Amery Ice Shelf Loose Tooth Monitoring 2005-2006
To set up a seismic line, we first lay out tape measures, then put vibration sensors in the snow at 10 meter intervals. The vibration sensors are all attached to a computer. The coring tool is then used to dig deep, narrow holes, and a small amount of explosives are buried at the bottom of each. The explosives are detonated, and the shock waves travel down through the ice shelf, through the seawater beneath, and even into the seafloor mud and rocks. By measuring the amount of time it takes for the energy to bounce back from the boundaries between those layers, we are able to make images of what is hidden hundreds of meters below our feet.
