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Holocene deglaciation of the Bunger Hills revealed by 14C measurements on stomach oil deposits in snow petrel colonies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2004

Sergey R. Verkulich  and
Achim Hiller
Sergey R. Verkulich
Affiliation:
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg 199226, Bering Street 38, Russia
Achim Hiller
Affiliation:
Arbeitsgruppe Paläoklimatologie an der Universität Leipzig, D-04303 Leipzig, Permoserstraße 15, Germany
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Abstract

Solidified stomach oil deposits in snow petrel colonies in the Antarctic proved to be suitable for 14C dating and provide important palaeobiogeographical and palaeoenvironmental information. Following earlier studies in the Untersee oasis (Central Dronning Maud Land) we present here 14C measurements on comparable deposits from the Bunger Hills (66°10′S, 101°E). The conventional 14C age of the basal layer reflects the occupation age of any particular nesting site and therefore a minimum age for the time when this area became ice-free. According to the 14C results the occupation of the southern part of the Bunger Hills by petrels started about 10000yr ago. The breeding colonies expanded continuously following local ice retreat. The most intensive phases of colonization seem to have been from 8–6 kyr BP and during the past 2 kyr.

Keywords

Antarctica14C datingpalaeoenvironmentornithologypetrelsstomach oil deposits
Type
Papers—Earth Sciences and Glaciology
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , September 1994 , pp. 395 - 399
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 1994

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