Geological investigations, triangulation surveys and glaciology investigations of the Upper Tucker Glacier area, North Victoria Land, and around Scott Base

Intensive geological work was conducted in the Tucker Glacier area of North Victoria Land. The work area overlapped the Geological Survey of the 1957-58 Expedition and this was helpful to correlate rock types, standardisation of nomenclature, etc. Every opportunity was taken to observe the more distant rocks from high peaks and on air flights. Three major rock types were found to occur in this region and extensive collections were made from the following: i) 49 specimens of Robertson Bay type greywackes, slates, red argillites, grits, etc including a number of orientated samples, ii) 15 specimens from the Tucker Granodiorite, iii) 26 Xenoliths from the Tucker Granodiorite, iv) 69 specimens from the contact zone of the Tucker Granodiorite with the Robertson Bay Group, v) 32 specimens of various hyperbyssal rocks from occurrences in granodiorite, greywacke and quartzite and vi) 45 specimens from a new formation of quartzites discovered. A total of 236 specimens were collected. Time was also spent working in the vicinity of Scott Base examining McMurdo Volcanics. Samples were collected of the typical extrusive rocks of the area, fairly rare quartzose xenoliths from the olivine basalts and limburgitic basalts of the area, olivine nodules from certain basalts, hydrothermally altered basalts and nodules from the sulphur cones area and gabbroic xenoliths from the basalts. In addition, a number of soil samples and a considerable number of lichens were collected and several snow pits were dug and morphological features of the glaciers and Polar Plateau noted. Field surveys were conducted to provide ground control in the form of a triangulation network with heighting. The survey achieved a triangulation network over an area of about 3,000 square miles.