The pre-Devonian structural and metamorphic history of the basement in the Victoria and Wright Valleys

The pre-Devonian structural and metamorphic history of the basement in the Victoria and Wright Valleys, with emphasis on the depth of burial and amount of uplift prior to Beacon sedimentation, was investigated to add insight into the uplift history of the Transantarctic Mountains in the McMurdo Sound region. Detailed structural mapping and the collection of structural data and a representative suite of the metamorphic rocks was collected from Robertson Ridge in the lower Victoria Valley and the ridges between the Meserve and Goodspeed Valleys in the lower Wright Valley. Nine large samples of granitoids and related rocks were collected for U-Pb zircon dating. Collected rocks were analyzed for metamorphic petrology to assess the pressure-temperature conditions and allow an estimate of the original depth of burial of the rocks.Lab work and structural analysis of the field data should provide an integrated tectonic history of the McMurdo portion of the Transantarctic Mountains prior to commencement of depositon of the Beacon Supergroup in the Devonian.