Abstract: The extension history of the Ross Sea has played an important role in the tectonic evolution of the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS), however, most of the current studies have focused on the extension history of a certain period, while the extension process has not been systematically studied. We constructed a movement model for the Ross Sea Basin since its formation based on GPlates software, established the relationship between the extension process of each basin in the Ross Sea and the mantle low-velocity zone (mLVZ) in different periods, and then analyzed the influence of the plate boundary forces and the mantle magmatic activity on the WARS rifting process. During the diffuse rifting of WARS (~100–53 Ma), the Eastern Basin and Central Trough of the Ross Sea passed above the mLVZ, implying that diffuse rifting is influenced by both tectonic stretching and mantle heat. During the focused rifting of WARS (~43–11 Ma), the Victoria Land Basin and the Terror Rift were developed in the western side of the mLVZ, implying that the focused rifting was mainly influenced by tectonic stretching not by mantle heat.

Key words: Antarctica, Ross Sea Basins, West Antarctica Rift System, Plate Motion Model, Mantle Low-velocity Zone