Geology and Paleontology of the Antarctic

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Antarctic Research Series, Volume 6.

Antarctica, the last of the continents to be explored, has long been recognized as a critical piece of the world's geology. Ever since the geology of the other southern?]hemisphere continents, Australia, Africa, and South America, became known, geologic similarities among these continents have been apparent and close relations to Antarctica have been suspected. Opportunities to investigate these relations have, however, been slow in coming.

The early explorers of the Antarctic continent were impressed by geologic features they saw and were well aware of the need to learn more about them. Nevertheless, the difficulties of travel and existence in that forbidding land made possible for many years only cursory geologic observations and minimal scientific collections. Thus bits of geologic information accumulated here and there, largely where the continental borders were accessible by sea and along the routes of pioneer explorers seeking the south pole. Vast areas remained entirely unknown.