Sediment drifts at the eastern Kerguelen Plateau: Achives of climate and circulation development

The Kerguelen Plateau, southern Indian Ocean, which rises up 2000 m above the surrounding seafloor, forms an obstacle for the flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and Antarctic Bottomwater (AABW). The ACC is strongly deviated in its flow towards the north. A branch of the AABW flows north...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Uenzelmann-Neben, Gabriele, Najjarifarizhendi, Banafsheh, Schneider, Matthias, Gruetzner, Jens, Westerhold, Thomas
Format: Conference Object
Language:unknown
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Antarctic
Gateway The
Indian
Kerguelen
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Ice Sheet
Online Access:https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/57715/
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/57715/1/Uenzelmann-Neben_et_al.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.2df02f54-4295-4813-99b4-67c5906bc070
Description
Summary:The Kerguelen Plateau, southern Indian Ocean, which rises up 2000 m above the surrounding seafloor, forms an obstacle for the flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and Antarctic Bottomwater (AABW). The ACC is strongly deviated in its flow towards the north. A branch of the AABW flows northwards along the eastern flank of the plateau and in its path is steered by several basement highs and William’s Ridge. Seismic data collected during RV Sonne cruise SO272 image sediment drifts shaped in the Labuan Basin, which document onset and variabilities in pathway and intensity of this AABW branch in relation to the development of the Antarctic ice sheet and tectonic processes, e.g., the opening of the Tasman gateway. The eastern flank of the Kerguelen further shows strong erosion of the post-mid Eocene sequences. In places, the Paleocene/early Eocene sequences are also affected by thinning and erosion. A moat can be observed along the Kerguelen Plateau flank indicating the flow path of the north setting AAWB branch. Sediment drifts and sediment waves are formed east of the moat. Similar features are observed at the inner, western flank of William’s Ridge thus outlining the recirculation of the AABW branch in the Labuan Basin. The chronological and spatial will be reconstructed via the analysis of those sedimentary structures to provide constraints on climate and ocean circulation variability.

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