Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-skm99 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T10:45:10.863Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cosmogenic 10Be exposure dating of glacial erratics on Horseshoe Island in western Antarctic Peninsula confirms rapid deglaciation in the Early Holocene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2019

Attila Çiner Open the ORCID record for Attila Çiner [Opens in a new window] ,
Cengiz Yildirim Open the ORCID record for Cengiz Yildirim [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Akif Sarikaya Open the ORCID record for M. Akif Sarikaya [Opens in a new window] ,
Yeong Bae Seong Open the ORCID record for Yeong Bae Seong [Opens in a new window]  and
Byung Yong Yu Open the ORCID record for Byung Yong Yu [Opens in a new window]
Attila Çiner*
Affiliation:
Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak-Istanbul 34469, Turkey
Cengiz Yildirim
Affiliation:
Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak-Istanbul 34469, Turkey
M. Akif Sarikaya
Affiliation:
Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak-Istanbul 34469, Turkey
Yeong Bae Seong
Affiliation:
Department of Geography Education, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Byung Yong Yu
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
*
cinert@itu.edu.tr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The rapid warming observed in the western Antarctic Peninsula gives rise to a fast disintegration of ice shelves and thinning and retreat of marine-terminating continental glaciers, which is likely to raise global sea levels in the near future. In order to understand the contemporary changes in context and to provide constraints for hindcasting models, it is important to understand the Late Quaternary history of the region. Here, we build on previous work on the deglacial history of the western Antarctic Peninsula and we present four new cosmogenic 10Be exposure ages from Horseshoe Island in Marguerite Bay, which has been suggested as a former location of very fast ice stream retreat. Four samples collected from erratic pink granite boulders at an altitude of ~80 m above sea level yielded ages that range between 12.9 ± 1.1 ka and 9.4 ± 0.8 ka. As in other studies on Antarctic erratics, we have chosen to report the youngest erratic age (9.4 ± 0.8 ka) as the true age of deglaciation, which confirms a rapid thinning of the Marguerite Trough Ice Stream at the onset of Holocene. This result is consistent with other cosmogenic age data and other proxies (marine and lacustrine 14C and optically stimulated luminescence) reported from nearby areas.

Keywords

cosmogenic surface datingice sheetMarguerite Baypalaeoclimate
Type
Earth Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 31 , Issue 6 , December 2019 , pp. 319 - 331
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, C.S., Oakes-Fretwell, L., Anderson, J.B. & Hodgson, D.A. 2010. A record of Holocene glacial and oceanographic variability in Neny Fjord, Antarctic Peninsula. Holocene, 20, 551–564.Google Scholar
Amesbury, M.J., Roland, T.P., Royles, J., Hodgson, D.A., Convey, P., Griffiths, H. & Charman, D.J. 2017. Widespread biological response to rapid warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. Current Biology, 27, 1616–1622.Google Scholar
Anderson, J.B. & Oakes-Fretwell, L. 2008. Geomorphology of the onset area of a palaeo-ice stream, Marguerite Bay, Antarctica Peninsula. Earth Surface Processes Landforms, 33, 503–512.Google Scholar
Applegate, P.J., Urban, N.M., Keller, K., Lowell, T.V., Laabs, B.J.C., Kelly, A.M. & Alley, R.B. 2012. Improved moraine age interpretations through explicit matching of geomorphic process models to cosmogenic nuclide measurements from single landforms. Quaternary Research, 77, 293–304.Google Scholar
Balco, G., Stone, J.O.H., Sliwinski, M.G. & Todd, C. 2014. Features of the glacial history of the Transantarctic Mountains inferred from cosmogenic 26Al, 10Be and 21Ne concentrations in bedrock surfaces. Antarctic Science, 26, 10.1017/S0954102014000261.Google Scholar
Bentley, M.J., Fogwill, C.J., Kubik, P.W. & Sugden, D.E. 2006. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic Be-10/Al-26 exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 118, 1149–1159.Google Scholar
Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A. & Cox, N.J. 2005b. Relative sea level curves for the South Shetland Islands and Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Quaternary Science Reviews, 24, 1203–1216.Google Scholar
Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A., Ó Cofaigh, C., Domack, E.W., Larter, R.D., et al. 2009. Mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Holocene, 19, 51–69.Google Scholar
Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Sugden, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Leng, M.J. & Bryant, C. 2005a. Early Holocene retreat of George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula. Geology, 33, 173–176.Google Scholar
Bentley, M.J., Johnson, J.S., Hodgson, D.A., Dunai, T., Freemand, S.P.H.T. & Ó Cofaigh, C. 2011. Rapid deglaciation of Marguerite Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula in the Early Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30, 3338–3349.Google Scholar
Borchers, B., Marrero, S., Balco, G., Caffee, M., Goehring, B., Lifton, N., et al. 2016. Geological calibration of spallation production rates in the CRONUS-Earth project. Quaternay Geochronology, 31, 188–198.Google Scholar
García, M., Dowdeswell, J.A., Noormets, R., Hogan, K.A., Evans, J., Ó Cofaigh, C. & Larter, R.D. 2016. Geomorphic and shallow-acoustic investigation of an Antarctic Peninsula fjord system using high-resolution ROV and shipboard geophysical observations: Ice dynamics and behaviour since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews, 153, 122–138.Google Scholar
Golledge, N.R., Levy, R.H., McKay, R.M., Fogwill, C.J., White, D.A., Graham, A.G.C., et al. 2013. Glaciology and geological signature of the Last Glacial Maximum Antarctic ice sheet. Quaternary Science Reviews, 78, 225–247.Google Scholar
Guglielmin, M., Worland, M.R., Convey, P. & Cannone, N. 2012. Schmidt Hammer studies in the maritime Antarctic: application to dating Holocene deglaciation and estimating the effects of macrolichens on rock weathering. Geomorphology, 155–156, 34–44.Google Scholar
Heroy, D.C. & Anderson, J.B. 2007. Radiocarbon constraints on Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet retreat following the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews, 26, 3286–3297.Google Scholar
Heyman, J., Stroeven, A.P., Harbor, J.M. & Caffee, M.W. 2011. Too young or too old: evaluating cosmogenic exposure dating based on an analysis of compiled boulder exposure ages. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 302, 71–80.Google Scholar
Hodgson, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Bentley, M.J., Smith, J.A., Johnson, J.S., Verleyen, E., et al. 2009. Exploring former subglacial Hodgson Lake, Antarctica Paper I: site description, geomorphology and limnology. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28, 2295–2309.Google Scholar
Hodgson, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Verleyen, E., Sterken, M., Labarque, M., et al. 2013. Late Quaternary environmental changes in Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, inferred from lake sediments and raised beaches. Quaternary Science Reviews, 68, 216–236.Google Scholar
Johnson, J.S., Everest, J.D., Leat, P.T., Golledge, N.R., Rood, D.H. & Stuart, F.M. 2012. The deglacial history of NW Alexander Island, Antarctica, from surface exposure dating. Quaternary Research, 77, 273–280.Google Scholar
Kilfeather, A.A., Ó Cofaigh, C., Lloyd, J.M., Dowdeswell, J.A., Xu, S. & Moreton, S. 2011. Ice–stream retreat and ice-shelf history in Marguerite Trough, Antarctic Peninsula: sedimentological and foraminiferal signatures. Geological Society America Bulletin, 123, 997–1015.Google Scholar
Lifton, N., Sato, T. & Dunai, T.J. 2014. Scaling in situ cosmogenic nuclide production rates using analytical approximations to atmospheric cosmic-ray fluxes. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 386, 149–160.Google Scholar
Livingstone, S.J., Ó Cofaigh, C., Stokes, C.R., Hillenbrand, C.-D., Vieli, A. & Jamieson, S.S.R. 2013. Glacial geomorphology of Marguerite Bay Palaeo-Ice stream, western Antarctic Peninsula. Journal of Maps, 9, 558–572.Google Scholar
Livingstone, S.J., Ó Cofaigh, C., Stokes, C.R., Hillenbrand, C.-D., Vieli, A. & Jamieson, S.S.R. 2012. Antarctic palaeo-ice streams. Earth-Science Reviews, 111, 90–128.Google Scholar
Marrero, S.M., Phillips, F.M., Borchers, B., Lifton, N., Aumer, R. & Balco, G. 2016. Cosmogenic nuclide systematics and the CRONUScalc program. Quaternary Geochronology, 31, 160–187.Google Scholar
Matthews, D.W. 1983. The geology of Horseshoe and Lagotellerie islands, Marguerite Bay, Graham Land. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin, No. 52, 125–154.Google Scholar
Ó Cofaigh, C., Davies, B.J., Livingstone, S.J., Smith, J.A., Johnson, J.S., Hocking, E.P., et al. 2014. Reconstruction of ice-sheet changes in the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews, 100, 87–110.Google Scholar
Ó Cofaigh, C., Dowdeswell, J.A., Evans, J. & Larter, R.D. 2008. Geological constraints on Antarctic palaeo-ice stream retreat. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 33, 513–525.Google Scholar
Oliva, M. & Ruiz-Fernández, J. 2015. Coupling patterns between para-glacial and permafrost degradation responses in Antarctica. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 40, 1227–1238.Google Scholar
Oliva, M., Navarro, F., Hrbáček, F., Hernandéz, A., Nývlt, D., Perreira, P., Ruiz-Fernández, J. & Trigo, R. 2017. Recent regional climate cooling on the Antarctic Peninsula and associated impacts on the cryosphere. Science of the Total Environment, 580, 210–223.Google Scholar
Putkonen, J. & Swanson, T. 2003. Accuracy of cosmogenic ages for moraines. Quaternary Research, 59, 255–261.Google Scholar
Roberts, S.J., Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Sanderson, D.C.W., Milne, G., Smith, J.A., et al. 2009. Holocene relative sea-level change and deglaciation on Alexander Island, Antarctic Peninsula, from elevated lake deltas. Geomorphology, 112, 122–134.Google Scholar
Ruiz-Fernández, J., Oliva, M., Nývlt, D., Cannone, N., García-Hernández, C., Guglielmin, M., et al. 2019. Patterns of spatiotemporal paraglacial response in the Antarctic Peninsula region and associated ecological implications, Earth-Science Reviews, 192, 379–402.Google Scholar
Seong, Y.B., Dorn, R.I., & Yu, B.Y. 2016. Evaluating the life expectancy of a desert pavement. Earth-Science Reviews, 162, 129–154.Google Scholar
Seong, Y.B., Owen, L.A., Lim, H.S., Yoon, H.I, Yeodong, K., Lee., Y.I. & Caffee, M.C. 2009. Rate of late Quaternary ice cap thinning on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica defined by cosmogenic 36Cl surface exposure dating. Boreas, 38, 207–213.Google Scholar
Shepherd, A., Ivins, E., Rignot, E., Smith, B., van Den Broeke, M., Velicogna, I., et al. 2018. Mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet from 1992 to 2017. Nature, 556, 219–222.Google Scholar
Simkins, L.M., Simms, A.R. & Dewitt, R. 2013. Relative sea-level history of Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula derived from optically stimulated luminescence-dated beach cobbles. Quaternary Science Reviews, 77, 141–155.Google Scholar
Small, D., Bentley, M.J., Jones, R.S., Pittard, M.L. & Whitehouse, P.L. 2019. Antarctic ice sheet palaeo-thinning rates from vertical transects of cosmogenic exposure ages. Quaternary Science Reviews, 206, 65–80.Google Scholar
Smith, J.A., Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Leng, M.J., Lloyd, J.M., et al. 2007. Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of early Holocene ice shelf retreat, George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica Peninsula. Quaternary Science Reviews, 26, 500–516.Google Scholar
Stone, J.O. 2000. Air pressure and cosmogenic isotope production. Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 753–759.Google Scholar
Stone, J.O., Balco, G.A., Sugden, D.E., Caffee, M.W., Sass, L.C., Cowdery, S.G. & Siddoway, C. 2003. Holocene deglaciation of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. Science, 299, 99–102.Google Scholar
Turner, H.L., White, I., King, J.C., Phillips, T., Hosking, J.S., Bracegirdle, T.J., et al. 2016. Absence of 21st century warming on Antarctic Peninsula consistent with natural variability. Nature, 535, 411–415.Google Scholar
Vaughan, D.G., Marshall, G.J., Connolley, W.M., Parkinson, C., Mulvaney, R., Hodgson, D.A., et al. 2003. Recent rapid regional climate warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. Climatic Change, 60, 243–274.Google Scholar
Wassell, A. & Håkansson, H. 1992. Diatom stratigraphy in a lake on Horseshoe Island, Antarctica: a marine-brackish-fresh water transition with comments on the systematics and ecology of the most common diatoms. Diatom Research, 7, 157–194.Google Scholar
Yıldırım, C. In press. Geomorphological map of Horseshoe Island, Marguerite Bay, Antarctica. Journal of Maps.Google Scholar