30 June 2013 A Little Something for Rock Lovers

GeologyThe science that deals with the dynamics and physical history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone or is undergoing. around here is pretty fascinating. At Palmer Station we have an opportunity to see a slice of this. Sadly, we see more and more with the glaciers melting as quickly as they are. Lisa Crockett and I went for a walk in the backyard and part way up the glacier and found some cool stuff. Actually, Lisa, who has been working and researching in Antarctica for nearly 30 years was pointing a lot of stuff out to me. The continent of Antarctica formed about 35 million years ago. Studying geology has historically been pretty challenging on the Antarctic continent as it is generally covered in snow and ice all the time. But there is a lot of new technology and new islands being revealed in the western Antarctic peninsular area. The geology in this peninsular area is very similar to the Andes in South America. The peninsula was formed by sediment uplift and the metamorphosis of sea beds. Some of you may remember from a previous journal when I spoke of the Palmer ArchipelagoA chain of many islands.. I wish the Marine Tech, Amy Westman, was working on the ship this time around. She knows a lot about geology and she could surely elaborate a great deal on what we see down here.

As the glacial ice moves it gathers a lot of boulders and smaller rocks, even gravel along with it. These cut grooves in the land beneath it. It also cuts along rocks deeply embedded in the ground. Some rocks have become as smooth as velvet from the glaciers and sediment polishing them for thousands of years.