| Title | Geological record of ice shelf break-up and grounding line retreat, Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Jakobbson, M, Anderson, JB, Nitsche, FO, Dowdeswell, JA, Gyllencreutz, R, Kirchner, N, Mohammad, R, O'Regan, M, Alley, RB, Anandakrishnan, S, Eriksson, B, Kirshner, A, Fernandez, R, Stolldorf, T, Minzoni, R, Majewski, W |
| Journal | GeologyGeologyGeology |
| Volume | doi: 10.1130/G32153.1 |
| Keywords | bathymetry, seafloor mapping, Antarctica, multibeam, IVS, GEBCO |
| Abstract | The catastrophic break-ups of the fl oating Larsen A and B ice
shelves (Antarctica) in 1995 and 2002 and associated acceleration
of glaciers that fl owed into these ice shelves were among the most
dramatic glaciological events observed in historical time. This raises
a question about the larger West Antarctic ice shelves. Do these
shelves, with their much greater glacial discharge, have a history of
collapse? Here we describe features from the seafl oor in Pine Island
Bay, West Antarctica, which we interpret as having been formed
during a massive ice shelf break-up and associated grounding line
retreat. This evidence exists in the form of seafl oor landforms that
we argue were produced daily as a consequence of tidally infl uenced
motion of mega-icebergs maintained upright in an iceberg armada
produced from the disintegrating ice shelf and retreating grounding
line. The break-up occurred prior to ca. 12 ka and was likely a
response to rapid sea-level rise or ocean warming at that time.
|
| Alternate Journal | Geology |
