ANTALITH
Collaborative Research:
Seismic Traverse of the Byrd Subglacial Basin
- Field Test
Principal Investigators: Ian W. D. Dalziel, Donald D. Blankenship, and Paul L. Stoffa
Funded by: National Science Foundation
A seismic survey was conducted in the Byrd Basin area in Central West Antarctica during
November 1994-January 1995. One of the principal aims of this survey was to study
different shooting techniques in ice-covered areas and identify the problems that may
typically arise during the processing of seismic data acquired in similar situations. The
experiments were conducted by researchers from the University of
Texas at Austin, the Pennsylvania State University and the British Antarctic Survey. The
location of the survey area in the deep interior of Antarctica provided unique challenges
in terms of logistics and technology and the field parties operated from a camp maintained
by the United States Antarctic Program with financial support from the National Science
Foundation. A 63 kilometer long multichannel seismic profile acquired using a 60-channel
snow streamer, will be analyzed to create an image of the
middle to lower crust. In addition to the main profile, two shorter wide angle surveys
(that overlapped with sections of the main line) were also conducted along with a shallow
refraction experiment (aimed at determining velocities in the firm layer) and a reshoot of
a part of the main profile using detonating cord. Moreover, a 15 kilometer long profile
was acquired in a direction perpendicular to that of the main line with the intention of
studying the crossline dip.
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