The geology of the Northern Britannia Range between the Hatherton and Byrd Glaciers

The geology of the Northern Britannia Range between the Hatherton and Byrd Glaciers was mapped and the landforms, soils and glacial history of the range was investigated. A four man team man-hauled a Nansen sledge down the Hatherton Glacier, making measurements of hard rocks outcropping within the northern Britannia Range along the way. A geological outcrop map was produced, the general geology of the area was described and a number of stratigraphic columns through formations of the Beacon Super Group were described to establish their environments of deposition and the structure and petrology of dolerite intrusions. Once the mapping of the range had been completed a number of short visits were made to the Cook and Darwin Mountains to the north and to the area south of the Byrd Glacier, the Churchill Mountains. Detailed studies were made of the Beacon sandstones and their contact with the underlying basement rocks. The glacial history of the area was determined by studying the soils for their age and weathering characteristics. Carbonate samples were collected from the lower moraines and were assessed for dating purposes. The rate of soil formation on dolerite and sandstone till materials was also determined. The slope formation was investigated by developing a field classification of rock strength by using rock hardness, joint spacing, joint continuity, joint openness and joint inclinations. With these variables an overall value of strength (i.e. resistence to erosion) was applied to many slope profiles. The weathering products on moraine and rock surfaces in the Northern Britannia Range were described and sampled in detail to assist in establishing the glacial history, determining the pedological relationships of soil genesis and to determine, from a variety of lithologies, the nature of silt-sized particles with reference to the 'origin of loess' problem in polar regions.