Antarctic ice sheet history and stability: baseline palaeoclimate research on the Pagodroma Group, Prince Charles Mountains.

Detailed sedimentary information and palaeontological samples were collected from Battye Glacier Formation, of the Pagodroma Group in the Prince Charles Mountains, an area where little information is presently available. The mid to Upper Cenozoic Pagodroma Group provides direct evidence for past changes in climate and glacial environments from deep within the Antarctic continent. Evidence from several geological formations in the Pagodroma Group, many of them fossil-bearing, will help to determine the history of fluctuations in climate and the size of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). This will provide baseline data to help validate the predictive numerical models of ice sheet dynamics. There is a clear need to study the response of the EAIS to past times of global warming. Periods of significance include times when atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today (Poore and Sloan 1996). Another key time interval is during the late Neogene, prior to the development of Northern Hemisphere glaciation, which has largely governed Antarctic Ice Sheet volume changes during the Quaternary (Clapperton and Sugden 1990; Mabin 1990; Huybrechts 1990, 1992).


An important aspect of the research is to build onto the geological data-set collected by ODP Leg 119, 120 and 188 in Prydz Bay. These operations have concentrated on the periphery of Antarctica and, therefore, record ice sheet retreat and advance at its outer-limits. The Pagodroma Group provides significant information about ice sheet variation at its the inner reaches. Together, these data-sets will shape our understanding of major fluctuations of the ice sheet through the Cenozoic, and will assist and test the models developed to predict ice sheet behavior in the future. Direct geological evidence for climatic conditions and the extent of the ice sheet during times of glacial retreat can be obtained only from onshore geological records, such as the Pagodroma Group. This is important given the current warming trends, expected ice sheet retreat and global sea-level rise, and general lack of geological data from onshore Antarctica for predicting the effects of this on the EAIS.


Fieldwork was conducted during November - December (2000). A number of significant findings were made from the Amery Oasis:

1) New outcrops of the glacio-marine Battye Glacier Formation were located and mapped. Up to 800 m of geological section was logged and sampled. Similar Antarctic records have only been made available through expensive international drilling efforts around the Antarctic shelf. This project highlights that there are extensive records exposed on land, that can be studied for a fraction of the cost of off-shore marine geoscience.

2) Unique diatomaceous marine mudstone deposits were discovered (~9 m thick). This is the most diatomaceous (up to 12% biogenic silica), in situ marine deposit that has have been found from inland Antarctica. Diatom biostratigraphy indicates that the formation is middle - late Miocene in age.

3) In situ and articulate marine mollusc fossil horizons were discovered. These occur over a lateral distance of ~ 1km and provide undisputable evidence for a major ice sheet retreat in the past.

4) Three erratics containing marine mollusc fossils were discovered. These erratic are potentially Cretaceous in age (Stilwell, pers. comm.). This is the first marine sediment of this age found in the Lambert Graben catchment.


Eleven pdf figures are available for download from the provided URL. Also included is a text file which explains what each of the figures are. Furthermore, two excel spreadsheets of data are also available.


The two excel spreadsheets in the download directly relate to the paper Whitehead, et al (2003).


Some explanatory notes for the excel files are:


Qualitative assessment of fossil preservation

vf = very fragmented with a few intact specimens seen per traverse of a microscope slide.

mf = moderately fragmented with an intact specimen seen every few fields of view (at 600x magnification).


See Whitehead et al (2003) for more information.


Qualitative fossil abundance, where

X = (present) one valve (Diatom valves)/fossil seen during entire examination.

R = (rare) greater than 3 valves/fossils seen during all microscope traverses on slide.

F = (few) greater than 1 valve/fossil per 10 microscope fields of view (at 600x magnification).

C = (common) valves/fossils in each microscope field of view (at 600x magnification).


The fields in this dataset are:


Stratigraphic Intervals

Samples

Opal%

McLeod Beds

Bed A

clasts

Fossil Preservation

Benthic Diatom Abundance

Species

Bardin Bluffs Formation

Fisher Bench Formation

Diatoms

Simple

Identification info

Alternate title
Antarctic ice sheet history and stability: baseline palaeoclimate research on the Pagodroma Group, Prince Charles Mountains.
Date (Publication)
2004-03-26
Edition
1
Citation identifier
Dataset DOI

Title
Information and documentation - Digital object identifier system
Date (Publication)
2012-04-23
Citation identifier
ISO 26324:2012

Citation identifier
doi:10.4225/15/554AC71C058DA

Originator

McMinn, A. and Whitehead, J.

Publisher

Australian Antarctic Data Centre

Principal investigator

MCMINN, ANDREW
Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies
University of Tasmania
Private Bag 77
Hobart
Tasmania
7001
Australia

Collaborator

WHITEHEAD, JASON
IASOS
GPO BOX 252-77
University of Tasmania
Hobart
Tasmania
7001
Australia
Name
CAASM Metadata
Website
https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_1220

Status
Completed

Custodian

AU/AADC > Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia - AADC, DATA OFFICER (DATA CENTER CONTACT)
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Highway
Kingston
Tasmania
7050
Australia
Topic category
  • Climatology, meteorology, atmosphere
  • Elevation
  • Environment
  • Geoscientific information
  • Inland waters
  • Oceans

Extent

N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


Extent

Description
Temporal Coverage

Temporal extent

TimePeriod
2000-11-01 2000-12-20

Extent

Description
Vertical Extent - Altitude

Vertical element

Minimum value
300
Maximum value
300
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:cs:EPSG:6499
Name
Vertical CS. Axis: height (H). Orientation: up. UoM: m.
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:axis:EPSG:114
Name
height

Extent

Description
Vertical Extent - Altitude

Vertical element

Minimum value
300
Maximum value
300
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:cs:EPSG:6499
Name
Vertical CS. Axis: height (H). Orientation: up. UoM: m.
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:axis:EPSG:114
Name
height

Extent

Description
Vertical Extent - Altitude

Vertical element

Minimum value
300
Maximum value
300
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:cs:EPSG:6499
Name
Vertical CS. Axis: height (H). Orientation: up. UoM: m.
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:axis:EPSG:114
Name
height

Extent

Description
Vertical Extent - Altitude

Vertical element

Minimum value
300
Maximum value
300
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:cs:EPSG:6499
Name
Vertical CS. Axis: height (H). Orientation: up. UoM: m.
Identifier
urn:x-ogc:def:axis:EPSG:114
Name
height
Title
Ice-distal Upper Miocene marine strata from inland Antarctica
Date (Publication)
2003
Citation identifier
50

Author

Whitehead J.M., Harwood, D.M. and McMinn, A.
Name
Sedimentology
Page
531-552
Title
Mid-Tertiary macroinvertebrate-rich clasts from the Battye Glacier Formation, Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica
Date (Publication)
2002
Citation identifier
14

Author

Stilwell, J.D., Harwood, D.M. and Whitehead, J.M.
Name
Antarctic Science
Issue identification
1
Page
69-73
Title
Geochemical and Rock Magnetic Records from Sediments of the Cenozoic Pagodroma Group, Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica: Implications for Provenance and Weathering
Date (Publication)
2003
Citation identifier
15

Author

Bloemendal, J., Ehrmann, W., Hambrey, M.J., McKelvey, B. and Whitehead, J.
Name
Antarctic Science
Issue identification
3
Page
365-378
Title
Variations in the composition of the clay fraction of the Pagodroma Group: implications for determining provenance
Date (Publication)
2003
Citation identifier
161

Author

Ehrmann, W., Bloemendal, J., Hambrey, M.J., McKelvey, B.C., and Whitehead, J.M.
Name
Sedimentary Geology
Issue identification
1-2
Page
131-152
Title
Cenozoic history of Antarctic benthic diatoms.
Date (Publication)
2005
Citation identifier
29

Citation identifier
doi:10.1080/03115510508619565

Author

Whitehead, J.M.
Name
Alcheringa
Issue identification
1
Page
151-169
NASA/GCMD Earth Science Keywords
  • EARTH SCIENCE > CRYOSPHERE > GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS > ICE SHEETS
  • EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > EROSION/SEDIMENTATION > EROSION
  • EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > EROSION/SEDIMENTATION > SEDIMENTATION
  • EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > EROSION/SEDIMENTATION > STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE
  • EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES
  • EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > SEDIMENTATION
  • EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > TERRIGENOUS SEDIMENTS
  • EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > LAND RECORDS > MACROFOSSILS
  • EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > LAND RECORDS > MICROFOSSILS
Keywords
  • ANTARCTICA
  • BARDIN BLUFFS FORMATION
  • BENTHIC DIATOM ABUNDANCE
  • CENOZOIC
  • CLASTS
  • DIATOM
  • FISHER BENCH FORMATION
  • FOSSIL PRESERVATION
  • MARINE
  • MCLEOD BEDS
  • MIOCENE
  • MOLLUSC
  • NEOGENE
  • OPAL
  • PAGODROMA GROUP
  • PLIOCENE
  • PRINCE CHARLES MOUNTAINS
  • SAMPLES
  • SEDIMENT
  • SPECIES
  • STRATIGRAPHIC INTERVALS
GCMD Palaeo Temporal Coverage
  • Palaeo Start Date
  • Palaeo Stop Date
NASA/GCMD Earth Science Keywords
  • PHANEROZOIC > CENOZOIC
NASA/GCMD Earth Science Keywords
  • AMD/AU
  • CEOS
  • AMD
NASA/GCMD Earth Science Keywords
  • CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > Prince Charles Mountains
  • CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > Amery Oasis
  • GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Resource constraints

Use limitation
This metadata record is publicly available.

Resource constraints

Access constraints
licence
Other constraints
PDF copies of figures and excel spreadsheets of data are publicly available for download from the provided URL. A copy of the referenced Sedimentology paper is available for download to AAD staff only.

Resource constraints

File type
Portable Network Graphic
Linkage
Creative Commons by Attribution logo

Title
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Website
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Legal code for Creative Commons by Attribution 4.0 International license

Use constraints
licence
Other constraints
This data set conforms to the CCBY Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_1220 when using these data.
Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

Distribution Information

Distributor

Distributor

AU/AADC > Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia - AADC, DATA OFFICER (DATA CENTER CONTACT)
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Highway
Kingston
Tasmania
7050
Australia

Distributor

Fees
free
Planned available datetime
2004-03-26T00:00:00

Distributor

Fees
free
Planned available datetime
2004-03-26T00:00:00
Units of distribution
kb
Transfer size
827
Distribution format
  • pdf, excel, text

Units of distribution
MB
Transfer size
18.5
Distribution format
  • pdf

OnLine resource
GET DATA

Download point for the data

OnLine resource
PROJECT HOME PAGE

Public information for ASAC project 1220

OnLine resource
VIEW RELATED INFORMATION > PUBLICATIONS

Download point for the paper - AAD Staff Only

OnLine resource
VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Citation reference for this metadata record and dataset

Maintenance and update frequency
As needed
Maintenance note
2015-04-30 - record updated by Dave Connell - basic updates.

Metadata

Metadata identifier
string/ASAC_1220

Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

Author

MCMINN, ANDREW
Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies
University of Tasmania
Private Bag 77
Hobart
Tasmania
7001
Australia

Sponsor

Australian Antarctic Division

Owner

AADC

Type of resource

Resource scope
Dataset

Alternative metadata reference

Title
gov.nasa.gsfc.gcmd
Citation identifier
f8cf85a3-d1b4-4f13-a0c9-6c8795010b0b

Alternative metadata reference

Title
gov.nasa.gsfc.gcmd
Date (Last Revision)
2015-11-30T04:48:52

Identifier

Description
metadata.extraction_date

Alternative metadata reference

Title
gov.nasa.gsfc.gcmd
Citation identifier
8.6

Metadata linkage
http://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/ASAC_1220

Point of truth for the metadata record

Date info (Creation)
2000-08-10T00:00:00
Date info (Last Update)
2017-04-26

Metadata standard

Title
ISO 19115-3
Edition
2014
Other citation details
Version 1
Title
DIF to ISO 19115-1 Profile
 
 

Overviews

Spatial extent

N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


Keywords


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