Mechanical and mineral compositions of raised glaciomarine sediments from the Syowa Station area, Antarctica

• Main Author: Kiyotaka Sasaki
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Mineralogy, Petrology and Economic Geology, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University 1985
• Subjects: Antarctic; East Antarctica; Syowa Station; Antarc*; Antarctica; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=1792; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00001792/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=1792&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

The sixteen raised glaciomarine and two lake sediments of the Quaternary age from the east coast of Lutzow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica, collected by the wintering party of the 22nd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (1980-1982), were analyzed for the mechanical and mineral compositions as a clue to elucidate the origin of glaciomarine sediments. On the basis of grain size, heavy mineral and light mineral compositions, these glaciomarine sediments are classified as immature, feldspathic, wacke-type muddy sand or sandy mud which were redeposited by the gravity flow. It can be considered that most constituents of sediments have been derived from the metamorphic rocks which are exposed on the east coast of Lutzow-Holm Bay. It became clear that contents of graphite in sediments are affected by the geographical distribution of outcrops of graphite bearing gneiss.