Precambrian Geology of the North Mawson Escarpment Area, Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Precambrian Geology of the North Mawson Escarpment Area, Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica Precambrian geology of the North Mawson Escarpment area, Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica Adrian F. Corvino Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2009 School of Earth Sciences The University of Melbourne ii Declaration This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD; (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, and; (iii) the thesis is less than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliogra- phies and appendices. Signed, Adrian F. Corvino iii iv “In the exploration of a continent the mountainous areas are generally the last strongholds of mystery...” — Eric Shipton v vi Abstract Part of East Antarctica’s shield collided with Greater India during assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent, causing these landmasses to become welded together by about 900 million years ago. The pre-Rodinia continental margin of the Antarctic landmass is represented by the North Mawson Escarpment area of Antarctica’s Prince Charles Mountains. The size of this postulated Antarctic landmass is still unknown, though it might make up a considerably vast segment of the presently subglacial East Antarctic shield. Only with the assembly of Gondwana about 500 million years ago was the entire shield fully consolidated. The above conclusion is supported by the findings presented in this thesis, which is the first detailed examination of the Precambrian geology of the North Mawson Escarpment area incorporating the Lawrence Hills and Clemence Massif. The North Mawson Escarpment, 72◦30’–73◦10’S, 68◦E, consists of grey gneisses of granitic to granodioritic composition, including adamellitic augen-gneiss types, and meta- supracrustal successions; the latter contain multilayered calcsilicate gneiss, metacarbonate, metapelitic gneiss and schist, quartzite and amphibolite. Radiometric dating results pre- sented in this work demonstrate conclusively that the grey gneisses are of Palaeoproterozoic age. These grey gneisses originated from large magmatic bodies that were episodically em- placed and crystallised in the period 2490–2420 Ma. Other granitic protoliths, of lesser volume, were emplaced in the interval 2180–2080 Ma at which time the older types were at least thermally overprinted if not substantially deformed. The exact age and origin of the metasupracrustal rocks is unknown, though their precursors were for the most part laid down after 2450 Ma and before 900 Ma. They are interpreted as having been deposited during periods of tectonic extension operating throughout the Mesoproterozoic in a pas- sive margin setting; that is, on the converging Antarctic landmass prior to its collision with India in Rodinia times. Bordering directly on the northern margin of the escarpment are the low-lying Lawrence Hills, 72◦30’S, 68◦43’E, where Palaeoproterozoic and Late Mesoproterozoic crustal com- ponents are juxtaposed. Further north at Clemence Massif, 72◦12’S, 68◦40’E, only high- vii grade metamorphic rocks of Late Mesoproterozoic age are exposed. Thus, a southward progression from Late Mesoproterozoic to Palaeoproterozoic to Archaean crust is clearly recognised for over 100 km along the study area. Having examined the structure, it is my conclusion that the rock masses were stacked by oblique northward overthrusting motions while they were deforming pervasively in the infrastructure zone of a convergent orogen, i.e. when this part of pre-Rodinia Antarctica collided with India. The older over-riding Palaeoproterozoic basement of the North Mawson Escarpment was at this time exhumed to shallower, but still deep crustal levels, resulting in a Barrovian-type metamorphism that evolved to high–T, low–P conditions. This transitional amphibolite to granulite fa- cies regional metamorphism outlasted most of the ductile deformation with temperatures reaching 750◦C, though potentially greater, under pressure conditions of about 5 kbar. Whereas, the underthrust Late Mesoproterozoic rocks of Clemence Massif were meta- morphosed to even higher granulite facies temperatures followed by an isobaric cooling history. It is also found that the areas dominated by Late Mesoproterozoic crust, i.e. from Lawrence Hills northward, correspond closely to a prominent series of linear NE–SW trending positive magnetic anomalies. Such anomalies do not appear across the North Mawson Escarpment, though these older rocks nevertheless share the same trend in their basement structure. There is little doubt that the trend of the magnetic anomalies is directly related to the deformation that produced the Rayner belt, which is the zone of collision between the aforementioned Indian and Antarctic landmasses. It is my contention that the Late Mesoproterozoic crust and the magnetic anomalies correlate with arc-related crustal additions originally formed in a convergent margin setting leading up to this col- lision; that is, they lie within the intensely deformed orogen interior rather than on the continental basement southward. Structural and metamorphic interference between the Rayner belt and the younger Gondwanan Prydz belt, which is more NW–SE trending, becomes increasingly important southward of the study area. Much work still needs to be done to correctly determine the overprinting relationships between these two high-grade belts, a problem that is most likely to be resolved by more targeted analyses of rocks from where the North and South Mawson Escarpment overlap. viii ix x Acknowledgements First and foremost I thank Prof. Chris Wilson for his patience and help in supervising my research, and for granting me the greatest undertaking of my life to work in Antarctica. Secondly, I thank Steve Boger for sharing the fieldwork and providing endless hours of discussion on the geology of the Prince Charles Mountains, especially the Mawson Es- carpment. As far as I know, he remains the only person who has seen and traversed the entire length of this escarpment by foot! I owe a debt of gratitude to many other people. In no particular order, Glen Phillips and Mark McLean for their mateship, and who shared the journey of Ph.D. research on Antarctic geology; Friedhelm Henjes-Kunst for his collaboration on rock samples from the Lawrence Hills and Rofe Glacier; Ian Fitzsimons for his assistance with the U–Pb zircon dating and accommodating me on visits to Perth; Bill Baxter and Gary Kuehn for their invaluable field guidance; Richard White for his assistance with the computer program Thermocalc; Liaxi Tong and Cameron Quinn for discussions on the geology of the Prydz Bay area, and Jacqueline Halpin on the Stillwell Hills; Daniel Viete for the opportunity to assist with his fieldwork on the classic Barrovian series rocks in Scotland; Mark Quigley for the opportunity to collaborate on his rock samples from Tibet; Gordon Holm and Graham Hutchinson for their help with the thin section preparations and electron microprobe work, and; Richard Stanaway for lending his oblique aerial photos of the Mawson Escarpment. I thank them all for their friendship. I am also grateful to Ed Grew, Wilfred Bauer, Chris Carson, Geoff Clarke, Eugene Mikhalsky and Nigel Kelly for critically reviewing particular chapters published in the course of putting this thesis together. Special thanks to Ron Vernon and Ed Grew for their very generous thesis reviews. Thanks to Mum, Dennis, Kris, Jess and Dad for all their encouragement over the last six years. Lastly and most of all I thank Angela for her love and undying support of my endeavours. This thesis was compiled using the typesetting system LATEX 2ε. All errors are my own. xi xii Contents Abstract......................................... vii Acknowledgements ................................... xi Abbreviations...................................... xxiii Mineralsymbols ....................................xxv I Background Information 1 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Scientific relevance—understanding East Antarctica . ........... 4 1.2 Exploration in the Prince Charles Mountains . ....... 7 1.3 Fieldwork ..................................... 8 1.4 Thesis overview and publications . ..... 8 2 Physical geography 13 3 Tectonic subdivisions of the Prince Charles Mountains 17 II Clemence Massif and Lawrence Hills 21 4 General geology of Clemence Massif 23 4.1 Summary ..................................... 23 4.2 Introduction.................................... 24 4.3 Field relationships and petrography . ...... 27 4.4 Structure ..................................... 31 4.5 U–Pbzircondating................................ 35 4.6 Discussion..................................... 41 4.7 Concludingremarks ............................... 46 xiii 5 Metamorphism of a Clemence Massif metapelite 47 5.1 Summary ..................................... 47 5.2 Introduction.................................... 48 5.3 Petrography and mineral chemistry . ..... 48 5.4 Bulkchemicalcomposition. 52 5.5 Pseudosectionmodelling . 55 5.6 Temperature estimates using geothermometers . ........ 59 5.7 Discussion..................................... 59 6 2.5 and 1.1 billion year old crust in Lawrence Hills 63 6.1 Summary ..................................... 63 6.2 Introduction.................................... 64 6.3 Localgeologicsetting ............................ 65 6.4 Sample descriptions, geochemistry and radiometric dating results . 67 6.5 Evidence for Early Palaeoproterozoic crustal development .......... 80 6.6 Evidence for Late Mesoproterozoic crustal development ........... 84 6.7 Timing of reworking
Recommended publications
  • Prydz Bay Region, East Antarctica J.M
    Antarctic Science 18 (1), 83–99 (2006) © Antarctic Science Ltd Printed in the UK DOI: 10.1017/S0954102006000083 A review of the Cenozoic stratigraphy and glacial history of the Lambert Graben–Prydz Bay region, East Antarctica J.M. WHITEHEAD1*, P.G. QUILTY2, B.C. MCKELVEY3 and P.E. O’BRIEN4 1Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 77, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia 2School of Earth Sciences University of Tasmania, Private Bag 79, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia 3Division of Earth Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 4Geoscience Australia, GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia *[email protected] Abstract: The Cenozoic glacial history of East Antarctica is recorded in part by the stratigraphy of the Prydz Bay–Lambert Graben region. The glacigene strata and associated erosion surfaces record at least 10 intervals of glacial advance (with accompanying erosion and sediment compaction), and more than 17 intervals of glacial retreat (enabling open marine deposition in Prydz Bay and the Lambert Graben). The number of glacial advances and retreats is considerably less than would be expected from Milankovitch frequencies due to the incomplete stratigraphic record. Large advances of the Lambert Glacier caused progradation of the continental shelf edge. At times of extreme glacial retreat, marine conditions reached > 450 km inland from the modern ice shelf edge. This review presents a partial reconstruction of Cenozoic glacial extent within Prydz Bay and the Lambert Graben that can be compared to eustatic sea-level records from the southern Australian continental margin. Received 1 December 2004, accepted 15 July 2005 Key words: glaciation, ice sheet, Milankovitch, Prince Charles Mountains Introduction Study area In recent years there has been considerable investigation of This paper reviews the Cenozoic stratigraphy of the the Cenozoic geology of the Lambert Graben and Prydz Antarctic continent and margin from 60°E to 80°E.
    [Show full text]
  • Tectonic Subdivision of the Prince Charles Mountains: a Review of Geologic and Isotopic Data
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Electronic Publication Information Center Published in: Fütterer, D K, Damaske, D, Kleinschmidt, G, Miller, H & Tessensohn, F (eds.), Antarctica: contributions to global earth sciences, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 63-68 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/3-540-32934-X The original publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com see http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/3-540-32934-X_9 Data are available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.611692 Tectonic Subdivision of the Prince Charles Mountains: A Review of Geologic and Isotopic Data Evgeny V. Mikhalsky1 · Anatoly A. Laiba2 · Boris V. Beliatsky3 1 (1) VNIIOkeangeologia, Angliysky Avenue1, St. Petersburg 190121, Russia (2) PMGRE, Pobeda Street 24, Lomonosov 189510, Russia (3) IGGP, Makarova emb. 2, 199034 St. Petersburg 199034, Russia Abstract. The Prince Charles Mountains have been subject to extensive geological and geophysical inves- tigations by former Soviet,Russian and Australian scientists from the early 1970s. In this paper we sum- marise, and review available geological and isotopic data, and report results of new isotopic studies (Sm- Nd, Pb-Pb, and U-Pb SHRIMP analyses); field geological data obtained during the PCMEGA 2002/2003 are utilised. The structure of the region is described in terms of four tectonic terranes. Those include Ar- chaean Ruker, Palaeoproterozoic Lambert, Mesoproterozoic Fisher, and Meso- to Neoproterozoic Beaver Terranes. Pan-African activities (granite emplacement and probably tectonics) in the Lambert Terrane are reported. We present a summary of the composition of these terranes, discuss their origin and relations- hips.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Diagenetic Siderite in the Panorama Point Beds (Radok Conglomerate, Early to Middle Permian), Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica
    vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 169–194, 2010 doi: 10.4202/ppres.2010.10 Early diagenetic siderite in the Panorama Point Beds (Radok Conglomerate, Early to Middle Permian), Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica Krzysztof P. KRAJEWSKI 1,3*, Nikolai A. GONZHUROV 2, Anatoly A. LAIBA2 and Andrzej TATUR3 1 Instytut Nauk Geologicznych PAN, Twarda 51/55, 00−818 Warszawa, Poland <[email protected]> *corresponding author 2 Polar Marine Geological Research Expedition, Pobedy 24, 198412 St. Petersburg, Russia 3 Zakład Biologii Antarktyki PAN, Ustrzycka 10/12, 02−141 Warszawa, Poland Abstract: The Panorama Point Beds represent a subfacies of the Early to Middle Permian Radok Conglomerate, which is the oldest known sedimentary unit in the Prince Charles Mountains, MacRobertson Land, East Antarctica. This unit records clastic sedimentation in fresh−water depositional system during the early stages of development of the Lambert Graben, a major structural valley surrounded by crystalline highlands in the southern part of Gondwana. It contains common siderite precipitated through early diagenetic processes in the swamp, stagnant water, and stream−flow environments. There are two types of siderite in the Panorama Point Beds: (1) disseminated cement that occurs throughout the sedimentary suc− cession; and (2) concretions that occur at recurrent horizons in fine−grained sediments. The cement is composed of Fe−depleted siderite (less than 90 mol % FeCO3) with an elevated con− d13 tent of magnesium, and trace and rare earth elements. It has negative CVPDB values (−4.5 to −1.5‰). The concretions are dominated by Fe−rich siderite (more than 90 mol % FeCO3), with d13 positive CVPDB values (+1 to +8‰).
    [Show full text]
  • Prydz Bay Region, East Antarctica J.M
    Antarctic Science 18 (1), 83–99 (2006) © Antarctic Science Ltd Printed in the UK DOI: 10.1017/S0954102006000083 A review of the Cenozoic stratigraphy and glacial history of the Lambert Graben–Prydz Bay region, East Antarctica J.M. WHITEHEAD1*, P.G. QUILTY2, B.C. MCKELVEY3 and P.E. O’BRIEN4 1Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 77, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia 2School of Earth Sciences University of Tasmania, Private Bag 79, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia 3Division of Earth Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 4Geoscience Australia, GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia *[email protected] Abstract: The Cenozoic glacial history of East Antarctica is recorded in part by the stratigraphy of the Prydz Bay–Lambert Graben region. The glacigene strata and associated erosion surfaces record at least 10 intervals of glacial advance (with accompanying erosion and sediment compaction), and more than 17 intervals of glacial retreat (enabling open marine deposition in Prydz Bay and the Lambert Graben). The number of glacial advances and retreats is considerably less than would be expected from Milankovitch frequencies due to the incomplete stratigraphic record. Large advances of the Lambert Glacier caused progradation of the continental shelf edge. At times of extreme glacial retreat, marine conditions reached > 450 km inland from the modern ice shelf edge. This review presents a partial reconstruction of Cenozoic glacial extent within Prydz Bay and the Lambert Graben that can be compared to eustatic sea-level records from the southern Australian continental margin. Received 1 December 2004, accepted 15 July 2005 Key words: glaciation, ice sheet, Milankovitch, Prince Charles Mountains Introduction Study area In recent years there has been considerable investigation of This paper reviews the Cenozoic stratigraphy of the the Cenozoic geology of the Lambert Graben and Prydz Antarctic continent and margin from 60°E to 80°E.
    [Show full text]
  • Cenozoic Terrestrial Palynological Assemblages in the Glacial Erratics from the Grove Mountains, East Antarctica
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Progress in Natural Science 19 (2009) 851–859 www.elsevier.com/locate/pnsc Cenozoic terrestrial palynological assemblages in the glacial erratics from the Grove Mountains, east Antarctica Aimin Fang a,*, Xiaohan Liu b, Weiming Wang c, Feixin Huang b, Lianjun Yu a a Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China b Institute of Tibet Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China c Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing 210008, China Received 15 August 2007; received in revised form 12 October 2007; accepted 2 January 2008 Abstract Fossiliferous glacial erratics have been found in moraines of the Grove Mountains, east Antarctica since 1998 by Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHNARE) teams. These erratics were derived from a suite of glaciogene strata hidden beneath the Ant- arctic Ice Sheet in the Lambert glacier drainage system, and thus provide a record of Cenozoic paleoenvironmental conditions and fossil biotas that are so far unknown from outcrops and drill cores in this region. By microfossil analysis, sparse Neogene spores and pollen grains are revealed, including: Toroisporis (Lygodiaceae), Granulatisporites (Pteridaceae?), Osmunda (Osmundaceae), Polypodiaceae, Magnastriatites (Parkeriaceae), Deltoidospora, Araucariaceae, Taxodiaceae, Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae), Dacrydium (Podocarpaceae), Pinus (Pinaceae), Keteleeria (Pinaceae), Picea (Pinaceae), Tsuga (Pinaceae), Chenopodiaceae,
    [Show full text]
  • Glacio-Lacustrine Aragonite Deposition
    Antarctic Science 19 (3), 365–372 (2007) & Antarctic Science Ltd 2007 Printed in the UK DOI: 10.1017/S0954102007000466 Glacio-lacustrine aragonite deposition, meltwater evolution and glacial history during isotope stage 3 at Radok Lake, Amery Oasis, northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica IAN D. GOODWIN1 and JOHN HELLSTROM2 1Environmental and Climate Change Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia 2School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia [email protected] Abstract: The late Quaternary glacial history of the Amery Oasis, and Prince Charles Mountains is of significant interest because about 10% of the total modern Antarctic ice outflow is discharged via the adjacent Lambert Glacier system. A glacial thrust moraine sequence deposited along the northern shoreline of Radok Lake between 20–10 ka BP, overlies a layer of thin, aragonite crusts which provide important constraints on the glacial history of the Amery Oasis. The modern Radok Lake is fed by the terminal meltwaters of the alpine Battye Glacier. The aragonite crusts were deposited in shallow water of ancestral Radok Lake 53 ka BP,during the A3 warm event in Isotope Stage 3. Oxygen isotope (d18O) analysis of the last glacial-age aragonite crusts 18 indicates that they precipitated from freshwater with a d OSMOW composition of -36%, which is 8% more depleted than the present water (-28%) in Radok Lake. A regional oxygen isotope (d18O) and elevation relationship for snow is used to determine the source of meltwater and glacial ice in Radok Lake during the A3 warm event.
    [Show full text]
  • Magazine Issue 29 2015 Australian Antarctic Magazine Issue 29 2015
    AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 29 2015 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 29 2015 The Australian Antarctic Division, a Division of the Department of the Environment, leads Australia’s Antarctic program and seeks to advance Australia’s Antarctic interests in pursuit of its vision of having ‘Antarctica valued, protected and understood’. It does this by managing Australian government activity in Antarctica, providing transport and logistic support to Australia’s Antarctic research program, maintaining four permanent Australian research stations, and conducting scientific research SCIENCE programs both on land and in the Southern Ocean. 12 Measuring algae in the fast ice Australia’s Antarctic national interests are to: • Preserve our sovereignty over the Australian Antarctic ICEBREAKER HISTORY Territory, including our sovereign rights over the 16 New icebreaker plans unveiled 24 Two-wheeled Antarctic adventures adjacent offshore areas. • Take advantage of the special opportunities Antarctica offers for scientific research. • Protect the Antarctic environment, having regard to its special qualities and effects on our region. • Maintain Antarctica’s freedom from strategic and/or political confrontation. • Be informed about and able to influence developments in a region geographically proximate to Australia. • Derive any reasonable economic benefits from living and non-living resources of the Antarctic (excluding deriving such benefits from mining and oil drilling). Australian Antarctic Magazine seeks to inform the Australian and international Antarctic community about the activities of the Australian Antarctic program. Opinions expressed in Australian Antarctic Magazine do not necessarily represent the position of the Australian CONTENTS Government. Australian Antarctic Magazine is produced twice a year DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE POLICY (June and December). All text and images published in the Australia’s Antarctic future 1 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting 19 magazine are copyright of the Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise stated.
    [Show full text]
  • Emergence of the Shackleton Range from Beneath the Antarctic
    Edinburgh Research Explorer Emergence of the Shackleton Range from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet due to glacial erosion Citation for published version: Sugden, D, Fogwill, CJ, Hein, AS, Stuart, FM, Kerr, AR & Kubik, PW 2014, 'Emergence of the Shackleton Range from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet due to glacial erosion', Geomorphology, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.12.004 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.12.004 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Peer reviewed version Published In: Geomorphology General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 01. Oct. 2021 NOTICE: this is the author's final version of a work that was accepted for publication in Geomorphology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as editing, corrections and structural formatting may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version of this document is due to be published in Geomorphology by Elsevier (2014). Emergence of the Shackleton Range from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet due to glacial erosion a b a c a d D.E.
    [Show full text]
  • Cryptic Diversity of a Glossopteris Forest: the Permian Prince Charles Mountains Floras, Antarctica
    CRYPTIC DIVERSITY OF A GLOSSOPTERIS FOREST: THE PERMIAN PRINCE CHARLES MOUNTAINS FLORAS, ANTARCTICA by Ben James Slater A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Birmingham September 2013 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT The Toploje Member chert is a Roadian to Wordian autochthonous– parautochthonous silicified peat preserved within the Lambert Graben, East Antarctica. It preserves a remarkable sample of terrestrial life from high-latitude central Gondwana prior to the Capitanian mass extinction event from both mega- and microfossil evidence that includes cryptic components rarely seen in other fossil assemblages. The peat layer is dominated by glossopterid and cordaitalean gymnosperms and contains sparse herbaceous lycophytes, together with a broad array of dispersed organs of ferns and other gymnosperms. The peat also hosts a wide range of fungal morphotypes, Peronosporomycetes, rare arthropod remains and a diverse coprolite assemblage. The fungal and invertebrate-plant interactions associated with various organs of the Glossopteris plant reveal the cryptic presence of a ‘component community’ of invertebrate herbivores and fungal saprotrophs centred around the Glossopteris organism, and demonstrate that a multitude of ecological interactions were well developed by the Middle Permian in high-latitude forest mires.
    [Show full text]
  • 5. Structure and Dynamics of the Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf System: Implications for the Origin of Prydz Bay Sediments1
    Barron, J., Larsen, B., et al., 1991 Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, Vol. 119 5. STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF THE LAMBERT GLACIER-AMERY ICE SHELF SYSTEM: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORIGIN OF PRYDZ BAY SEDIMENTS1 Michael J. Hambrey2 ABSTRACT Depositional processes in Prydz Bay during the past 40 m.y. or so have been strongly influenced by glacier ice. Therefore, to understand these processes better, and to define the source areas of the sediment, it is necessary to deter- mine the role of the different ice masses entering the bay. Ice thickness, topography, and ice velocity data indicate that the Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf system is one of the most important routes for the discharge of ice from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, and in the past has been the dominant influence on sedimentation in Prydz Bay. Most of the flow is concentrated through the Lambert Graben, which has been overdeepened to a depth of 2500 m below sea level. Glacio- logical work has indicated that close to the grounding line there is considerable melting, but from a short distance sea- ward of this position, basal freeze-on of ice of oceanic origin occurs. Thus nearly all the basal debris load in the Lam- bert Glacier system may be deposited close to the grounding line, and that there is probably negligible deposition be- neath the major part of the Amery Ice Shelf. Englacial debris, delivered to the open sea through the interior of the ice shelf, will be deposited from icebergs. There have been conflicting reports concerning the dynamics of the Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf system.
    [Show full text]
  • Erosional History of East Antarctica from Double and Triple-Dating of Single Grains in Glacially- Derived Sediments from Prydz Bay
    EROSIONAL HISTORY OF EAST ANTARCTICA FROM DOUBLE AND TRIPLE-DATING OF SINGLE GRAINS IN GLACIALLY- DERIVED SEDIMENTS FROM PRYDZ BAY by Clare J. Tochilin A Prepublication Manuscript Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA th May 7 , 2012 STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR This manuscript, prepared for publication in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Science degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the Antevs Reading Room to be made available to borrowers, as are copies of regular theses and dissertations. Brief quotations from this manuscript are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the Department of Geosciences when the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. (author 's signature) (date) APPROVAL BY RESEARCH COMMITTEE As members of the Research Committee, we recommend that this prepublication manuscript be accepted as fulfilling the research requirement for the degree of Master of Science. Dr. Peter W. Reiners 2. Major Advisor (signature) (date) Dr. George E. Gehrels 2otz_ (signature) (date) {J Dr. Stuart N. Thomson Lf{., I 1 s/:r/1z.. (signature) (dat/i 1 Erosional history of East Antarctica from double and triple-dating of single grains in glacially-derived sediments from Prydz Bay Clare J.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Leg 188 Synthesis: Transitions in the Glacial History of the Prydz Bay Region, East Antarctica, from Odp Drilling1
    Cooper, A.K., O’Brien, P.E., and Richter, C. (Eds.) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results Volume 188 1. LEG 188 SYNTHESIS: TRANSITIONS IN THE GLACIAL HISTORY OF THE PRYDZ BAY REGION, EAST ANTARCTICA, FROM ODP DRILLING1 Alan K. Cooper2 and Philip E. O’Brien3 ABSTRACT Drilling during Leg 119 (1988) and Leg 188 (2000; Sites 1165–1167) of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) provides direct evidence for long- and short-term changes in Cenozoic paleoenvironments in the Prydz Bay region. Cores from across the continental margin reveal that in preglacial times the present shelf was an alluvial plain system with aus- 1 tral conifer woodland in the Late Cretaceous that changed to cooler Cooper, A.K., and O’Brien, P.E., 2004. Leg 188 synthesis: transitions in the Nothofagus rainforest scrub by the middle to late Eocene (Site 1166). glacial history of the Prydz Bay region, Earliest recovered evidence of nearby mountain glaciation is seen in East Antarctica, from ODP drilling. In late Eocene–age grain textures in fluvial sands. In the late Eocene to Cooper, A.K., O’Brien, P.E., and early Oligocene, Prydz Bay permanently shifted from being a fluvio- Richter, C. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. deltaic complex to an exclusively marine continental shelf environ- Results, 188, 1–42 [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www- ment. This transition is marked by a marine flooding surface later cov- odp.tamu.edu/publications/188_SR/ ered by overcompacted glacial sediments that denote the first advance VOLUME/SYNTH/SYNTH.PDF>. of the ice sheet onto the shelf.
    [Show full text]