Antarctic Multi-Channel Seismic Data

Announcement 98-MGG-02

World Data Center for Geophysics & Marine Geology, Boulder
and
The National Geophysical Data Center
Announce the availability of
Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS)
Data from the Antarctic Region
released from the
Antarctic Seismic Data Library System(SDLS)

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) reached a consensus decision in April 1991 to establish the Antarctic Seismic Data Library (SDLS) and that decision was adopted the same year by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, Recommendation XVI-12. Antarctic Multi-Channel Seismic(MCS) data is now made publicly available after eight years following collection through the World Data Center for Geophysics & Marine Geology, Boulder (WDC GMG, Boulder), or other archives for general dissemination. This announcement details the initial release of these data to the general public through WDC GMG, Boulder.

Twenty-seven different CD-ROMs are now available from the National Geophysical Data Center and WDC GMG, Boulder. A brief description of these CDs, their SDLS numbers, and their contents are listed in table 1. Each CD is a stand alone entity, complete with data, documentation, and software.

System Requirements / Operating Characteristics

The CDs have been produced by the US Geological Survey, in accordance with the ISO 9660 standard. While they are capable of being read by any platform having CD-ROM driver software supporting that standard, they are designed for use under DOS on IBM or compatible personal computers. The suggested minimum requirements are:

• IBM or compatible personal computer, 386 or higher
• 640 kb RAM
• MS- or PC-DOS version 3.1 or later
• Microsoft MSCDEX version 2.1 or later
• CD-ROM drive with ISO 9660 software driver
• Hard disk drive
• EGA/VGA graphics system

Given the recent, rapid advancements in computer hardware and operating systems since these CD-ROMs were developed, incompatibilities may exist with certain of the software functions in the executable programs and prevent their functioning on all machines. Testing at NGDC has shown that some software functions do not work as intended or as documented on the CD. However, functions that do not work from within the DOS-menu-driven-application, DO WORK by executing the program directly at a DOS prompt. So all intended software functions are available.

Documentation

The CD-ROMs contain abundant documentation beginning with the A_README.1ST file at the root level and extending through a DOCFILES directory that includes, among other information, program descriptions, scientific and technical points of contact, survey and processing details, and a bibliography of published references. Likewise all discs have shotpoint navigation to accompany the seismic profiles.

More information on SCAR and the SDLS are available on the web at:

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/sdls/

Intended Audience

These data were collected by international geoscientists as part of the SCAR Antarctic Offshore Acoustic Stratigraphy (ANTOSTRAT) project to study Antarctic glacial history and its effects on global climate and sea levels. The data have been used to (1) determine the geologic histories of Antarctica and adjacent ocean basins, and (2) understand possible hydrocarbon occurrences in Antarctica. Once the rights of the scientists who collected the data to analyze and publish their data have been satisfied, the data are now made available to the public and scientific communities at large. Since implementation of the Antarctic Treaty in 1961, Antarctica has been designated as "a continent for science". It is in that spirit and recognizing the need to make these earth-science data openly available, that this library of CDs is offered.

Table 1. CD-ROM Inventory, SDLS Number, and Content Description