Title: The role of volcanism in the making of Antarctica
Abstract: Antarctica has hosted a diversity of volcanism unparalleled among the southern continents, reflecting the varied plate tectonic regimes that have influenced it overtime. The volcanism varies from subduction related to intraplate and ranges in scale from small monogenetic vents associated with postsubduction slab-window formation to voluminous effusive, intrusive, and explosive volcanism of large igneous provinces associated with continental breakup. Antarctica also contains several volcanoes that are active or potentially active today, an aspect that is often overlooked. The volcanism has had a profound influence on the progressive construction of the continent over geological time (hundreds of millions of years). Together with associated plutons, representing magma chambers emplaced at crustal depths (not further considered here), the volcanism represents the primary raw material responsible for physically constructing large parts of the Antarctic continent. Volcanic sequences are also among the best means of documenting environmental variations (and therefore climate, by proxy) through Cenozoic global cooling, and the volcanism may be an important forcing factor influencing climate-linked environmental changes. The volcanism has also been responsible for influencing the development of Life on Earth, by (1) triggering one or more significant mass extinctions and (2) providing volcanic refugia that enabled terrestrial life on the continent to survive multiple glaciations.
Publication Year: 2020
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 4
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