Magnetic investigations of the junction between Wilson and Bowers terranes (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

Abstract

A magnetic survey was carried out in the area between Lady Newnes Bay and Evans Névé (northern Victoria Land), to ascertain whether the contact between the Wilson and the Bowers terranes could be identified remotely. The survey consisted of three ground and 12 helicopter-borne profiles. The method was calibrated on the southernmost profiles, which cover a well-exposed section of the contact between the Wilson and Bowers terranes. The northern profiles were located in an area where the contact is poorly constrained by outcrops, so that it could be tested whether the junction displays a magnetic signature. The magnetic data and the 2.5-D modeling of three selected profiles indicate that no easily recognizable magnetic signature defines this contact. The main features of the area are magnetic anomalies probably controlled by the “Meander Intrusives” and the McMurdo volcanic rocks, both characterized by high susceptibility values. If an anomaly related to the contact exists, then it is probably masked by these stronger anomalies.