Geologic Map of Antarctica, American Geographical Society

Exhibition Label:
"Climate Change at the Poles," Jan-2009, Kate Meyer, Jennifer Talbott, and Angela Watts
Although many items on view in this gallery explore the ways in which scientists can learn about the history of Antarctica through the study of its ice, the continent’s geologic features have also garnered investigation. The age of Antarctica’s rock formations can be determined through radiometric dating (calculated by measuring the
decay rate of radioactive materials in the rock). Age can also be determined by dating fossils in the rocks, or biostratigraphy. While geologists have refined, corrected, and expanded the knowledge represented in this map from 1972, many portions of a contemporary map would still be depicted as blank spaces that remain unknown.