Schroeder Hill, central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica: Triassic stratigraphy and Sirius Group glacigenic deposits

Abstract

The geology of the Schroeder Hill region near the head of the Shackleton Glacier, central Transantarctic Mountains, consists of Triassic Fremouw Formation and overlying Falla Formation strata intruded by Jurassic Ferrar Dolerite sills. At ‘Alfie’s Elbow', south-east of Schroeder Hill, upper Fremouw strata are overlain by Upper Cenozoic Sirius Group deposits. These upper Fremouw beds differ from all other examined upper Fremouw strata in the Shackleton Glacier region in being carbonaceous. Quartz-pebble conglomerate characterizes the basal Falla beds, emphasizing a change in provenance. Sirius Group beds occur as a stratigraphic succession draped on modern topography and as structureless sand wedged in modern microtopography. Fremouw beds locally are arched with the fold axis approximately parallel to regional normal faulting related to the uplift and formation of the Transantarctic Mountains.