Seismic Stratigraphy Record of East Antarctic Ice Shelf Evolution

Seismo-stratigraphic evidence from the George V Basin reconstructs late Quaternary ice sheet and ice shelf extent. The analysis integrates Chirp sub-bottom profiles, multi-channel seismic data, and sediment cores to distinguish four glacial facies and two sediment drift deposit facies. The dataset was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Reconstruct past ice shelf extent using identified glacial facies (Facies 1-4) and sediment drift deposits (Facies MD1, MD2).
• Correlate glacial advance events with the Last Glacial Maximum using radiocarbon ages from sediment cores tied to facies MD2.
• Analyze the relationship between water depth (e.g., <500 m for ice-keel turbation, >775 m for undisturbed drifts) and preserved glacial features.
• Model ice shelf grounding history by distinguishing between facies formed during grounded ice advance and those deposited under floating ice shelves.
• Investigate meltwater discharge contributions during the last deglaciation using evidence of sea-level rise sensitivity in the East Antarctic fringe.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple data sources: Chirp sub-bottom profiles, multi-channel seismic data, and physical sediment cores.
• Distinguishes six specific facies types related to glacial advance, retreat, and sediment deposition.
• Provides temporal constraints through radiocarbon dating of sediment cores linked to the Last Glacial Maximum.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is limited to the specific George V Basin study area in East Antarctica.
• Sample data and specific row/column counts or file sizes are unavailable for assessing dataset scale.
• The primary data format is HTML, which may not be a standard, machine-readable data format for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Analysis of Chirp sub-bottom profiles integrated with multi-channel seismic data and sediment cores.

Time Range

Late Quaternary period, specifically including the Last Glacial Maximum.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

George V Basin, East Antarctica.