Age stratigraphy in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet inferred from radio-echo sounding horizons


Contact
Olaf.Eisen [ at ] awi.de

Abstract

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet contains a wealth of information that can be extracted from its internal architecture such as distribution of age, past flow features, and surface and basal properties. Airborne radar surveys can sample this stratigraphic archive across broad areas. Here, we identify and trace key horizons across several radar surveys to obtain the stratigraphic information. We transfer the age–depth scales from ice cores to intersecting radar data. We then propagate these age scales across the ice sheet using the high fidelity continuity of the radar horizons. In Dronning Maud Land, including Dome Fuji, we mapped isochrones with ages of 38 and 74 ka. In the central region of East Antarctica around Dome Concordia, Vostok and Dome Argus, we use isochrone ages of 38, 48, 90 and 161 ka. Taking together both regions, we provide isochrone depths traced along a combined profile length of more than 40 000 km and discuss uncertainties of the obtained stratigraphy, as well as factors important to consider for further expansion. This data set is the most extensive distribution of internal horizons in East Antarctica to date. The isochrone depths presented in this study are available on PANGAEA (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.895528; Winter et al., 2018).



Item Type
Article
Authors
Divisions
Primary Division
Programs
Primary Topic
Publication Status
Published
Eprint ID
49868
DOI 10.5194/essd-11-1069-2019

Cite as
Winter, A. , Steinhage, D. , Creyts, T. T. , Kleiner, T. and Eisen, O. (2019): Age stratigraphy in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet inferred from radio-echo sounding horizons , Earth System Science Data, 11 (3), pp. 1069-1081 . doi: 10.5194/essd-11-1069-2019


Download
[thumbnail of essd-11-1069-2019-EAIS-age.pdf]
Preview
PDF
essd-11-1069-2019-EAIS-age.pdf

Download (5MB) | Preview

Share
Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email


Citation

Geographical region

Research Platforms

Campaigns
N/A

Funded by
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/730258


Actions
Edit Item Edit Item