Sedimentological investigation on 4 cores from the Antarctic continental margin

The presence of terrigenous sand indicates that ice-rafting was active throughout the time represented by the investigated cores, although with varying intensity. During the early Oligocene interval (30.1–29.0 Ma), siliceous phytoplankton production dominated sedimentation. Environmental conditions were quite different from those on Maud Rise and Kerguelen Plateau.

The middle Miocene sedimentary sequence (14.1–12.8 Ma) documents an intensification of East Antarctic glaciation. The sediments deposited during the late Miocene interval (8.7–6.5 Ma) and the Pliocene interval (5.1–2.7 Ma) indicate continued cooling of Antarctica, but a more dynamic Antarctic ice sheet resulting in episodic sedimentation patterns.