Seismic-Reflection Signature of Cretaceous Continental Breakup on the Wilkes Land Margin, Antarctica

The passive (rifted) continental margin of Wilkes Land, Antarctica, is characterized on seismic reflection records by (i) in the south, a block-faulted sequence of highly stratified continental beds overlain by two distinct unconformities; (ii) a transitional, greatly thinned continental crust overl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Eittreim, Stephen L., Hampton, Monty A., Childs, Jonathan R.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1985
Subjects:
Wilkes Land
Antarc*
Antarctica
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.229.4718.1082
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.229.4718.1082
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Summary:The passive (rifted) continental margin of Wilkes Land, Antarctica, is characterized on seismic reflection records by (i) in the south, a block-faulted sequence of highly stratified continental beds overlain by two distinct unconformities; (ii) a transitional, greatly thinned continental crust overlain by material interpreted to be flood basalt; and (iii) in the north, oceanic crust with a boundary ridge at its edge. The Mohorovičić discontinuity can be followed across the continent-ocean boundary and shows a progressive thinning of continental crust to a minimum of 2.5 kilometers at its northern edge.

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