Geomorphology and sedimentology of the continental shelf adjacent to Mac. Robertson Land, East Antarctica: A scalped shelf

摘要

During the Quaternary, the Mac. Robertson shelf of East Antarctica was deeply eroded by glaciers and currents exposing the underlying basement, resulting in a scalped shelf. Major geomorphic zones are: (1) high-relief, ridge and valley topography (200–1400 m); (2) smooth sea floors associated with low-energy, depositional shelf valleys and basins (400–800 m); (3) low-relief, planated banktops (100–200 m); and (4) iceberg gouged and current reworked seaward-bank margins and upper slope (200 to<630 m). About 90 of the shelf's surface has net erosional conditions and about 10 is net depositional. The sedimentary processes and deposits may be common to large areas of the East Antarctic m