Stability, Glaciological and Depositional Conditions of Continental Ice Sheet Edge at Vestfold Hills

• Other Authors: COLHOUN, ERIC A. (hasPrincipalInvestigator), COLHOUN, ERIC A. (processor), Australian Antarctic Data Centre (publisher)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Australian Antarctic Data Centre
• Subjects: climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere; geoscientificInformation; inlandWaters; GLACIERS; EARTH SCIENCE; CRYOSPHERE; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; ICE SHEETS; GLACIATION; PALEOCLIMATE; LAND RECORDS; MACROFOSSILS; MICROFOSSILS; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; Tasmania; Antarctica; climate change; fossil vegetation types; Paleo Start Date; Paleo Stop Date; PHANEROZOIC > CENOZOIC; CENOZOIC > QUATERNARY > HOLOCENE; CONTINENT > GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR; Amery; Antarctic; East Antarctica; Prince Charles Mountains; The Antarctic; Vestfold; Vestfold Hills; Antarc*; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://researchdata.ands.org.au/stability-glaciological-depositional-vestfold-hills/700018; https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_275; http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 275 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstracts of the referenced papers: The East Antarctica ice sheet advanced onto the continental shelf during the last glaciation but appears to have been thinner (less than 300 m) than previously hypothesised and probably did not everywhere extend to the edge of the continental shelf. Where the shelf is wide, the ice probably terminated against shallow banks on its outer edge. There may not have been time for the sheet to develop the maximum profile form and thickness predicted by Hollin (1962) and Hughes and others (1981) of about 1000-500 m over the shelf. Large outlet glaciers occupied deep troughs that conveyed most of the ice towards the edge of the shelf: intervening areas were less intensely glaciated. Much of the Prince Charles Mountains and Amery Oasis were not ice-covered: Vestfold, Bunger and Casey oases were glaciated. Vestfold and Bunger oases became ice-free after 10 ka BP under the influence of the Holocene marine transgression, which was complete by about 6 ka BP. During at least the last 5-6 ka these oases have been approximately their present size. Since then the margins of the Antarctic continental ice sheet have maintained almost steady state conditions against the landward edges of the hill masses. ###################### Observational studies on Cainozoic environmental changes in both Tasmania and East Antarctica have led to important modifications in the accepted interpretation of the history of glaciation for each area. Many contributors have played an important role in the processes of investigation leading to the present state of knowledge. A crucial role has been played by the integration of the methods. From studies based on combinations of these approaches, a model of multiple glaciations has been developed to explain observed features in Tasmania. This model is complemented by studies of vegetation history, largely through pollen analysis. A less complete picture of the history of ice-sheet fluctuations in East Antarctica is beginning to emerge from similar applications of cross-disciplinary studies.