Fig. 3 | Scientific Reports

Fig. 3

From: Discovery of Cenozoic magmatic ridges and tectonics off northern Victoria Land provides new insights into the geodynamics of the Antarctic margin

Fig. 3

The 3D views of the BOOST morpho-bathymetric data. (A) 3D view from NNE showing the major morpho-bathymetric features. The continental shelf is crossed by two glacial troughs located at both ends. The shelf-break is characterized by trough mouth fans adjacent to the glacial valleys and a prominent indentation (see the inset at the top). An isolated, NW-SE oriented, prominent morpho-bathymetric high (PMH) with a summit at 1400 mbsl is visible in the northern part of the continental rise. Between the PMH and the slope is located a thick sedimentary wedge of triangular shape bounded by steep scarps. The southern part of the continental rise includes two broad, roughly N-S oriented ridges of magmatic origin: the major ridge (MAMR) and the minor ridge (mMR). (B) 3D view from SE showing the asymmetrical shape of the PMH characterized by a steeper and shorter SW flank, and the 15 km long, 150 m high escarpment that bounds the thick sedimentary wedge to SE. A small basin that narrows towards the NE is located between the sedimentary wedge and the MAMR. The MAMR has a maximum height of 1600 m above the seafloor in its central part, where the summit lies at 550 mbsl. The mMR appears to merge with the continental shelf at its southern end. Its maximum height is 800 m above seafloor and reaches a minimum of 750 mbsl. It consists of cone-shaped seamounts and small ridges. The tops of several seamounts exhibit subcircular craters or horseshoe-shaped craters that may contain secondary cones (see inset on the left). (C) 3D view of the major ridge (MAMR) from SSW. It consists of hundred meters high individual cone-shaped seamounts and small ridges of coalescing seamounts up to 3 km long with sharp summit and variable orientations from NE-SW to NNW-SSE. The northern and southern ends of the MAMR are mainly formed by scattered seamounts and ridges, while the central part corresponds to a swell mainly consisting of ridges at the top. Several seamounts show subcircular (see inset top right) or horseshoe-shaped craters at the top. The 3D views of the BOOST morpho-bathymetric data of Fig. 3 were created with the software Global Mapper, version 18.2.2, Blue Marble Geographics (www.globalmapper.it).

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