Stratigraphy of the Pliocene Sorsdal Formation, Marine Plain, Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica

• Other Authors: QUILTY, PATRICK G. (hasPrincipalInvestigator), QUILTY, PATRICK G. (processor), Australian Antarctic Data Centre (publisher)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Australian Antarctic Data Centre
• Subjects: biota; geoscientificInformation; STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE; EARTH SCIENCE; LAND SURFACE; EROSION/SEDIMENTATION; MACROFOSSILS; PALEOCLIMATE; LAND RECORDS; MICROFOSSILS; CETACEANS; BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES; MAMMALS; FORAMINIFERS; PROTISTS; AMOEBOIDS; DIATOMS; PLANTS; MICROALGAE; MOLLUSKS; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES; Antarctica; foraminifera; neogene; molluscs; sedigraph; grain size; CORING DEVICES; XRD > X-ray Diffractometer; FIELD SURVEYS; LABORATORY; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Paleo Start Date 4.5 Ma; Paleo Stop Date 4.1 Ma; PHANEROZOIC > CENOZOIC > NEOGENE > PLIOCENE; CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > Vestfold Hills; Marine Plain; GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR; Antarctic; East Antarctica; The Antarctic; Vestfold; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://researchdata.ands.org.au/stratigraphy-pliocene-sorsdal-east-antarctica/701362; https://doi.org/10.26179/5c53bc6493228; https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/marine_plain_grain_size; http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-617536

The data are grain size analyses conducted by Geoscience Australia of samples collected during drilling the sections at Marine Plain. The results are summarised in the Antarctic science paper on the Stratigraphy of Marine Plain. MPDH2 means Marine Plain Drill Hole No. 2 and A, B are separate parts of the hole The site is marked on the map in the paper. Coordinates are listed on p, 206 of that paper. Geoscience Australia did the work as a contribution to the Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre. The grain size analysis was done automatically by a Sedigraph machine. Only the grain size analysis data are available. The x-ray data have been lost. Taken from the abstract of the referenced paper: The Sorsdal Formation and one member, Graveyard Sandstone Member constitute a sedimentary sequence covering approximately 10 square kilometres of Marine Plain, Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica. The new Formation consists dominantly of friable diatomaceous siltstone and sandstone with dark limestone lenses. It is in situ, essentially horizontal, 7.2 metres thick in its type section and lies less than 25 metres above sea level. Graveyard Sandstone Member occurs near the top of the formation, is highly lithified sandy diamictite, 30-50 cm thick and widespread through the Marine Plain region. Using diatoms, the Formation is Early Pliocene in age (Fragilariopsis barronii; 4.5-4.1 Ma). The Graveyard Sandstone Member probably was deposited during the Gilbert Chron interval (lower Chron 2 Ar or C3n.1r) of reversed magnetic polarity. The Sorsdal Formation contains fossil cetaceans and a diverse and well-preserved invertebrate fauna. Foraminifera are rare partly because of diagenesis, but include Ammoelphidiella antarctica. No evidence of coeval terrestrial vegetation has been recovered. The deposit accumulated in a series of small bays probably in an environment warmer than exists in the region today. There is no lithological evidence of glacial influence except in Graveyard Sandstone Member that may represent local glacial influence in a shallow marine to intertidal environment. The fields in this dataset are: Sample Liquid type Analysis temperature Time Date Density Viscosity Diameter Mass