Geodynamic evolution of Powell Basin in the context of the Weddell Sea and the Scotia (Antarctica)

AGU's Fall Meeting, 9 – 13 December 2019 in San Francisco (EE.UU) Powell basin is an elliptical shaped basin located in the northwestern Weddell Sea. It is bounded by the South Orkney Microcontinent to the east, by the South Scotia Ridge to the north, and north-western tip of the Antarctic Peni...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Catalán-Morollón, Manuel, Martos, Y. M., Galindo Zaldívar, Jesús, Bohoyo, Fernando
Format: Conference Object
Language:unknown
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/208042
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Summary:AGU's Fall Meeting, 9 – 13 December 2019 in San Francisco (EE.UU) Powell basin is an elliptical shaped basin located in the northwestern Weddell Sea. It is bounded by the South Orkney Microcontinent to the east, by the South Scotia Ridge to the north, and north-western tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to the west. It is limited in the south by a bathymetric ridge bordering the Weddell Sea. Powell basin is characterized by a smooth relief that varies from 3000 m to 2400 m b.s.l. Although there is a certain agreement regarding its evolution and timing, its tectonic history is not fully understood, making this place an excellent example of creation of a small oceanic basin as a consequence of continental blocks rotation. We use potential field data and sediment thickness information from public databases to understand the Total Tectonic subsidence and inferred the position of the continental-ocean boundary as well as delimit different zones regarding its oceanic, continental or transitional nature. Next 2020-21 austral summer there is going to take place a new marine magnetic surveying under the so-called ¿ElGeoPower¿ Project. This is an international initiative where german, british and american institutions are involved under the leadership of Royal Observatory of the Spanish Navy. During this survey, and among other goals, we plan to perform deep-tow profiles which are expected to shed some light regarding its age. In this communication we will present new insights about the plausible tectonic evolution of Powell Basin according with our results, and details about the next ElGeoPower initiative.