Zircons and clay from morainal Permian siltstone at Mt Rymill (73°S, 66°E), Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica, reflect the ancestral Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains–Vostok Subglacial Highlands complex

Evidence against a young volcanic origin of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, Antarctica

“…Further support for major late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian tectonism in the ice‐covered East Antarctic hinterland comes from Permian‐Triassic red beds in the Lambert Graben area. Following the idea of Permian drainage radiating from the Gamburtsev Mountains, Veevers and colleagues [ Veevers and Saeed , 2008; Veevers et al , 2008] link morainal clasts of red Permian siltstone in the southern Prince Charles Mountains, the Permo‐Triassic Amery Group in the northern Prince Charles Mountains, and Permian(?) deposits at ODP Site 740 in Prydz Bay.…”

Extremely low long‐term erosion rates around the Gamburtsev Mountains in interior East Antarctica

“…The East Antarctic Craton comprises Grenville (1000–1350 Ma) and older provinces permeated by Pan‐African metamorphic belts [ Fitzsimons , 2000; Boger et al , 2002; Veevers et al , 2008a]. The extent and configuration of these features in the interior is poorly constrained; most information about their tectonic history is derived from the edges of the continent.…”

“…The enigmatic GSM and the surrounding basin maintain high topography [ Dalziel , 1992; Jamieson and Sugden , 2008] despite little recent tectonic activity. Preliminary airborne radar results from the Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province Project (AGAP) [ Wolovick et al , 2009; Bo et al , 2009] confirm that the GSM comprise tall, jagged peaks with elevations and topographic relief over 3000 m. They are located in the middle of the >500 Ma East Antarctic Craton with no obvious formation mechanism [ Veevers , 1994; Sleep , 2006; Veevers et al , 2008a]. Many assume that they formed recently because conventional wisdom holds that old mountains have moderate elevation and relief.…”

Age and composition of Antarctic sub-glacial bedrock reflected by detrital zircons, erratics, and recycled microfossils in the Ellsworth Land–Antarctic Peninsula–Weddell Sea–Dronning Maud Land sector (240°E–0°–015°E)

“…The leaf symbol indicates the fossil Glossopteris in the Permian sediments at Beaver Lake, and the encircled leaf symbol the morainal clasts of siltstone with Glossopteris on the side of the Lambert Glacier. The properties of the clast with Glossopteris (small inset, upper left) are the U-Pb age of detrital zircon, with number of grains; lithology of igneous host; and T DM and εNd of clay (Veevers et al, 2008a). The properties of a sediment inclusion in the ice of the Lake Vostok borehole (small inset, right) are the U-Pb age of detrital zircon and monazite, with number of grains (Leitchenkov et al, 2007) and T DM and εNd of clay (Delmonte et al, 2004).…”

“…Maguire, downflow from the ice summit at Dome Argus, indicate a Permian age for the rift fill. The siltstone contains detrital zircons of d+ and c ages, and clay with an εNd of −21.4 and a T DM of 2.72 Ga(Veevers et al, 2008a) (Fig. A.1, small inset, left side).…”