Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T21:39:37.334Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Holocene raised beaches at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Carlo Baroni
Affiliation:
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali, Via Ozanam, 4-25128 Brescia, Italy
Giuseppe Orombelli
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano, 34-20133 Milano, Italy Centro di Studio per la Stratigrafia e la Petrografia delle Alpi Centrali, C.N.R., Via Mangiagalli, 34-20133 Milano, Italy

Abstract

More than 40 14C dates for raised beaches at Terra Nova Bay ranging from the present to 7505 ± 230 yr B.P. supply minimum or maximum limiting ages that bracket a relative sea-level curve for this part of Victoria Land. Most samples consist of guano and penguin remains collected from abandoned nesting sites on beach deposits. Up to four 14C dates in stratigraphic sequence have been obtained in two soil profiles. Other samples consist of marine shells collected both within and on the surface of raised beaches. All 14C ages for organisms that lived or fed in circumantarctic waters were corrected for a large reservoir effect. The calibrated ages delimit a first relative sea-level curve for Victoria Land. Rates of uplift ranged from about 10 mm/yr following deglaciation to about 2 mm/yr in the last 3 millennia. Widespread presence of Adélie penguin nesting sites suggests that Terra Nova Bay was deglaciated before 7065 ± 250 yr B.P. (7059/6439 cal yr B.P.), when environmental conditions in the coastal area were similar to the present ones.

Type
Articles
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adamson, D. A. Pickard, J. Cainozoic history of the Vestfold Hills Pickard, J. Antarctic Oasis: Terrestrial Environments and History of the Vest-fold Hills 1986 Academic Press New York 63 97 Google Scholar
Baroni, C. The Hells Gate and Backstairs Passage Ice Shelves. Memorie Società Geologica Italiana 34 1988 1990 123 144 Google Scholar
Baroni, C. Orombelli, G. Indagini geomorfologiche e glaciologiche nella Terra Vittoria (Seconda Spedizione del Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide, 1986–1987). Geografia Fisica Dinamica Quaternaria 10 2, 1987 1989 321 336 Google Scholar
Baroni, C. Orombelli, G. Glacial geology and geomorphology of Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Memorie Società Geologica Italiana 33 1987 1989 171 193 Google Scholar
Campbell, I. B. Claridge, G. G. A sequence of soils from a penguin rookery, Inexpressible Island, Antarctica. New Zealand Journal of Science 9 1966 361 372 Google Scholar
Campbell, I. B. Claridge, G. G. Antarctica: Soils, Weathering Processes, and Environment 1987 Elsevier Amsterdam Google Scholar
Carmignani, L. Ghezzo, C. Gosso, G. Lombardo, B. Meccheri, M. Montrasio, A. Pertusati, P. C. Salvini, F. Geological map of the area between David and Mariner glacier, Victoria Land, Antarctica. Memorie Società Geologica Italiana 33 1987 1988 Google Scholar
Chinn, T. J. Glacial History and Glaciology of Terra Nova Bay Area 1985 Ministry of Work and Development Christchurch, New Zealand Logistic report for K 162, Water and Soil Centre, Christchurch, Report WS 998 Google Scholar
Claridge, G. G. Campbell, I. B. The raised beaches at Inexpressible Island, Antarctica. New Zealand Journal of Science 9 1966 889 900 Google Scholar
Clark, J. A. Lingle, C. S. Predicted relative sea-level changes (18,000 years B.P. to present) caused by late-glacial retreat of the Antarctic ice sheet. Quaternary Research 11 1979 279 298 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
David, T. W. E. Priestley, R. E. Glaciology, physiography, stratigraphy and tectonic geology of South Victoria Land. Report of British Antarctic Expedition 1907–1909 1 1914 319 Google Scholar
Denton, G. H. Armstrong, R. L. Stuiver, M. The late Cenozoic glacial history of Antarctica Turekian, K. K. The Late Cenozoic Glacial Ages 1971 Yale Univ. Press New Haven, CT 267 306 Google Scholar
Denton, G. H. Borns, H. W. Jr. Grosswald, M. G. Stuiver, M. Nichols, R. L. Glacial history of the Ross Sea. Antarctic Journal U.S. 10 1975 160 164 Google Scholar
Denton, G. H. Bockheim, J. G. Wilson, S. C. Stuiver, M. Late Wisconsin and early Holocene glacial history, inner Ross embayment, Antarctica. Quaternary Research 31 1989 151 182 Google Scholar
Drewry, D. J. Antarctica: Glaciological and Geophysical Folio 1983 Scott Polar Research Institute Cambridge Google Scholar
Risher, W. Hureau, J. C. FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes: Southern Ocean 1985 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States Rome Google Scholar
Gregory, M. R. Kirk, R. M. Mabin, M. C. Shore types of Victoria Land, Ross Dependency, Antarctica. New Zealand Antarctic Record 5 1984 23 40 Google Scholar
Hebert, D. Studies on the recent uplift of Antarctic coast terraces based on C-14 ages. Zeitschrift Geologische Wissenshaften 13 1985 373 379 Google Scholar
Kellogg, T. B. Kellogg, D. E. Stuiver, M. Late Quaternary history of the southwestern Ross Sea: Evidence from debris bands on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Antarctic Research Series 50 1990 25 56 Google Scholar
Kurtz, D. D. Bromwich, D. H. A recurring atmospherically forced polynya in Terra Nova Bay Jacobs, S. Oceanology Antarctic Continental Shelf. Antarctic Research Series, American Geophysical Union Vol. 43 1985 177 201 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mabin, M. C. G. 14C ages for “Heroic Era” penguin and seal bones from Inexpressible Island, Terra Nova Bay, North Victoria Land. New Zealand Antarctic Record 6 2 1985 24 25 Google Scholar
Mabin, M. C. G. 14C ages for “Heroic Era” penguin and seal remains from Cape Evans, McMurdo Sound. New Zealand Antarctic Record 7 2 1986 19 20 Google Scholar
Mabin, M. C. G. The Ross Sea section of the Antarctic ice sheet at 18,000 yr B.P.: Evidence from Holocene sea-level changes along the Victoria Land coast. South African Journal of Science 82 1986 506 508 Google Scholar
Nakada, M. Lambeck, K. The melting of the late Pleistocene Antarctic ice sheet. Nature 333 1988 36 40 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichols, R. L. Coastal geomorphology, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology 7 51 1968 449 478 Google Scholar
Omoto, K. The problem and significance of radiocarbon geochronology in Antarctica Oliver, R. L. James, P. R. Jago, J. B. Antarctic Earth Science 1983 Cambridge Univ. Press London/New York 450 452 Google Scholar
Orombelli, G. Le spiagge emerse oloceniche della Baia Terra Nova (Terra Vittoria, Antartide). Atti Academic Nazionale dei Lincei VIII 81 4, 1987 1988 403 416 Google Scholar
Peltier, W. R. Lithospheric thickness, Antarctic deglaciation history, and ocean basin discretization effects in a global model of postglacial sea-level change: A summary of some sources of nonuniqueness. Quaternary Research 29 1988 93 112 Google Scholar
Priestley, R. E. British (Terra Nova) Antarctic Expedition 1910–1913: Physiography (Robertson Bay and Terra Nova Bay regions) 1923 Harrison and Sons London Google Scholar
Skinner, D. N. B. Ricker, J. The geology of the region between the Mawson and Priestley Glaciers, North Victoria Land, Antarctica. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 11 1968 1009 1075 Google Scholar
Speir, T. W. Cowling, J. C. Ornithogenic soils of the Cape Bird Adelie penguin rookeries, Antarctica: 1. Chemical properties. Polar Biology 2 1984 199 205 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, M. Braziunas, T. F. Compilation of isotopic dates from Antarctica. Radiocarbon 27 2a 1985 304 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, M. Denton, G. H. Hughes, T. Fastook, J. L. History of the Marine Ice Sheet in West Antarctica during the last glaciation: A working hypothesis Denton, G. H. Hughes, T. The Last Great Ice Sheets 1981 Wiley New York 319 369 Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. Pearson, G. W. Braziunas, T. Radiocarbon age calibration of marine samples back to 9000 cal yr B.P.. Radiocarbon 28 2b 1986 980 1021 Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. Pearson, G. W. Braziunas, T. Radiocarbon Calibration Program 1987 1987 Univ. of Washington, Quaternary Isotope Lab Rev. 2.0 Google Scholar
Thomas, R. H. Bentley, C. R. A model for Holocene Retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Quaternary Research 10 1978 150 170 Google Scholar
Whitehouse, I. E. Chinn, T. J. Hoefle, H. C. Radiocarbon contaminated penguin bones from Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. New Zealand Antarctic Record 8 3 1988 11 23 Google Scholar
Whitehouse, I. E. Chinn, T. J. Hoefle, H. C. Radiocarbon dates from raised beaches, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Geologisches Jahrbuch E38 1989 321 334 Google Scholar
Wilson, G. H. Taylor, R. H. Distribution and abundance of penguins in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. New Zealand Antarctic Record 6 1 1984 1 7 Google Scholar
Woerner, G. Viereck, L. Subglacial to emergent volcanism at Shield Nunatak, Mt. Melbourne volcanic field, Antarctica. Polarforschung 57 1–2 1987 27 41 Google Scholar
Zhang, Q. Xie, Y. Li, Y. A preliminary study on the evolution of the post-late Pleistocene Vestfold Hills environment, East Antarctica Oliver, R. L. James, P. R. Jago, J. B. Antarctic Earth Science 1983 Cambridge Univ. Press London/New York 473 477 Google Scholar