Reevaluation of the timing and extent of late Paleozoic glaciation in Gondwana: Role of the Transantarctic Mountains

Abstract

Research Article| November 01, 2003 Reevaluation of the timing and extent of late Paleozoic glaciation in Gondwana: Role of the Transantarctic Mountains John L. Isbell; John L. Isbell 1Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Paul A. Lenaker; Paul A. Lenaker 1Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Rosemary A. Askin; Rosemary A. Askin 2Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Molly F. Miller; Molly F. Miller 3Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Loren E. Babcock Loren E. Babcock 4Department of Geological Sciences and Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information John L. Isbell 1Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA Paul A. Lenaker 1Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA Rosemary A. Askin 2Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA Molly F. Miller 3Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA Loren E. Babcock 4Department of Geological Sciences and Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 May 2003 Revision Received: 23 Jul 2003 Accepted: 28 Jul 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (11): 977–980. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19810.1 Article history Received: 07 May 2003 Revision Received: 23 Jul 2003 Accepted: 28 Jul 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation John L. Isbell, Paul A. Lenaker, Rosemary A. Askin, Molly F. Miller, Loren E. Babcock; Reevaluation of the timing and extent of late Paleozoic glaciation in Gondwana: Role of the Transantarctic Mountains. Geology 2003;; 31 (11): 977–980. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19810.1 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 Evidence from Antarctica indicates that a 2000-km-long section of the Transantarctic Mountains—including Victoria Land, the Darwin Glacier region, and the central Transantarctic Mountains—was not located near the center of an enormous Carboniferous to Early Permian ice sheet, as depicted in many paleogeographic reconstructions. Weathering profiles and soft-sediment deformation immediately below the preglacial (pre-Permian) unconformity suggest an absence of ice cover during the Carboniferous; otherwise, multiple glacial cycles would have destroyed these features. The occurrence of glaciotectonite, massive and stratified diamictite, thrust sheets, sandstones containing dewatering structures, and lonestone-bearing shales in southern Victoria Land and the Darwin Glacier region indicate that Permian sedimentation occurred in ice-marginal, periglacial, and/or glaciomarine settings. No evidence was found that indicates the Transantarctic Mountains were near a glacial spreading center during the late Paleozoic. Although these findings do not negate Carboniferous glaciation in Antarctica, they do indicate that Gondwanan glaciation was less widespread, and, therefore, that glacially driven changes to other Earth systems (i.e., glacioeustatic fluctuations, climate) were much smaller than previously hypothesized. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.