PEL inversion

Research on the crustal structure of Princess Elizabeth Land (PEL) is of great importance for studying the composition and tectonic evolution of East Antarctica, and the structure and property feature given by gravity and magnetic anomalies is an effective way to analyze the subglacial crust structure. We collected digital elevation data, satellite gravity data and aeromagnetic data from PEL, and established the density and magnetic susceptibility structure of the crust in the study area through gravity and magnetic inversion methods. Our results indicated that the crust of the PEL subglacial rift experienced large-scale crustal modification by upwelling of mantle-derived material during rifting. In addition, we discovered a high-density and low magnetic crust  adjacent to the northern part of the American Highland with different physical properties from its surroundings, which may is a new terrane that amalgamated into Gondwana during the Pan-African event. We analyzed the coupling between crustal density and magnetic susceptibility, and refered to previous results of crustal elemental subdivision to give a new interpretive model that redefines the eastward extension of the Ruker suture and the boundary of crustal properties within the PEL. This study will facilitate further research into the composition of the PEL during the Gondwana period.