Abstract: Because the Antarctic continent is covered by a permanent ice cap, its geology cannot be studied comprehensively. Moraines scattered around the glacier preserve substantial subglacial geological information, critical to understand the Antarctic geological and tectonic evolution. By studying moraines in the Vestfold Hills of east Antarctica, we identified two types of magnetite quartzite (banded iron formation, BIF); a light red, hematite-rich BIF, and a light gray BIF. The light red, hematite-rich BIF is mainly composed of magnetite, hematite, quartz, limonite, with small amounts of sericite and apatite. Quartz bands and magnetite bands are distributed alternately with nearly straight boundaries, whereas hematite is distributed in the edges or cracks of magnetite particles or in the quartz bands with a granular shape. The light gray BIF consists mainly of magnetite, hematite, quartz and limonite, with small amounts of diopside, tremolite, and actinolite. Quartz bands and magnetite bands are also distributed alternately, but the band edges are not straight. Hematite is distributed in the cracks of magnetite particles or in the quartz bands with a granular shape. Our analysis revealed that both BIFs formed in similar sedimentary environments. The samples may correspond to the Algoma type BIFs and the included hematite may result from early magnetite oxidation. We inferred that the environmental oxygen content was increasing when the hematite formed. Both Vestfold Hills samples likely formed 2.5 Ga, 3.0 Ga before present. Further study of BIF types in that region will improve our understanding of earth’s early geological and environmental evolution.
Keywords  Antarctica, Vestfold Hills, magnetite quartzite, banded iron formation (BIF)

Key words: Antarctica, Vestfold Hills, magnetite quartzite, banded iron formation (BIF)