ANTARCTIC METEORITE LOCATION AND MAPPING PROJECT (AMLAMP)
EXPLANATORY TEXT


Wisconsin Range - Upper Reedy Glacier Area

The Upper Reedy Glacier area covers the southernmost extent of the Wisconsin Range in the Horlick Mountains and is the easternmost of the meteorite sites in the Wisconsin Range-Scott Glacier region . Ice from the polar plateau flows northward through the Wisconsin Range down the Reedy Glacier, one of the larger outlet valley glaciers in the region. An ice escarpment with isolated nunataks are situated along the east side at the head of the glacier, from Spear Nunatak (86º32'S 124º06'W) at the south, trending northward for 50 kilometers (WIS30-Figure 1- 115 KB JPEG). Numerous bare ice areas are present along the escarpment and adjacent to the nunataks.

Four meteorite specimens were discovered in the Wisconsin Range by a Twin Otter-supported geological party visiting Spear Nunatak during the 1990-1991 season. A two-person search team returned to the area for three days during the 1991-1992 season and recovered 29 meteorites from the icefields around Spear Nunatak, Strickland Nunatak, and Point 2250. WIS30-Figure 2 (35 KB JPEG) is an oblique aerial photograph of the Strickland Nunatak area showing the approximate location of the specimen found below the nunatak. WIS30-Figure 3 (31 KB JPEG) shows the locations of meteorites found around Point 2250.

WIS30-Table 1 is a tabulation of meteorite types recovered from the area.

The locations of the 1991-1992 meteorites were determined using a single GPS receiver and averaging 25-100 fixes with Selective Availability on. Except for the 1990 collection, the meteorite listing also groups specimens according to the icefield area in which they were found. Exact locations of the meteorites found in 1990-1991 are not available. It is known, however, that three specimens were found in close proximity to Spear Nunatak and one was found on the East Spear Nunatak Icefield.

Acknowledgments; We thank Scott Borg and his field party members for contributing the four 1990 meteorite specimens to the collection. John Schutt and Peter Wasilewski conducted the reconnaissance field work in the 1991-1992 season. The support of the Twin Otter aircraft crew, J.C. Armstrong, Clarke Boutin, and Henry Perk of Kenn Borek Air, Ltd. is much appreciated.


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Page last updated: 04/23/2005