Seismic stratigraphic record of West Antarctic ice sheet fluctuations within the eastern basin of the Ross Sea, Antarctica
Using geophysical data collected aboard the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer during the austral summer of 2004 the stratigraphy of the up-dip portion of the Antarctic margin was studied. Analysis of up-dip SCS profiles illustrated an incomplete glacial record with multiple thin, polar Plio-Pleistocene sequen...
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Other Authors: | , |
Format: | Master Thesis |
Language: | English |
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2009
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.17615/8kh9-j834 https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/5712m800s?file=thumbnail https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/5712m800s |
Summary: | Using geophysical data collected aboard the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer during the austral summer of 2004 the stratigraphy of the up-dip portion of the Antarctic margin was studied. Analysis of up-dip SCS profiles illustrated an incomplete glacial record with multiple thin, polar Plio-Pleistocene sequences reflecting the presence of Northern Hemisphere ice, and fewer, thick Early Miocene sequences indicating perhaps a subpolar basal regime. Across the shelf of the Eastern Basin, the majority of the sequences terminate mid-shelf suggesting that not all ice sheet events are the same magnitude, which may be a function of climate change or autogenic ice sheet fluctuations. Through quantitative analysis the up-dip stratigraphy of the Eastern Basin was shown to be highly heterogeneous. This work has provided a more robust illustration of the complexity of glacial stratigraphy in the up-dip setting, and it is possible to see a reflection of changing climate preserved in the seismic signature of the NBP 0306 profiles. |
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