Early Cretaceous Uplift in the Ellsworth Mountains of West Antarctica

Apatite fission-track analysis of samples covering a 4.2-kilometer vertical section from the western flank of Vinson Massif, Antarctica's highest mountain, indicates that the Ellsworth Mountains were uplifted by 4 kilometers or more during the Early Cretaceous following the initial separation o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Fitzgerald, Paul G., Stump, Edmund
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1991
Subjects:
Weddell Sea
West Antarctica
Weddell
Ellsworth Mountains
Vinson Massif
Antarc*
Antarctica
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.254.5028.92
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.254.5028.92
Description
Summary:Apatite fission-track analysis of samples covering a 4.2-kilometer vertical section from the western flank of Vinson Massif, Antarctica's highest mountain, indicates that the Ellsworth Mountains were uplifted by 4 kilometers or more during the Early Cretaceous following the initial separation of East and West Gondwana and accompanying the opening of the Weddell Sea. Relief of at least 1.8 kilometers has persisted in the Ellsworth Mountains since the Early Cretaceous, and a maximum of 3 kilometers of uplift has occurred since that time.

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