RELATIVE SEA LEVEL CURVES AND ICE SHEET HISTORY FROM THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

The configuration of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet is not yet well-constrained. We present here new relative sea level curves from sites in both the southern and northern Antarctic Peninsula, which help constrain both the size and post-LGM history of the ice sheet. The southern curve is from the Marguerite Bay region (c. 67deg S), and has been derived from dating penguin remains within beaches, and marine-freshwater transitions in isolation basins. The curve shows dominant uplift since formation of the marine limit. The northern curve is from the South Shetlands region (c. 62deg S) and is derived from isolation basins and dated material within beaches. The curve is more complex and shows initial uplift was followed by a period of mid-Holocene relative submergence until uplift has again dominated in the Late Holocene.

We will present initial results from glacio-isostatic modeling experiments using these new curves as constraints. We also suggest that analysis of the raised beaches around Marguerite Bay curve can be used to infer the extent of sea ice through the mid- to late-Holocene.