Glacial history of the Framnes Mountains, East Antarctica.

Geological evidence from the Framnes Mountain, East Antarctica, will reveal changes in ice thickness from the Last Glacial Maximum 20,000 years ago to the present. A computer simulation of changes in ice thickness will show how the ice sheet interacts with climate and sea level, which is important for predicting future changes.

Cosmogenic isotope samples were taken from 29 locations including Welch Island (1 sample), Mawson area (1 sample), Mt Henderson area (7 samples), and the northern (13 samples), central (3 samples) and southern (2 samples) Masson ranges. No samples were taken from the Casey Range or the David Range (with the exception of the Mt Hordern area (2 samples). Mapping of the glacial geology was undertaken - few trimlines were evident and moraines where present consisted dominantly of local lithologies. The glacial clasts sampled for cosmogenic isotope analysis were felsic erratics perched on or near to stable hilltop surfaces, with clear sky exposure (conditions ideal for cosmogenic isotope dating).

Sediment analyses to support interpretations of the glacial history are being undertaken in 2004-2005.

The fields in this dataset are:

Site
Location
Altitude
Erratic
Rock
Gravel
Sand
Salt
Schmidt Hammer
Weathering