Geochronological data from the La Meseta and Submeseta formations of Seymour Island, Antarctica
GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02273
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Summary
Abstract:
This dataset comprises U-Pb zircon geochronology data from a suite of nine samples from the La Meseta and Submeseta formations of Seymour Island and a further nine samples from comparative units. The analysed samples are all sandstone lithologies that were examined to understand their geological provenance and how they compare to similar units from elsewhere in Antarctica. The data were collected in the interval November 2024 to April 2026 at two laboratories: Stockholm Museum of Natural History and University College London. The analyses were conducted by Teal Riley (Stockholm) and Andrew Carter (University College London).
This project was funded by NERC National Capability funding to the British Antarctic Survey's Paleo Environments, Ice Sheets and Climate Change team.
Keywords:
geochemistry, geochronology, provenance, zircon
Citation
Riley, T., & Carter, A. (2026). Geochronological data from the La Meseta and Submeseta formations of Seymour Island, Antarctica (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/c94c3194-6ed2-434f-96f9-314a7fb21b6f
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REFERENCE MATERIALS
- 10.1016/0012-821X(75)90088-6
- 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2007.11.005
- 10.1016/j.gsf.2018.04.001
- 10.1093/petrology/egh075
- 10.1111/j.1751-908X.1995.tb00147.x
- 10.1111/j.1751-908X.2014.00325.x
Constraints
| Access Constraints: | Data is under embargo until the publication of an associated paper. |
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| Use Constraints: | This data is governed by the NERC data policy (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/) and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). |
Basic Information
| Creation Date: | 2026-09-10 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Complete |
| Dataset Language: | English |
| ISO Topic Categories: |
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| Parameters: |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK Polar Data Centre |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Teal R Riley |
| Role(s) | Technical Contact, Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Andrew Carter |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
Additional Information
| Reference: | Jeon, H., & Whitehouse, M. J. (2015). A critical evaluation of U-Pb calibration schemes used in SIMS zircon geochronology. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 39, 443-452. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-908X.2014.00325.x Ludwig, K. R. (2012). User manual for Isoplot 3.75-4.15: a geochronological toolkit for Microsoft Excel. Berkeley Geochronology Centre Special Publications 5. Slama, J., Kosler, J., Condon, D. J., Crowley, J. L., Gerdes, A., Hanchar, J. M., Horstwood, M. S. A., Morris, G. A., Nasdala, L., Norberg, N., Schaltegger, U., Schoene, B., Tubrett, M. N., & Whitehouse, M. J. (2008). Plesovice zircon - a new natural reference material for U-Pb and Hf isotopic microanalysis. Chemical Geology, 249(1-2), 1-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2007.11.005 Stacey, J. S., & Kramers, J. D. (1975). Approximation of terrestrial lead evolution by a two-stage model. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 26, 207-221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(75)90088-6 Vermeesch, P. (2018). IsoplotR: a free and open toolbox for geochronology. Geoscience Frontiers, 9, 1479-1493. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2018.04.001 Whitehouse, M. J., & Kamber, B. S. (2005). Assigning dates to thin gneissic veins in high-grade metamorphic terranes: A cautionary tale from Akilia, southwest Greenland. Journal of Petrology, 46, 291-318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egh075 Wiedenbeck, M., Alle, P., Corfu, F., Griffin, W. L., Meier, M., Oberli, F., Von Quadt, A., Roddick, J. C., & Spiegel, W. (1995). Three natural zircon standards for U-Th-Pb, Lu-Hf, trace element and REE analyses. Geostandards Newsletter, 19, 1-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-908X.1995.tb00147.x |
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| Quality: | U-Pb ages were calculated using the 206Pb/238U ratios for samples dated as <1.1 Ga, and the 207Pb/206Pb ratios was used for older grains. Discordance was determined using (207Pb/235U - 206Pb/238U) / 206Pb/238U and similarly for 207Pb/206Pb ages. | |
| Lineage/Methodology: | Zircon U-Pb geochronology was conducted at two separate laboratories: University College London Zircon U-Pb geochronology used laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) facilities (Agilent 7700 coupled to a New Wave Research 193 nm excimer laser) at the London Geochronology Centre based in University College London. Heavy minerals were separated from bulk sediment samples using standard density liquid and magnetic separation procedures. Zircon-enriched extracts were mounted in hard epoxy resin on glass slides and polished for analysis. Typical laser spot sizes of 25 um were used with a 7-10 Hz repetition rate and a fluence of 2.5 J/cm2. Background measurement before ablation lasted 15 seconds and laser ablation dwell time was 25 seconds. The external zircon standard was Plesovice, which has a TIMS reference age 337.13 +/- 0.37 Ma (Slama et al., 2008). Standard errors on isotope ratios and ages include the standard deviation of 206Pb/238U ages of the Plesovice standard zircon. Time-resolved signals that record isotopic ratios with depth in each crystal were processed using GLITTER 4.5, data reduction software, developed by the ARC National Key Centre for Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC) at Macquarie University and CSIRO Exploration and Mining. Processing enabled filtering to remove spurious signals owing to overgrowth boundaries, weathering, inclusions, or fractures. NordSIMS analytical facility (Stockholm) Zircons were separated and concentrated from rock samples at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge. From the zircon concentrate, hand-picked grains were mounted in epoxy resin along with the Geostandards zircon 91500 (207Pb/206Pb age of 1065.4 +/- 0.3 Ma), which has reported U and Pb concentrations of 80 ppm and 15 ppm respectively (Wiedenbeck et al., 1995). The mount was polished to expose the centres of the grains and imaged by SEM using a cathodoluminescence (CL) detector in order to reveal their internal structure and guide analysis location. U-Pb ion-microprobe zircon geochronology was carried out using a CAMECA 1280 ion microprobe at the NordSIMS facility housed at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. The analytical method closely followed Whitehouse & Kamber (2005) but differs insomuch that the oxygen ion primary beam was generated using a high-brightness, radiofrequency (RF) plasma ion source (Oregon Physics, Hyperion II, rather than a duoplasmatron) and a focused beam instead of illuminated aperture. The 10 nA O2- beam was rastered over 5x5 um to homogenize beam density, the final analytical spot size being ca. 15 um in diameter. Sputtered secondary ions introduced into the mass spectrometer were analyzed using a single ion counting electron multiplier over 10 cycles of data. Data were reduced using in-house developed software. The power law relationship between 206Pb/238U16O and 238U16O2/238U16O measured from the 91500 standard was used to calibrate U/Pb ratios following the recommendations of Jeon & Whitehouse (2015). Common-Pb corrections were applied to analyses where statistically significant 204Pb was detected, using the present-day terrestrial common Pb estimate of Stacey & Kramers (1975). Tera-Wasserburg U-Pb concordia diagrams were drawn using Isoplot v. 4.15 (Ludwig, 2012). 207Pb corrected ages were calculated assuming non-radiogenic Pb was from surface contamination and had an isotopic composition of modern-day average terrestrial common Pb (207Pb/206Pb = 0.836; Stacey & Kramers 1975). |
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Locality
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 2024-11-01 |
| End Date | 2026-04-30 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -71.1083 |
| Northernmost | -56.6213 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -64.3153 |
| Easternmost | -14.573 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Seymour Island |