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The last deglaciation of Cape Adare, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2008

Joanne S. Johnson ,
Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand ,
John L. Smellie  and
Sergio Rocchi
Joanne S. Johnson*
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
John L. Smellie
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Sergio Rocchi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Via S. Marie 53, 156126 Pisa, Italy
*
*[email protected]
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Abstract

We present two 10Be exposure ages from erratic boulders at Cape Adare, northern Victoria Land. The exposure ages obtained suggest that Cape Adare was covered by ice during the last glacial period, and the younger age points to deglaciation around 16.2 ka. Comparison of our younger 10Be exposure age with published radiocarbon dates for Adélie penguin occupation at Cape Adare suggests that the onset of penguin colonization (at 2–3 kyr before present) lagged behind the deglaciation by at least 11.5 kyr. These observations indicate that penguin colonization did not occur until several thousand years after ice free ground became available.

Keywords

Adélie penguincosmogenic isotopesgrounding-linelast glacial periodRoss Ice ShelfRoss Sea
Type
Earth Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 20 , Issue 6 , December 2008 , pp. 581 - 587
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2008

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