PLANT REMAINS AND RELATED SUBSTANCES IN THE PAST LACUSTRINE SEDIMENTS O F THE MT. RIISER-LARSEN

• Main Authors: Enderby Land, East Antarctica, Masaru Akiyama, Masahisa Hay, As Hi, Genki I. Matsumoto, Kiyoshi Miura
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: East Antarctica; Riiser-Larsen; Antarc*; Antarctica; Enderby Land
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.627.6091; http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~penguin/polarbiosci/issues/pdf/1990-Akiyama.pdf

Abstract: Fragments of protonematoid moss plants remains, and empty shells seldom containing a plastid debris of epiphytic and free-living diatoms of Ach-nanthes and Pinniilnria were found in the laminated muddy sediments formed in the past lacustrine environment of Lake Richardson in the vicinity of Mt. Riiser-Larsen, Enderby Land, East Antarctica. Chlorophyll derivatives, certain hydro-carbons and fatty acids were detected in the sediments. Among them long-chain n-alkanes (>, C20) may have originated from the mosses while short-chain n-alkanoic acids (<C20) can be attributed to diatoms. A large quantity of crystals of vivianite found in the sediments seems to have been produced in the phosphate-rich brackish water bodies under anoxic reducing conditions. That is, the bottom of an inlet of the past Lake Richardson would have penetrated far into the river mouth where the estuarine water could have been markedly affected by activities of some sea birds such as penguins. 1.