No significant ice-sheet expansion beyond present ice margins during the past 4500 yr at Rauer Group, East Antarctica

The history of glacial advances and retreats of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the Holocene is not wellknown, due to limited field evidence in both the marine and terrestrial realm. A 257-cm-long sediment core was recovered from a marine inlet in the Rauer Group, East Antarctica, 1.8 km in front of the present icesheet margin. Radiocarbon dating and lithological characteristics reveal that the core comprises a complete marine record since 4500 yr. A significant ice-sheet expansion beyond present ice margins therefore did not occur during this period.