Sr, Nd, Pb and O Isotopes of Minettes from Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica: a Case of Mantle Metasomatism involving Subducted Continental Material

Numerous minette dykes intersect the Precambrian crystallinebasement of Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica. This study presentsnew Sr, Nd, Pb and O isotope data for 11 minette samples fromfour different dykes. The samples are characterized by relativelyhigh ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0·7077–0·7134), ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb(15·45–15·55) and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (37·8–39·8),combined with low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (     

Glacial erosion beneath ice streams and ice-stream tributaries: constraints on temporal and spatial distribution of erosion from numerical simulations of a West Antarctic ice stream

Geologic evidence such as subglacial troughs and grounding zone wedges indicate that soft-bedded, West Antarctic ice streams are capable of eroding, transporting and depositing large volumes of debris at high rates (˜100 m³ yr^-1 per meter width). In order to understand the dynamics of ice streams and the geologic effects of their activity, it is important to understand the physical mechanisms that control these high rates of sub-ice-stream sediment generation and transport. Here, we use a numerical model of Ice Stream C run over c. 8500 model years to quantify the effects of a recently proposed, till-ploughing mechanism of till formation and redistribution beneath ice streams (Tulaczyk et al. 2001; Clark et al. in press). Our results show that this 'transport-limited' mechanism, in which till transport rates scale with ice velocity and erosion rates with spatial gradients of velocity, is consistent with existing constraints. For instance, our model results predict significantly higher (˜0.6 mm yr^-1) average erosion rates beneath ice-stream tributaries, which are underlain by deep subglacial troughs, than beneath ice-stream trunks (˜0.2mm yr^-1), whose subglacial troughs have a significantly smaller relief. We would not obtain this satisfactory result if subglacial erosion was parametrized in the model using the more traditional approach of scaling erosion rates with ice velocity (what we call the 'production-limited' parametrization). Because of the requirement of ice continuity, the magnitude of ice velocity generally increases downstream in polar ice streams, and so do the production-limited erosion rates. Pending further investigations, we propose that geologic and geomorphic effects of soft-bedded ice streams should be quantified using some form of a 'transport-limited' parametrization of subglacial erosion rates, e.g. the till-ploughing mechanism.     

The effect of target lithology on the products of impact melting

Abstract— Impact cratering is an important geological process on the terrestrial planets and rocky and icy moons of the outer solar system. Impact events generate pressures and temperatures that can melt a substantial volume of the target; however, there remains considerable discussion as to the effect of target lithology on the generation of impact melts. Early studies showed that for impacts into crystalline targets, coherent impact melt rocks or “sheets” are formed with these rocks often displaying classic igneous structures (e.g., columnar jointing) and textures. For impact structures containing some amount of sedimentary rocks in the target sequence, a wide range of impact‐generated lithologies have been described, although it has generally been suggested that impact melt is either lacking or is volumetrically minor. This is surprising given theoretical constraints, which show that as much melt should be produced during impacts into sedimentary targets. The question then arises: where has all the melt gone? The goal of this synthesis is to explore the effect of target lithology on the products of impact melting. A comparative study of the similarly sized Haughton, Mistastin, and Ries impact structures, suggests that the fundamental processes of impact melting are basically the same in sedimentary and crystalline targets, regardless of target properties. Furthermore, using advanced microbeam analytical techniques, it is apparent that, for the structures under consideration here, a large proportion of the melt is retained within the crater (as crater‐fill impactites) for impacts into sedimentary‐bearing target rocks. Thus, it is suggested that the basic products are genetically equivalent but they just appear different. That is, it is the textural, chemical and physical properties of the products that vary.