Paleomagnetism and tectonics of the South Shetland Islands and the northern Antarctic Peninsula

• Published in: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
• Main Authors: Poblete, F., Arriagada, César, Roperch, Pierrick, Astudillo, N., Al., Et
• Other Authors: Géosciences Rennes (GR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2011
• Subjects: Antarctic Peninsula; South Shetland Islands; Gondwana; paleomagnetism; Cretaceous; Cenozoic; [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [SDU.STU.TE]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Tectonics; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://insu.hal.science/insu-00669922; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.12.019

International audience New paleomagnetic data presented here from 61 sites in Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic igneous and sedimentary rocks from the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands constrain the relative motion of the Antarctic Peninsula since the mid-Cretaceous and allow the quantification of tectonic rotation between the different blocks recognized within the area. Paleozoic and Jurassic results failed the fold test and suggest an important remagnetization in the area. The similarity between these results and those obtained from Cretaceous intrusives indicates a mid-Cretaceous age for the remagnetization. The paleopoles obtained for the different blocks and for different ages suggest that there is no relative rotation among them. These combined results allow us to obtain a Cretaceous (90 Ma) and Paleocene (60 Ma) paleopole. These paleopoles document a very low apparent polar wandering of the Antarctic Peninsula for the last 100 Ma.