Short Note: The application and benefits of digital geological mapping in Antarctica

Abstract

Antarctica remains a remote and logistically difficult region in which to conduct geological fieldwork, making the data collected there of significant value. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) maintains a geological database containing sample and locality data from over sixty years of fieldwork, although the vast majority of field observations and data remain in notebooks and paper maps. Little or none of these data or observations are easily searchable, thus their exploitation is time consuming and inefficient, reducing its corporate and research value. In order to record and store field data in an efficient and consistent manner, geologists at BAS developed a digital geological mapping system (DGMS) that integrates with BAS’s existing database. Various versions of the system have been successfully deployed during several field campaigns in South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and Ellsworth Mountains. In this contribution we summarize our experiences in deploying digital geological mapping technology in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments.