Glacial and tectonic development of the Antarctic Peninsula

[摘要] Intermediate resolution seismic data were used to investigate the glacial history of the Pacific-Antarctic continental shelf. The objective was to determine the nature of ice sheet erosion and deposition on the continental shelf and to use these observations to reconstruct the glacial history of the region. Forearc regions underwent compression and vertical uplift during the convergence and collision of the several segments of the Aluk-Antarctic spreading center and Antarctic Peninsula plate causing development of collision-related unconformities whose ages are derived from paleomagnetic data from the adjacent ocean floor. These surfaces provide the chronostratigraphic framework for interpreting the age of glacial features on the shelf. Glacial delta foresets downlap glacial unconformities eroded during previous glacial periods. The oldest glacial unconformities on the shelf occur in middle Miocene strata. Seismic stratigraphic analysis of the outer-shelf demonstrates that there were at over thirty glacial cycles.

[发布机构] Rice University

[效力级别] Geophysics