Publication Date:
2016-06-21
Description:
Cosmogenic-nuclide measurements associated with buried glacier ice in Ong Valley, in the Transantarctic Mountains, suggest the preservation of ancient ice. There are three glacial tills on the valley floor which have formed from the concentration of regolith contained within sublimating glacier ice. Two tills are less than 1 m thick and underlain by ice. Measurements of cosmogenic 10 Be, 26 Al, and 21 Ne show that: (i) the youngest buried ice unit and corresponding till are at least 11-13 ka; (ii) another ice unit and corresponding intermediate-age till are at least 1.1 Ma old under any circumstances and most likely older than 1.78 Ma; and (iii) the oldest till is at least 1.57 Ma and most likely greater than 2.63 Ma. These observations highlight the longevity of ice under thin debris layers and the potential to sample ancient ice for paleoclimate/ paleoatmosphere information close to the present land surface.
Print ISSN:
0094-8276
Electronic ISSN:
1944-8007
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
Permalink