Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of Lower Beacon Rocks in the Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

摘要

The horizontally bedded lower Beacon rocks of the Queen Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth, and Holland Ranges rest unconformably on the highly deformed Precambrian to Lower Paleozoic basement complex. The sequence is divided into the Alexandra, Pagoda, and Mackellar Formations. The sediment was deposited in a high energy, shallow water, non-marine environment. Current structures suggest that sediment was supplied from both sides of a narrow basin and transported to the southeast along the length of the basin. The origin of the Mackellar Formation is probably related to isostatic depression of the land surface and the final retreat of the ice sheet which allowed an inland extension of the sea. (Author)