Seismo-Geophysical Studies in the Antarctic Region: Geodynamical Implications

Abstract

AbstractConduction of integrated seismo-geophysical studies in the Antarctic region is a challenge as well as very much warranted to explore the region for its better geo-scientific understanding. Seismogenesis and seismic potential of the Antarctic region have not yet been well understood because of lack of common consensus on various issues, besides its unique and complex geotectonic settings associated with intriguing landscape evolution of the Antarctic plate since the breakup of Gondwana, West Antarctic Rift System (WARS), different patterns of exhumation events that occurred between the Early Cretaceous and Cenozoic. The hostile climatic situation and inaccessibility of the region due to the huge spatial distribution of thicker ice sheets hindered the mission of conducting comprehensive seismo-geophysical studies for the Antarctic Peninsula due to severe constraints of installations of ground-based sophisticated seismo-geophysical equipments in the region. Several causative factors associated with natural and anthropogenic are found still enigmatic in the sense to unravel the fact how the genesis of earthquakes are related to the glacial-dynamics and glacial mass change-induced earthquakes (GMCIE). It has become important to decipher the role and contribution of the East and the West Antarctic microplates and West Antarctic rift systems (WARS) in seismogenesis using advanced methodologies of geosciences. Seismicity of the Antarctic continent region is confined to different tectonic blocks, distributed into the southern ocean, continental margin, Lutzow-Holm Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, and in the volcanic regions in and around Deception Island, which helped estimate the seismic structure of Antarctica. In this chapter, a comprehensive overview of seismo-geophysical studies has been made to understand seismo-geodynamical implications for the Antarctic region in light of the Plate Reconstruction and seismo-geophysical structures of Antarctica.KeywordsThe AntarcticSeismogenesisSeismic potentialGMCIEWARSGlacial dynamicsPlate reconstructionGeodynamicsSeismo-geophysical structures