DETRITAL MINERALOGY OF OCEAN FLOOR SURFACE SEDIMENTS ADJACENT TO ANTARCTIC PENINSULA, ANTARCTICA

The detrital mineralogy of the 62-125 μ size fraction of the marine sediments adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula delineates three sedimentary mineralogical provinces. Western Weddell Sea sediments are dominated by a suite of metamorphic minerals which probably originates along the southern coast of the Weddell Sea. The sediments of the eastern Bellingshausen Sea are composed of a granitic suite originating largely from the rocks of the Andean intrusive, which dominates the geology of the Antarctic Peninsula. The sediments surrounding and to the north of the South Shetland Islands overwhelmingly consist of a volcanic extrusive suite derived from the insular volcanism. Ice rafting is considered the primary mode of transport, although in rare instances deep currents appear to have concentrated heavy minerals into placer or lag deposits. © 1969.