We have used the distribution of 10Be isotope, bulk chemistry and diatoms in sediment collected from a variety of Antarctic continental shelf environments to discriminate between hemipelagic marine versus glacial and glacial marine sediment facies, and to assess the deglaciation pattern. The presence of Quaternary diatom species combined with relatively high concentration of 10Be in sub ice-stream sediment from UpB (Whillans ice stream) provided evidence of partial or complete deglaciation of the West Antarctic interior basin. In this study, we have expanded the sampling to include additional sub ice-steam sediment, sub ice-shelf and open marine sediment cores from the Ross Sea Embayment. Calculation of the 10Be budget and correlation to chemical and diatom data suggest a clear distinction between Holocene mud influenced by ice shelf and currents and true open marine deposition, as well as between diamicton and sub-glacial till associated with the last glacial cycle. These results indicate that 10Be carries a great potential as facies indicator for modeling of ice shelf melting and retreat, and sedimentary processes in the Ross Sea region. Continued utilization of 10Be as a stratigraphic marker is planned with future drilling projects in Antarctica ice sehlf areas including the upcoming ANDRILL project (see ANDRILL.ORG).
See more of Poster Session I
See more of The 10th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (September 5-10, 2005)