Oligocene and Pliocene interglacial events in the Antarctic Peninsula dated using strontium isotope stratigraphy

Strontium isotope stratigraphy is used to date two interglacial-marine deposits in the Antarctic Peninsula region. On King George Island, interglacial pectinid-rich sediments in the Low Head Member of the Polonez Cove Formation give a strontium isotope stratigraphy age of 29.0+0.7−0.6 to 29.8+0.8−0....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Geological Society
Main Authors: Dingle, R. V., McArthur, J. M., Vroon, P.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Geological Society of London 1997
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Online Access:http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/514456/
https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.154.2.0257
Description
Summary:Strontium isotope stratigraphy is used to date two interglacial-marine deposits in the Antarctic Peninsula region. On King George Island, interglacial pectinid-rich sediments in the Low Head Member of the Polonez Cove Formation give a strontium isotope stratigraphy age of 29.0+0.7−0.6 to 29.8+0.8−0.7 Ma (mid-Oligocene), which, in conjunction with previous K–Ar dating of volcanic rocks, indicates a glacial episode in the Antarctic Peninsula between middle Eocene (42.0 ±1.0 Ma) and mid-Oligocene time. In addition, an inter-glacial deposit (Pecten Conglomerate) from tectonically-elevated exposures on Cockburn Island is dated as Pliocene (3.5–5.3 Ma). Published data suggest these latter sediments were deposited under shallow marine conditions, which were warmer than those of present-day Antarctica.