Orbitally induced oscillations in the East Antarctic ice sheet at the Oligocene/Miocene boundary

Tim R. Naish (), Ken J. Woolfe, Peter J. Barrett, Gary S. Wilson, Cliff Atkins, Steven M. Bohaty, Christian J. Bücker, Michele Claps, Fred J. Davey, Gavin B. Dunbar, Alistair G. Dunn, Chris R. Fielding, Fabio Florindo, Michael J. Hannah, David M. Harwood, Stuart A. Henrys, Lawrence A. Krissek, Mark Lavelle, Jaap van der Meer, William C. McIntosh, Frank Niessen, Sandra Passchier, Ross D. Powell, Andrew P. Roberts, Leonardo Sagnotti, Reed P. Scherer, C. Percy Strong, Franco Talarico, Kenneth L. Verosub, Giuliana Villa, David K. Watkins, Peter-N. Webb and Thomas Wonik
Additional contact information
Tim R. Naish: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 30368
Ken J. Woolfe: School of Earth Sciences, James Cook University
Peter J. Barrett: Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600
Gary S. Wilson: University of Oxford
Cliff Atkins: Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600
Steven M. Bohaty: University of Nebraska
Christian J. Bücker: Institut für Geowissenschaftliche Gemeinschaftsaufgaben, Stilleweg 2
Michele Claps: Istituto di Scienze del Mare, Universitá degli Studi di Ancona
Fred J. Davey: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 30368
Gavin B. Dunbar: School of Earth Sciences, James Cook University
Alistair G. Dunn: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, PO Box 14901
Chris R. Fielding: University of Queensland
Fabio Florindo: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
Michael J. Hannah: Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600
David M. Harwood: University of Nebraska
Stuart A. Henrys: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 30368
Lawrence A. Krissek: The Ohio State University
Mark Lavelle: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross
Jaap van der Meer: Fysisch Geografisch en Bodemkundig Laboratorium, University of Amsterdam
William C. McIntosh: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Frank Niessen: Alfred-Wegener-Institute
Sandra Passchier: The Ohio State University
Ross D. Powell: Northern Illinois University
Andrew P. Roberts: School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton Oceanography Centre
Leonardo Sagnotti: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
Reed P. Scherer: Northern Illinois University
C. Percy Strong: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 30368
Franco Talarico: Universitá degli Studi di Siena
Kenneth L. Verosub: University of California
Giuliana Villa: Universitá degli Studi di Parma
David K. Watkins: University of Nebraska
Peter-N. Webb: The Ohio State University
Thomas Wonik: Institut für Geowissenschaftliche Gemeinschaftsaufgaben, Stilleweg 2

Nature, 2001, vol. 413, issue 6857, 719-723

Abstract: Abstract Between 34 and 15 million years (Myr) ago, when planetary temperatures were 3–4 °C warmer than at present and atmospheric CO2 concentrations were twice as high as today1, the Antarctic ice sheets may have been unstable2,3,4,5,6,7. Oxygen isotope records from deep-sea sediment cores suggest that during this time fluctuations in global temperatures and high-latitude continental ice volumes were influenced by orbital cycles8,9,10. But it has hitherto not been possible to calibrate the inferred changes in ice volume with direct evidence for oscillations of the Antarctic ice sheets11. Here we present sediment data from shallow marine cores in the western Ross Sea that exhibit well dated cyclic variations, and which link the extent of the East Antarctic ice sheet directly to orbital cycles during the Oligocene/Miocene transition (24.1–23.7 Myr ago). Three rapidly deposited glacimarine sequences are constrained to a period of less than 450 kyr by our age model, suggesting that orbital influences at the frequencies of obliquity (40 kyr) and eccentricity (125 kyr) controlled the oscillations of the ice margin at that time. An erosional hiatus covering 250 kyr provides direct evidence for a major episode of global cooling and ice-sheet expansion about 23.7 Myr ago, which had previously been inferred from oxygen isotope data (Mi1 event5).

Date: 2001
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DOI: 10.1038/35099534

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