Quaternary bedrock erosion and landscape evolution in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica: Reevaluating rates and processes     

Norikazu Matsuoka  Cline E. Thomachot  Chiaki T. Oguchi  Tamao Hatta  Masahiro Abe  Hiroyuki Matsuzaki 《Geomorphology》2006,81(3-4):408-420

Rates and processes of rock weathering, soil formation, and mountain erosion during the Quaternary were evaluated in an inland Antarctic cold desert. The fieldwork involved investigations of weathering features and soil profiles for different stages after deglaciation. Laboratory analyses addressed chemistry of rock coatings and soils, as well as ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al exposure ages of the bedrock. Less resistant gneiss bedrock exposed over 1 Ma shows stone pavements underlain by in situ produced silty soils thinner than 40 cm and rich in sulfates, which reflect the active layer thickness, the absence of cryoturbation, and the predominance of salt weathering. During the same exposure period, more resistant granite bedrock has undergone long-lasting cavernous weathering that produces rootless mushroom-like boulders with a strongly Fe-oxidized coating. The red coating protects the upper surface from weathering while very slow microcracking progresses by the growth of sulfates. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic exposure ages combine to provide contrasting average erosion rates. No erosion during the Quaternary is suggested by a striated roche moutonnée exposed more than 2 Ma ago. Differential erosion between granite and gneiss suggests a significant lowering rate of desert pavements in excess of 10 m Ma^− 1. The landscape has been (on the whole) stable, but the erosion rate varies spatially according to microclimate, geology, and surface composition.  相似文献   

Large-scale Mechanical Redistribution of Orthopyroxene and Plagioclase in the Basement Sill, Ferrar Dolerites, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Petrological, Mineral-chemical and Field Evidence for Channelized Movement of Crystals and Melt     

Bedard  Jean H. J.; Marsh  Bruce D.; Hersum  Taber G.; Naslund  H. Richard; Mukasa  Samuel B. 《Journal of Petrology》2007,48(12):2289-2326

The Jurassic Ferrar dolerite sills of the McMurdo Dry Valleys,Antarctica represent the plumbing system for flood basalt eruptionsassociated with the breakup of Gondwana. Among the Ferrar sills,the 350–450 m thick cumulate-textured Basement Sill isdifferentiated into a Lower Marginal Zone (LMZ) gabbronorite,a thick Lower Zone (LZ) orthopyroxene–plagioclase orthocumulatepyroxenite, a strongly layered mela- to leuco-gabbronorite MiddleZone (MZ), a thick Upper Zone (UZ) gabbronorite with ferrogabbroicpods, and an Upper Marginal Zone (UMZ) gabbronorite. Texturesand mineral compositions in the LZ pyroxenite and MZ–UZgabbronorites are nearly identical, the main distinction beingthe greater relative proportion of plagioclase in the MZ–UZgabbronorites, and of pigeonite in the UZ. Most orthopyroxenein the LZ, MZ and UZ occurs as sub-euhedral, normally zonedprimocrysts, commonly with rounded plagioclase inclusions. Plagioclaseis usually sub-euhedral and normally zoned, but can containsodic cores interpreted to be xenocrystic. Orthopyroxene andfeldspar compositions thoughout the sill are generally fairlyuniform, and resemble the compositions of micro-phenocrystsin the chilled margins. We infer that the sill was filled bya c. 1250°C slurry of orthopyroxene + plagioclase phenocrystsor primocrysts that subsequently unmixed in response to buoyancyforces. The LZ websterite contains numerous anorthosite to gabbronoriteschlieren, veins and pipes (< 2 m diameter), which we interpretas fossil segregation channels. Textures and mineral compositionsin these felsic channels are very similar both to UZ and MZgabbronorites, and to the groundmass separating accumulatedorthopyroxene primocrysts in the LZ and MZ. We infer that plagioclase-charged,hydrous pore melt from the pyroxenite may have segregated, pooledand ascended through these conduits to feed growth of the UZgabbronorite. Detailed mapping shows that the pipes are separatedby about 15 m on average. Calculations suggest that this numberdensity of conduits could have drained the LZ cumulates of theirinterstitial melt + plagioclase in about 8 days. Sequences (eachc. 5–10 m thick) of layered leuco-gabbronorite in theMZ could represent intra-cumulate sills that formed from plagioclase-richslurries ascending in segregation channels. Fe–Ti-richpyroxenitic veins and pods (some pegmatitic) and an unusualcoarse-grained plagioclase facies occur at the contacts betweenmassive leuco-gabbronorite layers in the MZ. Discordant ferro-pegmatitepods and dykes occur throughout the UZ. We interpret these Fe-richpegmatoidal rocks as evolved residual melts expelled from thecompacting gabbronoritic cumulates of the MZ and UZ. KEY WORDS: Ferrar; cumulates; differentiation; Antarctica; layering  相似文献   

Fossil nothofagaceous leaves from the Eocene of western Antarctica and their bearing on the origin, dispersal and systematics of Nothofagus     

Li HaoMin  Zhou ZheKun 《中国科学D辑(英文版)》2007,50(10):1525-1535

Fossil leaves resembling Nothofagaceae have been investigated from the Eocene of western Antarctica and a new form genus Nothofagofolia is proposed for these kinds of fossils. Some new specimens belonging to this form genus are described. They were collected from the Fossil Hill locality of Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, western Antarctica. Two new species, two new combinations and an unnamed species are reported. A number of published Nothofagus leaf fossils from the same locality are discussed and revised. As a result of these studies of Nothofagus leaf morphology, we conclude that (1) Nothofagus probably originated in high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere during the middle-late Late Cretaceous and diversified, dispersed gradually to the lower latitudes of the same hemisphere; (2) leaf morphological characters are significant for the systematics of the family Nothofagaceae, especially at the intrageneric level; and (3) extant species of Nothofagus known from southern temperate areas have more primitive leaf morphological characters and lower leaf ranks than those from tropical mountains as well as those of the Fagaceae and Betulaceae. Supported by the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology & Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaoentology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 013106), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30670159) and the Fund of Innovation Program by Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences  相似文献   

Palaeomagnetic results from the ca. 1130 Ma Borgmassivet intrusions in the Ahlmannryggen region of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, and tectonic implications     

D. L. Jones  M. P. Bates  Z. X. Li  B. Corner  G. Hodgkinson   《Tectonophysics》2003,375(1-4):247

Detailed palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses provide improved palaeomagnetic results from 23 sites in the Borgmassivet intrusions in the Ahlmannryggen region of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. These intrusions are of similar age to their host, the ca. 1130 Ma Ritscherflya Supergroup (RSG). A mean direction of D=235.4°, I=−7.6° with k=45.9 and α₉₅=4.5° was obtained from this study. When combined with previously reported results from 11 sites in the same region, including sites from the Ritscherflya Supergroup, it gives an overall mean direction for 34 sites from the igneous suite with D=236.5°, I=−3.6°, k=27.9 and α₉₅=4.8°. Isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) experiments on several specimens suggest magnetite or titanomagnetite as the primary remanence carrier, while high temperature magnetic susceptibility experiments indicate the presence of single domain particles. These observations, together with field evidence and the high coercivities and unblocking temperatures, support a primary origin for the observed characteristic remanence. The Borgmassivet palaeomagnetic pole lies at 54.5°E, 8.3°N with A₉₅=3.3°. If Antarctica is moved to its Gondwanan position adjacent to southeast Africa, the Borgmassivet pole (BM) coincides with that of the African well-established, well-dated (1100 Ma) Umkondo Large Igneous Province pole, supporting the hypothesis that the Grunehogna craton of Dronning Maud Land was part of the Kalahari craton of southern Africa at ca. 1100 Ma.  相似文献   

南极无冰区典型沉积环境石英砂表面结构特征及其在沉积环境识别中的应用   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5       下载免费PDF全文

尹雪斌  孙立广  刘晓东 《极地研究》2003,14(1):1-11

本文利用电镜扫描方法 (SEM)对比分析了南极乔治王岛无冰区海滩沉积、冰碛物以及阿德雷岛湖泊沉积等典型沉积环境中的石英砂表面结构特征 ,得出了乔治王岛各典型沉积环境中石英砂表面结构特征的颗粒频率曲线。结果表明 :不同沉积环境下的石英砂颗粒表面结构特征具有相似性 ,这主要和南极地区广泛发育的冰川作用有关 ,同时 ,它们也有各自典型的特征组合 ,这些典型特征组合的不同反映了石英砂后期的搬运历史和沉积环境的差异。本文还依据石英砂表面特征的颗粒出现频率 ,利用聚类分析方法对研究区内三级海岸阶地上的沉积物和一个未知成因的样品进行了沉积环境的判别分析 ,结果证明石英砂微形貌特征可以作为南极地区沉积环境识别的有效手段  相似文献   

南极格罗夫山陨石的研究与展望          下载免费PDF全文

王道德  林杨挺 《极地研究》2003,15(3):161-170

本文综述了我国第 1 5次 ( 1 998/ 1 999)、1 6次 ( 1 999/ 2 0 0 0 )南极科学考察队在东南极格罗夫山冰区回收的 32块陨石的岩石矿物学特征及其分类。这些陨石包括 :2 3块平衡型普通球粒陨石、6块非平衡型普通球粒陨石、1块二辉橄榄岩质火星陨石、1块钙长辉长无球粒陨石、1块未分群的铁陨石。文中还对南极格罗山冰区的陨石富集机制、GRV 980 0 4 (H5 )球粒陨石异常低的宇宙射线暴露年龄、火星陨石的溅射年龄等进行了初步的讨论 ,并对今后格罗夫山陨石的研究提出一些初步想法。  相似文献   

南极考察站废弃物对贼鸥食性的影响          下载免费PDF全文

王自磐 《极地研究》2003,15(3):177-185

对南极乔治王岛菲尔德斯半岛贼鸥的食性生态进行观测与研究 ,结果表明 ,本区贼鸥的食物结构中 ,自然生态类食物百分组成 ,棕贼鸥 (C .s.lonnbergi)占 63.4% ,灰贼鸥 (C .maccormic ki)占 77.8%。同期 ,取自考察站的人类废弃物中垃圾食物的百分组成分别为 36.6%和 2 2 .3%。贼鸥食性对考察站废弃物有一定的依赖性 ,与本区环境质量下降 ,尤其考察站对废弃物的疏于管理有着直接的关系。由此表明 ,强化南极考察人员环境意识 ,建立封闭式废弃物管理系统 ,对保护南极环境有重要意义  相似文献   

Seismic evidence for deep low-velocity anomalies in the transition zone beneath West Antarctica   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Anne Sieminski  Eric Debayle  Jean-Jacques Lévêque 《Earth and Planetary Science Letters》2003,216(4):645-661

We present a three-dimensional (3D) SV-wave velocity model of the upper mantle beneath the Antarctic plate constrained by fundamental and higher mode Rayleigh waves recorded at regional distances. The good agreement between our results and previous surface wave studies in the uppermost 200 km of the mantle confirms that despite strong differences in data processing, modern surface wave tomographic techniques allow to produce consistent velocity models, even at regional scale. At greater depths the higher mode information present in our data set allows us to improve the resolution compared to previous regional surface wave studies in Antarctica that were all restricted to the analysis of the fundamental mode. This paper is therefore mostly devoted to the discussion of the deeper part of the model. Our seismic model displays broad domains of anomalously low seismic velocities in the asthenosphere. Moreover, we show that some of these broad, low-velocity regions can be more deeply rooted. The most remarkable new features of our model are vertical low-velocity structures extending from the asthenosphere down to the transition zone beneath the volcanic region of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica and a portion of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge close to the Balleny Islands hotspot. A deep low-velocity anomaly may also exist beneath the Ross Sea hotspot. These vertical structures cannot be explained by vertical smearing of shallow seismic anomalies and synthetic tests show that they are compatible with a structure narrower than 200 km which would have been horizontally smoothed by the tomographic inversion. These deep low-velocity anomalies may favor the existence of several distinct mantle plumes, instead of a large single one, as the origin of volcanism in and around West Antarctica. These hypothetical deep plumes could feed large regions of low seismic velocities in the asthenosphere.  相似文献   

东南极格罗夫山泛非期麻粒岩相变质作用     

刘晓春 赵越刘小汉  赵子然 《地质论评》2003,49(4):422-431

东南极格罗夫山主要由麻粒岩相高级变质岩和花岗岩类组成，其中变质岩以浅色和暗色含斜方辉石长英质片麻岩占主导地位，夹有少量镁铁质麻粒岩、变沉积岩和含方柱石钙硅酸盐岩。这些岩石一般都展示了平衡的矿物共生结构，但在镁铁质麻粒岩的单斜辉石中普遍发育斜方辉石(易变辉石)的出溶片晶。根据出溶辉石的重组分析获得麻粒岩相变质作用的峰期温度约为850℃，而浅色片麻岩中的石榴子石—斜方辉石—斜长石—石英组合给出的变质压力为0．61～0．67GPa。镁铁质麻粒岩中火成亚钙质普通辉石斑晶的保存表明格罗夫山地区可能只发育单一的泛非期高温麻粒岩相变质事件，岩石在高温变质之后经历了缓慢冷却过程，这主要归因于花岗质岩浆的板底垫托作用。  相似文献   

The Origin and Significance of Antarctic Meteorites     

Ralph Harvey   《Chemie der Erde / Geochemistry》2003,63(2):93-147

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