BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Getting to the root of the Gamburtsev Mountains: enigma hidden ben
 eath the Antarctic Ice Sheet - Dr Fausto Ferraccioli (British Antarctic Su
 rvey)
DTSTART:20141117T170000Z
DTEND:20141117T180000Z
UID:TALK54363@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Jack Wright
DESCRIPTION:During the International Polar Year 2008-09 seven nations\, in
 cluding the UK\, pooled their logistic and scientific resources to explore
  the largest unexplored continental frontier on Earth\, the interior of Ea
 st Antarctica\, within the AGAP project. Here I present the results of thi
 s challenging and ambitious international project that led to major discov
 eries regarding the structure and origin of the enigmatic Gamburtsev Subgl
 acial Mountains hidden beneath Dome A\, the least understood mountain rang
 e on Earth (Ferraccioli et al.\, 2011\, Nature\; Bell\, Ferraccioli et al.
 \, 2011 Science). I will show the major challenges that had to be overcome
  to explore this frontier region. I will explain why investigating the ori
 gin and evolution of the enigmatic Gamburtsev Mountains hidden beneath an 
 ice sheet that is in places more than 4 km thick and in others is less tha
 n a few hundred meters thick is important to: i) comprehend the geological
  evolution of the interior of East Antarctica with the global supercontine
 ntal puzzle and ii) understand the role of intraplate mountain building in
  the nucleation and long term stability of the Antarctic ice sheet\, follo
 wing the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition. Stunning new aerogeophysical
  images coupled with continental-scale views from satellite data enabled u
 s to reveal that East Antarctica is dissected by one of the longest contin
 ental rift systems on Earth that resembles in terms of extent the East Ant
 arctic Rift System. The rift exploited the pre-existing tectonic boundarie
 s separating a mosaic of previously unknown basement provinces that can no
 w be recognised as forming the interior of East Antarctica. We proposed th
 at rifting and faulting within the East Antarctic plate triggered the init
 ial uplift of the Gamburtsev Mountains\, probably both in Permian and Cret
 aceous times\, while the remarkably rugged Alpine morphology of its peaks 
 is due to isostatic responses to both fluvial and glacial valley incision 
 that likely occurred throughout the Cenozoic. Alternative or additional vi
 ews involving intraplate compression may be possible but remain to be more
  fully tested. Our new geophysical interpretations challenge the tradition
 al paradigm of a geologically stable East Antarctic continent since Cambri
 an times. It is now apparent that the interior of East Antarctica was not 
 immune at all from the large-scale tectonic processes responsible for the 
 Mesozoic break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent. More broadly speaking it
  is clear that continental interior tectonics must be considered in large-
 scale geological and geophysical research efforts (in Antarctica and beyon
 d)\, and its impacts on landscape\, climate and ice sheet evolution need t
 o be more fully understood.
LOCATION:Harker Room 1\, Department of Earth Sciences
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR