The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary

A major trough (“Belgica Trough”) eroded by a palaeo-ice stream crosses the continental shelf of the southern Bellingshausen Sea (West Antarctica) and is associated with a trough mouth fan (“Belgica TMF”) on the adjacent continental slope. Previous marine geophysical and geological studies investiga...

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Published in:Quaternary Science Reviews
Main Authors: Hillenbrand, C.-D., Larter, R. D., Dowdeswell, J. A., Ehrmann, W., Ó Cofaigh, C., Benetti, S., Graham, A. G. C., Grobe, H.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Digital Commons @ University of South Florida 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1537
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028
id ftunisfloridatam:oai:digitalcommons.usf.edu:msc_facpub-2575
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spelling ftunisfloridatam:oai:digitalcommons.usf.edu:msc_facpub-2575 2023-05-15T14:04:11+02:00 The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary Hillenbrand, C.-D. Larter, R. D. Dowdeswell, J. A. Ehrmann, W. Ó Cofaigh, C. Benetti, S. Graham, A. G. C. Grobe, H. 2010-01-01T08:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1537 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028 unknown Digital Commons @ University of South Florida https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1537 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028 Marine Science Faculty Publications Life Sciences article 2010 ftunisfloridatam https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028 2022-01-20T18:38:49Z A major trough (“Belgica Trough”) eroded by a palaeo-ice stream crosses the continental shelf of the southern Bellingshausen Sea (West Antarctica) and is associated with a trough mouth fan (“Belgica TMF”) on the adjacent continental slope. Previous marine geophysical and geological studies investigated the bathymetry and geomorphology of Belgica Trough and Belgica TMF, erosional and depositional processes associated with bedform formation, and the temporal and spatial changes in clay mineral provenance of subglacial and glaciomarine sediments. Here, we present multi-proxy data from sediment cores recovered from the shelf and uppermost slope in the southern Bellingshausen Sea and reconstruct the ice-sheet history since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in this poorly studied area of West Antarctica. We combined new data (physical properties, sedimentary structures, geochemical and grain-size data) with published data (shear strength, clay mineral assemblages) to refine a previous facies classification for the sediments. The multi-proxy approach allowed us to distinguish four main facies types and to assign them to the following depositional settings: 1) subglacial, 2) proximal grounding-line, 3) distal sub-ice shelf/sub-sea ice, and 4) seasonal open-marine. In the seasonal open-marine facies we found evidence for episodic current-induced winnowing of near-seabed sediments on the middle to outer shelf and at the uppermost slope during the late Holocene. In addition, we obtained data on excess 210Pb activity at three core sites and 44 AMS 14C dates from the acid-insoluble fraction of organic matter (AIO) and calcareous (micro-) fossils, respectively, at 12 sites. These chronological data enabled us to reconstruct, for the first time, the timing of the last advance and retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) in the southern Bellingshausen Sea. We used the down-core variability in sediment provenance inferred from clay mineral changes to identify the most reliable AIO 14C ages for ice-sheet retreat. The palaeo-ice stream advanced through Belgica Trough after ∼36.0 corrected 14C ka before present (B.P.). It retreated from the outer shelf at ∼25.5 ka B.P., the middle shelf at ∼19.8 ka B.P., the inner shelf in Eltanin Bay at ∼12.3 ka B.P., and the inner shelf in Ronne Entrance at ∼6.3 ka B.P. The retreat of the WAIS and APIS occurred slowly and stepwise, and may still be in progress. This dynamical ice-sheet behaviour has to be taken into account for the interpretation of recent and the prediction of future mass-balance changes in the study area. The glacial history of the southern Bellingshausen Sea is unique when compared to other regions in West Antarctica, but some open questions regarding its chronology need to be addressed by future work. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Bellingshausen Sea Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ronne Entrance Sea ice West Antarctica Digital Commons University of South Florida (USF) Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula West Antarctica West Antarctic Ice Sheet Bellingshausen Sea Eltanin Bay ENVELOPE(-82.000,-82.000,-73.667,-73.667) Ronne Entrance ENVELOPE(-74.500,-74.500,-72.583,-72.583) Quaternary Science Reviews 29 19-20 2741 2763
institution Open Polar
collection Digital Commons University of South Florida (USF)
op_collection_id ftunisfloridatam
language unknown
topic Life Sciences
spellingShingle Life Sciences
Hillenbrand, C.-D.
Larter, R. D.
Dowdeswell, J. A.
Ehrmann, W.
Ó Cofaigh, C.
Benetti, S.
Graham, A. G. C.
Grobe, H.
The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary
topic_facet Life Sciences
description A major trough (“Belgica Trough”) eroded by a palaeo-ice stream crosses the continental shelf of the southern Bellingshausen Sea (West Antarctica) and is associated with a trough mouth fan (“Belgica TMF”) on the adjacent continental slope. Previous marine geophysical and geological studies investigated the bathymetry and geomorphology of Belgica Trough and Belgica TMF, erosional and depositional processes associated with bedform formation, and the temporal and spatial changes in clay mineral provenance of subglacial and glaciomarine sediments. Here, we present multi-proxy data from sediment cores recovered from the shelf and uppermost slope in the southern Bellingshausen Sea and reconstruct the ice-sheet history since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in this poorly studied area of West Antarctica. We combined new data (physical properties, sedimentary structures, geochemical and grain-size data) with published data (shear strength, clay mineral assemblages) to refine a previous facies classification for the sediments. The multi-proxy approach allowed us to distinguish four main facies types and to assign them to the following depositional settings: 1) subglacial, 2) proximal grounding-line, 3) distal sub-ice shelf/sub-sea ice, and 4) seasonal open-marine. In the seasonal open-marine facies we found evidence for episodic current-induced winnowing of near-seabed sediments on the middle to outer shelf and at the uppermost slope during the late Holocene. In addition, we obtained data on excess 210Pb activity at three core sites and 44 AMS 14C dates from the acid-insoluble fraction of organic matter (AIO) and calcareous (micro-) fossils, respectively, at 12 sites. These chronological data enabled us to reconstruct, for the first time, the timing of the last advance and retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) in the southern Bellingshausen Sea. We used the down-core variability in sediment provenance inferred from clay mineral changes to identify the most reliable AIO 14C ages for ice-sheet retreat. The palaeo-ice stream advanced through Belgica Trough after ∼36.0 corrected 14C ka before present (B.P.). It retreated from the outer shelf at ∼25.5 ka B.P., the middle shelf at ∼19.8 ka B.P., the inner shelf in Eltanin Bay at ∼12.3 ka B.P., and the inner shelf in Ronne Entrance at ∼6.3 ka B.P. The retreat of the WAIS and APIS occurred slowly and stepwise, and may still be in progress. This dynamical ice-sheet behaviour has to be taken into account for the interpretation of recent and the prediction of future mass-balance changes in the study area. The glacial history of the southern Bellingshausen Sea is unique when compared to other regions in West Antarctica, but some open questions regarding its chronology need to be addressed by future work.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Hillenbrand, C.-D.
Larter, R. D.
Dowdeswell, J. A.
Ehrmann, W.
Ó Cofaigh, C.
Benetti, S.
Graham, A. G. C.
Grobe, H.
author_facet Hillenbrand, C.-D.
Larter, R. D.
Dowdeswell, J. A.
Ehrmann, W.
Ó Cofaigh, C.
Benetti, S.
Graham, A. G. C.
Grobe, H.
author_sort Hillenbrand, C.-D.
title The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary
title_short The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary
title_full The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary
title_fullStr The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary
title_full_unstemmed The Sedimentary Legacy of a Palaeo-ice Stream on the Shelf of the Southern Bellingshausen Sea: Clues to West Antarctic Glacial History during the Late Quaternary
title_sort sedimentary legacy of a palaeo-ice stream on the shelf of the southern bellingshausen sea: clues to west antarctic glacial history during the late quaternary
publisher Digital Commons @ University of South Florida
publishDate 2010
url https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1537
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028
long_lat ENVELOPE(-82.000,-82.000,-73.667,-73.667)
ENVELOPE(-74.500,-74.500,-72.583,-72.583)
geographic Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
West Antarctica
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Bellingshausen Sea
Eltanin Bay
Ronne Entrance
geographic_facet Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
West Antarctica
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Bellingshausen Sea
Eltanin Bay
Ronne Entrance
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctica
Bellingshausen Sea
Ice Sheet
Ice Shelf
Ronne Entrance
Sea ice
West Antarctica
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctica
Bellingshausen Sea
Ice Sheet
Ice Shelf
Ronne Entrance
Sea ice
West Antarctica
op_source Marine Science Faculty Publications
op_relation https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1537
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.06.028
container_title Quaternary Science Reviews
container_volume 29
container_issue 19-20
container_start_page 2741
op_container_end_page 2763
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