Geology of the Ellsworth Mountains

The geology of the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica, is a rock record of continuous deposition that occurred from the Cambrian to the Permian periods, with basic igneous volcanism and uplift occurring during the Middle to Late Cambrian epochs, deformation occurring in the Late Permian period or early Mesozoic era, and glacier formation occurring in the Cretaceous period and Cenozoic era. The Ellsworth Mountains are located within West Antarctica at 79°S, 85°W. In general, it is made up of mostly rugged and angular peaks such as the Vinson Massif (16,050 feet or 4,890 metres), the highest mountain in Antarctica.

The early Cambrian, when carbonate deposits were deposited in shallow marine conditions, is when the geologic history record across the Ellsworth Mountains began. Up to the Permian period, subsidence and deposition process persisted. Volcanism was scarce in the early history of the Ellsworth Mountains. The majority of the strata are thought to have formed in marine environments at shallow to moderate depths. After sedimentary deposition occurred during the Permian time, all strata underwent orogeny, which lead to strong folding and localised metamorphism. It is hypothesised that there are two stages of the uplift separated by a steady period of erosional gradation as the deformed rocks have raised by at least 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). In the Ellsworth Mountains, alpine glaciation may have first appeared during the Mesozoic era. The local glacial processes in the Ellsworth Mountains are largely responsible for the contemporary landscapes that we observe today. The mountains were covered by the continental ice sheet throughout the middle to late Cenozoic period.