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Reconstruction of late Wisconsinan Ice Sheet and sea-level implicationsThe Ross Sea exhibits north-south oriented troughs associated with modern ice streams and outlet glaciers. Seismic reflection profiles across the troughs show evidence that they were glacially eroded. Seismic records show morphologic features interpreted as till tongues, morainal banks, and possibly glacial deltas formed near the grounding line of the former marine ice sheet. Piston cores from the continental shelf penetrated diamictons whose origin and age is problematic. Detailed petrographic analyses of the minerals and rocks comprising these diamictons were conducted to determine subglacial versus glacial marine origin, and to reconstruct the glacial setting of the Ross Sea during the most recent glacial maximum. The most detailed work, conducted in the western Ross Sea, shows that diamictons do occur in distinct petrologic provinces. This is consistent with deposition from the basal debris zone of either an ice sheet or an ice shelf. Overcompaction, in conjunction with the widespread nature of these deposits, favors deposition from marine ice sheets; ice shelves are believed to deposit their basal debris close to the grounding lines. Other results from the investigation are briefly discussed.
Document ID
19930022690
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Anderson, John B.
(Rice Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Goddard Space Flight Center, The First Annual West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Science Workshop
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
93N31879
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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