Title Seismic stratigraphy of the Ross Sea, Antarctica
Author Ramsey, H.N.
Source 146p.
Publication Date 2005
Notes In English. Master's thesis. 63 refs. GeoRef Acc. No: 301144. CRREL Acc. No: 64005653
Index Terms glacial geology; ice sheets; isotopes; ocean environments; oxygen; Pleistocene; Antarctica; Southern Ocean--Ross Sea; Cenozoic; continental margin; glacial environment; isotope ratios; lithofacies; marine environment; O-18/O-16; Oligocene; paleoenvironment; Paleogene; paleotemperature; Quaternary; Ross Sea; seismic stratigraphy; Southern Ocean; stable isotopes; Tertiary
Abstract The focus of this investigation is to examine the direct record of ice sheet expansion and contraction on the continental margin of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, during the Oligocene through Pleistocene via seismic stratigraphy. The results of this study indicate that ice sheets first grounded in the area in the late Oligocene-early Miocene and that by the latter portion of the early Miocene there was extensive grounding of glacial ice on the margin. Throughout the late Miocene-early Pliocene, seismic sequences indicate less glacial activity (glacial-marine conditions) on the margin. Numerous glacial erosional surfaces and extensive distribution of subglacial seismic facies indicate that there was increased glacial activity throughout the Plio- Pleistocene interval. The high-resolution dataset of this study facilitated delineation of more sequences on the margin and improved ties to oxygen isotope proxy records of the Oligocene through Pleistocene to the stratigraphy of the continental margin of the Ross Sea, Antarctica.
Publication Type monograph
Record ID 88913