Cenozoic climatic change in Antarctica recorded by volcanic activity and landscape evolution

Research Article| July 01, 1999 Cenozoic climatic change in Antarctica recorded by volcanic activity and landscape evolution Pietro Armienti; Pietro Armienti 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitá di Pisa, Via S. Maria n. 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Carlo Baroni Carlo Baroni 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitá di Pisa, Via S. Maria n. 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Pietro Armienti 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitá di Pisa, Via S. Maria n. 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy Carlo Baroni 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitá di Pisa, Via S. Maria n. 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1999) 27 (7): 617–620. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0617:CCCIAR>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Pietro Armienti, Carlo Baroni; Cenozoic climatic change in Antarctica recorded by volcanic activity and landscape evolution. Geology 1999;; 27 (7): 617–620. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0617:CCCIAR>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A long-lasting Cenozoic record (∼50 m.y.) of alkaline igneous rocks characterizes northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Landscape analysis allows distinction between older volcanic and intrusive rocks with well-developed alpine topography sculptured by wet-based glaciers, and younger volcanic cones lacking these features. Many K-Ar and Rb-Sr dates testify that the erosion that formed the alpine landscape ceased between ca. 8.2 and 7.5 Ma. Since ca. 8 Ma, morphological evolution has been driven by cold-based glaciers; warm-based glaciers were no longer active. That this change affected a 300-km-long coastal area suggests a persistent cause of global significance. Glacier dynamics control landscape shaping as a function of ice thickness and temperature, which are driven by climatic conditions. In this view, a significant climatic change occurred in northern Victoria Land between 8.2 and 7.5 Ma. The perfectly preserved serrated alpine ridges, with their delicate spires, testify that no warm-based ice sheets overrode the region after 7.5 Ma and that polar conditions held sway in the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.