Ocean Drilling Program Leg 119 collected sediment clast samples from Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, between December 1987 and February 1988. The dataset records a prograding sequence of glacially dominated sediments from the Late Palaeozoic to Quaternary. The Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) provides this data via NASA Earthdata.
Use Cases
- Analyze sediment clast composition to infer glacial ice derivation and source rock geology in East Antarctica.
- Correlate sediment layers across the Prydz Bay transect to reconstruct the prograding sequence and glacial advance/retreat history.
- Use the recorded sedimentary record to date the onset of large-scale Antarctic glaciation, estimated at 36-40 million years ago.
- Study intervals of no core recovery or breaks in the record as potential evidence of periods of glacial retreat.
Strengths
- Data originates from a systematic Ocean Drilling Program transect of six holes across the Prydz Bay inner shelf to continental slope.
- Sedimentary record extends the known onset of major Antarctic glaciation back to an estimated 36-40 million years ago.
- Samples provide a direct physical record of glacially dominated sediments from a key Antarctic location.
Limitations
- Sample size is limited to cores from five specific holes drilled in Prydz Bay.
- The abstract notes 'breaks in the record and intervals of no recovery,' indicating incomplete temporal coverage.
- Good calibration standards for sediments were not available at the time of collection, potentially affecting some analyses.
Provenance
- Source
- Ocean Drilling Program Leg 119, provided by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) via NASA Earthdata.
- Collection Method
- Sediment core samples collected via ocean drilling during a research cruise.
- Time Range
- Sediments range from possible Late Palaeozoic to Quaternary, with drilling conducted December 1987 to February 1988.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Prydz Bay at the mouth of the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctic continental shelf.