Sedimentological Signatures of Sub-Amery Ice Shelf Circulation

Two sediment cores collected from beneath the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica describe physical sedimentation patterns. The cores, AM01b and AM02, comprise Holocene siliceous muddy ooze and provide indicators of sediment transport pathways using lithology, 14C surface ages, absolute diatom abundance, and diatom assemblages. Data was published by Geoscience Australia Data and last updated on 2026-03 25.

Use Cases

• Modeling sub-ice shelf circulation patterns based on sediment transport pathway indicators.
• Contrasting basal melt and freeze site sedimentation based on core lithology and composition.
• Dating and correlating marine sediment episodes based on 14C ages and diatom assemblages.
• Investigating the influence of localized topography on ice shelf melt and sediment distribution.

Strengths

• Provides a direct physical contrast between sites of basal freezing (AM01b) and basal melting (AM02).
• Uses multiple indicators for transport pathways: lithology, 14C ages, diatom abundance, and assemblages.
• Includes a dated episode of strong current activity indicated by inclined bedding in the lower 27 cm of core AM01b.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Physical collection and analysis of two sediment cores.

Time Range

Holocene to approximately 28250 ± 230 14C yr bp.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 16:46:09.280768; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Beneath the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica.