Neogene tectonic and climatic evolution of the Western Ross
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TitleNeogene tectonic and climatic evolution of the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica - Chronology of events from the AND-1B drill holeAbstractStratigraphic drilling from the McMurdo Ice Shelf in the 2006/2007 austral summer recovered a 1284.87m sedimentary succession from beneath the sea floor. Key age data for the core include magnetic polarity stratigraphy for the entire succession, diatom biostratigraphy for the upper 600m and 40Ar/39Ar ages for in-situ volcanic deposits as well as reworked volcanic clasts. A vertical seismic profile for the drill hole allows correlation between the drill hole and a regional seismic network and inference of age constraint by correlation with well-dated regional volcanic events through direct recognition of interlayered volcanic deposits as well as by inference from flexural loading of pre-existing strata. The combined age model implies relatively rapid (1m/2-5ky) accumulation of sediment punctuated by hiatuses, which account for approximately 50% of the record. Three of the longer hiatuses coincide with basin-wide seismic reflectors and, along with two thick volcanic intervals, they subdivide the succession into seven chronostratigraphic intervals with characteristic facies:
1.The base of the cored succession (1275-1220mbsf) comprises middle Miocene volcaniclastic sandstone dated at approx 13.5Ma by several reworked volcanic clasts;
2.A late-Miocene sub-polar orbitally controlled glacial-interglacial succession (1220-760mbsf) bounded by two unconformities correlated with basin-wide reflectors associated with early development of the terror rift;
3.A late Miocene volcanigenic succession (760-596mbsf) terminating with a ~ 1my hiatus at 596.35mbsf which spans the Miocene-Pliocene boundary and is not recognised in regional seismic data;
4.An early Pliocene obliquity-controlled alternating diamictite and diatomite glacial-interglacial succession (590-440mbsf), separated from;
5.A late Pliocene obliquity-controlled alternating diamictite and diatomite glacial-interglacial succession (440-150mbsf) by a 750ky unconformity interpreted to represent a major sequence boundary at other locations;
6.An early Pleistocene interbedded volcanic, diamictite and diatomite succession (150-80mbsf), and;
7.A late Pleistocene glacigene succession (80-0mbsf) comprising diamictite dominated sedimentary cycles deposited in a polar environment. Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V.AcknowledgementsThe ANDRILL project is a multinational collaboration between the Antarctic programmes of Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United States. Antarctica New Zealand is the project operator and developed the drilling system in collaboration with Alex Pyne at Victoria University of Wellington and Webster Drilling and Enterprises Ltd. Antarctica New Zealand supported the drilling team at Scott Base, and Raytheon Polar Services Corporation supported the science team at McMurdo Station and the Crary Science and Engineering Center. The ANDRILL Science Management Office at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provided science planning and operational support. Scientific studies are jointly supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), NZ Ministry of Science and Innovation (MSI) and the Marsden Fund, the Italian Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
1.The base of the cored succession (1275-1220mbsf) comprises middle Miocene volcaniclastic sandstone dated at approx 13.5Ma by several reworked volcanic clasts;
2.A late-Miocene sub-polar orbitally controlled glacial-interglacial succession (1220-760mbsf) bounded by two unconformities correlated with basin-wide reflectors associated with early development of the terror rift;
3.A late Miocene volcanigenic succession (760-596mbsf) terminating with a ~ 1my hiatus at 596.35mbsf which spans the Miocene-Pliocene boundary and is not recognised in regional seismic data;
4.An early Pliocene obliquity-controlled alternating diamictite and diatomite glacial-interglacial succession (590-440mbsf), separated from;
5.A late Pliocene obliquity-controlled alternating diamictite and diatomite glacial-interglacial succession (440-150mbsf) by a 750ky unconformity interpreted to represent a major sequence boundary at other locations;
6.An early Pleistocene interbedded volcanic, diamictite and diatomite succession (150-80mbsf), and;
7.A late Pleistocene glacigene succession (80-0mbsf) comprising diamictite dominated sedimentary cycles deposited in a polar environment. Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V.AcknowledgementsThe ANDRILL project is a multinational collaboration between the Antarctic programmes of Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United States. Antarctica New Zealand is the project operator and developed the drilling system in collaboration with Alex Pyne at Victoria University of Wellington and Webster Drilling and Enterprises Ltd. Antarctica New Zealand supported the drilling team at Scott Base, and Raytheon Polar Services Corporation supported the science team at McMurdo Station and the Crary Science and Engineering Center. The ANDRILL Science Management Office at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provided science planning and operational support. Scientific studies are jointly supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), NZ Ministry of Science and Innovation (MSI) and the Marsden Fund, the Italian Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).
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1st AuthorWilson, G.AuthorWilson, G.Levy, R.Naish, T.Powell, R.Florindo, F.Ohneiser, C.Sagnotti, L.Winter, D.Cody, R.Henrys, S.Ross, J.Krissek, L.Niessen, F.Pompillio, M.Scherer, R.Alloway, B.Barrett, P.Brachfeld, S.Browne, G.Carter, L.Cowan, E.Crampton, J.DeConto, R.Dunbar, G.Dunbar, N.Dunbar, R.von Eynatten, H.Gebhardt, C.Giorgetti, G.Graham, I.Hannah, M.Hansaraj, D.Harwood, D.Hinnov, L.Jarrard, R.Joseph, L.Kominz, M.Kuhn, G.Kyle, P.Laufer, A.McIntosh, W.McKay, R.Maffioli, P.Magens, D.Millan, C.Monien, D.Morin, R.Paulsen, T.Persico, D.Pollard, D.Raine, J.Riesselman, C.Sandroni, S.Schmitt, D.Sjunneskog, C.Strong, C.Talarico, F.Taviani, M.Villa, G.Vogel, S.Wilch, T.Williams, T.Wilson, T.Wise, S.Year2012JournalGlobal and Planetary ChangeVolume96-97Pages189-203DOI10.1016/j.gloplacha.2012.05.019URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/recor.....0752240daf23e6356e2b9776fKeywordsAge constraintsAge dataAntarcticaAustral summersChronostratigraphyClimatic evolutionDrill holeFlexural loadingIce sheetIce shelvesIn-situLate MioceneLate PleistoceneLate PlioceneMiddle MioceneNeo genesNeogene tectonicPleistocenePliocenePolar environmentsRoss SeaSea floorSeismic datasSeismic networksSeismic reflectorsSequence boundaryVertical seismic profilesVolcanic depositsVolcanic eventVolcaniclastics, DepositsGlacial geologyLoadingReflectionRock drillsSedimentologySeismologyStratigraphyTectonics, Volcanoes, biostratigraphychronologydiamictitedrillingNeogeneseafloorsuccessiontectonic evolution, AntarcticaEast AntarcticaMcMurdo Ice ShelfRoss SeaSouthern Ocean, BacillariophytaZanclea, rank5Author KeywordsChronostratigraphyIce Sheet historyMcMurdo Ice ShelfNeogeneStratigraphic DrillingTectonics
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TypeArticleCitationWilson, G.Levy, R.Naish, T.Powell, R.Florindo, F.Ohneiser, C.Sagnotti, L.Winter, D.Cody, R.Henrys, S.Ross, J.Krissek, L.Niessen, F.Pompillio, M.Scherer, R.Alloway, B.Barrett, P.Brachfeld, S.Browne, G.Carter, L.Cowan, E.Crampton, J.DeConto, R.Dunbar, G.Dunbar, N.Dunbar, R.von Eynatten, H.Gebhardt, C.Giorgetti, G.Graham, I.Hannah, M.Hansaraj, D.Harwood, D.Hinnov, L.Jarrard, R.Joseph, L.Kominz, M.Kuhn, G.Kyle, P.Laufer, A.McIntosh, W.McKay, R.Maffioli, P.Magens, D.Millan, C.Monien, D.Morin, R.Paulsen, T.Persico, D.Pollard, D.Raine, J.Riesselman, C.Sandroni, S.Schmitt, D.Sjunneskog, C.Strong, C.Talarico, F.Taviani, M.Villa, G.Vogel, S.Wilch, T.Williams, T.Wilson, T.Wise, S. (2012) Neogene tectonic and climatic evolution of the Western Ross Sea, Antarctica - Chronology of events from the AND-1B drill hole. Global and Planetary Change, 96-97: 189-203IdentifierWilson2012bRelevancerank5
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Wise, S., Neogene tectonic and climatic evolution of the Western Ross, [Wilson2012b]. Antarctica NZ, accessed 09/07/2025, https://adam.antarcticanz.govt.nz/nodes/view/63819, 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2012.05.019