West Antarctic Rift System
E58285
The West Antarctic Rift System is a major tectonic rift zone underlying much of West Antarctica, characterized by crustal extension, volcanism, and significant influence on the region’s topography and ice sheet dynamics.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| West Antarctic Rift System canonical | 7 |
| West Antarctic Rift System (regionally associated) | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
geological structure
ⓘ
intraplate rift ⓘ tectonic rift system ⓘ |
| affects |
basal melting of West Antarctic Ice Sheet
ⓘ
ice stream flow patterns ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Amundsen Sea
ⓘ
surface form:
Amundsen Sea Embayment
Cenozoic alkaline volcanism ⓘ Marie Byrd Land ⓘ Ross Embayment ⓘ Ross Sea ⓘ Transantarctic Mountains uplift ⓘ intraplate volcanism ⓘ tectonic subsidence ⓘ |
| characterizedBy |
crustal extension
ⓘ
normal faulting ⓘ thin continental crust ⓘ volcanism ⓘ |
| contains |
Executive Committee Range
ⓘ
Marie Byrd Land volcanic province ⓘ Mount Erebus volcanic system vicinity ⓘ |
| contrastsWith |
East Antarctic craton basement
ⓘ
surface form:
East Antarctic craton
|
| discoveredBy | geophysical investigations in the 20th century ⓘ |
| extendsBeneath |
West Antarctica
ⓘ
surface form:
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
|
| forms | major part of West Antarctic tectonic province ⓘ |
| geologicalAge | Mesozoic-Cenozoic ⓘ |
| hasCrustalThickness | significantly thinned relative to East Antarctica ⓘ |
| hasTectonicSetting | extensional tectonics ⓘ |
| heatFlow | elevated relative to East Antarctica ⓘ |
| influences |
West Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics
ⓘ
West Antarctic topography ⓘ ice sheet basal conditions ⓘ |
| length | over 3000 kilometers (approximate) ⓘ |
| locatedIn | West Antarctica ⓘ |
| locatedOnContinent | Antarctica ⓘ |
| orientation | roughly east–west to northwest–southeast in segments ⓘ |
| partOf |
West Antarctica
ⓘ
surface form:
West Antarctic plate region
|
| relatedTo |
breakup of Gondwana
ⓘ
opening of the Ross Sea ⓘ separation of New Zealand from Antarctica ⓘ |
| relevantTo |
Antarctic ice sheet stability studies
ⓘ
geodynamic modeling of Antarctica ⓘ sea-level rise projections ⓘ |
| riftingActiveDuring | Cenozoic era ⓘ |
| riftingInitiated | Mesozoic era ⓘ |
| studiedBy |
aeromagnetic surveys
ⓘ
gravity surveys ⓘ radar sounding beneath ice ⓘ seismic tomography ⓘ |
Referenced by (8)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
West Antarctic Rift System (regionally associated)