Cenozoic Glaciation in the Southern Hemisphere

Mercer, John

doi:10.1146/annurev.ea.11.050183.000531

Cited by 181 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 74 publications

(94 reference statements)

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“…The overall extent of the ice margins has decreased throughout the last 1 Myr (Mercer, 1983;Singer et al, 2004a) in southern South America. In addition, during this time, ice coverage caused major landscape modification on both sides of the southern Andes (Clapperton, 1993;Rabassa and Clapperton, 1990;Meglioli, 1992;Singer et al, 2004b;Thomson, 2002;cf., Porter, 1989).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We focus on southern South America to observe long-term changes in the extent of ice because (in places) it contains one of the best-dated, longest glacial moraine (i.e., frontal position) records on Earth, ~ 1 Myr (Mercer, 1983;Rabassa and Clapperton, 1990;Clapperton, 1993). From 40ºS to 55ºS latitude, moraines and till sheets clearly show that glacial expansions have been less extensive in general since the GPG, at 1.1 Ma (Caldenius, 1932, Rabassa andClapperton, 1990;Mercer, 1983;Meglioli, 1992;Singer et al, 2004a;Coronato et al, 2004a;Rabassa et al, 2005).…”

Section: Decreasing Ice Extent In Patagoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From 40ºS to 55ºS latitude, moraines and till sheets clearly show that glacial expansions have been less extensive in general since the GPG, at 1.1 Ma (Caldenius, 1932, Rabassa andClapperton, 1990;Mercer, 1983;Meglioli, 1992;Singer et al, 2004a;Coronato et al, 2004a;Rabassa et al, 2005). Lava flows interbedded with glacial deposits allow a multi-chronologic approach to dating the record; radioisotopic and cosmogenic nuclide data provide quantitative ages on at least a broad chronologic framework for the last 1 Myr (Singer et al, 2004a, b;Kaplan et al, 2005).…”

Section: Decreasing Ice Extent In Patagoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1, 2). The trend exists for > 1500 km along the southern Andes, it is not particular to any individual valley, and the successions contain several moraines of different ages (Rabassa and Clapperton, 1990;Mercer, 1983;Singer et al, 2004a). Gibbons et al (1984) showed that the expected preservation is only 2-3 moraines for a random succession of advances, given that subsequent glacial advances remove previously deposited moraines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Can glacial erosion limit the extent of glaciation?

et al. 2009

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In southern South America, the maximum areal extent of ice during the Quaternary Period, the Greatest Patagonian Glaciation (GPG, Mercer, 1983), occurred at 1.1 Ma and subsequent glaciations were overall less extensive. The GPG preceded global minimum temperatures and maximal volume of ice, which occurred in the last ~ 800 kyr, as recorded in the marine δ 18 O record. Significant modification of the drainage morphology of the southern Andes from a non-glaciated to glaciated landscape occurred throughout the Quaternary Period. We infer a non-climatic relationship between glacial modification of the mountains and decreasing the extent of ice and we discuss processes of landscape development that could have caused the trend. Specifically, these include modification of valleys, such as development from a V-to a Ushape, and lowering of mass-accumulation areas. Such changes would strongly affect glacial dynamics, the mass balance profile and mass-flux during succeeding glaciations, especially for low-gradient outlet glaciers occupying low areas. Other areas around Earth (at least where ice has been warm-based) also may exhibit a non-random trend of decreasing the extent of ice with time, ultimately because of glacial erosion in the Quaternary Period.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Decreasing Ice Extent In Patagoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Decreasing Ice Extent In Patagoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Can glacial erosion limit the extent of glaciation?

et al. 2009

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“…These rivers originate in the Andes and discharges into the South Atlantic from just north of 44˚S to just north of 48˚S. Dates of the basalts interbedded with glacial sediments indicate that the Andes were glaciated during the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene, Pliocene and Late-Pliocene and Early and Late Pleistocene with the ice extending eastward onto the Patagonian plains (Mercer, 1983). At those times those rivers must have been major sediment contributors to the Patagonian margin forming outwash plains on the coast and any segment of the shelf that it was exposed as proposed by Zárate (2003) for the Late Pleistocene.…”

Section: 22d Sediment Swellmentioning

confidence: 99%