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14The West Antarctic Rift System is one of the largest continental rifts on Earth. Because it is obscured 15 by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, its evolution is still poorly understood. Here we present the first low-16 temperature thermochronology data from eastern Marie Byrd Land, an area that stretches ~1000 km 17 along the rift system, in order to shed light on its development. Furthermore, we petrographically 18 analysed glacially transported detritus deposited in the marine realm, offshore Marie Byrd Land, to 19 augment the data available from the limited terrestrial exposures. Our data provide information about 20 the subglacial geology, and the tectonic and morphologic history of the rift system. Dominant 21 lithologies of coastal Marie Byrd Land are igneous rocks that intruded (presumably early Paleozoic) 22 low-grade meta-sedimentary rocks. No evidence was found for un-metamorphosed sedimentary rocks 23 exposed beneath the ice. According to the thermochronology data, rifting occurred in two episodes. 24

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