Analysis of recent Antarctic plate kinematics based on GNSS data

Abstract

The research aims to study recent Antarctic plate kinematics based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. The research covers 60 continuous GNSS stations located on the Antarctic plate during 1994–2021. We determine the components of horizontal displacement vectors of these GNSS stations and construct the schematic map of their distribution. The results indicate that the direction of velocity vectors of horizontal displacements has a rotational nature in clockwise order. The analysis of deformation processes shows that a gradual decrease in the horizontal strain rates, maximum shear strain and area strain is taking place from west to east, in the direction of West Antarctica – the Transantarctic Mountains – East Antarctica. The absolute rotation pole of the Antarctic plate in the ITRF2014/IGS14 reference frame has been determined, and the obtained values are in good agreement with recent plate models.

Keywords

• Continuous GNSS station
• Horizontal velocity
• Strain rates
• Rotation pole
• The Antarctic plate