Propagating and diffused rifts in the West Antarctic

Marine geophysical researches were conucted during cruise 21 of r/v "Akadem ik Boris Petrov" (1995) under the German-Russian Project "Geodynamics of th e West Antarctic". The basis of this project is geokinematic monitoiing wit h modern techniques of satellite geodesy, based on a fundamental network es tablished on several islands in the West Antarctic and on Antarctic Peninsu la. The final aim of researches is to study the geodynamics on the basis of synthesis of results of geokinematic monitorign with the results of marine and land geological-geophysical observations. Marine researches in 1995 we re limited with multibeam echosounding and gravity observations in the area s of detailed survey and along the tracks between the points of geodesic st ations. The data obtained give a possibility to suppose the propagation of the rift from the midoceanic American-Antarctic Ridge into continental mass ives of the South Scotia Ridge and Antarctic Peninsula.