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The Planetary Society Weblog

By Emily Lakdawalla


Borup Fiord Pass Field Report: A photo album

Jul. 8, 2006 | 10:27 PDT | 17:27 UTC

Stephen Grasby found Internet access in Resolute yesterday and was able to send an email and a few photos from their trip.

"We are back in Resolute after successful field work. The spring was running much higher than ever seen before, the water chemistry was significantly more saline than before (not to mention much more stinky), and we belive we have good evidence that it runs through the winter (need to confirm this by going in April (we've been talking about the logistics already - brrrr). We also believe that we may have found some old discharge sites in berock in front of the glacier but need isotope data to confirm. Dahmnait was able to get good spectral data from both walking around and in the air. We have remapped the geology and threw out the old idea of a large fold running down the valley, it looks more like a graben structure, a large down-dropped block. We still need to work on some things to finalize the new model though. As with all successful field work we have ended up with more questions than answers so we hope to get back next year.

"I've attached a few photos here as a start; I can send more and better resolution once in Calgary next week."

First day of fieldwork at Borup Fiord Pass
First day of fieldwork at Borup Fiord Pass
On the first day of fieldwork, we had to travel through deep snow to get to the spring site.
Sulfur spring at Borup Fiord Pass
Sulfur spring at Borup Fiord Pass
The discharge stream flows away from the sulfur spring site down the front of the glacier.
Home base for two weeks
Home base for two weeks
Collecting spring water samples
Collecting spring water samples
Sulfur-stained snow and ice, Borup Fiord Pass
Sulfur-stained snow and ice, Borup Fiord Pass
Taken from the base of the glacier.
Collecting spectral data
Collecting spectral data
We collected spectral data from a helicopter hovering over the sulfur spring.
Geology fieldwork, Borup Fiord Pass
Geology fieldwork, Borup Fiord Pass
We climbed steep snow gullies in order to get a better look at the local geology.
Last day of fieldwork, Borup Fiord Pass
Last day of fieldwork, Borup Fiord Pass
While we've been in the field, all the nice snow that had been there when we arrived has been converted into waist-deep rivers that have to be crossed.
Returning home from Borup Fiord Pass
Returning home from Borup Fiord Pass
The four of us were dropped off by a helicopter and waited for a Twin Otter airplane to land to take us back to Resolute.

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