Geology of the Nelson Limestone, Postel Nunatak, Patuxent Range, Antarctica

Postel Nunatak in the Patuxent Range has been previously mapped as Nelson Limestone but there was no biostratigraphic support for that interpretation until now. We confirm that limestone exposures at Postel Nunatak are at least partly correlated with the Nelson Limestone of the Neptune Range, 160 km...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic science 2018-02, Vol.30 (1), p.29-43
Main Authors: Evans, Kevin Ray, McKenna, Lawrence W., Lieberman, Bruce S., Weichert, Wesley Donald, Macleod, Kenneth G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cambrian
Earth Sciences
Geology
Ice cover
Limestone
Marine invertebrates
Mountains
Precambrian
Rock deformation
Sedimentary facies
Snow and ice
Stone
Stratigraphy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Postel Nunatak in the Patuxent Range has been previously mapped as Nelson Limestone but there was no biostratigraphic support for that interpretation until now. We confirm that limestone exposures at Postel Nunatak are at least partly correlated with the Nelson Limestone of the Neptune Range, 160 km north-east, and are not correlative with the lower Cambrian Schneider Hills Limestone of the Argentina Range. Upper beds have yielded the trilobites Suludella? davnii Palmer & Gatehouse, 1972 and Solenopleura pruina Palmer & Gatehouse, 1972, which provide a basis for assignment to Cambrian Series 3 (late middle Cambrian), within the Drumian or lower Guzhangian stages. Limestone beds were deposited in a shallow marine setting, ranging from supratidal to lagoonal facies with rare subtidal intervals. These settings contrast with deeper water facies of the Neptune Range. Despite limitations in sampling density, isotopic analysis indicates that a greater than +2.5‰ shift in δ13C is consistent with δ13C trends documented for the Drumian Stage. Because the upper and lower contacts at Postel Nunatak are covered by snow and ice, the relationship with rocks mapped as the Patuxent Formation in the Patuxent Range remains uncertain, but part of it may belong to the Precambrian Hannah Ridge Formation.
ISSN:0954-1020
1365-2079
DOI:10.1017/S0954102017000396