The CASE 22 expedition (III)

During our five busy days in Liefdefjorden, we have worked in rocks, which were deformed when Greenland and Scandinavia collided about 440 million years ago.

We all were extremely excited about the impressive and beautiful folds in the rocks, which have formed due to the collision of these two old continents. Even geologists are sometimes surprised about what nature can create!

Our next stop was Bockfjorden, where we visited the hot springs and the ruin of a volcano that erupted about 1 million years ago. The most interesting feature were green rock fragments, which stem from the Earth´s mantle and were carried by the magma from about 80 km depth to the surface.

Afterward, we traveled about 80 nautical miles across Mosselbukta towards Nordaustlandet and have arrived in Wahlenbergfjorden yesterday. We are happy to be here and to work on the sedimentary rocks, some of which are more than 600 Ma old. During that time, no life existed on land and in the sea except for tiny algea and bacteria.

In the last three weeks, the crew of Vinson of Antarctica and the geologists became a very good team and are working hand in hand. All crew members are happy to help and we are very grateful for that support.

Regarding the weather, so far nothing has changed. It is very calm, around 5 degrees Celsius and only a few days were slightly rainy. We are still waiting for better ice conditions at the north coast, however, the ice charts are not promising.

The CASE 22 Expedition Team

4th August 2021