skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Geology and petrogenesis of the Kirkpatrick Basalt, Pain Mesa and Solo Nunatak, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Abstract

The flows on Pain Mesa were divided into a Lower Suite and an Upper Suite based on differences in their chemical compositions. The Upper Suite has higher concentrations of SiO/sub 2/, alkalies, total Fe, MnO, TiO/sub 2/, and P/sub 2/O/sub 5/ than the Lower Suite. In addition, the flows of the Upper Suite are homogeneous in chemical composition compared to the Lower Suite which is differentiated. The isotope compositions of Sr and O of the Lower Suite are positively correlated which indicates that the magma was contaminated by crustal material. The isotopic and chemical compositions of the flows of the Lower Suite were explained by fractional crystallization and simultaneous assimilation of a crustal contaminant. The initial Sr isotope ratios of the Upper Suite, calculated for an assumed age of 175 Ma, were lower than those of the Lower Suite, and are not constant. However, by lowering the assumed age of the Upper Suite to 92 Ma the range of the initial Sr-isotope ratios was greatly reduced. Paleomagnetic results and K-Ar dating of Ferrar rocks at the Litell Rocks Nunatak in northern Victoria Land also support the hypothesis that the Upper Suite is Cretaceous in age. The magma source of bothmore » suites has elevated /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr ratios compared to normal mantle values because of prior enrichment in Rb. The magma source was enriched in Rb about 475 Ma years ago. This data coincides with the Ross Orogeny which may reflect a causal relationship between these events. The occurrence of igneous activity in northern Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land were juxtaposed during the Mesozoic Era but were later separated as a result of major right lateral displacement along the Transantarctic rift system.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Ohio State Univ., Columbus (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
7188901
Resource Type:
Thesis/Dissertation
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; ANTARCTICA; GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS; GEOCHEMISTRY; GEOLOGIC HISTORY; AGE ESTIMATION; ARGON; CONTINENTAL CRUST; CORRELATIONS; ENRICHMENT; GEOLOGY; IRON; ISOTOPE DATING; ISOTOPE RATIO; MAGMA; MANGANESE OXIDES; OXYGEN; PALEOMAGNETISM; PHOSPHORUS OXIDES; POTASSIUM; RUBIDIUM; SILICON OXIDES; STRONTIUM; STRONTIUM 86; STRONTIUM 87; TECTONICS; TITANIUM OXIDES; ALKALI METALS; ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES; ALKALINE EARTH METALS; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMISTRY; EARTH CRUST; ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES; ELEMENTS; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; FLUIDS; GASES; HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI; ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES; MAGNETISM; MANGANESE COMPOUNDS; METALS; NONMETALS; NUCLEI; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS; POLAR REGIONS; RADIOISOTOPES; RARE GASES; SILICON COMPOUNDS; STABLE ISOTOPES; STRONTIUM ISOTOPES; TITANIUM COMPOUNDS; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS; TRANSITION ELEMENTS; 580100* - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989); 580400 - Geochemistry- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Mensing, T M. Geology and petrogenesis of the Kirkpatrick Basalt, Pain Mesa and Solo Nunatak, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. United States: N. p., 1987. Web.
Mensing, T M. Geology and petrogenesis of the Kirkpatrick Basalt, Pain Mesa and Solo Nunatak, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. United States.
Mensing, T M. 1987. "Geology and petrogenesis of the Kirkpatrick Basalt, Pain Mesa and Solo Nunatak, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica". United States.
@article{osti_7188901,
title = {Geology and petrogenesis of the Kirkpatrick Basalt, Pain Mesa and Solo Nunatak, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica},
author = {Mensing, T M},
abstractNote = {The flows on Pain Mesa were divided into a Lower Suite and an Upper Suite based on differences in their chemical compositions. The Upper Suite has higher concentrations of SiO/sub 2/, alkalies, total Fe, MnO, TiO/sub 2/, and P/sub 2/O/sub 5/ than the Lower Suite. In addition, the flows of the Upper Suite are homogeneous in chemical composition compared to the Lower Suite which is differentiated. The isotope compositions of Sr and O of the Lower Suite are positively correlated which indicates that the magma was contaminated by crustal material. The isotopic and chemical compositions of the flows of the Lower Suite were explained by fractional crystallization and simultaneous assimilation of a crustal contaminant. The initial Sr isotope ratios of the Upper Suite, calculated for an assumed age of 175 Ma, were lower than those of the Lower Suite, and are not constant. However, by lowering the assumed age of the Upper Suite to 92 Ma the range of the initial Sr-isotope ratios was greatly reduced. Paleomagnetic results and K-Ar dating of Ferrar rocks at the Litell Rocks Nunatak in northern Victoria Land also support the hypothesis that the Upper Suite is Cretaceous in age. The magma source of both suites has elevated /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr ratios compared to normal mantle values because of prior enrichment in Rb. The magma source was enriched in Rb about 475 Ma years ago. This data coincides with the Ross Orogeny which may reflect a causal relationship between these events. The occurrence of igneous activity in northern Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land were juxtaposed during the Mesozoic Era but were later separated as a result of major right lateral displacement along the Transantarctic rift system.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7188901}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987}
}

Thesis/Dissertation:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this thesis or dissertation.

Save / Share: