AGAP - Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province

AGAP logoA mysterious mountain range under the ice in the heart of Antarctica was the focus of a major field project involving the Australian Antarctic Division in 2008/09.

The Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province (AGAP) project was a multinational, high-tech adventure in which teams of scientists, engineers, pilots and support staff from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany, Australia, Japan and China joined forces to mount one of the most scientifically, technically and physically ambitious Antarctic projects ever.

The aim was to uncover the secrets of the enigmatic Gamburtsev mountain chain, which is buried beneath the ice and which may be the birthplace of the massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet; to hunt for the best location for ice-core drilling campaigns into Antarctica's oldest ice; and to discover clues to past, present and future climate change.

Australia established and maintained AGAP North, a remote field camp and skiway to support aircraft operations.

Watch the video below to see Eric Philips, AGAP North Field Leader, describe Australia's role in the project:

The Gamburtsev Mountains

A representation of the subglacial Gamburtsev Mountains
A representation of the subglacial Gamburtsev Mountains
Photo: BAS
The Gamburtsev subglacial mountain range is 1200 km long and 3400 m high. The mountains are unusual in that they are buried under more than four kilometres of ice and situated in the interior of the continent. They were discovered by a Soviet team during the International Geophysical Year (1957-58), on a traverse to the Pole of Inaccessibility – the point inland furthest from any coast.

The topography of the range was identified during Australia's 2002-03 Prince Charles Mountains Expedition of Germany and Australia (PCMEGA). This involved an airborne geophysical survey over the southern extension of the Lambert Glacier.

Scientists believe the mountains hold clues to the origin and evolution of Antarctica and, by extension, the Earth's current climate. Computer modelling suggests the mountain peaks were a nucleation point for the ice sheets that now cover the continent. However, given the difficulty in accessing the area, the mountains have been little studied.

Media coverage of the AGAP project

This page was last modified on June 29, 2011.