ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 2005, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (1-English): 55-58.

• Contents • Previous Articles    

Evidence for warmer event from quartz grains in the soil of Grove Mountains,East Antarctica

Yan Xin, Li Xiaoli, Liu Xiaohan and Zhang Ru-fan   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
  • Online:1955-03-30 Published:1955-03-30
  • Contact: Yan Xin

Abstract:

The cold desert soil has been discovered at first time in southern ridge of Mount Harding, Grove Mountains of interior East Antarctica Ice Sheet.Based on the micro structural observation, dominant characteristics of quartz grains include: distinct surface stria and fractures, and clean features of frost action at both of crystal margins and micro crannies of quartz grains. These features show a pedogenesis environment of few water, short transportation and frost action, revealing a warmer climat- ic event existed in this region.

Key words: Grove Mountains, soil, quartz