Geomorphology of Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Jennings, Stephen J. A., Davies, Bethan J., Nývlt, Daniel, Glasser, Neil F., Zbyněk Engel, Hrbáček, Filip, Carrivick, Jonathan L., Bedřich Mlčoch, Hambrey, Michael J.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2021
• Subjects: Evolutionary Biology; FOS Biological sciences; 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; FOS Earth and related environmental sciences; Ecology; Sociology; FOS Sociology; Inorganic Chemistry; FOS Chemical sciences; 110309 Infectious Diseases; FOS Health sciences; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Ross Island; Ulu Peninsula; Antarc*; Antarctica; James Ross Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14179216; https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Geomorphology_of_Ulu_Peninsula_James_Ross_Island_Antarctica/14179216

This study presents a 1:25,000 geomorphological map of the northern sector of Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula. The map covers an area of c. 250 km 2 , and documents the landforms and surficial sediments of one of the largest ice-free areas in Antarctica, based on remote sensing and field-based mapping. The large-scale landscape features are determined by the underlying Cretaceous sedimentary and Neogene volcanic geology, which has been sculpted by overlying ice masses during glacial periods. Paraglacial and periglacial features are superimposed upon remnant glacial features, reflecting the post-glacial evolution of the landscape. The study area can be broadly separated into three geomorphological sectors, according to the dominant contemporary Earth-surface processes; specifically, a glacierised southern sector, a paraglacial-dominated eastern sector, and a periglacial-dominated central/northern sector. This map provides a basis for further interdisciplinary research, and insight into the potential future landscape evolution of other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula as the climate warms.