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Morphology of the Weddell Sea and southwest Indian Ocean

Morphologie der Weddellsee und des südwestlichen Indischen Ozeans

Morphologie de la Mer de Weddell et du sud-ouest de l'Océan Indien

With plates 2 and 3

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Summary

All available sounding lines were used to construct (Figs. 1 and 2) bathymetric charts of the Antarctic sea floor between 63° W and 60° E. Major submarine features of the area are delineated and described. The morphology of the sea bed reflects both tectonic central and secondary processes. Traces of fracture zones are seen in seamount alignments and as scarps on Astrid Ridge. Submarine canyons are prevalent on the Dronning Maud margin and in addition gravity processes have extensively eroded the continental slope. Contour currents have probably swept most of this debris into the Weddell Basin. Ice scour is the predominant morphological force on the continental shelf. The Crary Trough is the result of excavation by northward flowing ice on the southern Weddell shelf during the Pleistocene maximal extension of the inland ice.

Zusammenfassung

Alle zur Verfügung stehenden Lotlinien wurden benutzt um Tiefenkarten des antarktischen Meeresgrundes zwischen 63° W and 60° E (Abb. 1 und 2) zu erstellen. Die vorherrschenden untermeerischen Merkmale des Gebietes werden skizziert und beschrieben. Die Morphologie des Meeresbodens spiegelt die primäre Tektonik und sekundäre Prozesse wider. Die linienförmige Anordnung von Seamounts und die Stufen am Astrid Ridge können als Spuren von Bruchzonen gedeutet werden. Untermeerische Canyons sind auf dem Rand der Dronning Maud weit verbreitet, und Rutschungsvorgänge haben außerdem den Kontinentalschelfabhang umfassend erodiert. Strömungen haben wahrscheinlich das meiste von diesem Schüttungsmaterial in die Weddell Sea transportiert. Die vorherrschende morphologische Formungskraft auf den Kontinentalschelf ist Eiserosion. Der Crary Trough ist das Ergebnis einer Ausräumung durch das auf dem südlichen Weddell Schelf nordwärts fließende Eis während der maximalen Ausdehnung des Inlandeises im Pleistozän.

Résumé

Tous les sondages disponibles ont été utilisés pour dresser (Fig. 1 et 2) les cartes bathymétriques des fonds marins antarctiques entre 63° W et 60° E. Les principaux reliefs sous-marins du secteur sont délimités et décrits. Leur morphologie reflète l'influence conjointe des phénomènes tectoniques et des processus sédimentaires. Les alignements de monts sous-marins et les escarpements du Massif Astrid sont interprétés comme des traces de zones de fracture. Les canyons sous-marins prévalent sur la marge de Dronning Maud dont la pente a été intensément érodée par des processus gravitaires. Les courants de contour ont probablement entraîné la majeure partie des débris dans la Mer de Weddell. Le creusement glaciaire est le processus morphogénique dominant sur la plate-forme continentale. Le Fossé Crary résulte de l'excavation opérée sur la plate-forme méridionale de Weddell par la glace s'écoulant vers le nord lors de l'extension maximale de l'inlandsis.

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Author notes

  1. G. Leonard Johnson

    Present address: Dep. of Geology, University of Oslo, Norway

  2. Jean-René Vanney

    Present address: Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

  3. Anders Elverhøi

    Present address: Norsk Polarinstitutt, Oslo, Norway

  4. John L. LaBrecque

    Present address: Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Palisades, NY, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA, USA

    G. Leonard Johnson

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  1. G. Leonard Johnson
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Johnson, G.L., Vanney, JR., Elverhøi, A. et al. Morphology of the Weddell Sea and southwest Indian Ocean. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 34, 263–272 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226642

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