Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land)
We show that meteorites can provide chronological constraints upon the age of the ice cropping out at the Frontier Mountain meteorite trap (Antarctica) when their terrestrial age is placed in a glaciological context. Amongst the over 700 meteorites found so far, Frontier Mountain (FRO) 84001, 99028,...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11568/102745 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 |
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ftunivpisairis:oai:arpi.unipi.it:11568/102745 2024-02-11T09:56:31+01:00 Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) FOLCO, LUIGI Welten K. C Jull A. J. T Nishiizumi K Zeoli A. Folco, Luigi Welten, K. C. Jull, A. J. T. Nishiizumi, K Zeoli, A. 2006 STAMPA http://hdl.handle.net/11568/102745 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000240851400017 volume:248 firstpage:209 lastpage:216 numberofpages:8 journal:EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS http://hdl.handle.net/11568/102745 doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-33746497444 info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2006 ftunivpisairis https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 2024-01-24T17:40:45Z We show that meteorites can provide chronological constraints upon the age of the ice cropping out at the Frontier Mountain meteorite trap (Antarctica) when their terrestrial age is placed in a glaciological context. Amongst the over 700 meteorites found so far, Frontier Mountain (FRO) 84001, 99028, 93005 and 93054 were most likely not wind-drifted across the ice field, since their masses (772-1665 g) are much heavier than the local similar to 200 g wind transport threshold. The four meteorites were found along a stretch of ice where a representative section of the Frontier Mountain blue ice crops out. Based on the bedding of englacial tephra layers, the structure of the ice along the section appears to be essentially an up-glacier dipping monocline. The C-14 terrestrial age of FRO 8401, 99028 and 93005 are 13 +/- 2, 21 +/- 3 and 27 +/- 2 ky, respectively; the Ca-41/Cl-36 age of FRO 93054 is 40 +/- 10 ky. The terrestrial ages of the four meteorites increase from the top to the bottom layers of the monocline. This geographic distribution is best explained by delivery of meteorites at the ice surface through the "ice-flow model" (i.e., englacial transport from the snow accumulation zone and exhumation in the blue ice area through ablation) rather than direct fall. Since the effect of ablation in decoupling terrestrial ages of meteorites and the age of the ice on which they sit must have been minor (most likely :5 7 ky) based on the local ice dynamics, we conclude that the age of the bulk of the ice body currently under ablation at Frontier Mountain is up to similar to 50 ky old. This result has implications on both the meteorite concentrations mechanism at Frontier Mountain and the regional ice dynamics. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Victoria Land ARPI - Archivio della Ricerca dell'Università di Pisa Antarctic Frontier Mountain ENVELOPE(160.333,160.333,-72.983,-72.983) Victoria Land Earth and Planetary Science Letters 248 1-2 209 216 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ARPI - Archivio della Ricerca dell'Università di Pisa |
op_collection_id |
ftunivpisairis |
language |
English |
description |
We show that meteorites can provide chronological constraints upon the age of the ice cropping out at the Frontier Mountain meteorite trap (Antarctica) when their terrestrial age is placed in a glaciological context. Amongst the over 700 meteorites found so far, Frontier Mountain (FRO) 84001, 99028, 93005 and 93054 were most likely not wind-drifted across the ice field, since their masses (772-1665 g) are much heavier than the local similar to 200 g wind transport threshold. The four meteorites were found along a stretch of ice where a representative section of the Frontier Mountain blue ice crops out. Based on the bedding of englacial tephra layers, the structure of the ice along the section appears to be essentially an up-glacier dipping monocline. The C-14 terrestrial age of FRO 8401, 99028 and 93005 are 13 +/- 2, 21 +/- 3 and 27 +/- 2 ky, respectively; the Ca-41/Cl-36 age of FRO 93054 is 40 +/- 10 ky. The terrestrial ages of the four meteorites increase from the top to the bottom layers of the monocline. This geographic distribution is best explained by delivery of meteorites at the ice surface through the "ice-flow model" (i.e., englacial transport from the snow accumulation zone and exhumation in the blue ice area through ablation) rather than direct fall. Since the effect of ablation in decoupling terrestrial ages of meteorites and the age of the ice on which they sit must have been minor (most likely :5 7 ky) based on the local ice dynamics, we conclude that the age of the bulk of the ice body currently under ablation at Frontier Mountain is up to similar to 50 ky old. This result has implications on both the meteorite concentrations mechanism at Frontier Mountain and the regional ice dynamics. |
author2 |
Folco, Luigi Welten, K. C. Jull, A. J. T. Nishiizumi, K Zeoli, A. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
FOLCO, LUIGI Welten K. C Jull A. J. T Nishiizumi K Zeoli A. |
spellingShingle |
FOLCO, LUIGI Welten K. C Jull A. J. T Nishiizumi K Zeoli A. Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) |
author_facet |
FOLCO, LUIGI Welten K. C Jull A. J. T Nishiizumi K Zeoli A. |
author_sort |
FOLCO, LUIGI |
title |
Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) |
title_short |
Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) |
title_full |
Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) |
title_fullStr |
Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Meteorites constrain the age of Antarctic ice at the Frontier Mountain blue ice field (northern Victoria Land) |
title_sort |
meteorites constrain the age of antarctic ice at the frontier mountain blue ice field (northern victoria land) |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11568/102745 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(160.333,160.333,-72.983,-72.983) |
geographic |
Antarctic Frontier Mountain Victoria Land |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Frontier Mountain Victoria Land |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Victoria Land |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Victoria Land |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000240851400017 volume:248 firstpage:209 lastpage:216 numberofpages:8 journal:EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS http://hdl.handle.net/11568/102745 doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-33746497444 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2006.05.022 |
container_title |
Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
container_volume |
248 |
container_issue |
1-2 |
container_start_page |
209 |
op_container_end_page |
216 |
_version_ |
1790603730086789120 |