Alaska Platform

[abok]

I saw the term "Alaska Platform" in the context of oil and gas in the Arctic, but can't figure out what this means exactly. Is this a geological concept? I know it includes both some land area and some area under the ocean. What does "The Alaska Platform" mean exactly?

[NazNomad]

An oil rig ... in the water off Alaska

[abok]

Thanks, but no. it is "THE Alaska Platform", and again, I DO know that it is something that includes area in land and in the sea.

[dr b]

It seems to just be a name for an area of the continental shelf above the arctic circle. This was informative:

http://www.offshore-m...ource_assessment.html

[abok]

Thanks dr b. This is the kind of text in which I found the term. You do get some idea from it, but I am trying to understand more accurately what "The Alaska Platform" is.

[dr b]

The linked article points out that "The new map helped subdivide the arctic into geologically defined subsets called Assessment Units (AUs). Sixty-nine AUs were defined based on the new mapping; their boundaries are available online (USGS 2009)."

One of those AUs is called the Alaska Platform; perhaps the USGS (2009) paper referenced at the end of the article would define the boundaries of this "AU" to your satisfaction.

[abok]

Ah, I haven't read it carefully enough. Thank you very much! That solves it.