KAr dates and paleomagnetic evidence for Cretaceous alteration of Mesozoic basaltic lava flows, Mesa Range, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Faure, Gunter; Mensing, Teresa M.

doi:10.1016/0009-2541(93)90077-v

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In support of Cretaceous denudation are the Rb -Sr and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations on apophyllite in Ferrar basaltic rocks, which are interpreted to reflect uplift and reorganization of ground water systems with consequent mineral precipitation Molzahn et al 1999). Further, in north Victoria Land, lowtemperature alteration of Ferrar lavas in the Cretaceous is also recorded by Rb -Sr relationships, K -Ar dates and palaeomagnetic pole positions (summarized in Faure & Mensing 1993;Fleming et al 1993). The Transantarctic Mountains are segmented geographically and topographically, and this is consistent with the fission-track data, which suggest a number of individual blocks, delineated by major outlet glaciers that have slightly different histories.…”

Section: Cretaceous To Cenozoic Time: Rifting and Uplift/denudationmentioning

confidence: 95%

The geological and tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains: a review

Elliot

2013

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The development of the Transantarctic Mountains was initiated with the rifting of Rodinia and the formation of a late Neoproterozoic passive continental margin. In Cambrian time this rift setting evolved into an active margin with batholith emplacement into deformed and lightly metamorphosed upper Neoproterozoic-Cambrian strata, creating the Ross Orogen. Denudation and erosion of the Ross Orogen led to the formation of the pre-Devonian Kukri Erosion Surface on which Devonian quartzose sandstones accumulated in a continental setting. Palaeozoic magmatic arcs were intermittently active along the distal Panthalassan margin. Intracratonic basins developed in Permian time, one of which evolved into a foreland basin clearly related to a Permo-Triassic magmatic arc. The Palaeozoic -early Mesozoic arcs can be traced into both Australasia and South America. In Early Jurassic time the margin migrated outboard simultaneously with the advent of proximal silicic volcanism, emplacement of the Ferrar Large Igneous Province and Gondwana break-up. These events marked the onset of plate margin reorganization, and with it the early uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains. During Cretaceous and later time episodic uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains was accompanied by formation of a major crustal and lithospheric boundary marking the edge of the East Antarctic craton and the regions of crustal attenuation in the Ross (West Antarctic Rift System) and Weddell embayments.

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Section: Cretaceous To Cenozoic Time: Rifting and Uplift/denudationmentioning

confidence: 95%

The geological and tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains: a review

Elliot

2013

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“…No major tectonic event occurred in Victoria Land after Jurassic magmatism until the uplift of the Transantarctic Mountains, which began some 45 million years ago, and the Cainozoic to Recent alkaline magmatism along the Ross Sea margin. The tectonic setting, petrology and geochronology of the Ferrar Supergroup have been widely investigated (Kyle, Elliott & Sutter 1981;Elliot, Siders & Haban 1986;Elliot & Foland 1986;Roland & Tessensohn 1987;Elliot 1991;Faure & Mensing 1993). On a regional scale, the Kukri peneplain dips 2"-So westwards and the only local increase is observed adjacent to the faults along the shoulders of the Rennick Graben.…”

Section: G E O L O G I C a L Setting A N D S A M P L I N Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Taking as normal the VGPs surrounding the palaeopole (48"S, 226"E), the location of those falling at higher latitude (79% 181"E) requires an explanation. The hypothesis of a Cretaceous thermal event has to be examined first, because it has been advanced to explain both the palaeomagnetic results obtained by Schmierer & Burmester (1986) from the Bowers Terrane, and the wide dispersion of K-Ar ages found in the Kirkpatrick basalts from Mesa Range (Faure & Mensing 1993). Both studies suggest that the maximum temperature of the event was moderate, and Schmierer & Burmester give an estimate of ~2 0 0 "C. The Ferrar dolerite samples from our anomalous sites were heated at 250°C during the PTVRM experiment and the rate of remanence acquisition was too low to account for a complete remagnetization over a period of the order of magnitude of 1 Myr.…”

Section: I S C U S S I 0 Nmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeomagnetism of the Ferrar dolerite in the northern Prince Albert Mountains (Victoria Land, Antarctica)

Lanza

Zanella

1993

Geophysical Journal International

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SUMMARY During the sixth Italian expedition to Victoria Land (Antarctica), Jurassic Ferrar dolerite sills were sampled at 23 sites in the northern Prince Albert Mountains. The rock magnetic properties were similar in all sites. Saturation remanence, remanent coercive force and Curie‐temperature values pointed to titanomagnetite as the main carrier of magnetization. Thermal and AF demagnetizations were both effective in removing weak, secondary magnetization components below 250°C and 20 mT peak field. Further demagnetization resulted in single‐component, stable ChRM. Palaeomagnetic directions were derived after AF demagnetization at 20 mT, and site‐mean VGPs computed for all sites but one (Thern A), where systematic changes of the ChRM inclination have resulted in single‐sample VGPs dispersed astride the equator. The site‐mean VGPs distribution is clearly bimodal: 15 VGPs cluster around a palaeopole (lat. 48°S, long. 226°E) in good agreement with the literature data, whereas seven VGPs are displaced toward a palaeopole at higher latitude (lat. 79°S, long. 181°E). All VGPs can be regarded as Jurassic, because no evidence of substantial secondary components was found, and experimental data showed that the PTVRM (partial thermal viscous remanent magnetization) acquisition rate is too low to account for complete remagnetization of the rocks giving the anomalous VGPs. The Thern A and the southward displaced VGPs plot along a great circle through the East Antarctica Jurassic palaeopole. As a high reversal rate in the Jurassic is well documented by magnetostratigraphy, and the reversal VGP path is often confined to a narrow longitudinal band, we suggest that the great circle is a palaeomeridian and the sills characterized by anomalous VGPs were intruded during transitional phases of the geomagnetic field. Similar anomalous VGPs previously reported from the Ferrar Supergroup rocks of Northern Victoria Land also plot along the same palaeomeridian, which is only 30° away from the palaeomeridian derived from the Jurassic intrusives of the Dufek Massif in the Transantarctic Mountains (Burmester & Sheriff 1980). The Jurassic palaeopole of East Antarctica has been recalculated from 103 VGPs available in the literature. The position is 57°S, 221°E when all VGPs are taken into account, and 51°S, 223°E when the high‐latitude VGPs from Victoria Land are discarded as anomalous.

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“…This was presumably supported by K-Ar whole rock studies yielding minimum ages of 103 ± 2 Ma for altered basalts (Faure & Mensing, 1993). Further support for the remagnetization concept arises from Ar-Ar and Table 2, (Delisle & Fromm, 1984)) showing no evidence for low temperature oxidation.…”

Section: Early Cretaceous Remagnetization?mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…A secondary origin of paleopole positions of group B affinities has been postulated repeatedly (Delisle & Fromm, 1989;Faure & Mensing, 1993 and linked to the onset of separation of East and West Antarctica (Faure & Mensing, 1993) along the Rennick Graben. This was presumably supported by K-Ar whole rock studies yielding minimum ages of 103 ± 2 Ma for altered basalts (Faure & Mensing, 1993).…”

Section: Early Cretaceous Remagnetization?mentioning

confidence: 96%