ANTARCTIC METEORITE LOCATION AND MAPPING PROJECT (AMLAMP)
EXPLANATORY TEXT

The Mackay Glacier Icefields (ALH-DAV-Figure 1 - 45 KB JPEG) are a group of scattered ice patches of relatively small extent located near the head of the Mackay Glacier, where ice from the polar plateau starts it rapid descent through the Transantarctic Mountains. The icefields are situated 65 kilometers southwest of the Allan Hills.

During the 1992-1993 field season a two-person party made a rapid reconnoiter of one of the series of ice patches. A total of four meteorite specimens were recovered. Based upon these finds, an ANSMET team was finally able to visit these icefields during the 2005-2006 field season. Bad weather and new snow on the ice surface slowed searching down, but five days were spent searching most of the exposed ice surfaces in the course of a two week period. Another 64 specimens were recovered. MCY5-Figure 1 (111 KB JPEG) is an ASTER satellite image showing the locations of the finds from the Mackay Glacier Icefields.

MCY5-Table 1 gives a tabulation of the meteorite types found at the Mackay Glacier Icefields.

Acknowledgments: Peter Mouginis-Mark and John Schutt conducted the reconnaissance searches of the Mackay Glacier Icefields. H. Perk and J.C. Armstrong of Kenn Borek Air, Ltd. provided their piloting expertise to make our landings successful. The 2005-2006 field team consisted of Mary-Sue Bell, Graciela Matrajt, John Schutt, and Mike Wyatt.

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