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Rock samples for fission track dating from several locations along the Victoria Land coast, used to obtain rates of uplift and vertical movement of the Transantarctic Mountains
Abstract:
The study of mountain uplift using fission-track dating techniques requires sampling at regular intervals over significant elevation ranges in order to gain information representing the greatest possible time period. Granite Harbour, Wilson Piedmont Glacier, Ferrar Glacier, Miers Valley, The Blue Glacier, New Harbour and the Beardmore Glacier area, contain exposures with relief of up to 2,500m ... over short horizontal distances, were visited for reconnaissance mapping of the basement looking for physical evidence of faulting such as displaced surfaces or crush zones and for collected of samples for fission-track dating in order to obtain uplift rates and measure vertical movement and timing of faulting. Samples were taken within the Granite Harbour area from Cape Roberts as far west as the Clare Range, with samples taken every few kilometres. Vertical sampling profiles were taken at Discovery Bluff, Mt England, Red Ridge, Queer Mountain and Sperm Bluff. Limited sampling was done on the north side of Granite Harbour on a line from Gregory Island to the western end of Kar Plateau with vertical sampling profiles on Lion Island and The Dreikanter. Cuff Cape and the Flatiron were also sampled. The Wilson Piedmont area was mapped and sampling in the Greenwood Valley, Victoria Lower Glacier and Wright Lower Glacier regions.
A number of samples were also taken from coastal outcrops at Gneiss Point, Spike Cape and Dunlop Island. Hanson Ridge and along the Mt Doorly Spur as far west as Mt Allen was sampled with a vertical sampling profile taken off the north ridge of the peak midway between Mt Allen and Mt Doorly. A few samples were taken from Staeffler Ridge and vertical profile off Pond Peak. In the Wright Lower Glacier area, Kingpin was sampled and a vertical sampling profile taken on Mt Newalls eastern spur. Three vertical sampling profiles were taken on the steep south wall of the Kukri Hills in the Ferrar Glacier area. Vertical sampling in the Buddha Dolerite in the Miers Valley was completed with a vertical sampling profile and five samples covering 600m elevation starting from the top of Surveyors Peak.
A horizontal sampling line across the TAM front was started at the coast and continued along the ridge between the Marshall and Miers Valleys extending across the Blue Glacier and up the ridge south of Salient Glacier. Samples were also taken from other ridges in the Blue Glacier area to try and tie down structural trends. A vertical sampling profile and samples were taken from across the north end of the Blue Glacier/Briggs Hills area. Samples were received from the CIROS-2 core from New Harbour at 167m below sea floor. A vertical sampling profile was taken off the eastern end of the Kukri Hills, starting from the top of Mt Barnes and another on the south side of the harbour. Samples were taken from Hjorth Hill, Mt Coleman, Mt Falconer and the south ridge of Mt McLennan and Mt Herb. Coastal regions around the mouth of the Beardmore Glacier and from both the north and south side of the lower Beardmore and inland in the Millar and Queen Elizabeth Ranges were sampled. A vertical sampling profile was taken in the Mt Ida - Granite Pillars area lying just to the north of the Beardmore Glacier and from Cleft Peak. A horizontal sampling traverse was taken from Mt Hope westward to The Cloudmaker and from Mt Robert Scott west to Mt Patrick. A vertical sampling profile was taken off McDonald Bluff to the Marsh Glacier to the test fission track dating method against direct geological observation of Grindley (1967). Moody nunatuk, lying across the Marsh Glacier was sampled, as were various localities in the Queen Elizabeth Range.
Quality
The collected rock samples were catalogued in the appropriate fashion for storage. However, they have subsequently been discarded and no samples are remaining. All data is contained in the publications. Please contact the investigator for more information.
Fitzgerald, P.G. 1987. Uplift history of the Transantarctic Mountains in the Ross Sea sector and a model for their formation. PhD thesis, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Fitzgerald, P. Bedrock studies. in: Immediate report - Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition 28, 1983/84.Pyne A. (ed) Wellington: Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of ... Wellington. 1984. pp.15-20
Fitzgerald, P. Bedrock studies. in: Immediate report - Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition 29, 1984/85.Pyne A. (ed) Wellington: Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington. 1985. pp.22-25
Fitzgerald, P.G. Sandiford, M. Barrett, P.J. Gleadow, A.J.W. Asymmetric extension in the Transantarctic Mountains and Ross Embayment. Earth and planetary science letters 81(1): 67-78, 1986.
Fitzgerald, P.G. Barrett, P.J. Skolithos in a Permian braided river deposit, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology 52(3/4): 237-247, 1986.
Fitzgerald, P.G. Fission track tectonics of the Transantarctic Mountains, Beardmore Glacier area. Antarctic journal of the United States 21: 38-41, 1986.
Fitzgerald, P. Fission track studies - Beardmore Glacier. in: Immediate report - Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition 30, 1985/86.Barrett P.J. (ed) Wellington: Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington. 1986. pp.13-17
Fitzgerald, P.G. Gleadow, A.J.W. Fission-track geochronology, tectonics and structure of the Transantarctic Mountains in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Chemical geology 73: 169-198, 1988.
Fitzgerald, P.G. Gleadow, A.J.W. New approaches in fission track geochronology as a tectonic tool: examples from the Transantarctic Mountains. Nuclear tracks and radiation measurements 17(3): 351-357, 1990.
Fitzgerald, P.G. Transantarctic Mountains of southern Victoria Land: the application of apatite fission track analysis to a rift shoulder uplift. Tectonics 11(3): 634-662, 1992.
Fitzgerald, P.G. Thermochronologic constraints on post-Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica. Tectonics 13(4): 818-836, 1994.
Fitzgerald, P.G. Uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains: constraints from fission track thermochronology. in: LIRA Workshop on Landscape Evolution : a multidisciplinary approach to the relationship between Cenozoic climate change and tectonics in the Ross Sea area, Antarctica.van der Wateren F.M. Verbers A.L.L. Tessensohn F. (eds) Haarlem, The Netherlands: Rijks Geologische Dienst. 1994. pp.41-45
Fitzgerald, P.G. Cretaceous-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Antarctic Plate. Terra Antartica 3: 109-130, 1999.
Gleadow, A.J.W. Fitzgerald, P.G. Uplift history and structure of the Transantarctic Mountains: new evidence from fission track dating in the Dry Valley area, southern Victoria Land. Earth and planetary science letters 82(1/2): 1-14, 1987.
Wagner, G.A. Gleadow, A.J.W. Fitzgerald, P.G. The significance of the partial annealing zone in the apatite-fission-track-analysis: uplift chronology of the Transantarctic Mountains. Isotope geoscience 79: 295-305, 1989.
Kamp, P.J.J. Fitzgerald, P.G. Geologic constraints on the Antarctica-Australia-Pacific relative plate motion circuit. Geology 15(8): 694-697, 1987.
Fitzgerald, P. 2002. Tectonics and landscape evolution of the Antarctic plate since the breakup of Gondwana, with an emphasis on the West Antarctic Rift System and the Transantarctic Mountains. Royal Society of New Zealand Bulletin 35: 453-469.
Barrett, P.J. And Fitzgerald, P.G. 1985. Deposition of the lower feather conglomerate, a permian braided river deposit in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, with notes on the regional paleogeography. Sedimentary Geology 45: 189-208.
Fitzgerald, P.G., Balwin, S.L., Webb, L.E. And O'Sullivan, P.B. 2006. Interpretation of (U-Th)/He single grain ages from slowly cooled crustal terranes: A case stufy from the Transantarctic Mountains of south Victoria Land. Chemical Geology 225: 91-120.
