Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains
The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains are regarded as a key nucleation site for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and they retain a unique long-term record of pre-glacial and early glacial landscape evolution. Here, we use a range of morphometric analyses to constrain the nature of early glaciation and subseque...
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ftcolumbiauniv:oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/D89P3BS9 2023-05-15T13:50:01+02:00 Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains Rose, Kathryn C. Ferraccioli, Fausto Jamieson, Stewart S.R. Bell, Robin E. Corr, Hugh Creyts, Timothy T. Braaten, David Jordan, Tom A. Fretwell, Peter T. Demaske, Detlef 2013 https://doi.org/10.7916/D89P3BS9 English eng https://doi.org/10.7916/D89P3BS9 Geomorphology Geology Articles 2013 ftcolumbiauniv https://doi.org/10.7916/D89P3BS9 2019-04-04T08:10:09Z The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains are regarded as a key nucleation site for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and they retain a unique long-term record of pre-glacial and early glacial landscape evolution. Here, we use a range of morphometric analyses to constrain the nature of early glaciation and subsequent ice sheet evolution in the interior of East Antarctica, using a new digital elevation model of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, derived from an extensive airborne radar survey. We find that an inherited fluvial landscape confirms the existence of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains prior to the onset of glaciation at the Eocene–Oligocene climate boundary (ca. 34 Ma). Features characteristic of glaciation, at a range of scales, are evident across the mountains. High elevation alpine valley heads, akin to cirques, identified throughout the mountains, are interpreted as evidence for early phases of glaciation in East Antarctica. The equilibrium line altitudes associated with these features, combined with information from fossil plant assemblages, suggest that they formed at, or prior to, 34 Ma. It cannot be ruled out that they may have been eroded by ephemeral ice between the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene (100–34 Ma). Hanging valleys, overdeepenings, truncated spurs and steep-sided, linear valley networks are indicative of a more widespread alpine glaciation in this region. These features represent ice growth at, or before, 33.7 Ma and provide a minimum estimate for the scale of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet between ca. 34 and 14 Ma, when dynamic fluctuations in ice extent are recorded at the coast of Antarctica. The implications are that the early East Antarctic Ice Sheet grew rapidly and developed a cold-based core that preserved the alpine landscape. The patterns of landscape evolution identified provide the earliest evidence for the development of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and can be used to test coupled ice–climate evolution models. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Columbia University: Academic Commons Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains ENVELOPE(76.000,76.000,-80.500,-80.500) The Antarctic |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Columbia University: Academic Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftcolumbiauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Geomorphology Geology |
spellingShingle |
Geomorphology Geology Rose, Kathryn C. Ferraccioli, Fausto Jamieson, Stewart S.R. Bell, Robin E. Corr, Hugh Creyts, Timothy T. Braaten, David Jordan, Tom A. Fretwell, Peter T. Demaske, Detlef Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains |
topic_facet |
Geomorphology Geology |
description |
The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains are regarded as a key nucleation site for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and they retain a unique long-term record of pre-glacial and early glacial landscape evolution. Here, we use a range of morphometric analyses to constrain the nature of early glaciation and subsequent ice sheet evolution in the interior of East Antarctica, using a new digital elevation model of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, derived from an extensive airborne radar survey. We find that an inherited fluvial landscape confirms the existence of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains prior to the onset of glaciation at the Eocene–Oligocene climate boundary (ca. 34 Ma). Features characteristic of glaciation, at a range of scales, are evident across the mountains. High elevation alpine valley heads, akin to cirques, identified throughout the mountains, are interpreted as evidence for early phases of glaciation in East Antarctica. The equilibrium line altitudes associated with these features, combined with information from fossil plant assemblages, suggest that they formed at, or prior to, 34 Ma. It cannot be ruled out that they may have been eroded by ephemeral ice between the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene (100–34 Ma). Hanging valleys, overdeepenings, truncated spurs and steep-sided, linear valley networks are indicative of a more widespread alpine glaciation in this region. These features represent ice growth at, or before, 33.7 Ma and provide a minimum estimate for the scale of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet between ca. 34 and 14 Ma, when dynamic fluctuations in ice extent are recorded at the coast of Antarctica. The implications are that the early East Antarctic Ice Sheet grew rapidly and developed a cold-based core that preserved the alpine landscape. The patterns of landscape evolution identified provide the earliest evidence for the development of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and can be used to test coupled ice–climate evolution models. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rose, Kathryn C. Ferraccioli, Fausto Jamieson, Stewart S.R. Bell, Robin E. Corr, Hugh Creyts, Timothy T. Braaten, David Jordan, Tom A. Fretwell, Peter T. Demaske, Detlef |
author_facet |
Rose, Kathryn C. Ferraccioli, Fausto Jamieson, Stewart S.R. Bell, Robin E. Corr, Hugh Creyts, Timothy T. Braaten, David Jordan, Tom A. Fretwell, Peter T. Demaske, Detlef |
author_sort |
Rose, Kathryn C. |
title |
Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains |
title_short |
Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains |
title_full |
Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains |
title_fullStr |
Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains |
title_full_unstemmed |
Early East Antarctic Ice Sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains |
title_sort |
early east antarctic ice sheet growth recorded in the landscape of the gamburtsev subglacial mountains |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7916/D89P3BS9 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(76.000,76.000,-80.500,-80.500) |
geographic |
Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.7916/D89P3BS9 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7916/D89P3BS9 |
_version_ |
1766252755704348672 |