Late Wisconsin Reconstruction for the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica

Abstract

AbstractIf sea-level depression in the Ross Sea embayment were: (1) < 120–130 m, or (2) > 120–130 m but sustained for < 104a, it is unlikely that the Ross Ice Shelf would have become fully grounded over the whole continental shelf during Wisconsin times. Sediments flooring the Ross Sea and recent estimates of sea-level lowering and post-glacial emergence yield little support for grounded ice but do provide some evidence for expanded ice-shelf conditions. A reconstruction is presented based on this premise. The model is compatible with glacial geologic results, especially those in the McMurdo Sound area.