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Chronostratigraphy of the sedimentary record of Limnopolar Lake, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2013

Manuel Toro ,
Ignacio Granados ,
Sergi Pla ,
Santiago Giralt ,
Dermot Antoniades ,
Luis Galán ,
Antonio Martínez Cortizas ,
Hyoun Soo Lim  and
Peter G. Appleby
Manuel Toro*
Affiliation:
Centro de Estudios Hidrográficos (CEDEX), Paseo Bajo Virgen del Puerto, 3, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Ignacio Granados
Affiliation:
Parque Natural de Peñalara, Centro de Investigación y Gestión Puente del Perdón, Ctr. M-604, Km 27.6, 28740 Rascafría, Spain
Sergi Pla
Affiliation:
CSIC-CEAB, Biogeodynamics and Biodiversity Group, C/ Carrer Acces Cala St. Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Spain
Santiago Giralt
Affiliation:
Institute of Earth Sciences, Jaume Almera (CSIC), Lluís Solé i Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Dermot Antoniades
Affiliation:
Centre d’études Nordiques, Pavillon Abitibi-Price, Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
Luis Galán
Affiliation:
Instituto Geológico y Minero de España - IGME, Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain
Antonio Martínez Cortizas
Affiliation:
Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía - Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa, s/n, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Hyoun Soo Lim
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University, Pusan 609-735, Korea
Peter G. Appleby
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

The chronostratigraphy of the sedimentary record of Limnopolar Lake, located on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica), is described based on radionuclides and radiocarbon age dating. The oldest moss macrofossil age was 6700±50 yr bp (7510±80 cal yr bp) from which the age/depth model estimates a basal age for the sedimentary record of c. 8300 cal yr bp, suggesting an earlier deglaciation of Byers Peninsula than reported in previous studies. Lithological units and other stratigraphic zones are described throughout the sediment core, showing different mineralogical composition and a fine alternation of clays and silty clays and moss layers of Drepanocladus longifolius. Based on magnetic susceptibility analyses, a number of probable primary and reworked tephra layers were identified, seven of them confirmed by SEM observations, and most of them in agreement with the regional tephrachronology stratigraphy for the north-west Antarctic Peninsula. Sedimentation rates showed no significant changes during the last 5000 years with the exception of an abrupt event that took place around 5400 cal yr bp, which implied the sedimentation of c. 30 cm of clays in a very short time, probably related to a period of glacial re-advance that caused abrupt changes in geomorphological processes in the catchment.

Keywords

137Cs datingdeglaciationDrepanocladus longifolius210Pb datingradiocarbon datingtephrachronology
Type
Research Articles
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 25 , Issue 2: Byers Peninsula – A New Reference Site For The Maritime Antarctic , April 2013 , pp. 198 - 212
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013

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