Geodetic Observatory

Equipped with a 9 m radio telescope, two GNSS reference stations, one GNSS-referenced gauge station and an absolute gravity measurement point, the geodetic observatory at O'Higgins supplies important data related to the measurement of the earth. Because of its location on Antarctica it considerably improves coverage for the 'Very Long Baseline Interferometry' (VLBI) global network and for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Besides their value for defining global reference systems and measuring the rotation and orientation of the earth, the time series that have been created provide credible evidence for crustal movement in the northern Antarctic Peninsula. This information is, in turn, an important basis for modelling isostatic adjustment and plate tectonic processes.