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Marine geological investigation of Edward VIII Gulf, Kemp Coast, East Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2020

Isabel A. Dove*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY13346, USA
Amy Leventer
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY13346, USA
Meredith J. Metcalf
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Earth Science, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT06226, USA
Stefanie A. Brachfeld
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ07043, USA
Robert B. Dunbar
Affiliation:
Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305, USA
Patricia Manley
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT05753, USA
Amelia E. Shevenell
Affiliation:
College of Marine Sciences, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL33701, USA
Richard W. Murray
Affiliation:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA02543, USA
Matthew Hommeyer
Affiliation:
College of Marine Sciences, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL33701, USA
Kelly A. Kryc
Affiliation:
Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA02110, USA
Natalie McLenaghan
Affiliation:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Springs, MD20910, USA
Fiona Taylor
Affiliation:
College of Sciences and Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS7001, Australia
Bruce A. Huber
Affiliation:
Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY10964, USA

Abstract

A physical oceanographic, geophysical and marine geological survey of Edward VIII Gulf, Kemp Coast, collected data from conductivity–temperature–depth casts, multi-beam bathymetric swath mapping and 3.5 kHz sub-bottom surveying. Modified circumpolar deep water (mCDW) is observed in Edward VIII Gulf, as well as notable bathymetric features including mega-scale glacial lineations and a 1750 m-deep trough. Sedimentological, geochemical, rock-magnetic and micropalaeontological analysis of two kasten cores document regional palaeoclimate and palaeo-oceanographic conditions over the past 8000 years, with a warm period occurring from c. 8 to 4 ka and a shift to cooler conditions beginning at c. 4 ka and persisting until at least 0.9 ka. Sediment packages > 40 m thick within deep troughs in Edward VIII Gulf present potential targets for higher-resolution Holocene and deglacial climate studies. Despite the presence of mCDW on the shelf, inland bed topography consisting of highland terrain suggests the likelihood of relative stability of this sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Type
Earth Sciences
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2020

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