Diatom biostratigraphy and age of the Pliocene Sørsdal Formation, Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica

Fossil marine diatom assemblages from the Sørsdal Formation, a deposit of diatomaceous sand from Marine Plain in the Vestfold Hills, provide age and palaeoenvironmental information from a Pliocene coastal setting in East Antarctica. Benthic and meroplanktic diatom taxa suggest deposition in a shall...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Harwood, DM, Andrew McMinn, Quilty, PG
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2000
Subjects:
Palaeontology (incl. palynology)
No keyword provided
East Antarctica
Marine Plain
Ross Sea
Southern Ocean
Vestfold
Vestfold Hills
Antarc*
Antarctica
Sea ice
Online Access:https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Diatom_biostratigraphy_and_age_of_the_Pliocene_S_rsdal_Formation_Vestfold_Hills_East_Antarctica/22839299
Description
Summary:Fossil marine diatom assemblages from the Sørsdal Formation, a deposit of diatomaceous sand from Marine Plain in the Vestfold Hills, provide age and palaeoenvironmental information from a Pliocene coastal setting in East Antarctica. Benthic and meroplanktic diatom taxa suggest deposition in a shallow coastal embayment with water depths of 20-25 m. Diatom biostratigraphy indicates that the Sørsdal Formation belongs to the Fragilariopsis barronii Zone (4.5 to 4.1 Ma), through correlation to reference sections in the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean. Features of the other biota suggest higher sea-surface temperatures and reduced sea-ice cover, consistent with global records of higher sea level.

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