Thermo-tectonic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula: multi-proxy analysis by detrital geochronology

• Grant number: 24/22113-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Airton Natanael Coelho Dias
• Grantee: Lucas Alexander Nunes
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para a Sustentabilidade (CCTS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The thermo-tectonic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula is still little known. Studies in the area are being developed but with the application of techniques only within the context of geochronology that allows us to determine the age of earth materials by determining the abundance of the parent and daughter isotopes of a given isotopic system in a mineral. Using this method, such as U-Pb, Lu-Hf, and others, it is possible to date the origin and emplacement of plutonic or volcanic rocks or sediment deposits can be determined. However, there is no record of thermochronological data (intermediate temperatures) that could identify the phenomena that occurred after the formation of rocks. Therefore, this project will be applied to thermochronology using Fission Tracks, Raman, and U-Pb in zircons in the Alexander Islands on the Antarctic Peninsula. Zircon is a common accessory mineral in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. It is physically and chemically resistant and can "survive" for many geological periods, and in many cases, it provides a record of each geological event submitted in these periods. It incorporates trace elements such as U, Th, and Pb in its structure, which is crucial for geochronological analysis. Its ability to retain information about the thermal history of a source area is of invaluable value in elucidating the geological processes arising from various geodynamic settings. Consequently, the multi-proxy application of the above techniques may allow for defining the correlation between the geological units that form the Antarctic Peninsula. This is crucial to understanding the configuration of the tectonic processes that occur on the margin of the Antarctic continent. Since there are chronological uncertainties in its igneous and sedimentary components, the data obtained in this project may reveal information about the evolution of the area that occurred during the Mesozoic.