Geology of Antarctica

This website is developed for the GeoSciences Standing Scientific Group (SSG) to promote understanding of the geology of Antarctica amongst the wider community. Compared with other continents, the geological evolution of Antarctica is poorly known, since less than 2% of the land emerges from beneath the thick cover of glacier ice. Yet where rocks are exposed, their pristine nature and lack of vegetation has enabled geologists to unravel many key components of the region’s history. A fuller account of the geological evolution of Antarctica is provided in the accompanying text.

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is a constituent of the International Council for Science (ICSU). Its remit is to initiate, promote and co-ordinate scientific research in Antarctica, and to provide impartial advice to the Antarctic Treaty System and other bodies. All nations working in Antarctica belong to SCAR. The science undertaken by SCAR is organised through Standing Scientific Groups (SSGs), one of which is GeoSciences. The SCAR website provides a considerable amount of information about Antarctica.