the US Polar Rock Repository and through fieldwork. The onshore work will additionally address the debated incision history of the large glacial troughs that cut the range, now occupied by glaciers draining the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. This includes collection of samples from several age-elevation transects, apatite 4He/3He thermochronometry, and Pecube thermo-kinematic modeling. Acquiring an extensive geo- and thermo-chronologic database will also provide valuable new information on the poorly known ice-hidden geology and tectonics of subglacial East Antarctica that has implications for improving supercontinent reconstructions and understanding continental break-up.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "LABORATORY; LANDSCAPE; AGE DETERMINATIONS; FIELD INVESTIGATION; GLACIAL PROCESSES; Transantarctic Mountains; USA/NSF; Thermochronology; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; TRACE ELEMENTS; Provenance Analysis; AMD; LANDFORMS; GLACIAL LANDFORMS", "locations": "Transantarctic Mountains", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Thomson, Stuart; Reiners, Peter; Licht, Kathy", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: East Antarctic Glacial Landscape Evolution (EAGLE): A Study using Combined Thermochronology, Geochronology and Provenance Analysis", "uid": "p0010188", "west": null}, {"awards": "1543313 VanTongeren, Jill", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "U-Pb ages and mineral compositions from Dufek Intrusion", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601132", "doi": "10.15784/601132", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemical Composition; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Crystallization; Dufek Complex; Geochemistry; Magma Chamber Procesess; Mass Spectrometry; Rocks; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Solid Earth; TIMS; Volcanic Deposits", "people": "VanTongeren, Jill", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Pb ages and mineral compositions from Dufek Intrusion", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601132"}], "date_created": "Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The solidified remnants of large magma bodies within the continental crust hold the key to understanding the chemical and physical evolution of volcanic provinces through time. These deposits also commonly contain some of the world\u0027s most important ore deposits. Exposed deposits in South Africa, Greenland, USA, Canada, and Antarctica have led researchers to propose that the bigger the magma body, the faster it will crystallize. While this might seem counter-intuitive (typically it is thought that more magma = hotter = harder to cool), the comparison of these exposures show that bigger magma chambers maintain a molten top that is always in contact with the colder crust; whereas smaller magma chambers insulate themselves by crystallizing at the margins. The process is similar to the difference between a large cup of coffee with no lid, and a smaller cup of coffee held in a thermos. The large unprotected cup of coffee will cool down much faster than that held in the thermos. This research project of VanTongeren and Schoene will use previously collected rocks from the large (~8-9 km thick) Dufek Intrusion in Antarctica to precisely quantify how fast the magma chamber crystallized, and compare that rate to the much smaller magma chamber exposed in the Skaergaard Intrusion of E. Greenland. The work is an important step towards improving our understanding of time-scales associated with the thermal and chemical evolution of nearly all magma chambers on Earth, which will ultimately lead to better predictions of volcanic hazards globally. The work will also yield important insights into the timescales and conditions necessary for developing vast magmatic ore deposits, which is essential to the platinum and steel industries in the USA and abroad. Based on observations of solidification fronts in six of the world\u0027s most completely exposed layered mafic intrusions, it was recently proposed that bigger magma chambers must crystallize faster than small magma chambers. While this is initially counter-intuitive, the hypothesis falls out of simple heat balance equations and the observation that the thickness of cumulates at the roofs of such intrusions is negatively proportional to the size of the intrusion. In this study, VanTongeren and Schoene will directly test the hypothesis that bigger magma chambers crystallize faster by applying high precision U-Pb zircon geochronology on 5-10 samples throughout the large Dufek Intrusion of Antarctica. Due to uncertainties in even the highest-precision ID-TIMS analyses, the Dufek Intrusion of Antarctica is the only large layered mafic intrusion on Earth where this research can be accomplished. VanTongeren and Schoene will place the geochronological measurements of the Dufek Intrusion into a comprehensive petrologic framework by linking zircon crystallization to other liquidus phases using mineral geochemistry, zircon saturation models, and petrologic models for intrusion crystallization. The research has the potential to radically change the way that we understand the formation and differentiation of large magma bodies within the shallow crust. Layered intrusions are typically thought to cool and crystallize over very long timescales allowing for significant differentiation of the magmas and reorganization of the cumulate rocks. If the \u0027bigger magma chambers crystallize faster hypothesis\u0027 holds this could reduce the calculated solidification time scales of the early earth and lunar magma oceans and have important implications for magma chamber dynamics of active intraplate volcanism and long-lived continental arcs. Furthermore, while the Dufek Intrusion is one of only two large layered intrusions exposed on Earth, very little is known about its petrologic evolution. The detailed geochemical and petrologic work of VanTongeren and Schoene based on analyses of previously collected samples will provide important observations with which to compare the Dufek and other large magma chambers.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; USAP-DC", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "VanTongeren, Jill", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Testing the Hypothesis that Bigger Magma Chambers Crystallize Faster", "uid": "p0000135", "west": null}, {"awards": "1142156 Marschall, Horst", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-6.44 -71.93,-5.378 -71.93,-4.316 -71.93,-3.254 -71.93,-2.192 -71.93,-1.13 -71.93,-0.068 -71.93,0.994 -71.93,2.056 -71.93,3.118 -71.93,4.18 -71.93,4.18 -71.998,4.18 -72.066,4.18 -72.134,4.18 -72.202,4.18 -72.27,4.18 -72.338,4.18 -72.406,4.18 -72.474,4.18 -72.542,4.18 -72.61,3.118 -72.61,2.056 -72.61,0.994 -72.61,-0.068 -72.61,-1.13 -72.61,-2.192 -72.61,-3.254 -72.61,-4.316 -72.61,-5.378 -72.61,-6.44 -72.61,-6.44 -72.542,-6.44 -72.474,-6.44 -72.406,-6.44 -72.338,-6.44 -72.27,-6.44 -72.202,-6.44 -72.134,-6.44 -72.066,-6.44 -71.998,-6.44 -71.93))", "dataset_titles": "Zircon Hf Isotopes and the Continental Evolution of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600135", "doi": "10.15784/600135", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Dronning Maud Land; Geochemistry; Geochronology; Solid Earth", "people": "Marschall, Horst", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Zircon Hf Isotopes and the Continental Evolution of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600135"}], "date_created": "Fri, 23 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Geochemical studies of single mineral grains in rocks can be probed to reconstruct the history of our planet. The mineral zircon (ZrSiO4) is of unique importance in that respect because of its reliability as a geologic clock due to its strong persistence against weathering, transport and changes in temperature and pressure. Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) dating of zircon grains is, perhaps, the most frequently employed method of extracting time information on geologic processes that shaped the continental crust, and has been used to constrain the evolution of continents and mountain belts through time. In addition, the isotopic composition of the element Hafnium (Hf) in zircon is used to date when the continental crust was generated by extraction of magma from the underlying mantle. Melting of rocks in the mantle and deep in the continental crust are key processes in the evolution of the continents, and they are recorded in the Hf isotopic signatures of zircon. Although the analytical procedures for U-Pb dating and Hf isotope analyses of zircon are robust now, our understanding of zircon growth and its exchange of elements and isotopes with its surrounding rock or magma are still underdeveloped. The focus of the proposed study, therefore, is to unravel the evolution of zircon Hf isotopes in rocks that were formed deep in the Earth?s crust, and more specifically, to apply these isotopic methods to rocks collected in Dronning Maud Land (DML), East Antarctica. Dronning Maud Land (DML) occupied a central location during the formation of supercontinents ? large landmasses made up of all the continents that exist today - more than 500 million years ago. It is currently thought that supercontinents were formed and dismembered five or six times throughout Earth?s history. The area of DML is key for understanding the formation history of the last two supercontinents. The boundaries of continents that were merged to form those supercontinents are most likely hidden in DML. In this study, the isotopic composition of zircon grains recovered from DML rocks will be employed to identify these boundaries across an extensive section through the area. The rock samples were collected by the investigator during a two-month expedition to Antarctica in the austral summer of 2007?2008. The results of dating and isotope analyses of zircon of the different DML crustal domains will deliver significant insight into the regional geology of East Antarctica and its previous northern extension into Africa. This has significance for the reconstruction of the supercontinents and defining the continental boundaries in DML.", "east": 4.18, "geometry": "POINT(-1.13 -72.27)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -71.93, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Marschall, Horst", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -72.61, "title": "Zircon Hf Isotopes and the Continental Evolution of Dronning Maud Land, East Antacrtica", "uid": "p0000448", "west": -6.44}, {"awards": "0944645 Goodge, John", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eBecause of extensive ice cover and sparse remote-sensing data, the geology of the Precambrian East Antarctic Shield (EAS) remains largely unexplored with information limited to coastal outcrops from the African, Indian and Australian sectors. The East Antarctic lithosphere is globally important: as one of the largest coherent Precambrian shields, including rocks as old as ~3.8 Ga, it played an important role in global crustal growth; it is a key piece in assembly of the Rodinia and Gondwana supercontinents; it is the substrate to Earth?s major ice cap, including numerous sub-glacial lakes, and influences its thermal state and mechanical stability; and its geotectonic association with formerly adjacent continental blocks in South Africa, India and Australia suggest that it might harbor important mineral resources. This project will increase understanding of the age and composition of the western EAS lithosphere underlying and adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) using U-Pb ages, and Hf- and O-isotope analysis of zircon in early Paleozoic granitoids and Pleistocene glacial tills. TAM granites of the early Paleozoic Ross Orogen represent an areally extensive continental-margin arc suite that can provide direct information about the EAS crust from which it melted and/or through which it passed. Large rock clasts of igneous and metamorphic lithologies entrained in glacial tills at the head of major outlet glaciers traversing the TAM provide eroded samples of the proximal EAS basement. Zircons in these materials will provide data about age and inheritance (U-Pb), crustal vs. mantle origin (O isotopes), and crustal sources and evolution (Hf isotopes). Integrated along a significant part of the TAM, these data will help define broader crustal provinces that can be correlated with geophysical data and used to test models of crustal assembly. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThis project will provide a research opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduates will be involved as Research Assistants in sample preparation, imaging, and analytical procedures, and conducting their own independent research. The two main elements of this project will form the basis of MS thesis projects for two graduate students at UMD. Through this project they will gain a good understanding of petrology, isotope geochemistry, and analytical methods. The broader scientific impacts of this work are that it will help develop a better understanding of the origin and evolution of East Antarctic lithosphere underlying and adjacent to the TAM, which will be of value to the broader earth science and glaciological community. Furthermore, knowledge of East Antarctic geology is of continuing interest to the general public because of strong curiosity about past supercontinents, what?s under the ice, and the impact of global warming on ice-sheet stability.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Transantarctic Mountains; Not provided", "locations": "Transantarctic Mountains", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Goodge, John", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Age and Composition of the East Antarctic Shield by Isotopic Analysis of Granite and Glacial Till", "uid": "p0000258", "west": null}, {"awards": "0944489 Williams, Trevor", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-55 -58,-33.2 -58,-11.4 -58,10.4 -58,32.2 -58,54 -58,75.8 -58,97.6 -58,119.4 -58,141.2 -58,163 -58,163 -60,163 -62,163 -64,163 -66,163 -68,163 -70,163 -72,163 -74,163 -76,163 -78,141.2 -78,119.4 -78,97.6 -78,75.8 -78,54 -78,32.2 -78,10.4 -78,-11.4 -78,-33.2 -78,-55 -78,-55 -76,-55 -74,-55 -72,-55 -70,-55 -68,-55 -66,-55 -64,-55 -62,-55 -60,-55 -58))", "dataset_titles": "History of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the mid-Miocene: New Evidence from Provenance of Ice-rafted Debris", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600116", "doi": "10.15784/600116", "keywords": "Geochronology; George V Land; IODP U1356; IODP U1361; Marine Sediments; ODP1165; Prydz Bay; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean; Wilkes Land", "people": "Williams, Trevor; Hemming, Sidney R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "History of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the mid-Miocene: New Evidence from Provenance of Ice-rafted Debris", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600116"}], "date_created": "Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThe PIs propose to study the stability and dynamics of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the Pliocene in the area of the Wilkes and Aurora subglacial basins. Models indicate the ice sheet is most sensitive to warming in these low-lying areas. This study is important as there is very little direct evidence about which parts of the East Antarctic ice sheet became unstable under warm conditions. In a pilot study the PIs have shown that the isotopic geochemical signature of downcore ice-rafted debris (IRD) can be linked to continental source areas indicating which parts of the ice sheet reached the coast and calved IRD-bearing icebergs. Their initial results suggest rapid iceberg discharge from the Wilkes Land and Ad\u00e9lie Land coastal areas at times in the late Miocene and early Pliocene. In this study the PIs will analyze IRD from IODP sediment cores collected on the continental rise off East Antarctica. By analyzing 40Ar/39Ar ages of hornblende IRD grains, U-Pb ages of zircons, and Sm-Nd isotopes of the fine fraction of several IRD-rich layers for each core, they will be able to fingerprint continental source areas that will indicated ice extent and dynamics on East Antarctica. The PIs will also carry out detailed studies across a few of these layers to characterize the anatomy of the ice-rafting event and better understand the mechanism of ice destabilization.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThe data collected will be important for scientists in a broad variety of fields. The project will involve one undergraduate student and one summer intern at LDEO, and a graduate student at Imperial College London. The project will expose to cutting edge methodologies as well as an international research team. Data from the project will be deposited in the online databases (SedDB) and all results and methods will be made available to the scientific community through publications in peer-reviewed journals and attendance at international conferences.", "east": 163.0, "geometry": "POINT(54 -68)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -58.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Williams, Trevor; Hemming, Sidney R.", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "History of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the mid-Miocene: New Evidence from Provenance of Ice-rafted Debris", "uid": "p0000353", "west": -55.0}, {"awards": "0944475 Kaplan, Michael", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-149.7 -84.1,-118.61 -84.1,-87.52 -84.1,-56.43 -84.1,-25.34 -84.1,5.75 -84.1,36.84 -84.1,67.93 -84.1,99.02 -84.1,130.11 -84.1,161.2 -84.1,161.2 -84.43,161.2 -84.76,161.2 -85.09,161.2 -85.42,161.2 -85.75,161.2 -86.08,161.2 -86.41,161.2 -86.74,161.2 -87.07,161.2 -87.4,130.11 -87.4,99.02 -87.4,67.93 -87.4,36.84 -87.4,5.75 -87.4,-25.34 -87.4,-56.43 -87.4,-87.52 -87.4,-118.61 -87.4,-149.7 -87.4,-149.7 -87.07,-149.7 -86.74,-149.7 -86.41,-149.7 -86.08,-149.7 -85.75,-149.7 -85.42,-149.7 -85.09,-149.7 -84.76,-149.7 -84.43,-149.7 -84.1))", "dataset_titles": "Pleistocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet History as Recorded in Sediment Provenance and Chronology of High-elevation TAM Moraines", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600115", "doi": "10.15784/600115", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cosmogenic Dating; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Kaplan, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pleistocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet History as Recorded in Sediment Provenance and Chronology of High-elevation TAM Moraines", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600115"}], "date_created": "Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The proposed work will investigate changes in the compositional variation of glacial tills over time across two concentric sequences of Pleistocene moraines located adjacent to the heads of East Antarctic outlet glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM). The chronologic framework for this work will be generated from cosmogenic exposure ages of boulders on prominent morainal ridges. The PIs hypothesize that variations in till composition may indicate a change in ice flow direction or a change in the composition of the original source area, while ages of the moraines provide a long-term terrestrial perspective on ice sheet dynamics. Both results are vital for modeling experiments that aim to reconstruct the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and assess its role in the global climate system and its potential impact on global sea level rise. The variation of till compositions through time also allows for a more accurate interpretation of sediment cores from the Ross Sea and the Southern Ocean. Additionally, till exposures at the head of some East Antarctic outlet glaciers have been shown to contain subglacial material derived from East Antarctic bedrock, providing a window through the ice to view East Antarctica?s inaccessible bedrock. Till samples will be collected from two well-preserved sequences of moraine crests at Mt. Howe (head of Scott Glacier) and Mt. Achernar (between Beardmore and Nimrod Glaciers). Each size fraction in glacial till provides potentially valuable information, and the PIs will measure the petrography of the clast and sand fractions, quantitative X-ray diffraction on the crushed \u003c2mm fraction, elemental abundance of the silt/clay fraction, and U/Pb of detrital zircons in the sand fraction. Data collection will rely on established methods previously used in this region and the PIs will also explore new methods to assess their efficacy. On the same moraines crests sampled for provenance studies, the PIs will sample for cosmogenic surface exposure analyses to provide a chronologic framework at the sites for provenance changes through time. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader Impact \u003cbr/\u003eThe proposed research involves graduate and undergraduate training in a diverse array of laboratory methods. Students and PIs will be make presentations to community and campus groups, as well as conduct interviews with local news outlets. The proposed work also establishes a new, potentially long-term, collaboration between scientists at IUPUI and LDEO and brings a new PI (Kaplan) into the field of Antarctic Earth Sciences.", "east": 161.2, "geometry": "POINT(5.75 -85.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION", "locations": null, "north": -84.1, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kaplan, Michael", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.4, "title": "Collaborative Research: Pleistocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet History as Recorded in Sediment Provenance and Chronology of High-elevation TAM Moraines", "uid": "p0000459", "west": -149.7}, {"awards": "1043619 Hemming, Sidney; 1043572 Licht, Kathy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-177.982 -63.997,-149.64107 -63.997,-121.30014 -63.997,-92.95921 -63.997,-64.61828 -63.997,-36.27735 -63.997,-7.93642 -63.997,20.40451 -63.997,48.74544 -63.997,77.08637 -63.997,105.4273 -63.997,105.4273 -66.3324,105.4273 -68.6678,105.4273 -71.0032,105.4273 -73.3386,105.4273 -75.674,105.4273 -78.0094,105.4273 -80.3448,105.4273 -82.6802,105.4273 -85.0156,105.4273 -87.351,77.08637 -87.351,48.74544 -87.351,20.40451 -87.351,-7.93642 -87.351,-36.27735 -87.351,-64.61828 -87.351,-92.95921 -87.351,-121.30014 -87.351,-149.64107 -87.351,-177.982 -87.351,-177.982 -85.0156,-177.982 -82.6802,-177.982 -80.3448,-177.982 -78.0094,-177.982 -75.674,-177.982 -73.3386,-177.982 -71.0032,-177.982 -68.6678,-177.982 -66.3324,-177.982 -63.997))", "dataset_titles": "East Antarctic outlet glacier contributions to the Ross Sea from chronology of detrital grains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600124", "doi": "10.15784/600124", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctica; Geochemistry; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean; West Antarctica", "people": "Hemming, Sidney R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "East Antarctic outlet glacier contributions to the Ross Sea from chronology of detrital grains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600124"}], "date_created": "Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs proposed a provenance study of glacial deposits in the Ross Embayment that will provide a broad scale geochronologic survey of detrital minerals in till to help characterize bedrock beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet and constrain Antarctica?s glacial history. This project capitalizes on previous investments in field sampling. Analytical tools applied to single mineral grains extracted from existing collections of glacial till will generate ?fingerprints? of East Antarctic outlet glaciers and West Antarctic till to refine paleo-ice flow models for the Ross Embayment during the last glacial maximum, older records from ANDRILL cores, and to assess IRD sources in the Southern Ocean. New provenance tracers will include a suite of geochronological methods that together provide greater insights into the orogenic and erosional history the region. This project will include U/Pb of detrital zircons, (U-Th)/He on a subset of the U/Pb dated zircons, as well as Ar-Ar of detrital hornblende, mica and feldspars. Broader impacts: This research will train one M.S. student at IUPUI, a Ph.D. student at Columbia, and several undergraduates at both institutions. Graduate students involved in the project will be involved in mentoring undergraduate researchers. Incorporation of research discoveries will be brought into the classroom by providing concrete examples and exercises at the appropriate level. Licht and Columbia graduate student E. Pierce are developing outreach projects with local secondary school teachers to investigate the provenance of glacial materials in their local areas. The research will have broad applicability to many fields.", "east": 105.4273, "geometry": "POINT(-36.27735 -75.674)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e LA-ICP-MS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e PETROGRAPHIC MICROSCOPES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-MS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; FIELD SURVEYS", "locations": null, "north": -63.997, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY", "persons": "Licht, Kathy; Hemming, Sidney R.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.351, "title": "Collaborative Research: East Antarctic outlet glacier contributions to the Ross Sea from chronology of detrital grains", "uid": "p0000333", "west": -177.982}, {"awards": "0944662 Elliot, David; 0944532 Isbell, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((158.9 -83,159.583 -83,160.266 -83,160.949 -83,161.632 -83,162.315 -83,162.998 -83,163.681 -83,164.364 -83,165.047 -83,165.73 -83,165.73 -83.21,165.73 -83.42,165.73 -83.63,165.73 -83.84,165.73 -84.05,165.73 -84.26,165.73 -84.47,165.73 -84.68,165.73 -84.89,165.73 -85.1,165.047 -85.1,164.364 -85.1,163.681 -85.1,162.998 -85.1,162.315 -85.1,161.632 -85.1,160.949 -85.1,160.266 -85.1,159.583 -85.1,158.9 -85.1,158.9 -84.89,158.9 -84.68,158.9 -84.47,158.9 -84.26,158.9 -84.05,158.9 -83.84,158.9 -83.63,158.9 -83.42,158.9 -83.21,158.9 -83))", "dataset_titles": "Rock Samples (full data link not provided)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000171", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PRR", "science_program": null, "title": "Rock Samples (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://bprc.osu.edu/rr/"}], "date_created": "Thu, 05 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThe goal of this project is to address relationships between foreland basins and their tectonic settings by combining detrital zircon isotope characteristics and sedimentological data. To accomplish this goal the PIs will develop a detailed geochronology and analyze Hf- and O-isotopes of detrital zircons in sandstones of the Devonian Taylor Group and the Permian-Triassic Victoria Group. These data will allow them to better determine provenance and basin fill, and to understand the nature of the now ice covered source regions in East and West Antarctica. The PIs will document possible unexposed/unknown crustal terrains in West Antarctica, investigate sub-glacial terrains of East Antarctica that were exposed to erosion during Devonian to Triassic time, and determine the evolving provenance and tectonic history of the Devonian to Triassic Gondwana basins in the central Transantarctic Mountains. Detrital zircon data will be interpreted in the context of fluvial dispersal/drainage patterns, sandstone petrology, and sequence stratigraphy. This interpretation will identify source terrains and evolving sediment provenances. Paleocurrent analysis and sequence stratigraphy will determine the timing and nature of changing tectonic conditions associated with development of the depositional basins and document the tectonic history of the Antarctic sector of Gondwana. Results from this study will answer questions about the Panthalassan margin of Gondwana, the Antarctic craton, and the Beacon depositional basin and their respective roles in global tectonics and the geologic and biotic history of Antarctica. The Beacon basin and adjacent uplands played an important role in the development and demise of Gondwanan glaciation through modification of polar climates, development of peat-forming mires, colonization of the landscape by plants, and were a migration route for Mesozoic vertebrates into Antarctica. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThis proposal includes support for two graduate students who will participate in the fieldwork, and also support for other students to participate in laboratory studies. Results of the research will be incorporated in classroom teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and will help train the next generation of field geologists. Interactions with K-12 science classes will be achieved by video/computer conferencing and satellite phone connections from Antarctica. Another outreach effort is the developing cooperation between the Byrd Polar Research Center and the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus.", "east": 165.73, "geometry": "POINT(162.315 -84.05)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-MS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e XRF", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; LABORATORY", "locations": null, "north": -83.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Elliot, David; Isbell, John", "platforms": "Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "PRR", "repositories": "PRR", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.1, "title": "Collaborative Research:Application of Detrital Zircon Isotope Characteristics and Sandstone Analysis of Beacon Strata to the Tectonic Evolution of the Antarctic Sector of Gondwana", "uid": "p0000312", "west": 158.9}, {"awards": "1039365 Rimmer, Susan", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "The Permian-Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600121", "doi": "10.15784/600121", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Geochemistry; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Rimmer, Susan", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "The Permian-Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600121"}], "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project studies the Permian-Triassic extinction event as recorded in sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Two hundred and fifty million years ago most life on Earth was wiped out in a geologic instant. The cause is a subject of great debate. Researchers have identified a unique stratigraphic section near Shackleton glacier laid down during the extinction event. Organic matter from these deposits will be analyzed by density gradient centrifugation (DGC), which will offer detailed information on the carbon isotope composition. The age of these layers will be precisely dated by U/Pb-zircon-dating of intercalated volcanics. Combined, these results will offer detailed constraints on the timing and duration of carbon isotope excursions during the extinction, and offer insight into the coupling of marine and terrestrial carbon cycles. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate student research, K12 outreach and teacher involvement, and societal relevance of the results, since the P/T extinction may have been caused by phenomena such as methane release, which could accompany global warming.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rimmer, Susan", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Permian -Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuatios in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "uid": "p0000507", "west": null}, {"awards": "0739732 Fleming, Thomas; 0739726 Bowring, Samuel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -70,-174.3 -70,-168.6 -70,-162.9 -70,-157.2 -70,-151.5 -70,-145.8 -70,-140.1 -70,-134.4 -70,-128.7 -70,-123 -70,-123 -71.8,-123 -73.6,-123 -75.4,-123 -77.2,-123 -79,-123 -80.8,-123 -82.6,-123 -84.4,-123 -86.2,-123 -88,-128.7 -88,-134.4 -88,-140.1 -88,-145.8 -88,-151.5 -88,-157.2 -88,-162.9 -88,-168.6 -88,-174.3 -88,180 -88,176.5 -88,173 -88,169.5 -88,166 -88,162.5 -88,159 -88,155.5 -88,152 -88,148.5 -88,145 -88,145 -86.2,145 -84.4,145 -82.6,145 -80.8,145 -79,145 -77.2,145 -75.4,145 -73.6,145 -71.8,145 -70,148.5 -70,152 -70,155.5 -70,159 -70,162.5 -70,166 -70,169.5 -70,173 -70,176.5 -70,-180 -70))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project uses high-precision, U-Pb dating of zircons from the Ferrar igneous intrusion of Antarctica to determine when it formed and whether it caused a major extinction event. Amongst the world?s largest intrusions, the Ferrar is also associated with breakup of Gondwana, the last supercontinent. Data from this project will show how the Ferrar and similar intrusions form and their potential to cause mass extinctions. Intrusion of the Ferrar has been tentatively linked to the Toarcian extinction event of 183 million years ago, thought to have been caused by methane released when the Ferrar intersected subterranean coal beds. The broader impacts are undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral involvement in research, new collaborations between a research and primarily undergraduate institution, and K12 outreach.", "east": -123.0, "geometry": "POINT(-169 -79)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IRMS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e MASS SPECTROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e XRF", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Ferrar Supergroup; LABORATORY", "locations": "Ferrar Supergroup", "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e JURASSIC", "persons": "Burgess, Seth; Fleming, Thomas", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -88.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: High Precision U-Pb Geochronology of the Jurassic Ferrar Large Igneous Province, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000502", "west": 145.0}, {"awards": "0838722 Reiners, Peter; 0838729 Hemming, Sidney", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-67.2 -58,-43.98 -58,-20.76 -58,2.46 -58,25.68 -58,48.9 -58,72.12 -58,95.34 -58,118.56 -58,141.78 -58,165 -58,165 -59.2,165 -60.4,165 -61.6,165 -62.8,165 -64,165 -65.2,165 -66.4,165 -67.6,165 -68.8,165 -70,141.78 -70,118.56 -70,95.34 -70,72.12 -70,48.9 -70,25.68 -70,2.46 -70,-20.76 -70,-43.98 -70,-67.2 -70,-67.2 -68.8,-67.2 -67.6,-67.2 -66.4,-67.2 -65.2,-67.2 -64,-67.2 -62.8,-67.2 -61.6,-67.2 -60.4,-67.2 -59.2,-67.2 -58))", "dataset_titles": "Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600094", "doi": "10.15784/600094", "keywords": "Antarctica; Fission Track Thermochronology; Gamburtsev Mountains; Geochronology; Marine Sediments; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean", "people": "Hemming, Sidney R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600094"}, {"dataset_uid": "600093", "doi": "10.15784/600093", "keywords": "Antarctica; Fission Track Thermochronology; Gamburtsev Mountains; Geochronology; Marine Sediments; NBP0101; ODP1166; ODP739; Prydz Bay; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean", "people": "Gehrels, George; Reiners, Peter; Thomson, Stuart", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600093"}], "date_created": "Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Much of the inventory of East Antarctic bedrock geochronology, as well as a record of its erosional history, is preserved in Cenozoic sediments around its margin. This project is to use these sediments to understand their sub-ice provenance and the erosional history of the shield by measuring ages of multiple geo- and thermochronometers on single detrital crystals and on multiple crystals in detrital clasts (U/Pb, fission-track, and (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite, and 40Ar/39Ar dating of hornblende, mica, and feldspar). The combination of multi-chronometer ages in single grains and clasts provides a powerful fingerprint of bedrock sources, allowing us to trace provenance in Eocene fluvial sandstones through Quaternary diamicts around the margin. Multiple thermochronometric (cooling) ages in the same grains and clasts also allows us to interpret the timing and rates of erosion from these bedrock sources. Delineating a distribution of bedrock age units, their sediment transport connections, and their erosional histories over the Cenozoic, will in turn allow us to test tectonic models bearing on: (1) the origin of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, (2) fluvial and topographic evolution, and (3) the history of glacial growth and erosion.", "east": 165.0, "geometry": "POINT(48.9 -64)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "LABORATORY", "locations": null, "north": -58.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Reiners, Peter; Gehrels, George; Thompson, Stuart; Hemming, Sidney R.", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -70.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "uid": "p0000506", "west": -67.2}, {"awards": "0835480 Paulsen, Timothy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -84,161.5 -84,163 -84,164.5 -84,166 -84,167.5 -84,169 -84,170.5 -84,172 -84,173.5 -84,175 -84,175 -84.15,175 -84.3,175 -84.45,175 -84.6,175 -84.75,175 -84.9,175 -85.05,175 -85.2,175 -85.35,175 -85.5,173.5 -85.5,172 -85.5,170.5 -85.5,169 -85.5,167.5 -85.5,166 -85.5,164.5 -85.5,163 -85.5,161.5 -85.5,160 -85.5,160 -85.35,160 -85.2,160 -85.05,160 -84.9,160 -84.75,160 -84.6,160 -84.45,160 -84.3,160 -84.15,160 -84))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This Small Grant for Exploratory Research investigates the origin of the Queen Maud Mountains, Antarctica, to understand the geodynamic processes that shaped Gondwana. Ages of various rock units will be determined using LA-MC-ICPMS analyses of zircons and 40Ar-39Ar analyses of hornblende. The project?s goal is to time deformation , sedimentary unit deposition, magmatism, and regional cooling. Results will be correlated with related rock units in Australia. By constraining the length and time scales of processes, the outcomes will offer insight into the geodynamic processes that caused deformation, such as slab roll-back or extension. In addition, dating these sedimentary units may offer insight into the Cambrian explosion of life, since the sediment flux caused by erosion of these mountains is conjectured to have seeded the ocean with the nutrients required for organisms to develop hard body parts. The broader impacts include support for undergraduate research.", "east": 175.0, "geometry": "POINT(167.5 -84.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -84.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Paulsen, Timothy", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -85.5, "title": "SGER:Exploratory Research on the Timing of Early Paleozoic Orogenesis along Gonwana\u0027s Paleo-Pacific Margin, Queen Maud Mountains, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000336", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "0817163 Reiners, Peter; 0816934 Thomson, Stuart", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((72 -66,72.3 -66,72.6 -66,72.9 -66,73.2 -66,73.5 -66,73.8 -66,74.1 -66,74.4 -66,74.7 -66,75 -66,75 -66.3,75 -66.6,75 -66.9,75 -67.2,75 -67.5,75 -67.8,75 -68.1,75 -68.4,75 -68.7,75 -69,74.7 -69,74.4 -69,74.1 -69,73.8 -69,73.5 -69,73.2 -69,72.9 -69,72.6 -69,72.3 -69,72 -69,72 -68.7,72 -68.4,72 -68.1,72 -67.8,72 -67.5,72 -67.2,72 -66.9,72 -66.6,72 -66.3,72 -66))", "dataset_titles": "Triple-dating (Pb-FT-He) of Antarctic Detritus and the Origin of the Gamburtsev Mountains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600089", "doi": "10.15784/600089", "keywords": "Antarctica; Fission Track Thermochronology; Gamburtsev Mountains; Geochronology; Solid Earth", "people": "Thomson, Stuart", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Triple-dating (Pb-FT-He) of Antarctic Detritus and the Origin of the Gamburtsev Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600089"}, {"dataset_uid": "600090", "doi": "10.15784/600090", "keywords": "Antarctica; Gamburtsev Mountains; Geochronology; Marine Sediments; NBP0101; ODP1166; Prydz Bay; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean", "people": "Reiners, Peter; Gehrels, George", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Triple-dating (Pb-FT-He) of Antarctic Detritus and the Origin of the Gamburtsev Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600090"}], "date_created": "Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This Small Grant for Exploratory Research investigates the origin and evolution of the Gamburtsev subglacial mountains (GSM). These mountains are considered the nucleation point for Antarctica\u0027s largest ice sheets; however, being of indeterminate age, they may postdate ice sheet formation. As well, their formation could reflect tectonic events during the breakup of Gondwana. The project studies GSM-derived detrital zircon and apatite crystals from Prydz Bay obtained by the Ocean Drilling Program. Analytical work includes triple-dating thermochronometry by U/Pb, fission track, and (U/Th)/He methods. The combined technique offers insight into both high and low temperature processes, and is potentially sensitive to both the orogenic events and the subsequent cooling and exhumation due to erosion. In terms of broader impacts, this project supports research for a postdoctoral fellow and an", "east": 75.0, "geometry": "POINT(73.5 -67.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -66.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Thompson, Stuart; Reiners, Peter; Gehrels, George", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -69.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: SGER: Triple-dating (Pb-FT-He) of Antarctic Detritus and the Origin of the Gamburtsev Mountains", "uid": "p0000210", "west": 72.0}, {"awards": "9615398 Encarnacion, John", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Encarnaci_n OPP 9615398 Abstract Basement rocks of the Transantarctic Mountains are believed to record a change in the paleo-Pacific margin of Gondwana from a rifted passive margin to a tectonically active margin (Ross orogen). Recent hypothesis suggest that the passive margin phase resulted from Neoproterozoic rifting of Laurentia from Antarctica (\"SWEAT\" hypothesis). The succeeding active margin phase (Ross orogeny) was one of several tectonic events (\"Pan African\" events) that resulted from plate convergence/transpression that was probably a consequence of the assembly of components of the Gondwana supercontinent. Although these basement units provide one of the keys for understanding the break up and assembly of these major continental masses, few precise ages are available to address the following important issues: (1) Is there any pre-rift high-grade cratonal basement exposed along the Transantarctic Mountains, and what is/are its precise age? Is this age compatible with a Laurentia connection? (2) What is the age of potential rift/passive margin sediments (Beardmore Group) along the Queen Maud Mountains sector of the orogen? (3) What is the relative and absolute timing of magmatism and contractional deformation of supracrustal units in the orogen? Was deformation diachronous and thus possibly related to transpressional tectonics, or did it occur in a discrete pulse that is more compatible with a collision? How does contraction of the orogen fit in with emplacement of voluminous plutonic and volcanic rocks? The answers to these questions are central to understanding the kinematic evolution of this major orogenic belt and its role in Neoproterozoic-Early Paleozoic continental reconstructions and plate kinematics. Hence, this award supports funding for precise U-Pb dating, using zircon, monazite, baddeleyite, and/or titanite from a variety of magmatic rocks in the Queen Ma ud Mountains, which can address the foregoing problems. In addition to the issues above, precise dating of volcanics that are interbedded with carbonates containing probable Middle Cambrian fauna could potentially provide a calibration point for the Middle Cambrian, which will fill a gap in the absolute time scale for the early Paleozoic.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Encarnacion, John", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Constraints on the Tectonomagmatic Evolution of the Pacific Margin of Gondwana from U-Pb Geochronology of Magmatic Rocks in the Transantarctic Basement", "uid": "p0000277", "west": null}, {"awards": "0548918 van de Flierdt, Christina-Maria", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This Small Grant for Exploratory Research supports development of a geochemical technique to time the onset of glacial erosion from Antarctica\u0027s continental ice sheets. The technique pairs neodymium (Nd) and hafnium (Hf) isotope proxies from the authigenic (seawater-derived) ferromanganese phase precipitated in marine sediments. This technique promises to be a sensitive indicator of glacial erosion. Non-radiogenic Hf is contained in the mineral zircon, which can only be released by the abrasive grinding that accompanies glacial erosion. Previous attempts to develop this technique encountered difficulty due to the minute amounts of Hf involved and the difficulty in its extraction. The PIs have developed a new chemical protocol that should allow them to selectively extract authigenic Hf from bulk sediments. If successful, studies of the Eocene-Oligocene boundary from two drill cores the Weddell Sea and Kerguelen Plateau will be carried out. This boundary is considered the initiation point for formation of Antarctica\u0027s current ice sheets. If successful, this method will benefit scientists with interests as diverse as continental weathering, ocean circulation, Cenozoic paleoceanography and paleoclimate, and Antarctic geology. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts of this work are development of a new analytical technique that may improve society\u0027s understanding of the potential for global climate change from the perspective of the deep time record.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Van De Flierdt, Christina-Maria", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "SGER: Development of the Paired Authigenic Neodymium-Hafnium Isotope Weathering Tracer From Marine Sediments in the Circum Antarctic Realm", "uid": "p0000130", "west": null}, {"awards": "0337858 Goodge, John", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This work will determine the age and provenance of glacially derived marine sediments from the coastal regions of Wilkes Land, Antarctica. These deposits may offer insight into the history of the East Antarctic Shield (EAS), which is amongst the oldest sections of continental crust on Earth, but cannot be studied directly because of nearly complete ice sheet coverage. The study will use Australian National University\u0027s SHRIMP ion microprobe to date zircon and monazite found in the sediments. Samples of interest include polymictic pebble and cobble clasts obtained from dredge hauls of tills, as well as sand-matrix fractions from cores of glacial diamicts on the continental margin. Individual clasts of igneous and metamorphic rocks from tills will be selected for zircon and/or monazite age dating, whereas detrital zircons from stratified and non-stratified diamictons will be analyzed for composite zircon provenance analysis. In addition, detrital zircon ages will be determined for Beacon Supergroup sandstones to evaluate recycling of zircon in Phanerozoic basins. Integration of ages obtained from both sources will provide a good representation of the EAS terrains underlying the Wilkes Land ice sheet. This project will allow us to learn more about the remote continental interior and improve our ability to interpret past ice-flow patterns without further environmental impact on Antarctica. The results will improve our understanding of Precambrian tectonics and crustal evolution, and help target future over-ice geophysical surveys and basement drilling projects currently under consideration. In terms of broader impacts, the project will provide educational and training opportunities for undergraduate students in Earth science.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Goodge, John", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Glacial proxies of East Antarctic shield basement in Wilkes Land, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000725", "west": null}, {"awards": "0126286 McConnell, Joseph", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -62.83,-144 -62.83,-108 -62.83,-72 -62.83,-36 -62.83,0 -62.83,36 -62.83,72 -62.83,108 -62.83,144 -62.83,180 -62.83,180 -65.547,180 -68.264,180 -70.981,180 -73.698,180 -76.415,180 -79.132,180 -81.849,180 -84.566,180 -87.283,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87.283,-180 -84.566,-180 -81.849,-180 -79.132,-180 -76.415,-180 -73.698,-180 -70.981,-180 -68.264,-180 -65.547,-180 -62.83))", "dataset_titles": "Siple Shallow Core Density Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609129", "doi": "10.7265/N52F7KCD", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Physical Properties; Siple Dome; Siple Dome Ice Core; WAISCORES", "people": "Lamorey, Gregg W.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Siple Shallow Core Density Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609129"}], "date_created": "Mon, 19 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award provides one year of support to use newly developed technology in which an ice-core melter is coupled with both an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) and a traditional Continuous Flow Analysis (CFA) system, to measure a continuous time series of chemical and trace element deposition on the Siple Dome ice core from West Antarctica. A coupled ice-core melter, ICP-MS, and CFA system will be used to measure concentrations of a number of elements, isotopes and chemical species at very high depth resolution (~2-cm) in the top 54 m of the Siple Dome A-core. Pilot data from analyses of ~6 m from the nearby but much lower accumulation J-core site at Siple Dome, together with more extensive results from Summit, Greenland, indicate that it will be possible to obtain exactly co-registered, high-quality records of at least 12 seasonally varying elements (sodium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, rubidium, strontium, zirconium, barium, lead) and three other chemical species and ions (ammonium, nitrate, calcium ion) with this system. Under this proposed research, we will also add continuous measurements of sulfate to our system. Because more than sufficient core from Siple Dome for these depths is archived at the National Ice Core Laboratory, the proposed research will require no fieldwork. The continuous, very high-resolution, ~350-y record of these elemental tracers will enhance the value of previous chemical and isotopic measurements that have been made on the Siple Dome core and will be particularly valuable for comparisons between ice-core proxies and modern instrumental data related to El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as well as for validation of model simulations of atmospheric circulation. These data, and the expertise gained through this research, will be invaluable when this novel chemical analysis technology is eventually applied to deep ice-core records for the study of rapid climate-change events.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "WAISCORES; Siple Coast; Glaciology; Not provided; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Ice Core; Siple; Antarctica; Density; Snow; Ice Sheet; Siple Dome; Shallow Core; GROUND STATIONS; Stratigraphy", "locations": "Antarctica; Siple; Siple Coast; Siple Dome", "north": -62.83, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Lamorey, Gregg W.; McConnell, Joseph", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Siple Dome Ice Core", "south": -90.0, "title": "Continuous High Resolution Ice-Core Chemistry using ICP-MS at Siple Dome", "uid": "p0000159", "west": -180.0}]

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