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High Arctic, volcanism, basalt, peridotite xenoliths, hydrothermal fluids,digitalization, Svalbard
Abstract:
The Woodfjorden area of northern Spitsbergen (NW Svalbard) offers access to the
world’s northernmost onshore thermal springs, extinct Pleistocene alkali basaltic volca-
noes and Miocene flood basalts including extensive hyaloclastites. In July 2023, we
undertook a 14-day international multi-disciplinary geoscientific expedition to Wood-
fjorden-Bockfjorden to investigate the Cenozoic geological evolution of the area. The
expedition objectives spanned a wide range of scientific topics from sampling of fluids
and gas in the thermal springs to constraining the lithosphere by acquiring magne-
totelluric data and sampling volcanic rocks. More specifically, we have 1) conducted
gas, fluid and travertine sampling at the thermal springs of Gygrekjelda, Jotunkjeldene
and Trollkjeldene, 2) mapped and sampled the Quaternary volcanic centers at Sverrefjel-
let and Halvdanpiggen, 3) sampled the Miocene basalts of the Seidfjellet Formation
along seven profiles plus the underlying Devonian sedimentary rocks, 4) acquired
magnetotelluric data at 12 stations along both coasts of Woodfjorden and Bockfjorden
and 5) collected extensive digital geological data (digital outcrop models and photo-
spheres) using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; also known as drones). The collected
samples are currently being analyzed for, amongst others, petrology, geochemistry and
geochronology. In this contribution, we report on the expedition’s background, scientific
objectives and present selected preliminary results such as field parameters from the
thermal springs (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity), magnetic susceptibility of
volcanic rocks and digital outcrop models plus photospheres.
