Collaborative Research: Late Cenozoic volcanism and glaciation at Minna Bluff, Antarctica

This award supports the study of lava, dome and hyaloclastite deposits from the 45 km long, 5 km wide, Minna Bluff volcanic peninsula located in the McMurdo Sound area of the southern Ross Sea. The rock samples were collected during two field expeditions; 2006-07 and 2007-08. Minna Bluff is part of the larger Erebus Volcanic province whose volcanic activity spans from ~25 Ma to presently erupting (Mt. Erebus). Minna Bluff provides the only known record of volcanism in the province between 11 and 7 Ma and offers new insight into regional geodynamics, mantle melt sources and magma evolution. The volcanism at Minna Bluff also coincides with a time interval that is controversial in Antarctic cryosphere reconstruction. Volcanological and geomorphological study and geochemical data on alteration minerals in hyaloclastites provide important information for the reconstruction of paleoenvironmental conditions and climate models. In terms of broader impacts, this project involved graduate and undergraduate students in an exciting field expedition, followed by laboratory work using state-of-the-art techniques for geochemical analyses. Research findings have been disseminated at national and international meetings as well as community outreach and educational venues.