Recent Advances in Mineralogy, Petrology, Geochemistry and Geochronology in East Antarctica

Abstract

A prolonged crustal history from Archean through Proterozoic to Cambrian, spanning more than half of the Earth’s evolution through time is preserved in the rock record in East Antarctica. Geological field studies have been conducted in Dronning Maud Land and Enderby Land of East Antarctica as part of the scientific program of Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE). Late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian (>600–520 Ma) high-grade metamorphic terranes, developed as major orogenic belts during the Gondwana supercontinent formation, are recognized in central Dronning Maud Land, Sør Rondane Mountains, Belgica and Yamato Mountains (Yamato–Belgica Complex), Lützow-Holm Bay–Prince Olav Coast region (Lützow-Holm Complex) to western Enderby Land (Western Rayner Complex) over 2000 km from west to east along the coast-inland of the Antarctic continent. Relatively narrow and sporadic Meso–Neoproterozoic (1000-900 Ma) high-grade blocks (Hinode Block and Niban-nishi Rock – granulite-facies; Akebono Rock – amphibolite-facies) are identified in Prince Olav Coast geographically within the Lützow-Holm Complex. Archean high-grade -UHT granulites and gneisses of the Napier Complex represent the largest regional terrain covering 400 x 200 km² area in Enderby Land, along with widespread Meso–Neoproterozoic granulite-facies zone of Rayner Complex from Enderby Land through Kemp Land, McRobertson Land toward east to Prydz Bay region. Thus, the continental crustal domain investigated by the Japanese Antarctic expeditions is key in understanding the Archean–Proterozoic–Cambrian deep crustal history and processes. In this special issue we summarize the recent progress in the mineralogical, petrological, geochemical and geochronological studies carried out in East Antarctica.