New marine core record of Late Pleistocene glaciation history, Rauer Group, East Antarctica

The evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) during the Late Quaternary is poorly known, partly because some regions, such as the Prydz Bay vicinity, indicate significant variability in the glaciation patterns (e.g. Domack et al. 1998, Zwartz et al. 1998, Hodgson et al. 2005). Refinement of glaciation in Prydz Bay vicinity could be obtained from a 2143 cm long sediment core (Co1010) from Rauer Group (77o 54'E; 68o48'S), which is an ice-free archipelago between Vestfold and Larsemann hills. Core Co1010 was recovered at 37 m water depth from a marine inlet. Visual description, geochemical parameters, and diatom assemblages in combination with radiocarbon age determinations of the sediment sequence provide a first interpretation of the ice sheet extent during the Late Quaternary for Rauer Group.