Episodic Rifting of Phanerozoic Rocks in the Victoria Land Basin, Western Ross Sea, Antarctica

Multichannel seismic-reflection data show that the Victoria Land basin, unlike other sedimentary basins in the Ross Sea, includes a rift-depression 15 to 25 kilometers wide that parallels the Transantarctic Mountains and contains up to 12 kilometers of possible Paleozoic to Holocene age sedimentary...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Cooper, Alan K., Davey, F. J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1985
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.229.4718.1085
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.229.4718.1085
Description
Summary:Multichannel seismic-reflection data show that the Victoria Land basin, unlike other sedimentary basins in the Ross Sea, includes a rift-depression 15 to 25 kilometers wide that parallels the Transantarctic Mountains and contains up to 12 kilometers of possible Paleozoic to Holocene age sedimentary rocks. An unconformity separates the previously identified Cenozoic sedimentary section from the underlying strata of possible Mesozoic and Paleozoic age. Late Cenozoic volcanic rocks intrude into the entire section along the eastern flank of the basin. The Victoria Land basin is probably part of a more extensive rift system that has been active episodically since Paleozoic time. Inferred rifting and basin subsidence during Mesozoic and Cenozoic time may be associated with regional crustal extension and uplift of the nearby Transantarctic Mountains.