tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859094080858570248.post6241125309210163830..comments2024-03-29T13:05:30.522+05:30Comments on Rapid Uplift: Plate Tectonics and Energy PoliticsSuvrat Kherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281172632784780810noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5859094080858570248.post-52715963136158417612008-03-06T20:25:00.000+05:302008-03-06T20:25:00.000+05:30I am and Arctic geologist, working on a plate tect...I am and Arctic geologist, working on a plate tectonic reconstruction of the Amerasian Basin in the Arctic Ocean. Consequently my field season is spent on ice breakers in the Arctic Ocean and for the past few summers I have been involved with the "mad dash" to do bathymetric mapping of this region. <BR/><BR/>Every country on the planet at this time is collecting scientific data of their continental shelves (or whatever they have as borders)in order to define their ESC or extended continental shelves. Countries that border the Arcitc are trying to define theirs as well. This is not a mad dash to exploit the Arctic but to gather information in a very data poor environment in order to define the extent of the continents, which is very tricky in a region whose tectonic history is so vague and very controversial among tectonic geeks who care about such things. However the U.S. is also mapping the Atlantic and Pacific coasts in order to define those continental extents as well.<BR/><BR/>The only boundary that is not under dispute in the Arctic Ocean is the one between U.S. and Russia which was negotiated in the 80's. You are correct in saying that the tectonic history, or where the plates used to be, is indeed irrelevant to a country's claim, however when trying to define "continent" vs. "oceanic" crust the tectonic history is important, hence the exercise.<BR/><BR/>As far as the ice pack goes, all I can tell you is that there are good ice years and bad ice years. In 2006 the ice was so intense that we were stranded just north of Barrow for 5 days and were hindered from gathering good data for most of the 45 day cruise. Yet last year the ice had all drifted/blown toward Greenland and we had only first year ice in the Amerasian Basin to about 85 north to contend with while our collegues in the Eurasian Basin were unable to continue because of the huge pressure ridges that had built up. One should not get too excited about year to year fluctuations and as a geologist remember that the only thing one can count on about planet earth is change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com