Turkish and Bulgarian geologists participating in Türkiye’s 10th Antarctic Science Expedition have launched a joint research initiative to uncover Antarctica’s geological history and assess its implications for future climate change.
Researchers are examining what they describe as Antarctica’s geological memory to understand how the continent transformed from a temperate landmass into a frozen environment over millions of years.
Göksu Uslular, deputy leader of the expedition, is working alongside Stoyan Georgiev, an associate professor at the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, on geological fieldwork on Horseshoe Island, where Türkiye’s Antarctic research camp is located.
According to Uslular, the joint effort focuses on mapping the island’s magmatic history, which she said would significantly advance understanding of Antarctica’s geological evolution and the long-term effects of climate change.
“Horseshoe Island, located in West Antarctica, hosts rocks from different magmatic phases that bear the races of this long geological evolution,” Uslular said. “Jurassic-Cretaceous magmatic rocks are especially widespread on the island.”
Uslular said these rock formations offer important paleoclimatic evidence and help experts understand the large-scale glaciation process that began about 34 million years ago.
Georgiev said that he joined the Turkish research team to examine mineralization patterns on the island, adding that his fieldwork identified notable gabbro outcrops containing copper mineralization.
The project’s findings are expected to contribute to understanding long-term climate change by reconstructing past environmental conditions.
Samples collected during the expedition will undergo detailed analysis through international collaborations to refine the geological timeline of the region.
