The tectonic development and erosion of the Knox Subglacial Sedimentary Basin, East Antarctica

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 43; no. 20; pp. 10,728 - 10,737
• Main Authors: Maritati, A., Aitken, A. R. A., Young, D. A., Roberts, J. L., Blankenship, D. D., Siegert, M. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 28-10-2016
• Subjects: Antarctic ice; Antarctic ice sheet; Antarctica; Architecture; Basin geometry; Basins; East Antarctica; Erosion; Evolution; Geological time; Geophysical data; Geophysics; Glacial Erosion; Glaciation; Gondwana Breakup; Ice; Ice streams; Land; Offshore; Restoration; Rifting; Rivers; Sedimentary basins; Streams; Tectonics; Australia; Western Australia Australia; India; PSE, Antarctica, Wilkes Land; Antarctica, East Antarctica; ISW, Australia, Western Australia
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1002/2016GL071063

Sedimentary basins beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) have immense potential to inform models of the tectonic evolution of East Antarctica and its ice‐sheet. However, even basic characteristics such as thickness and extent are often unknown. Using airborne geophysical data, we resolve the tectonic architecture of the Knox Subglacial Sedimentary Basin in western Wilkes Land. In addition, we apply an erosion restoration model to reconstruct the original basin geometry for which we resolve geometry typical of a transtensional pull‐apart basin. The tectonic architecture strongly indicates formation as a consequence of the rifting of India from East Gondwana from ca. 160‐130 Ma, and we suggest a spatial link with the western Mentelle Basin offshore Western Australia. The erosion restoration model shows that erosion is confined within the rift margins, suggesting that rift structure has strongly influenced the evolution of the Denman and Scott ice streams.
Key Points
First model of the structure of Knox Subglacial Sedimentary Basin of Wilkes Land
Basin shown to result from India‐Antarctic rifting in late Jurassic‐ Early Cretaceous
Rift structure controls past erosion within Denman and Scott glacier catchment