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Abstract
Journal of Sedimentary Research, Section
B: Stratigraphy and Global Studies
Vol. 67 (1997)No.
2. (March), Pages 264-273
Reconstruction of Preglacial Topography Using a Postglacial Flooding Surface:
Upper Paleozoic Deposits, Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica
John L. Isbell, Greg A. Gelhar, Gina M. Seegers (*)
ABSTRACT
Upper Paleozoic glacial deposits in the central Transantarctic Mountains
are the basal deposits within a late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic basin
that formed along the margin of the East Antarctic Craton. This basin was
a foreland basin throughout much of its history, and was part of a larger-scale
basin that stretched across the paleo-Pacific margin of Gondwanaland. Our
reconstruction of the preglacial topography in the central Transantarctic
Mountains suggests that deposition began within two topographic depressions
located on top of eroded rocks of the lower Paleozoic Ross Orogenic Belt.
Isopach, paleocurrent, and lithofacies data support such a hypothesis.
This interpretation implies that tectonic activity was not a factor in
the formation of the depositional basin, and that little r no tectonic
activity was occurring along the adjacent continental margin during glacial
deposition. Although glacial deposits are present all along the paleo-Pacific
continental margin of Antarctica and Gondwanaland, our findings suggest
that initial sedimentation began within a series of discontinuous depocenters.
A flooding surface that separates upper Paleozoic glacial deposits from
overlying postglacial black shales in the central Transantarctic Mountains
is used as a datum for reconstructing the preglacial topography. The postglacial
flooding surface resulted from flooding of the depositional basin following
collapse of the Gondwanide ice sheet. Results using this approach aided
us in reevaluating the factors that controlled the formation of the depositional
basin in Antarctica and in determining the tectonic setting of the paleo-Pacific
margin of Antarctica during deposition of the upper Paleozoic glacial rocks.
The use of a flooding surface as a datum is a technique that may be useful
for reconstructing paleotopography in other settings.
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