The Post-Glacial Permian and Triassic Beacon Rocks in the Beardmore Glacier Area, Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica
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r This dissertation has been 69 11 605 microfilmed exactly as received ’ BARRETT, Peter John, 1940- THE POST-GLACIAL PERMIAN AND TRIASSIC BEACON ROCKS IN THE BEARDMORE GLACIER AREA, CENTRAL TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS, ANTARCTICA. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1968 Geology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan THE POST-GLACIAL PERMIAN AND TRIASSIC BEACON ROCKS IN THE BEARDMORE GLACIER AREA, CENTRAL TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS, ANTARCTICA DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Peter John Barrett, B.Sc., M.Sc. ********* The Ohio State U niversity 1968 Approved by Adviser Department of Geology F rontisp iece - Mount IKlackellar viewed from the east across the Wahl G lacier. Midnight, December 23, 1966. PLEASE NOTE: Appendix pages are not original copy. Print is indistinct on many pages. Filmed in the best possible way. UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer thanks R. J. Baillie, Dr. D. H. Elliot, D* Johnston, and J. F» Lindsay for their good company, and willing assistance in the field. Stratigraphie sections at Mount M iller and Mount Weeks (CO) were measured jo in tly with J. F. Lindsay* The support and cooperation of the Office of Antarctic Programs at the National Science Foundation, the U. S. Navy Task Force 43, and particularly the crews of the LC-130 Hercules aircraft of Air Development Squadron Six are gratefully acknowledged. Financial support for the project was provided through National Science Foundation grants GA-534, GA-1159 and GA-1617. The dissertation was supervised by Dr. Charles H. Sumraerson, and critically reviewed by Drs. D. H. Elliot, G. W. Moore, J r . , J . M. Schopf and C. H. Summerson. Dis cussions with the above, and with Dr. V. H. Minshew, now at the University of Mississippi, on various aspects of Beard- more geology were much appreciated. Dr. C. E. Corbato advised the writer on the treatment of the paleocurrent data, and free computer time and programming assistance were pro vided by The Ohio State University Numerical Computation Laboratory. Administrative assistance through the Institute of Polar Studies was provided by Dr. C. B. Bull, Director, J. F. ii SplettstoBsser, Assistant Director, and Dr. A. Mirsky, who is now at Indiana University. Bliss Dorothy Amrine typed the manuscript, and the diagrams were drafted by R. L. Jolley. iii VITA August 11, 1940 Born - Hamilton, New Zealand. 1961 B.Sc., University of New Zealand at Auckland. 1963 IKi.Sc., University of Auckland, New Zealand. October, 1962 - February, 1963 Field geologist. University of Minnesota Expedition to the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica• February, 1963 - September, 1963 F ir s t class handyman. Ministry of Works Engineering Laboratory, Auckland. October, 1963 - January, 1964 Geologist/deputy leader, New Zealand Antarctic Research Program Southern Field Party. February, 1964 - August, 1964 Geologist, New Zealand Geological Survey, Lower Hutt. September, 1964 - September, 1965 Graduate Assistant, Department of Geology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, September, 1965 - September, 1967 Institute of Polar Studies Fellow, The Ohio State U niversity, September, 1967 - December, 1968 Research Associate, Institute of Polar Studies, The Ohio State University, October, 1966 - February, 1967 Geologist/leader, The Ohio State Univer and October, 1967 sity Beardmore Glacier Expeditions. - February, 1968 iv PUBLICATIONS The Te Kuiti Group in the UJaitomo-Te Anga area • a study of structures, sedimentation and paleogeogra y of cal careous sediments. Sc. thesis, University of Auckland library, 134 p. 1962. The development of Kairimu Cave, lïlarakopa District, South west Auckland. W. Z, J. Geol. Geophys., 6 (2), 288-298. 1963. An assessment of the quality of andesitic aggregate from the lllaitakere Ranges. Proc, 2nd Conf. Austr. Road Res. Board, vol. 2, 902-914 (with HI. L. Cornwell). 1964. Residual seams and cementation in Oligocene calcaren ites, Te Kuiti Group. J. Bed. Petrol., 34 (3), 524-531. 1964. Petrography of six samples collected by V. R. McGregor from the upper Beacon Group between the Beardmore and Axel Heiberg Glaciers, Antarctica. Report, N. Z. Geol. Surv., Lower Hutt. 1964. Geology of the area between the Axel Heiberg and Shackleton Glaciers, Queen Maud Range, Antarctica. Part 2 - Beacon Group. i\l. Z. J. Geol. Geophys., 8 (2), 344-363. 1965. Petrology of some Beacon rocks between the Axel Heiberg and Shackleton Glaciers, Queen Maud Range, Antarctica. J. Sed. Petrol., 36 (3), 794-305. 1966. Effects of the 1964 Alaskan earthquake on some shallow- water sediments in Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska. J. Sed. Petrol., 36 (4), 992-1006. 1966. Geology of the Beardmore Glacier area. A ntarctic J . U. S., 2 (4), 110-112 (with D. H. Elliot and J. F. Lindsay). 1967. Te K uiti Grouo in the Waitomo-Te Anga area. !\l. Z. J . Geol. Geophys., 10 (4), 1009-1026. 1967. Triassic amphibian from Antarctica. Science, 161 (3840), 460-462 (with R. J. Baillie and E. H. Colbert). 1968. Geology of the Beardmore Glacier area. T ransantarctic Mountains. Antartic J. U. S., 3 (4), 102-106 (with D. H. E llio t, J . Gunner and J . F. Lindsay). 1968. V Environment of deposition and provenance of some Beacon rocks, Beardmore Glacier area, A ntarctica. _l£L Geo chronology of the Transantarctic Mountains. Lab. for Isotope Geol, and Geochem. Rept. No. 3, 1-17 (with G. Faure and J. F. Lindsay). 1968 V i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Purpose and scope ........... 1 Setting ..................................................... 4 Previous work .......................... 4 Field work ................ 6 STRATIGRAPHY AND PETROGRAPHY ........................................................ 10 Introductory remarks ............................... 10 S tra tig rap h ie summary ................................................................. 11 Pétrographie methods .............................................. 16 Modal analyses ..................... 16 Grain size analyses .............. 21 Permian System .............. 22 lïlackellar Formation ................ 22 Definition ............................................................................. 22 Distribution and thickness ......................... 24 Lower contact .............. 25 Lithology .......................................................................... 25 Petrography .............. 30 Primary structures ................................. 30 Paleontology .................................... 33 C orrelation and age .................................................... 34 Environment of deposition and source ....... 37 Fairchild Formation ............................................................... 40 Definition ..................... 40 D istribu tion and thickness ....................................... 42 Lower contact .............. 42 Lithology .................................... 42 Petrography ............................................. 46 Primary structures ........... 49 Paleontology .................................... 52 C orrelation and age ........................................................ 52 Environment of deposition and source ....... 53 Buckley Formation .................................................................... 54 Definition ................ 54 Distribution and thickness ....................... 56 Lower c o n t a c t ............ 57 Lithology ................................................................................ 59 Petrography ...................................... 53 Primary structures ................ 71 Paleontology .............. 71 Correlation and age .............. 72 Environment of deposition and source ............... 76 Triassic System ............ 77 Fremouw Formation ............................... 77 Definition ................................. 77 vii ' Page Distribution and thickness 78 Lower contact .............. 80 Lithology .............................. 82 Petrography ............................................................................. 89 Primary structures ................ 98 Paleontology .................................................................. 98 C orrelation and age ........... 104 Environment of deposition and source .............. 106 Falla Formation ................................. 107 Background .................................. 107 Definition ................ 109 Distribution and thickness ................ 109 Lower contact ................................. H I Lithology .............................................................................. H I Petrography .............. H 7 Primary structures ........... 125 Paleontology ........... 125 Correlation and age ........................ 125 Environment of deposition and source ............... 127 Triassic(?)-Jurassic Systems - Ferrar Group .............. 128 Prebble Formation .............................. 129 Definition ............................................... 129 Distribution and thickness ......................................... 129 Lower contact ................................... 130 Lithology ........... 130 Petrography ................................... 134 Primary structures ................... 135 Correlation and age ......................... 136 Environment of deposition and source .................. 137 Ferrar Dolerite .................. 139 Kirkpatrick Basalt ............ 140 Post-Paleozoic Faulting