The distribution of geothermal flux in West Antarctica ...

• Main Authors: Quartini, Enrica, 0000-0001-7485-543X
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: The University of Texas at Austin 2018
• Subjects: West Antarctica; Aerogeophysics; Subglacial volcanism; Ice penetrating radar; Aeromagnetics; Geothermal heat flux; Antarctic; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/12033; https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/85063

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) contains the equivalent of ∼3.3 m of global sea level rise and is the largest ice sheet on Earth grounded almost entirely below sea level. This is a potentially unstable configuration that makes WAIS prone to rapid collapse during interglacial periods, a condition known as marine instability. One poorly understood but possibly dominant process in past and future collapses of WAIS is its coupling with the underlying West Antarctic Rift System (WARS), a Jurassic through Cenozoic region of intracontinental extension characterized by active volcanism. WARS’ topographic range, complex tectonic history, and volcanism exert a large influence on the distribution of elevated geothermal flux, a critical but poorly constrained ice sheet boundary condition for the collapse-prone marine- based WAIS. Examples of elevated geothermal flux have been observed throughout the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS). Uncertainties remain however on the timing, evolution, and extent of both the WARS ...