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The deglacial history of NW Alexander Island, Antarctica, from surface exposure dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Joanne S. Johnson ,
Jeremy D. Everest ,
Philip T. Leat ,
Nicholas R. Golledge ,
Dylan H. Rood  and
Finlay M. Stuart
Joanne S. Johnson*
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
Jeremy D. Everest
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3LA, UK
Philip T. Leat
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
Nicholas R. Golledge
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3LA, UK Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Dylan H. Rood
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550-9234, USA
Finlay M. Stuart
Affiliation:
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride G75 0QF, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: + 44 1223 362616. E-mail address:jsj@bas.ac.uk (J.S. Johnson).
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Abstract

Recent changes along the margins of the Antarctic Peninsula, such as the collapse of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, have highlighted the effects of climatic warming on the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS). However, such changes must be viewed in a long-term (millennial-scale) context if we are to understand their significance for future stability of the Antarctic ice sheets. To address this, we present nine new cosmogenic 10Be exposure ages from sites on NW Alexander Island and Rothschild Island (adjacent to the Wilkins Ice Shelf) that provide constraints on the timing of thinning of the Alexander Island ice cap since the last glacial maximum. All but one of the 10Be ages are in the range 10.2–21.7 ka, showing a general trend of progressive ice-sheet thinning since at least 22 ka until 10 ka. The data also provide a minimum estimate (490 m) for ice-cap thickness on NW Alexander Island at the last glacial maximum. Cosmogenic 3He ages from a rare occurrence of mantle xenoliths on Rothschild Island yield variable ages up to 46 ka, probably reflecting exhumation by periglacial processes.

Keywords

Cosmogenic nuclidesErraticsIce sheetRefugiaWilkins Ice ShelfLast glacial maximum
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 77 , Issue 2 , March 2012 , pp. 273 - 280
Copyright
University of Washington

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