The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf
Abstract Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing meltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological chara...
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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crcambridgeupr:10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 2024-06-09T07:38:19+00:00 The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589408001415?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589408001415?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400005767 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Quaternary Research volume 71, issue 2, page 190-200 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 journal-article 2009 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 2024-05-15T13:11:06Z Abstract Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing meltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological characteristics and size are consistent with incision by subglacial meltwater. To understand how and when these channels formed we have investigated the infill of three channels. Diamictons deposited beneath or proximal to an expanded grounded West Antarctic Ice Sheet are present in two of the channels and these are overlain by glaciomarine sediments deposited after deglaciation. The sediment core from the third channel recovered a turbidite sequence also deposited after the last deglaciation. The presence of deformation till at one core site and the absence of typical meltwater deposits (e.g., sorted sands and gravels) in all three cores suggest that channel incision pre-dates overriding by fast flowing grounded ice during the last glacial period. Given the overall scale of the channels and their incision into bedrock, it is likely that the channels formed over multiple glaciations, possibly since the Miocene, and have been reoccupied on several occasions. This also implies that the channels have survived numerous advances and retreats of grounded ice. Article in Journal/Newspaper Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica Cambridge University Press Amundsen Sea Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica Quaternary Research 71 2 190 200 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing meltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological characteristics and size are consistent with incision by subglacial meltwater. To understand how and when these channels formed we have investigated the infill of three channels. Diamictons deposited beneath or proximal to an expanded grounded West Antarctic Ice Sheet are present in two of the channels and these are overlain by glaciomarine sediments deposited after deglaciation. The sediment core from the third channel recovered a turbidite sequence also deposited after the last deglaciation. The presence of deformation till at one core site and the absence of typical meltwater deposits (e.g., sorted sands and gravels) in all three cores suggest that channel incision pre-dates overriding by fast flowing grounded ice during the last glacial period. Given the overall scale of the channels and their incision into bedrock, it is likely that the channels formed over multiple glaciations, possibly since the Miocene, and have been reoccupied on several occasions. This also implies that the channels have survived numerous advances and retreats of grounded ice. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard |
spellingShingle |
Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
author_facet |
Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard |
author_sort |
Smith, James A. |
title |
The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_short |
The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_full |
The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_fullStr |
The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_full_unstemmed |
The sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_sort |
sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the west antarctic continental shelf |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589408001415?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589408001415?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400005767 |
geographic |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
op_source |
Quaternary Research volume 71, issue 2, page 190-200 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 |
container_title |
Quaternary Research |
container_volume |
71 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
190 |
op_container_end_page |
200 |
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1801371513334530048 |