This award is in support of a geological field trip to the Scotia Arc of Antarctica as part of the U.S. contribution to the International Geological Congress which will be hosted by the United States in 1989. The participation of Argentina and Chile as co-hosts has been requested, as well as the co-sponsorship of the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research (International Council of Scientific Unions). This will be the first professional geologic field trip to Antarctica. This geological field trip is significant for the wide dissemination of Antarctic geological knowledge and for the testing of over a decade's research into the paleoenvironmental and tectonic evolution of the Scotia Arc and Antarctic Peninsula. This field trip is planned for the austral summer of 1988-89 on board the RV POLAR DUKE and will bring together scientists expert in all phases of comparable tectonic settings and geologic problems elsewhere in the world. The field trip is an important aspect of the Antarctic geosciences and will point to new directions for future research in this important area.
