Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica
Abstract This paper presents the results of a radiocarbon dating study of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Mumiyo (a sub-fossilized accumulation of regurgitated proventricular oil) samples were collected from 15 snow petrel nest sites at nunataks...
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0032247400014145 2024-03-03T08:37:37+00:00 Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Steele, W.K. Hiller, A. 1997 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400014145 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400014145 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Polar Record volume 33, issue 184, page 29-38 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development journal-article 1997 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400014145 2024-02-08T08:29:47Z Abstract This paper presents the results of a radiocarbon dating study of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Mumiyo (a sub-fossilized accumulation of regurgitated proventricular oil) samples were collected from 15 snow petrel nest sites at nunataks in the northern Ahlmannryggen, Gjelsvikfjella, and Mühlig-Hofmannfjella. Radiocarbon dating revealed Holocene ages of ca 8500 years and less for all but one of these mumiyo samples. A sample collected at S varthamaren in the Muhlig-Hofmannfjella was dated as old as ca 34,000 a BP, indicating that at least some areas of that mountain escaped the scouring action of glaciers during the last glacial period. Similar pre-Holocene ages have been determined for a small number of mumiyo samples in previous studies. Mumiyo accumulations from some nests indicate periods of occupation as long as 6000 years, whereas the radiocarbon age and volume of other mumiyo samples suggest short periods of frequent nesting activity. As expected, sub-samples extracted from the lower layers of mumiyo pieces generally displayed greater ages than sub-samples from upper layers of the same piece. However, there was no clear-cut correlation between the age of a mumiyo sample and its height above the present ice level. It is suspected that this lack of correlation is due to some of the mumiyo samples being displaced previously through rockfalls. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Dronning Maud Land Polar Record Snow Petrel Cambridge University Press Dronning Maud Land Nivea ENVELOPE(-45.479,-45.479,-60.580,-60.580) Gjelsvikfjella ENVELOPE(2.833,2.833,-72.083,-72.083) Ahlmannryggen ENVELOPE(-2.500,-2.500,-71.833,-71.833) Mühlig-Hofmannfjella ENVELOPE(5.500,5.500,-72.000,-72.000) Polar Record 33 184 29 38 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development Steele, W.K. Hiller, A. Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
description |
Abstract This paper presents the results of a radiocarbon dating study of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Mumiyo (a sub-fossilized accumulation of regurgitated proventricular oil) samples were collected from 15 snow petrel nest sites at nunataks in the northern Ahlmannryggen, Gjelsvikfjella, and Mühlig-Hofmannfjella. Radiocarbon dating revealed Holocene ages of ca 8500 years and less for all but one of these mumiyo samples. A sample collected at S varthamaren in the Muhlig-Hofmannfjella was dated as old as ca 34,000 a BP, indicating that at least some areas of that mountain escaped the scouring action of glaciers during the last glacial period. Similar pre-Holocene ages have been determined for a small number of mumiyo samples in previous studies. Mumiyo accumulations from some nests indicate periods of occupation as long as 6000 years, whereas the radiocarbon age and volume of other mumiyo samples suggest short periods of frequent nesting activity. As expected, sub-samples extracted from the lower layers of mumiyo pieces generally displayed greater ages than sub-samples from upper layers of the same piece. However, there was no clear-cut correlation between the age of a mumiyo sample and its height above the present ice level. It is suspected that this lack of correlation is due to some of the mumiyo samples being displaced previously through rockfalls. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Steele, W.K. Hiller, A. |
author_facet |
Steele, W.K. Hiller, A. |
author_sort |
Steele, W.K. |
title |
Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
title_short |
Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
title_full |
Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica |
title_sort |
radiocarbon dates of snow petrel ( pagodroma nivea ) nest sites in central dronning maud land, antarctica |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
1997 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400014145 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400014145 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-45.479,-45.479,-60.580,-60.580) ENVELOPE(2.833,2.833,-72.083,-72.083) ENVELOPE(-2.500,-2.500,-71.833,-71.833) ENVELOPE(5.500,5.500,-72.000,-72.000) |
geographic |
Dronning Maud Land Nivea Gjelsvikfjella Ahlmannryggen Mühlig-Hofmannfjella |
geographic_facet |
Dronning Maud Land Nivea Gjelsvikfjella Ahlmannryggen Mühlig-Hofmannfjella |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Dronning Maud Land Polar Record Snow Petrel |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Dronning Maud Land Polar Record Snow Petrel |
op_source |
Polar Record volume 33, issue 184, page 29-38 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400014145 |
container_title |
Polar Record |
container_volume |
33 |
container_issue |
184 |
container_start_page |
29 |
op_container_end_page |
38 |
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1792500159653871616 |