Tectonic Evolution of East Antarctic Crust

The crust of East Antarctica represents an amalgamation of ancient cratonic fragments and orogenic belts formed during successive supercontinent cycles. Tonian to Cryogenian accretionary processes juxtaposed microcontinents and oceanic arc terranes, culminating in Pan-African orogenesis and the assembly of Gondwana. Subsequent post-Pan-African stability was punctuated by Mesozoic rifting linked to Gondwana breakup and Cenozoic glaciation, which has sculpted the landscape through differential erosion. Beneath the ice, magnetic and gravity anomalies mark suture zones and shear systems that record the collision of cratons, while thermochronological studies reveal variations in exhumation rates. This evolving geodynamic framework informs models of continental growth, palaeoclimate regulation, and ice-sheet dynamics on a global scale.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent advances in subglacial geophysics have delineated crustal domains beneath Dome Fuji, identifying north–south magnetic lineaments that extend the known limits of oceanic arc terranes and unveil a previously unrecognised suture between distinct cratonic blocks. In parallel, low-temperature thermochronology in the Dronning Maud Land mountains quantifies spatial variation in glacial erosion, revealing kilometre-scale denudation patterns that refine ice-sheet models. Together, these investigations integrate magnetic mapping and cooling-age data to reconstruct tectonic assembly processes and glacial modification, offering concrete examples of how deep structural inheritance influences modern ice-sheet behaviour.

Tectonic Evolution of East Antarctic Crust publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in tectonic evolution of east antarctic crust across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Craton: An ancient and stable part of the continental lithosphere, often forming the cores of continents.

Suture: A major structural boundary marking the collision and weld of distinct crustal blocks or terranes.

Thermochronology: Geochronological techniques that reconstruct the thermal history of rocks to infer exhumation and cooling rates.

Magnetic anomaly: A variation in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by heterogeneities in crustal rock properties.

Shear zone: A zone of intense deformation where rocks accommodate differential movement through ductile or brittle processes.

Symplectite: A fine-grained intergrowth of minerals formed during decompression or metamorphic reactions under high-pressure conditions.

Kelyphite: A corona texture of intergrown minerals formed around a reworking phase during decompression of high-pressure metamorphic rocks.

References

1. Tectonic structures of the Dome Fuji region, East Antarctica, based on new magnetic data. Scientific Reports (2024).
2. Substantial spatial variation in glacial erosion rates in the Dronning Maud Land Mountains, East Antarctica. Communications Earth & Environment (2021).
3. Protracted late Neoproterozic – early Palaeozoic deformation and cooling history of Sør Rondane, East Antarctica, from 40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb geochronology. Geological Magazine (2020).
4. Episodic deformation and reactions in mylonitic high-grade metamorphic granulites from Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Journal of Structural Geology (2020).
5. Symplectite and kelyphite formation during decompression of mafic granulite from Gjelsvikfjella, central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. European Journal of Mineralogy (2023).