Lower Cretaceous sediment from the East Antarctic continental shelf

Except for a few localities along the Antarctic Peninsula, on Alexander and Livingston Islands (Fig. 1), there are no known outcrops of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in Antarctica 1 . Thus, little is known concerning the palaeogeography and palaeoclimatology of Antarctica during the Cretaceous period. During Operation Deep Freeze 1979 to the George V–Adelie coast East Antarctica, a 40-cm long piston core, DF 79-38, was recovered which contains abundant palynomorphs of early Cretaceous age. Core 38 is an organic-rich siltstone believed to have been deposited in a non-marine setting. It represents the oldest known sediment recovered from the Antarctic continental margin and the first evidence for Cretaceous strata in East Antarctica. In addition, its exact location and sedimentary characteristics suggest an important correlation with similar sediments from the South Australian continental shelf.