Abstract
The timing and impact of deglaciation and Holocene readvances on the terrestrial continental margins of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) have been well-studied but are still debated. Potter Peninsula on King George Island (KGI) (Isla 25 de Mayo), South Shetland Islands (SSI), NW Antarctic Peninsula, has a detailed assemblage of glacial landforms and stratigraphic exposures for constraining deglacial landscape development and glacier readvances. We undertook new morphostratigraphic mapping of the deglaciated foreland of the Warszawa Icefield, an outlet of the Bellingshausen (Collins) Ice Cap on Potter Peninsula, using satellite imagery and new lithofacies recognition and interpretations, combined with new chronostratigraphic analysis of stratigraphic sections, lake sediments, and moraine deposits. Results show that the deglaciation on Potter Peninsula began before c. 8.2 ka. Around c. 7.0 ka, the Warszawa Icefield and the marine-facing Fourcade Glacier readvanced across Potter Peninsula and to the outer part of Potter Cove. Evidence of further readvances on Potter Peninsula was absent until the Warszawa Icefield margin was landward of its present position on three occasions: c. 1.7–1.4 ka, after c. 0.7 ka (most likely c. 0.5–0.1 ka), and by 1956 CE. The timing of Holocene deglaciation and glacier fluctuations on Potter Peninsula are broadly coeval with other glacier- and ice-free areas on the SSI and the northern AP and likely driven by interactions between millennial–centennial-scale changes in solar insolation and irradiance, the southern westerlies, and the Southern Annular Mode.
1 Introduction
The average annual temperature of the northern Antarctic Peninsula (AP) and South Shetland Islands (SSI) region (Figure 1A) has increased by almost 3°C (from −2.5°C) since the middle of the last century (Vaughan et al., 2003; Meredith and King, 2005; Turner et al., 2016), exceeding average global warming by ∼1.5°C–1.8°C (Sánchez-Lugo et al., 2018; Kaufman et al., 2020), leading to enhanced ice sheet thinning, glacier retreat, and permafrost thawing (Steig et al., 2009; Serrano et al., 2012; ; Osmanoğlu et al., 2013; Vaughan et al., 2013).
FIGURE 1
Past ice sheet, ice cap, and outlet glacier behavior provides an important long-term context for recent changes and allows for assessments of whether the current rates of change are beyond the range of natural variability (). During the global Last Glacial Maximum [g-LGM; 23–19 cal. ka BP, calibrated radiocarbon age in thousands of years before present (Hughes et al., 2013)], the AP ice sheet extended toward the shelf edge, and a secondary, smaller ice cap covered the northwest AP/SSI region, reaching the outer continental shelf ∼50 km north of its present location in the inner fjords of the Maxwell Bay, King George Island (KGI), SSI (Figures 1B, C) (John and Sugden, 1971; ; Ó Cofaigh et al., 2014; Nývlt et al., 2020). Deglaciation on KGI began broadly after 15.4 ± 2.5 ka (Seong et al., 2008), and Maxwell Bay was deglaciated between c. 14.8 and 14.1 cal. ka BP as the LGM ice sheet decoupled from the sea floor (Simms et al., 2011) and became ice-free by 9.1 cal. ka BP (Simms et al., 2011; Watcham et al., 2011). On land, lakes formed in deglaciated ice-free areas above the Holocene marine limit at ∼16 m above present mean sea-level (henceforth, m a.s.l.) on Fildes and Barton Peninsula provide minimum age constraints on deglaciation at, or before, c. 8.1 ka (Watcham et al., 2011; Oliva et al., 2019).
While the deglaciation of the AP and SSI by Termination 1 [the start of the Holocene at 11,700 years b2k—before CE 2000 (Gibbard and Head, 2020)] has been broadly established (Ó Cofaigh et al., 2014), more field data from glacier-free terrestrial areas of the northern AP continental margin are required to assess how natural warming during the transition into the current (Holocene) interglacial drove further local-regional deglaciation and how millennial–centennial-scale changes in climate during the Holocene impacted glacier dynamics (Spada et al., 2013; ). Furthermore, an evaluation of the sensitivity of small ice caps and outlet glaciers of the AP and SSI to smaller-scale amplitude atmospheric and oceanographic forcing during the Holocene is of particular importance for constraining past rates of grounding-line retreat and relative sea level (RSL) change (Hall, 2007; ; Johnson et al., 2022).
Changes in the behavior of the Bellingshausen (Collins) Ice Cap (BIC) on KGI /Isla 25 de Mayo (KGI), the largest island and ice cap in the SSI archipelago, can be constrained using field evidence from its deglaciated peninsulas, such as Potter Peninsula (Figures 1C, 2). Detailed geomorphological mapping and establishing robust chronologies for geomorphological landforms, stratigraphic sections, and lake sediments from glacier- and ice-free areas on these peninsulas can help refine existing models of AP and SSI continental margin deglaciation and allow us to examine the impacts and underlying mechanisms of post-LGM deglaciation and outlet/tidewater glacier readvance(s).
FIGURE 2
In common with other deglaciated peninsulas bordering Maxwell Bay (Oliva et al., 2019; Oliva et al., 2020) and across the northern AP (Ruiz-Fernández et al., 2019), Potter Peninsula is covered by till and other glacial, periglacial, proglacial, and paraglacial morphostratigraphic deposits, containing datable organic remnants (Sugden and John, 1973;
We present a new geomorphological synthesis for Potter Peninsula comprising the first comprehensive geomorphological map constructed using satellite imagery and digital mapping techniques and new chronological data from sediment-landform assemblages recording glacier fluctuation on Potter Peninsula (Figures 2, 3). We test the hypothesis that Holocene deglaciation on Potter Peninsula from offshore LGM limits was a continuous process and combine all available evidence to answer the following questions: 1) When did the deglaciation of Potter Peninsula begin? 2) Did readvances from the Warszawa Icefield occur and what was their extent? 3) What were the wider regional–global drivers and impact of deglaciation and glacier readvance(s) on Potter Peninsula and the SSI?
FIGURE 3

(A) Comparison between the positions of the tidewater Fourcade and inland Warszawa glaciers in 1956 CE (aerial photograph) and (B) 2013 CE (satellite image). Due to the extended snow cover season, locating the position of the terrestrial glacier margin is challenging, and retreat limits (red dotted lines) should be viewed as maxima. (B) Composite satellite image (NIR-G-B) of Potter Peninsula in 2013 with red areas reflecting the vegetation cover (mostly lichens). (C,D) Vegetated and recently deglaciated glacial deposits, respectively, of the glacial landform assemblages. Note the action of freeze-thaw processes causing laminated cracking in pyroclastic lithologies (red circle in D). (A,B) Stratigraphic sections and new lake records are labeled as follows: 1, new Pingfo II; 2, new “Potter Cove” section; 3, Inland glacial deposits; L15, Lake L15; ML, Matias Lake. See Figures 5–7 for stratigraphic profiles. The locations of photographs shown in Panels (C,D) are marked. To infer the area deglaciated in recent decades, we used an orthorectified panchromatic aerial image of 1956 CE in (A) (Falkland Island Dependency Aerial Survey Expedition, FIDASE; image ID X26FID0039076; pixel resolution 0.9 m; acquired 1956/12/20) and a WorldView2, DigitalGlobe satellite image in (B) (scene ID: 103001001F612100; pixel resolution 0.5 m; Maxar Products. Quickbird satellite image acquired 07/03/2013 © 2022 Maxar technologies).
To provide samples for dating, we excavated a new, deeper stratigraphic section in a similar location to
2 Geology, climate, and glaciological setting of Potter Peninsula
2.1 Study area and geology
Potter Cove is an inner fjord of Maxwell Bay bordering the Fourcade Glacier, a marine-terminating glacier located on the northeastern side of the fjord (Figure 1C). The Warszawa Icefield to the south of the Fourcade Glacier defines the eastern border of the deglaciated Potter Peninsula (Figure 1C). Both glaciers are outlets of the BIC (Collins Ice Cap) that covers approximately 90% of the surface of KGI, to a maximum thickness of about 400 m (
Lava flows, pyroclastic rocks, and related hypabyssal intrusives are exposed on Potter Peninsula, and the basalts of the peninsula have been potassium-argon dated at 49 ± 1 to 42 ± 1 Ma (Smellie et al., 1984; Kraus and del Valle, 2008a, b). Three Brothers Hill (196 m a.s.l.), an andesitic plug with transverse faults and columnar jointing formed during the final stages of a Palaeogene stratovolcano, is the most prominent topographic feature on Potter Peninsula (Figures 1D, E) (
2.2 Climate
The mean annual air temperature on KGI between 1948 and 2011 CE was −2.5°C, with Austral summer temperatures often above zero (Kejna et al., 2013). A warming trend observed since the 1950s has paused, with a slight cooling occurring between 1999 and 2015 CE (Oliva et al., 2017). In contrast to the high interior atmospheric pressure of the West and East Antarctic plateau, the climate of the northern AP and SSI is influenced by the mid-latitude and/or the polar atmospheric cells (
Between 1996 and 2005 CE, increased cyclonic activity in the Drake Passage, associated with more poleward-focused SHW and an increasingly more positive phase of Southern Annular Mode (SAM), drove sea ice poleward, increasing the advection of warm air across southern Patagonia, the northern AP, and SSI during winter (Kaplan et al., 2016, 2020; Marshall et al., 2017; Oliva et al., 2017; Reynhout et al., 2019). Conversely, between 2006 and 2015 CE, colder winters pushed sea ice north, increasing snowfall across the northern AP and doubling snow cover on some SSI islands between 2009 and 2014 CE (
The SAM is the primary mode of interannual and decadal to centennial-scale atmospheric circulation variability in the Southern Ocean and reflects the zonal mean sea level pressure difference between Antarctica (>65°S) and the mid-latitudes (40°S) (Marshall, 2007; Moreno et al., 2018; Kaplan et al., 2020). The SAM index is a measure of the longitudinal mean SHW strength, with positive phases characterized by stronger and poleward-shifted SHW (Marshall, 2007;
Interactions between the SAM and a deepening Amundsen Sea low during positive SAM phases can also bring warmer air from the Atlantic and north-easterly winds with cooler air from the Weddell Sea gyre, leading to colder/wetter conditions on the northern AP and low-lying SSI and increased glacier mass (Liu et al., 2005; Thomas et al., 2008; Goodwin et al., 2016; Oliva et al., 2017; Falk et al., 2018; Kaplan et al., 2020). These processes are intensified further in the Pacific sector that feeds the AP by interactions between SAM and the (sub)decadal-scale El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Positive (enhanced) phases of ENSO (El Niño) drive warmer interannual global mean temperature variability and negative phases of the SAM (Wang and Cai, 2013; Turner et al., 2016). Decadal scale variability in temperature measured at stations on the AP and SSI has been linked to changes in ENSO (Oliva et al., 2017).
2.3 Glaciological setting
Observations, numerical simulations, and ground-penetrating radar data indicate that the BIC is a partly temperate ice cap, with cold ice at higher elevations and temperate ice at lower elevations (
The deglaciation of Potter Peninsula left behind numerous glacial landforms. Inland moraines are surrounded by a coastal environment with older (Holocene-age) raised beaches and marine deposits (John and Sugden, 1971; Lindhorst and Schutter, 2014; Heredia Barión et al., 2019). Holocene RSL curves for the SSI are more complex than in other locations on the AP, and several different curves have been constructed (Pallàs et al., 1997;
There are several low-altitude sedimentary sections close to the present-day sea level along the south side of Potter Cove are ∼200 m west of the Argentinian Carlini station, ∼2 km from the front of the modern glacier terminus, and ∼1 km from its 1956 CE position (Figures 2, 3). They are composed of marine intertidal sands with remnants of algae and marine mollusks, bivalves, and the bones of penguins, seals, and cetaceans, deposited in an ice-free environment, and capped by a till that represents the last time a local glacier readvanced over the outer part of Potter Cove/Peninsula (Sugden and John, 1973).
Radiocarbon dating of the deepest buried shells and seaweed in these sections provides a maximum age constraint for deglaciation (Strelin et al., 2014). By analogy with observations from modern beaches on Potter Peninsula, seaweed was probably deposited as large trash, subfossil deposits close to the high tide level (Fretwell et al., 2010; Strelin et al., 2014). Sugden and John (1973) first dated shells from a 2.5 m thick stratigraphic section of the “Potter Cove section” (located close to PC in Figure 2) and proposed the oldest age for the onset of the deglaciation and marine transgression from the outer part of Potter Peninsula of 9,670 ± 230 14C years, or 9,570 ± 650 cal. a BP (S&J Birm-48a in Table 2, recalibrated in this study).
3 Methods
3.1 Geomorphological mapping
Detailed geomorphological mapping is an essential first step in assessing the deglacial history of continental margins around Antarctica (Figures 2, 3). Using a glacial landsystems approach (e.g.,
TABLE 1
| Assemblage | Landforms and moraine systems | Characteristics, distribution, dimension landforms, and geomorphological features | General observations and interpretations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Glacier ice and snow, active glacial sediment-landform assemblage | Polished and striated blocks | Linear and continuous glacial scratches and polish on boulder surfaces, distributed across different volcanic lithologies | • Transverse structures recently revealed at the snout of the Warszawa Icefield follow the ice margin, with longitudinal foliation showing radial ice flow patterns (Figures 2, 4A, C). They are associated with glacial debris, suggesting a structural control (e.g., englacial thrusts) and melt-out debris release (Figures 2, 4B, C, E) |
| Till ridges (squeeze-crevasse-ridges) | Aligned longitudinal diamicton ridges, ∼0.3 m high and ∼15–50 m long | • Mudflows reworking the unconsolidated glacial sediments exist at the contact between ice-core/permafrost and the active layer | |
| Moraine ridges | Linear and curvilinear ridges with gentle lee-flanks and steep stoss flanks | • The recently deglaciated area bordering the Warszawa Icefield is waterlogged and composed of glacial deposits and till without vegetation cover (Figures 2, 3B, 4A) | |
| Deltas | Fan-shaped features resulting from the discharge of proglacial streams carrying sediments to the sea. 70 m long and 200 m wide. Supraglacial streams aligned with radial structures were visible during warm summer days when snow had melted (Figure 4D). Numerous snowbanks are present in the lee of rock scarps and hill slopes, feeding ephemeral streams flowing on warm summer days (Figure 2) | Interpretation: The Warszawa Icefield is an active glacier with structural glaciological controls on landform and sediment development, typical of polythermal glaciers in wet high-latitude maritime environments (Glasser and Bennett, 2004; Hambrey and Glasser, 2012) | |
| Lakes | Semi-permanent intra-moraine water bodies. Triangular Lake has an outflow toward the south. Infilled hollows with water source from snowpacks, thawing of permafrost/ice core and seasonal proglacial streams. Many lakes in this zone have developed in the last few decades as the glacier front retreated (Figure 3B) | ||
| Alluvial fans | Fan-shaped deposits of decametric dimensions built from sediment discharge in proglacial streams and connected to deltas downstream | ||
| Landslides | Erosive scars and convex accumulation of debris triggered by water saturation of the active layer resting on permafrost. 225 m wide, 70 m long | ||
| 2. Glacial assemblage: inactive glacial landforms, deposits, and moraine systems | Lakes | Intra-moraine water bodies. There are also infilled hollows whose water source is from snowpacks; water also comes from mass movements after the degradation of moraines | |
| Stone-sorted circles and polygons | Features on gentle surfaces (3°–5°) with thick-grained (i.e., cobbles) sediments toward the periphery. Mainly developed in water-saturated areas along streams | • Vegetated glacial deposits, containing predominantly mosses and lichens, occupy the western and southeast sectors of the peninsula, which have been ice-free since at least 1956 CE (Figures 2, 3B, C, 4G) | |
| Stone stripes | Features with classified sediments of several cm widths and several meter lengths. Developed in slopes up to 10° and between 20 and 50 m a.s.l. | • Large polished and striated boulders of coarse-grained pyroclastic lithologies and andesitic and basaltic blocks are common in these deposits (Figure 8E) | |
| Inactive protalus lobe | Feature with tongue-like form conformed of angular boulders. 75 m long, 70 m wide. Located at 30 m a.s.l., vegetation implies these landforms are inactive | • At the east of Rudy Lake, debris flows have developed on the interface between the active layer and permafrost/ice core (Figure 4F). In some areas, partially vegetated bedrock plateau surfaces are still relatively fresh and exhibit polished surfaces and striae | |
| Landslides | Erosive scars and shallow convex accumulation of debris triggered by water saturation of the active layer of permafrost | • Several till ridges are located along the north coast of Potter Peninsula, between two alluvial fans, former deltas, nourished by glacial-lateral meltwater channels (Figure 2) | |
| Flutes | Streamlined, attenuated, lineal hills, associated or not with bedrock obstacles and boulders. Length: width, from 20:1 to 10:1 | • Recent ice retreat has exposed fluted glacial deposits (flutings) (Figures 2, 4H, I). On the north of the peninsula, flutes are oriented NW-SE, whereas west of Superior Lake, they are oriented NNE-SSW, and toward Stranger Point N-S and NW-SE orientations dominate | |
| Striated and polished blocks and bedrock | Linear, continuous glacial polish and scratches on some bedrock outcrops and boulder surfaces. Present in mostly basaltic and andesitic lithologies | • Moraine ridges of 80 m length are located southeast of the till ridges. Intensely polished and striated cobbles and boulders of coarse-grained pyroclastics and basaltic and andesitic lithologies are dominant | |
| Stranger point moraine system, SE Potter Peninsula | • North of Stranger Point a moraine ∼200 m from the ice margin, rises to ∼105 m a.s.l. and over 1.25 km long and elevated ∼40 m above the adjacent bedrock plateau. Its eastern flank descends smoothly toward the present-day beach, whereas the western side descends to 50 m a.s.l. bordering Triangular Lake. A discontinuous moraine borders the ice on its northern flank directly on the bedrock plateau and is exposed to the south | Interpretation: The Stranger Point moraine system has many features typically associated with ice-cored moraines. The ice-proximal slope of the moraine is covered with flutings, indicative of glacier overriding and deformation (Evans and Hiemstra, 2005). These features were most likely formed through proglacial or englacial thrusting and pushing of polythermal ice at the glacier margin. On Potter Peninsula, these features largely manifest as landslides, superficial debris flows, steep slopes, and scars showing permafrost as well as stratified glacier ice, thrusts, a pond bordered by asymmetric ridges and striated boulders and clasts (Figures 8A–E, cf. | |
| • At Stranger Point, a moraine rests up to ∼25 m above relict raised beaches ∼5–12 m a.s.l. Relatively few morainic crests are preserved due to slumping and debris flows, but the two most prominent morainic ridges enclose a small pond (Figures 2, 8B). The moraine is composed of unconsolidated, matrix-supported, basaltic, and andesitic gravels and boulders. Some boulders show striae and polished surfaces (Figure 8D). Coarse-grained volcanics (pyroclastics) are generally intensely cracked (reworked) by cryoturbation processes, generating stone-sorted polygons and stone stripes several meters long (Figures 4G,J) | As mudflows and landslides are generated at the contact between the permafrost (upper frozen till) and the active layer (Figures 4F, 8A), the permafrost table acts as the sliding surface for the downslope mobilization of the water-saturated overlying sediments (Oliva and Ruiz-Fernández, 2017). Landslides are triggered by the water saturation of the active layer. Melting of ice-cored moraines observed in this and other studies provides sufficient meltwater to trigger debris flows (Figures 4F, 8A) (John and Sugden, 1971; Sugden and John, 1973; Hochschild, 1995; | ||
| • The northern morainic ridges are highly degraded by debris flows, which have redeposited unconsolidated moraine sediments downslope. The northern, ice-facing slope of the Stranger Point moraine declines toward the glacier at ∼20°. More sunshine on the northern slope means snow does not accumulate, and the active layer thaws deeper and faster. For this reason, periglacial mass movement processes (mudflows and landslide) are reworking unconsolidated sediments faster on the northern slopes (Figure 2) | |||
| Three Brothers Hill moraine system, central Potter Peninsula | • The Three Brothers Hill moraine system is located between 100 and 10 m a.s.l. It is partly vegetated by lichens and mosses and has a similar bedrock composition to the Stranger Point moraine (Figure 2). Its topography is most pronounced around the northern flank (up to 40°N–NW slope inclination). In contrast, the south–eastern flank only has a slope of 5°S-SE, with gently sloping moraine ridges spaced more than 100 m apart (Figure 2) | Flutes formed parallel to the ice flow are the product of combined erosional and depositional processes of subglacial origin in a water-saturated (warm-based) bed of deformable till (Glasser and Bennett, 2004; | |
| • Talus accumulations and rock falls from frost action weathering on Three Brothers Hill partially cover preserved morainic ridges on the northern side (Figure 2). Centimeter-scale stone stripes have formed on the surface of the southern sector, which is heavily degraded | As morainic ridges surround Three Brothers Hill (Figure 2), these moraines are most likely formed by ice pushing against the hill. Degraded and re-deposited morainic till has been reworked by solifluction on inclined surfaces, creating stone stripes at the Stranger Point and Three Brothers Hill moraine systems | ||
| 3.1 Paraglacial, proglacial landforms, and moraine systems | Kettle lakes | Water-filled hollow created by water of seasonal snowpacks and fusion of ice core or active table | General observations: Several meltwater channels and related deposits (glaciofluvial fans) resting on the coast are a product of the discharge of moraine sediments from debris flows and sediments transported by snow and ice-melting streams on raised beaches. For example, discharge from Triangular Lake to the sea has formed an alluvial fan and a small delta between its southern outlet and the beach (Figure 2). Inactive glaciofluvial fans cover raised beaches, which terminate against a lagoon on the south coast of the peninsula, next to the “Elefante Refugee” (Figure 2) |
| Polished and striated blocks | Linear and continuous glacial scratches and polishing on boulder surfaces | NW of Warszawa Icefield, meltwater channels from its glacier front cut steep interfluves up to 4 m high into the fluted glacial deposits and run parallel to the axes of the flutes (Figure 4H) and discharge into the cove, forming two glaciofluvial fans and deltas (Figure 2). The Rudy–Matias Lake system developed within these deposits and has an outflow into Potter Cove that cuts through the moraine in which the Potter Cove and Pingfo II sections are located | |
| Stone-sorted circles/polygons | Features on gentle surfaces (3°–5°) with coarse-grained (i.e., cobbles) sediments toward the periphery. Located at 90 m a.s.l. | ||
| Landslides | Accumulation of debris triggered by water saturation of the active layer resting on permafrost and ice-cored moraines. Distributed on the slopes of the moraine, 20/80 m width, 120/180 m length | Interpretation: Clast-supported, rounded, and sub-rounded cobbles facing the northern flank of Three Brothers Hill were originally interpreted by John and Sugden (1971) as pockets of in situ beach material composed of prolate to spheroid clasts. These “residual beaches” were deposited by glaciomarine and/or glaciofluvial processes in a previous (Pleistocene) interglacial or interstadial period but subsequently overridden by ice. Alternatively, they could be interpreted as early Holocene kame terrace deposits | |
| Stone stripes | Features with classified sediments of several cm in width and several meters in length. Developed on slopes up to 10°, located between 20 and 70 m a.s.l. | ||
| Mudflows/slumps | Rapid mass movements of variable size in fine-grained sediments transporting material down-valley onto the Stranger Point moraine system. The sliding surface corresponds to the limit of the active layer in contact with the permafrost table. More abundant on the northern (sun-facing) slope of the Stranger Point moraine | ||
| Clast-supported, rounded, and sub-rounded cobbles | Deposits of clast-supported, rounded, and sub-rounded cobbles facing the northern flank of Three Brothers Hill at ∼110 m a.s.l. have diameters up to 30 cm and are protected from falling scree by an overhanging cliff | ||
| Resedimented till as debris flows | Degraded moraines surrounding Three Brothers Hill with slopes of 22°–27° reworked into several channelized shallow debris flows. On moraines, slopes of 12°, the debris flows are not channelized and are wider with stone stripes developed on top | ||
| 3.2 Paraglacial landforms. Raised beaches, present-day beaches, and proglacial/glaciofluvial landforms | Raised beaches | The highest raised beaches are found at Stranger Point at ∼12 m a.s.l. Their elevation and their surface grain-size decrease along the south coast in the direction of Potter Cove to the PDB east of Carlini Station. Beach ridges are well developed, and most are poorly vegetated, except for those next to inactive lagoons and those at Stranger Point | Interpretation: The southern and west coast of the peninsula is occupied by a series of raised beaches composed of gravel beach-ridge systems that developed on top of a prograding strand plain (Lindhorst and Schutter, 2014). The northern coast exhibits modern gravel ridges up to 2 m a.s.l., gently sloping seawards. The rest of the coastline is composed of beach ridge systems at ∼11.5, 9.5, 7.5, and ≥5.5 m a.s.l. (Lindhorst and Schutter, 2014), with a well-developed spit system at Mirounga Point in the mouth of Potter Cove (Heredia Barión et al., 2019) (Figure 2). |
| Present-day beach (PDB) | The PDB surrounds the Peninsula, with an active berm mean elevation range of 2.4 m a.s.l. at Stranger Point to up to 1 m a.s.l. at Mirounga Point. There is biological activity (penguins, sea lions, elephant seals, and stranded algae) | At Stranger Point, numerous abandoned and still populated penguin rookeries are situated on top of the penguin-formed pebble mounds, which are up to 35 m in diameter and up to 2 m higher than underlying raised beach ridges at 12.2 m a.s.l. (Fretwell et al., 2010). The present-day beach is ∼2 m a.s.l., depending on exposure to prevailing waves (Fretwell et al., 2010; Lindhorst and Schutter, 2014) | |
| Deltas | Features resulting from the discharge of fluvial sediments in the sea. Up to 50 m long and 70 m wide | ||
| Alluvial fans | Fan-shaped deposits of decametric dimensions. Built up from moraine material, basically through debris flow and sediments transported by snow-melting streams | ||
| Inactive alluvial zone/fans | Deposits of debris of alluvial origin are no longer active. They cover raised beaches | ||
| Penguin mounds | Approximately circular, dome-shaped features up to 20–25 m in diameter and 3 m in height. Principally distributed in raised beaches of Stranger Point and next to the present-day beach along the southeast coast | ||
| Lake/lagoon | Permanent water body distributed in flat areas present between a series of raised beaches and the active berm | ||
| 4. Periglacial and Hillslope landforms | Polished bedrock (striae) | Linear and continuous scratches and polish of glacial origin on bedrock surfaces | General observations: • Active periglacial processes, such as frost cracking and freeze-thaw, occur in some cobbles and boulders of coarse-grained pyroclastic lithologies (Figure 3D), while large boulders of the same lithologies are more resistant to such processes and remain intensely polished and striated |
| Talus accumulations | Located from sea level up to 100 m a.s.l. on Potter Peninsula, these accumulations of coarse sediments at the foot of rock cliffs have been intensely affected by frost shattering. Poorly lichenized sediments suggest they are active or recently dynamic, an exception being around Three Brothers Hill | • Basaltic lithologies are generally more resistant to periglacial processes. Two tilted bedrock plateaus landward of the south coast of the peninsula between 40 and 95 m a.s.l. and a near-horizontal plateau at Stranger Point at ∼45–50 m a.s.l. are intensely gelifracted and frost-shattered (Figure 4J) | |
| Solifluction lobes | Generally, solifluction lobes are densely covered by vegetation and located between 80 and 40 m a.s.l. on the bedrock plateaus without vegetation cover. Their width depends on whether they are associated with rock scarps or located on the plateau. They appear as step-like landforms at Three Brothers Hill on south-facing talus slopes, often with the concentration of clasts in the risers varying from 30 cm up to 1 m in lobes, which appear as tongue-like features ∼5 m width in slopes of up to 20° | • In some areas, the bedrock is relatively fresh and exhibits polished surfaces and striae. One of the tilted plateaus has a slope of 10°, and solifluction processes have evacuated debris by frost shattering and creep to form stone stripes | |
| Rock falls | Accumulation of large blocks fallen from the margin of bedrock outcrops adjacent to sea level up to 14 m a.s.l. | • Protalus lobes, solifluction lobes, and talus accumulations at the foot of rock scarps of the bedrock plateaus descend to raised beaches (Figure 2A) | |
| Stone stripes | Features with classified sediments of several cm in width and several meters in length. Developed on slopes up to 10° | • Vegetated solifluction lobes in the shade on the south side of the Three Brothers Hill and a small-sized protalus lobe at 30 m a.s.l. several hundred meters away, southeast of Carlini Station, have been overprinted by sorted polygons and stone stripes deposits (Figure 2A) | |
| Frost shattered rock/debris/lichens | Highly gelifracted and vegetated bedrock plateaus between 45 and 90 m a.s.l. | ||
| Protalus lobes | Feature with tongue-like form at 50 m a.s.l., composed of angular boulders, ∼120 m long, 50 m wide. The vegetation cover on the protalus lobes and the absence of a basal talus imply they are inactive | Interpretation: Protalus lobe landforms move down-slope through frost creep and have been associated with deglaciation and transition from a glacial to a periglacial environment on the SSI (Serrano and López-Martınez, 2000). The vegetation cover on the protalus lobes and the absence of a basal talus imply they are inactive (Serrano and López-Martı́nez, 2000; Kääb, 2007) |
Summary descriptions of landform assemblages and local geomorphological units identified in this study on Potter Peninsula.
3.2 Stratigraphic profile, sampling, and lithofacies analysis
Morphostratigraphic descriptions and sampling for radiocarbon dating were undertaken at an outer peninsula stratigraphic profile site excavated in a similar location to the “Pingfo II” profile (
TABLE 2
| No. | Lab ID | Material dated | Section or core depth (m) | Unit | δ13C (‰) | AMS 14C age (14C years) | Calibrated age (cal. a BP) | Max.–Min. | 2σ % | Mean ± 2σ | Median | Matrix dated, context, interpretation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max.–Min. | 1σ % | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Beta-441402 | Bone (penguin) | 1.50 | 4 | −21.6 | 7,860 ± 40 | 7,590–7,400 | 68.3 | 7,680–7,280 | 95.4 | 7,490 ± 200 | 7,490 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 2 | Beta-441403 | Bone (penguin) | 1.55 | 4 | −22.2 | 7,890 ± 40 | 7,610–7,420 | 68.3 | 7,710–7,310 | 95.4 | 7,520 ± 200 | 7,520 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 3 | ETH-67269 | Bivalve shell | 1.60 | 4 | −1.6 | 8,010 ± 85 | 7,760–7,500 | 68.3 | 7,910–7,400 | 95.4 | 7,630 ± 250 | 7,630 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 4 | ETH-67267 | Bivalve shell | 1.70 | 4 | .0 | 7,805 ± 85 | 7,560–7,320 | 68.3 | 7,670–7,180 | 95.4 | 7,440 ± 240 | 7,440 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 5 | Beta - 431964 | Bone (penguin) | 1.85 | 3-4 | −23.1 | 7,780 ± 30 | 7,510–7,320 | 68.3 | 7,610–7,220 | 95.4 | 7,410 ± 190 | 7,420 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 6 | ETH-67270 | Bivalve shell | 2.05 | 3 | −1.3 | 8,170 ± 85 | 7,920–7,660 | 68.3 | 8,030–7,520 | 95.4 | 7,780 ± 250 | 7,780 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 7 | ETH-67272 | Bivalve shell | 2.10 | 3 | −13.4 | 8,115 ± 80 | 7,850–7,600 | 68.3 | 7,970–7,490 | 95.4 | 7,730 ± 250 | 7,730 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 8 | ETH-71994 | Bivalve shell | 2.56 | 3 | 2.0 | 7,920 ± 20 | 7,630–7,450 | 68.3 | 7,740–7,350 | 95.4 | 7,540 ± 190 | 7,540 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 9 | ETH-67268 | Bivalve shell | 2.70 | 3 | −13.6 | 7,705 ± 80 | 7,470–7,230 | 68.3 | 7,580–7,090 | 95.4 | 7,340 ± 250 | 7,350 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 10 | ETH-67273 | Bivalve shell | 2.95 | 1 | −4.4 | 8,005 ± 85 | 7,750–7,500 | 68.3 | 7,900–7,400 | 95.4 | 7,630 ± 250 | 7,630 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 11 | ETH-67275 | Bivalve shell | 3.05 | 1 | −12.1 | 7,950 ± 70 | 7,680–7,450 | 68.3 | 7,810–7,340 | 95.4 | 7,570 ± 230 | 7,570 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 12 | ETH-67274 | Seaweed trash layer | 3.05 | 1 | −2.3 | 8,020 ± 90 | 7,770–7,510 | 68.3 | 7,920–7,410 | 95.4 | 7,640 ± 260 | 7,640 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 13 | ETH-67276 | Bivalve shell | 3.10 | 1 | −10.5 | 8,145 ± 70 | 7,880–7,640 | 68.3 | 7,990–7,530 | 95.4 | 7,760 ± 230 | 7,760 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 14 | ETH-72000 | Bivalve shell | 3.11 | 1 | 1.3 | 8,015 ± 20 | 7,730–7,540 | 68.3 | 7,830–7,440 | 95.4 | 7,630 ± 200 | 7,630 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 15 | ETH-67277 | Bivalve shell | 3.30 | 1 | −1.0 | 8,300 ± 75 | 8,030–7,770 | 68.3 | 8,170–7,660 | 95.4 | 7,910 ± 260 | 7,910 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 16 | ETH-71996 | Bivalve shell | 3.41 | 1 | 2.9 | 8,005 ± 20 | 7,720–7,520 | 68.3 | 7,820–7,430 | 95.4 | 7,620 ± 200 | 7,620 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 17 | ETH-71997 | Bivalve shell | 3.46 | 1 | 0.8 | 7,995 ± 20 | 7,700–7,510 | 68.3 | 7,810–7,420 | 95.4 | 7,610 ± 190 | 7,610 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 18 | Beta - 441404 | Bone | 3.50 | 1 | −23.8 | 8,100 ± 40 | 7,820–7,610 | 68.3 | 7,930–7,510 | 95.4 | 7,720 ± 210 | 7,720 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age but possible transport by birds |
| 19 | ETH-67278 | Bivalve shell | 3.50 | 1 | −9 | 8,090 ± 75 | 7,830–7,580 | 68.3 | 7,950–7,470 | 95.4 | 7,710 ± 240 | 7,710 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 20 | ETH-72001 | Bivalve shell | 4.00 | 1 | 2.1 | 7,995 ± 65 | 7,730–7,500 | 68.3 | 7,860–7,400 | 95.4 | 7,620 ± 230 | 7,620 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 21 | ETH-71995 | Bivalve shell | 4.47 | 1 | 8.0 | 8,195 ± 25 | 7,910–7,710 | 68.3 | 8,000–7,600 | 95.4 | 7,800 ± 200 | 7,800 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 22 | SUERC-14413 | Seaweed trash layer | 2.79# | - | −25.3 | 7,831 ± 39 | 7,570–7,370 | 68.3 | 7,660–7,260 | 95.4 | 7,460 ± 200 | 7,460 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 23 | SUERC-14414 | Seaweed trash layer | 2.79# | - | −25.6 | 7,883 ± 39 | 7,610–7,420 | 68.3 | 7,700–7,300 | 95.4 | 7,510 ± 200 | 7,510 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 24 | SUERC-14416 | Shell fragment | 2.79# | - | 1.4 | 7,853 ± 38 | 7,580–7,390 | 68.3 | 7,670–7,280 | 95.4 | 7,480 ± 200 | 7,480 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 25 | SUERC-14417 | Shell fragment | 2.79# | - | 0.2 | 7,842 ± 37 | 7,570–7,380 | 68.3 | 7,660–7,270 | 95.4 | 7,470 ± 200 | 7,470 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| S&J | Birm-23 | Seaweed trash layer | 2.50 | C | - | 7,863 ± 86 | 7,460–7,200 | 68.3 | 7,570–7,060 | 95.4 | 7,320 ± 260 | 7,330 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| S&J | Birm-48a | Shells | 2.50 | A-B | - | 9,670 ± 230 | 9,900–9,240 | 68.3 | 10,220–8,950 | 95.4 | 9,570 ± 650 | 9,560 | Fine seds. below till; max. readvance age |
| 26 | Beta-441400 | Terrestrial moss | 2.20 | 1 | −20.9 | 1,880 ± 30 | 1,820–1,770 | 47.4 | 1,870–1,860 | 1.8 | 1,770 ± 80 | 1,780 | Reworked moraine seds.; max. readvance age |
| Beta-441400 | 1,750–1,730 | 20.8 | 1,840–1,700 | 93.7 | |||||||||
| 27 | Beta-441401 | Terrestrial moss | 2.20 | 1 | −22.1 | 1,850 ± 30 | 1,810–1,770 | 23.2 | 1,830–1,700 | 84.4 | 1,740 ± 110 | 1,740 | Reworked moraine seds.; max. readvance age |
| Beta-441401 | 1,750–1,700 | 45.1 | 1,660–1,610 | 11.1 | |||||||||
| 28 | Beta-384259 | Lake L15 Freshwater subaquatic moss | 0–.01 | 2 | −22.6 | −1,017±21 | −43.2–44.4 | 66.9 | −45.1–42.9 | 66.6 | −44.0 ± −1.1 | −44.0 | Freshwater subaquatic moss in lake seds. |
| Beta-384259 | −9.1–9.5 | 26.0 | −9.6–9.1 | 21.2 | −9.3 ± −0.3 | −9.3 | |||||||
| 29 | Beta-384260 | Lake L15 Freshwater subaquatic moss | 0.035–0.04 | 2 | −20.2 | −1,213±28 | −39.2–41.1 | 69.5 | −38.3–43.1 | 92.4 | −40.7 ± 2.4 | −40.7 | Freshwater subaquatic moss in lake seds. |
| Beta-384260 | −9.7–9.8 | 4.1 | −9.9–9.6 | 4.0 | −9.8 ± −0.1 | -9.8 | |||||||
| 30 | Beta-386311 | Lake L15 Moss fragments | 0.06-0.065 | 2 | * | 710 ± 40 | 660–630 | 33.6 | 670–560 | 95.4 | 620 ± 70 | 610 | Freshwater subaquatic or littoral moss in lake seds. |
| Beta-386311 | 600–570 | 34.7 | |||||||||||
Radiocarbon dating results. Samples 1–21 are from the new Pingfo II section (62.2389°S, 58.6729°W), samples 22–25 from the new “Potter Cove” section (62.23895°S, 58.67113°W), 26–27 from the inland outcrop (62.2473°S, 58.6466°W), and 28–30 from the uppermost freshwater subaquatic moss-dominated Unit 3 in the Lake L15-H16 sediment record (62.2405°S, 58.6772°W).
Samples labeled S&J are from Sugden and John (1973); * indicates data not measurable due to small sample size; # indicates an average depth value. Data output produced in Oxcal v. 4.4 using Marine20 and ShCal20 calibration curves (see Methods) (
3.3 Lake sediment analysis
After mapping, classifying, and assessing the suitability of the numerous lakes on Potter Peninsula for sediment coring (Supplementary Figure S2), we cored and present here summary results from two foreland lake basins: Matias Lake (ML in Figures 2, 3B; Lake L5 in Supplementary Figure S2); and Lake L15 (aka GPS Lake).
Matias Lake (Lake L5, Figures 2, 3B; 62.2450°S, 58.6655°W) is a small lake sub-basin up to ∼6 m deep (
Lake L15 (62.24056°S S, 58.67757°W) is a small shallow bedrock basin (<1–2 m deep) inland from the new Pingfo II section (L15 in Figures 2, 3). It is a seasonally lake-ice-free basin and the furthest permanent water body from the active glacier front on Potter Peninsula (Figures 1, 2; Supplementary Figure S2). Eight cores were taken from a lake-ice platform over the depocentre using a 50 mm wide, 1 m long Livingston corer and a 50 mm wide, 0.5 m long Russian corer.
Livingston cores were split, and all cores were described in the laboratory. Non-destructive ITRAX (Cox Analytical) X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning (XRF-CS) and Bartington Magnetic Susceptibility High-Resolution Surface Scanning Sensor (MS2E) measurements were undertaken at Aberystwyth University and on a Geotek® multi-sensor core logger (MSCL) at Durham University following standard procedures (Gunn and Best, 1998;
To account for downcore variations in count rate, density, water, and organic content, XRF-CS data are presented as relative changes in percentages of the total scatter normalized ratio sum (%TSN, equivalent to the %cps sum—Saunders et al., 2018; Roberts et al., 2022) and as natural log ratios and centered log ratios (clr). Log ratios have been shown to produce similar downcore patterns to more traditional and fully quantitative Wavelength Dispersive Spectroscopy, WDS-XRF, and dry subsample analysis (Kylander et al., 2011;
Hyperspectral image (HSI) scanning analysis, which measures reflected optical properties between wavelengths from 400 to 1,000 nm (
3.4 Chronology and chronostratigraphy
3.4.1 Radiocarbon dating
Twenty-one accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon (14C) ages were obtained from seaweed, marine mollusc shells, penguin bones, bones from undetermined species, remnants of terrestrial mosses embedded in marine coastal proximal and terrestrial moraine sediments, and freshwater subaquatic moss in the uppermost unit (0–6 cm depth) of the Lake L15-H16 (Figure 3E; Supplementary Figure S6; Table 2). In order to reduce the risk of contamination with modern material, samples for radiocarbon dating from the stratigraphic sections were taken from freshly cleaned outcrops and stored in zip-lock plastic bags at 4°C. Samples were prepared at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Durham University, and the British Antarctic Survey. AMS and 13C/12C isotope ratio measurements undertaken at ETH Zürich, the NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory, East Kilbride, and by Beta Analytical, Miami, were used to calculate conventional radiocarbon ages following established procedures (14C years; Table 2; Supplementary Material for details).
Calibration of marine sample radiocarbon ages (marine shells, penguin bones, bones from undetermined species, and seaweed) was undertaken in Oxcal v. 4.4 using the Marine20 calibration curve (Gordon and Harkness, 1992;
Bayesian age-depth models for the new Pingfo II sedimentary sequence and the lake sediment records were constructed using the Bacon R package (
3.4.2 Lead-210 (210Pb), caesium-137 (137Cs), and americium-241 (241Am) analysis
210Pb 137Cs and 241Am dating of the uppermost 10 cm of the lake sediment records was undertaken using ∼4 g of homogenized dried sediment, added into tubes to a predefined level and sealed gas tight. After at least 21 days of storage to obtain radioactive equilibrium between 226Ra and 222Rn, activities of radionuclides were measured by well-type gamma spectrometry (Ge-detector, GWC 2522-7500 SL, Canberra Industries Inc., United States) and processed with GENIE 2000 3.0 (Canberra Industries Inc., United States). Data analysis and dating model calculations followed standard procedures defined by
3.4.3 Cosmogenic helium-3 (3He) nuclide surface exposure dating
Stable cosmogenic 3He accumulates in pyroxene and olivine phenocrysts in the upper few cm of basaltic boulders on the Three Brothers Hill moraine system, recording the total time that the rock surface has been exposed to cosmic rays. Using a hammer and chisel to remove the upper few centimeters of exposed surfaces, we collected five samples from boulders perched on moraines between 35 and 100 m a.s.l. (Supplementary Figure S1). The sampled boulders were >50 cm in diameter and the most suited for cosmogenic dating analysis as they showed no signs of sediment cover or significant erosion. Their size and shape meant it was very unlikely they had been overturned, and post-depositional movement was minimized by sampling boulders on locally flat and stable surfaces, away from steep slopes and cliffs (Supplementary Figure S1). Differential GPS (dGPS) measurements were undertaken using a Trimble Pathfinder ProXH to determine the precise location and altitude of boulders in relation to the DALL 66019M002 (S62°14′16.335″, W58°39′52.364″, ellipsoidal height 39.376 m) triangulation station located on the Argentine Carlini base, a few hundred meters away from the sampled erratics (Table 3). dGPS precision is better than 10 cm in all axes, but ellipsoid correction errors are larger.
TABLE 3
| Sample ID | Sample type | Latitude (°S) | Longitude (°W) | x (UTM21) | y (UTM21) | Elevation (m a.s.l.)1 | Dimensions (l; w; h) (m)2 | Thickness (cm) | Topographic shielding correction3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Potter | Cobble | 62.2430 | 58.6715 | 413,154 | 3,097,633 | 96.6 | 0.15; 0.25; 0.06 | 5.6 | 0.887 |
| 02-Potter | Boulder | 62.2435 | 58.6767 | 412,887 | 3,097,567 | 60.8 | 0.90; 0.50; 0.30 | 1.7 | 0.970 |
| 04-Potter | Boulder | 62.2435 | 58.6766 | 412,887 | 3,097,567 | 60.9 | 1.00; 0.45; 0.35 | 2.2 | 0.970 |
| 05-Potter | Boulder | 62.2420 | 58.6758 | 412,927 | 3,097,729 | 35.0 | 0.70; 0.70; 0.30 | 1.3 | 0.974 |
Sampling information for cosmogenic 3He nuclide surface exposure dating samples collected around Three Brothers Hill, Potter Peninsula, KGI. All surfaces were dipping less than 10°. Sample 01-Potter, a cobble sitting on top of a morainic crest facing Three Brothers Hill, was taken in its entirety (Supplementary Figure S1). This sample and 05-Potter have a striated, more weathered upper surface, suggesting that it was glacially transported and preserved in situ. Samples 02–05-Potter have boulder shapes, sizes, and positions that suggest that a recent turnover would be highly unlikely. Topographic shielding of each sample was measured with a clinometer and compass.
Sampling and processing methods are described in Tables 3–5 and in detail in the Supplementary Material. Exposure ages were calculated using the CRONUScalc calculator (Version 2.0; Marrero et al., 2016) with the time-dependent Lal (1991)/Stone (2000) scaling model (Lm) for altitude at Antarctic pressure conditions and the primary calibration dataset for 3He in pyroxene, which yields a long term sea-level high latitude (SLHL) scaled production rate of 122 ± 13 at g−1 a−1 (
TABLE 4
| Sample ID | Weight (g)4 | Weight (g)5 | 4Heheat (10–8)6 | 3He/4Hecrush (10–6) | 3He/4Heheat (10−6)6 | 3Hecosmo (106)7 | Exposure age (ka)8 | Internal uncertainty (ka) | External uncertainty (ka) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Potter | 0.827 | 0.526 | 45.8 ± 1.6 | 0.97 ± 0.12 | 0.129 ± 0.008 | 1.25 ± 0.32 | 9.4 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| 02-Potter | 0.509 | 0.282 | 76.4 ± 1.8 | 0.47 ± 0.03 | 0.318 ± 0.015 | 5.96 ± 0.48 | 41.2 | 3.3 | 5.6 |
| 04-Potter | 0.511 | 0.426 | 78.3 ± 2.7 | 0.44 ± 0.06 | 0.261 ± 0.015 | 4.91 ± 0.62 | 34.1 | 4.3 | 5.7 |
| 05-Potter | 0.985 | 0.656 | 38.6 ±1.3 | 1.62 ± 0.26 | 0.283 ± 0.016 | 2.64 ± 0.29 | 18.6 | 2 | 2.9 |
Results of helium measurements at GFZ Potsdam in pyroxene separates from the Three Brothers Hill samples. 4He concentrations are in units of cm3 STP g−1, 3He concentrations in atoms g−1; all error limits are 2σ. Erosion rate of 0 and rock density of 2.7 g cm−3 were assumed.
TABLE 5
| Sample ID | T°C | 4Heheat (10−8) | 3He/4Heheat (10−6) | 3Hecosmo (106) | 4Heheat (10–8) Total | 3He/4Heheat (10–6) Total | 3Hecosmo (106) Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Potter | 900 | 39.9 ± 1.6 | 0.106 ± 0.008 | 0.84 ± 0.31 | |||
| 1,750 | 5.93 ± 0.24 | 0.288 ± 0.034 | 0.41 ± 0.07 | 45.8 ± 1.6 | 0.129 ± 0.008 | 1.25 ± 0.32 | |
| 02-Potter | 600 | 30.9 ± 1.2 | 0.195 ± 0.016 | 1.39 ± 0.27 | |||
| 900 | 29.9 ± 1.2 | 0.385 ± 0.028 | 2.87 ± 0.34 | ||||
| 1,750 | 15.62 ± 0.63 | 0.433 ± 0.038 | 1.70 ± 0.21 | 76.4 ± 1.8 | 0.318 ± 0.015 | 5.96 ± 0.48 | |
| 04-Potter | 900 | 67.6 ± 2.7 | 0.244 ± 0.016 | 3.93 ± 0.60 | |||
| 1,750 | 10.71 ± 0.43 | 0.367 ± 0.036 | 0.98 ± 0.14 | 78.3 ± 2.7 | 0.261 ± 0.015 | 4.91 ± 0.62 | |
| 05-Potter | 900 | 29.9 ± 1.2 | 0.215 ± 0.016 | 1.50 ± 0.26 | |||
| 1,750 | 8.72 ± 0.35 | 0.515 ± 0.041 | 1.14 ± 0.12 | 38.6 ±1.3 | 0.283 ± 0.016 | 2.64 ± 0.29 |
Data for each heating step. The total 3Hecosmo concentrations have been calculated by summing the 3He excesses from all heating steps. 1Altitudes were measured with a Differential GPS Trimble Pathfinder ProXH. Accuracy of 10 cm in all axes. 2The height (h) of the sample means cm above the moraine surface. 3Calculated using the online geometric shielding calculator v1.1 (http://hess.ess.washington.edu/math/general/skyline_input.php;
All statistical analysis was undertaken, and figures were constructed using R v. 4.1.0/RStudio v. 1.4.1717 and packages Tidyverse, ggplot2, Vegan, Rioja, Ggally v. 2.1.2, RBacon, Rcarbon, Bchron, and Sigmaplot v. 14.0, C2 (Juggins, 2007), with final figure layouts achieved in Adobe Illustrator v. 26.2.1 or CorelDRAW v. 2020.
4 Results
We identified four distinct altitudinal and glacially impacted environments on Potter Peninsula: 0–15 m a.s.l. (Holocene-age and active beaches); 15–50 m a.s.l. (vegetated (perma)frost-affected bedrock plateaus); 50–100 m a.s.l. (fresh-looking, recent glacial deposits); >100 m a.s.l. (Three Brothers Hill) (Figure 2).
To provide a process-oriented, land systems-based assessment, we divided our new geomorphological map of the Potter Peninsula in
Figure 2into the following four sediment-landform assemblages (LA):
LA-1: glacier ice and snow, active glacial sediment landforms.
LA-2: glacial assemblage of inactive glacial landforms and deposits.
LA-3: paraglacial and proglacial assemblage, marine/alluvial landforms, and deposits.
LA-4: periglacial assemblage, hillslope, and structural landforms and deposits.
The main features of these landform assemblages are summarized and interpreted in Table 1 and illustrated in Figures 3–5. In the following sections, we have organized results obtained from the stratigraphic sections, lake records, and chronological analysis according to the landform assemblages described above.
FIGURE 4

Examples of the active glacial landform assemblages of the Warszawa Icefield on Potter Peninsula: (A) Transverse structures and radial longitudinal foliation. (B,C) Transverse foliation related to englacial thrusts and longitudinal foliation associated with melt-out till on the ice surface on the Warszawa Icefield foreland. (D) A supraglacial meltwater channel. (E) Folded layers of subglacial debris in the snout of the icefield, toward the Fourcade Glacier. Components of the glacial and periglacial landform assemblages observed on Potter Peninsula. (F) Slump on glacial deposits showing the collapsing ice-cored moraine (white arrow) at the Warszawa Icefield foreland; bag on top as scale. (G) Vegetated large stone stripes above Stranger Point. (H) Satellite image showing flutings in recently deglaciated glacial deposits, being eroded by glaciofluvial activity. (I) Flutes at a smaller scale, indicating former ice movement direction. (J) Frost-shattered bedrock covered to some extent with lichens. (K) Summary of 3He cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure ages from the Three Brothers Hill area superimposed on a satellite image drape on the KGI-DEM. See Tables 3–5 and Supplementary Material for details.
FIGURE 5

Stratigraphic profile of recently exposed (2013 CE) “Inland Outcrop” glacial deposits, location 3 in Figure 3.
4.1 Landform assemblage LA-1: Active glacial sediment landforms
4.1.1 Inland Outcrop on the recently deglaciated inner Warszawa Icefield foreland
The contact between the Warszawa Icefield and its proglacial area is shallow and contains many active glacial sedimentary landforms (Figure 4A; Table 1; Section 1 for further details). In 2013, we discovered a new exposure ∼700 m away from the present-day glacier limit (62.2473°S, 58.6466°W). This “Inland Outcrop” is a partly degraded, non-vegetated, 2.3 m thick massive matrix-supported sandy diamicton. Two radiocarbon ages from basal moss fragments incorporated into the base of a diamicton have mean ± 2σ ages of 1.7 ± 0.1 and 1.8 ± 0.1 cal. ka BP, with a density phase model 95% probability range of 2.2–1.4 cal. ka BP (Figures 5, 6; Table 2, nos. 26, 27). This section represents glacier bulldozing of moss that grew on previously glacier-free areas, and the youngest of the moss radiocarbon ages provides a maximum age constraint on glacier readvance across the mid-upper glacier foreland.
FIGURE 6

(A) Stratigraphic profile and photograph of the new Pingfo II section. Lithofacies units 1–6 shown in the photo are described in the main text. Legend is as shown in Figure 5. (B) Bayesian (BACON) age-depth model for the new Pingfo II and River Cut sections showing that new radiocarbon age data are broadly in stratigraphic order, with mean values clustering between 7.8 and 7.5 cal. ka BP (8.0–7.0 cal. ka BP 95% probability density age range). The older age range of 10.1–9.4 cal. ka BP (95% probability density age range) is based on ages reported by Sugden and John (1973) and is a clear outlier. Lithofacies units 1–6 are as shown in (A). See Table 2 for radiocarbon data. (C) Summed probability profile of new radiocarbon age data from Potter Peninsula in this study compared with previously published data (S&J, Sugden and John, 1973) in Table 2. (D) Probability density phase model of maximum age constraints on glacier readvance on King George Island between 12 and 0 cal. ka BP. Dark and light grey shaded zones in (C,D) are 95% probability “gaps” when glacier readvances could have occurred. BP, Barton Peninsula; FP, Fildes Peninsula; PP, Potter Peninsula.
4.2 Landform assemblage LA-2: Inactive glacial assemblage
4.2.1 Stratigraphic river sections from northern mid-outer Potter Peninsula
The new Pingfo II (nPII) section (62.2389°S, 58.6729°W; Figure 2A and Location 1 in Figure 3) and “Potter Cove’’ (PC) river sections (62.23895°S, 58.67113°W; Figure 2 and Location 2 in Figure 3) are part of a small lateral moraine ridge running obliquely to the southern coastline of Potter Cove.
The nPII section is composed of five units of shell-bearing marine sand, and terrestrial sand, sand gravel and gravel (Lithofacies 1–5 in Figure 6A) overlain by a sandy diamicton unit composed of matrix-supported pebble to cobble-sized clasts (Lithofacies 6; Figure 6A) as follows: Lithofacies 1 is a laminated silt/very fine sand with remnants of shells of bivalve Laternula elliptica and algae; Lithofacies 2 are composed of beds of massive, matrix to clast supported gravels, ∼10–15 cm thick, with subangular to angular clasts up to 5 cm embedded in a sandy matrix; Lithofacies 3 is composed of horizontally laminated very fine to silty sand, with brownish-to-orange algae and shelly remains with sporadic subangular clasts up to 7 cm; Lithofacies 4 is composed of horizontally laminated fine-to-medium sand, with silty-clay and sporadic sub-angular clasts up to 10 cm, shells of Laternula elliptica, penguin bones, and a distinctively compacted brownish (algae) deposit at 1.60 m covering fine pebbles; Lithofacies 5 is a stratified matrix and clast-supported gravel intercalated with sand and laminated silt, subrounded and subangular clasts up to 10 cm and larger “dropstones” up to 30 cm diameter and has a contorted upper boundary; Lithofacies 6, which is a sandy-clay, matrix-supported, clast rich, massive to weakly laminated diamicton, with striated angular to sub-angular clasts up to 50 cm. The upper surface of the nPII and PC sections is a flat terrace at 6 m a.s.l. littered with larger clasts on the surface facing Potter Cove and forms part of the inactive vegetated glacial assemblage (Figures 3, 6A; Table 1).
Twenty-one samples analyzed for AMS radiocarbon dating included remains of different marine organisms, seaweed, with Laternula elliptica shells and bones (Figure 6A; Table 2, nos. 1–21). Their mean and median calibrated radiocarbon ages cluster between 7.7 and 7.2 cal. ka BP, with a density phase model 95% probability range of 8.2–7.0 cal. ka BP. Shells in the lowermost sand unit are small fragments and unlikely to be in situ but also imply that the intertidal sand was accumulating in the range of c. 8.2–6.9 cal. ka BP (2σ calibrated age range). All new ages obtained from the nPII section are distinct (at 95% probability) from older radiocarbon ages of similar marine shells measured by Sugden and John (1973) with a density phase model 95% probability range of 10.1–9.4 cal. ka BP (Figure 6C; Table 2). Bayesian age-depth modeling shows that deposition of Lithofacies 1–4 was broadly in stratigraphic order, with a homogenous sedimentation rate of ∼10 mm a-1 (Figure 6B).
Four new AMS radiocarbon ages from marine shells, and a ∼2–10 mm thick filamentous seaweed (brown algae) layer collected from between the marine sand unit and the overlying diamicton in the nearby PC river section (Table 2, nos. 22–25; Figure 6C), were dated independently and had mean calibrated ages of c. 7.5 ± 0.2 cal. ka BP, respectively (2σ range 7.7–7.0 cal. ka BP) (Table 2). Their density phase model 95% probability age range is in close agreement with new ages from the nPII section (Figures 6B, C).
4.2.2 Lake sediment records from the central mid-outer area of Potter Peninsula
Lake L5 (Matias Lake): we extracted 13 short cores from the depocentre in Matias Lake and along a surface transect toward Rudy Lake. Sediment recovery depth ranged 20–60 cm before encountering an impenetrable diamicton layer. Cores MAT1 (L5-H1) (27 cm) and MAT2 (L5-H2) (29 cm) in Figure 7 were extracted from the deepest part of Matias Lake (5.8 m; 62° 14′ 42.054″S, 58° 39′ 53.82″W; Figure 2; Supplementary Figure S2). Two lithological zones were present across all cores. The basal zone 1 diamicton was predominantly matrix-supported, largely impenetrable, and only retained in some cores. The overlying sediments in zone 2 are composed of fine (mm scale) grey silty clay and Fe-rich orange clay laminations, probably reflecting periodic (possibly even seasonal) overturning and/or oxidation processes within the lake and glaciolacustrine deposition following the retreat of the Warszawa Icefield landward from Matias Lake and Rudy Lake (Figure 7B).
FIGURE 7

Summary lithological, ITRAX XRF-CS, SPECIM hyperspectral imagery and data, and chronological data from sediment records from (A) Lake L15 and (B) Matias Lake (ML; L5). A positive correlation between the RABD660;670 (reflecting increased organic productivity) and the XRF-CS molybdenum (Mo) and total scatter profiles in Lake L15 exists because Mo improves the efficiency of nitrogen fixation and the nitrogenase creation process by binding with organic ligands (e.g., tannins) in near-surface and sub-aquatic environments (including freshwater moss) and iron oxides and organic matter at depth, preventing it from leaching out of the sediment (Wichard et al., 2009). Conversely, Mo has very low concentrations in mineral-rich sediments as Mo attachment to mineral grains is an insignificant process. Total scatter (inc. + coh.) and scatter ratios (inc./coh.) are also elevated in organic matter as it is less dense and has a higher water content than minerogenic sediments (
Obtaining basal radiocarbon ages from basal and bulk minerogenic sediments in the Matias Lake cores proved challenging due to a general lack of organic carbon (Figure 7; Supplementary Figures S5, S6; Table 2). The 210Pb CRS age model shows that the uppermost 10 cm have been deposited since c. 1850 CE, and the well-defined 137Cs peak at 5 cm depth is coherent with the 210Pb age model (Figure 7B; Supplementary Table S2). A 0.5 cm thick tephra deposit between 8 and 9 cm depth (1908 ± 10 CE) is characterized by elevated Ca and Sr and most likely represents an early C20th eruption from Deception Island, 120 km southwest of Potter Peninsula.
Lake L15 (GPS Lake): we extracted eight cores from a grid of 25 (∼1 m spaced) holes drilled through the ∼75–100 cm thick lake ice above the deepest accessible point (∼2 m) at Lake L15. Core L15-H2 (62° 14′ 26.052″S, 58° 40′ 39.36″W) in Figure 7A contained 30 cm of sediment, L15-H4 11 cm, L15-H9 39 cm, L15-H16 55 cm (62° 14′ 26.016″S, 58° 40′ 39.252″W; Figure 7A), L15-H17 45 cm, L15-H19 34 cm, L15-H20 61 cm, and L15-H22 49 cm. The same three lithological zones exist in all records. Zone 1 is a fine silt/clay matrix-supported diamicton, zone 2 is a fine silt/clay laminated sediment, and zone 3 is a freshwater subaquatic moss. Hyperspectral and XRF-CS profiles show that zones 1 and 2 have very low primary productivity (Figure 7A), with the transition to elevated RABD660;670 values into zone 3 reflecting increased active photosynthesis by subaquatic moss and higher subaquatic primary production. zone 3A shows a maximum concentration of TChl, which remains high in zone 3B, but with relatively lower TChl concentrations. This relative decrease might also be related to higher lithogenic sedimentation rates and/or greater porosity.
Radiocarbon ages of freshwater moss and macrophytic material from the uppermost lithological Unit 3 in Lake L15 range from post-1950 CE to c. 0.6 cal. ka BP and are statistically distinct from ages obtained from terrestrial moss layers embedded in the “Inland Outcrop” (Figures 2A, 3B, 7; Supplementary Figure S6; Table 2). The Lake L15 210Pb Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) age model has a low sedimentation rate in the top 10 cm, and the sample at ∼4–5 cm is at least 150 years old (Supplementary Table S3). Although the prerequisite for the CRS model was not fulfilled because the flux of 210Pb has changed through time and is not constant, the 210Pb data are consistent with the radiocarbon ages that show sediment between 6 and 6.5 cm dates to 620 ± 80 cal. a BP, and 3–3.5 cm and 0–0.5 cm depth were deposited in the “post-bomb” (post-1950 CE) era, most likely between −40 and −44 cal yr BP (1990–1994 CE) (Figure 7; Table 2; Supplementary Table S5). The 137Cs data are inconsistent with the 210Pb CRS age model (Supplementary Table S3), and the steep increase in 137Cs in the upper 2 cm may relate to a 137Cs “soil reservoir,” which is leaching 137Cs from the catchment into the lake from snow or lake-ice melting.
4.3 Landform assemblages LA-2, LA-3, and LA-4
4.3.1 Stranger point and three brothers hill moraine systems and associated proglacial/periglacial landforms and deposits
Well-preserved morainic crests and glacial erratics are rare in the Three Brothers Hill moraine system mainly because the moraines have been heavily degraded into debris flows and are now covered in talus rock accumulations (Table 1; Figure 8; Supplementary Figure S1).
FIGURE 8

The Stranger Point and Three Brothers Hill moraine landform assemblage and inactive Holocene glacial landforms that have collapsed due to thermoerosion. (A) Debris flows and slumps are reworking the moraine, showing its ice core. (B) A pond bordered by prominent moraine ridges. (C) A moraine thrust in the direction of the red arrow and mudflows at the foot of the ice-cored moraine. (D) Striated and polished basaltic boulder on the moraine, deposited by thrusting. (E) Polished and striated block in the surroundings of Three Brothers Hill.
We sampled erratics firmly embedded on the moraine for He-3 cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating to minimize the effect of post-depositional movement. In summary, ages are scattered between 9.4 ± 2.6 ka and 41.2 ± 5.6 ka (Figure 4K; Supplementary Figure S1; Table 4) and have external uncertainties up to 28% (e.g., sample 01-Potter, Table 4). The two youngest ages from boulders 01-Potter (9.4 ± 2.6 ka) and 05-Potter (18.6 ± 2.9 ka) had striated surfaces indicative of glacial transport and in situ preservation (Table 4). The large age scatter in the 3He cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages and the large individual age errors are due to the low concentration of cosmogenic helium and/or the poorly known 3He/4He ratio of the non-cosmogenic component. The possibility of previous exposure and complex and poorly understood nuclide inheritance processes cannot be excluded either. Therefore, we consider the 3He cosmogenic nuclide exposure results to be promising but tentative.
5 Discussion
Based on our new geomorphological map and our assessment of the landform assemblages on Potter Peninsula, we propose the following five-stage deglaciation landscape evolution model for Potter Peninsula during the Holocene:
(1) Early Holocene terrestrial deglaciation began, and a glacier-free environment existed at a low altitude in the mouth of Potter Cove before 8.2 cal. ka BP;
(2) Deglaciation was interrupted by a readvance that reached outer Potter Cove, at or shortly after, c. 7.0 ka;
(3) Mid-late Holocene glacier retreat to, or within, present-day limits after c. 7.0 ka;
(4) At least three late Holocene “neoglacial” readvances to the inner central area of Potter Peninsula between c. 1.7 and 1.4 ka and small readvances <1 cal. ka BP, similar in extent to the 1956 CE readvance;
(5) Recent deglaciation (post-1956 CE) and active glacial processes.
We examine the new evidence for these stages in detail in the following sections (Sections 5.1–Sections 5.5) in the context of regional environmental change across the SSI and northern AP during the Holocene and suggest possible mechanisms for deglaciation and glacier readvances (Section 5.6).
5.1 Early Holocene terrestrial deglaciation
Ice retreat on land after deglaciation from offshore LGM limits across the SSI occurred c. 11–8 cal. ka BP, constrained by ages obtained from glacially polished bedrock surfaces on the Barton and Weaver peninsulas, cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages, and the onset of lake sedimentation on Barton Peninsula, Fildes Peninsulas (KGI), and Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island) (
Our tentative minimum 3He cosmogenic nuclide exposure deglaciation age of 9.4 ± 2.6 ka from Three Brothers Hill on Potter Peninsula (Figure 4K) is broadly consistent with the high-altitude deglaciation history of KGI (Seong et al., 2008), and only one of the radiocarbon ages was obtained by Sugden and John (1973) (S&J Birm-48a in Table 2: 9,670 ± 230 14C years; 9,570 ± 650 cal. a BP), which is clearly an outlier (Figures 6B–D, 9B, D).
FIGURE 9

(A) Location map for palaeoenvironmental records in this figure. SHW, Southern Hemisphere Westerly winds. Letters correspond to the records shown below. Dashed white lines are mean modern-day sea ice data (NSIDC 1981–2010 CE; 20% sea ice coverage from https://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/) Austral summer minimum (February or Feb.) and winter maximum (September or Sept.) sea ice limits (solid white lines). The minimum (Feb.) sea ice extent on the western side of the AP is located off-image further south of the December (Dec.) sea ice extent. (B) Cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages and key lake basal ages constraining deglaciation on KGI at different altitudes from Barton Peninsula (Seong et al., 2008; Oliva et al., 2019), Potter Peninsula (this study), and Fildes Peninsula (Watcham et al., 2011); *, new data (this study). Basal lakes ages constraining early Holocene deglaciation were not obtained from lakes cored on Potter Peninsula as they contained an impenetrable diamicton layer likely due to mid-late Holocene readvances on Potter Peninsula. (C) Summarized relative sea level (RSL) envelope for the SSI (W11, light blue shading; Watcham et al., 2011) compared with the RSL curve by Johnson et al. (2022) (J22, dark solid and dotted blue lines) and the W12a GIA model (Whitehouse et al., 2012a, b); see original references for further details and data. (D) Summed probability profiles and phases (bars) derived from new radiocarbon ages from Potter Peninsula in this study compared with previously published radiocarbon data (S&J, Sugden and John, 1973); readvances shown as vertical grey shaded zones are constrained by data in this plot and Figures 6C, D). (E) Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT)—mean summer air temperature (MSAT) anomaly reconstruction (dark grey line) from the Yanou Lake sediment record, Fildes Peninsula (Foster et al., 2016; Roberts et al., 2017); the black line and data points represent a revised MSAT anomaly reconstruction for Yanou Lake based on combining the Pearson et al. (2011) and Foster et al., 2016) datasets (RMSE = 1.65°C). These new values and their 6 kyr mean ± 1σ MSAT anomaly of 0.06 ± 1.50°C are more realistic than previous values (Roberts et al. (2017): dark grey line and data points); orange stars are ΔTSI peaks greater than the mean Holocene ΔTSI values, see Figure 10A; the dotted line is the 6 ka mean MSAT anomaly for the dataset published in Roberts et al. (2017). (F) Maxwell Bay TOC (total organic carbon; grey data points and line; dark blue line is a 100-year interval LOESS regression) with lower values interpreted by Milliken et al. (2009) as reduced sea ice concentration and more open water. (G) Anvers Shelf diatom-based sea ice reconstruction. Lower ratio values represent reduced sea ice concentration and higher pelagic percentage values reflect increased open water (OW) (Roberts et al., 2017). (H) SST reconstruction from the Palmer Deep (Shevenell, et al., 2011; Etourneau et al., 2013). (I) Probability density phase analysis applied to glacier advance (blue) and retreat (red) data in Kaplan et al. (2020) from the northern Antarctic Peninsula. (J) Temperature anomaly data from the James Ross Island (JRI) ice core record, NE Antarctic Peninsula (Mulvaney et al., 2012; errors <±10% not shown for clarity). (K) Summary climate syntheses for the Antarctic Peninsula (based on Ingólfsson et al., 2003;
The interpretation of lithofacies assemblages in the nPII and PC stratigraphic sections underpins our revised deglaciation history for Potter Peninsula. Both sections have a lithofacies association typical of polythermal tidewater glaciers (Stewart et al., 1991;
Our oldest sample from a depth of 3.30 m in the nPII and PC sections has a calibrated age of 7,910 ± 260 cal. a BP and a 2σ age range of 8,170–7,660 cal. a BP (Table 2, no. 15), in agreement with more recent studies (Strelin et al., 2014). Similar ages from a further 25 samples from Lithofacies 1–4 convincingly show that a glacier-free environment existed at a low altitude in the mouth of Potter Cove before 8.2 cal. ka BP (Figures 6A–C; Table 2). This new minimum deglaciation age is younger than, but consistent with, previous ages from these deposits (cf. Sugden and John, 1973) and our new minimum 3He cosmogenic nuclide exposure age from Three Brothers Hill of 9.4 ± 2.6 ka.
Our paleoenvironmental interpretations for the nPII and PC sections are in broad agreement with previous studies. However, we could not replicate older chronologies even though the nPII is 2.5 m deeper than the nearby sections dated by Sugden and John (1973) and
Our revised early Holocene terrestrial deglaciation history for Potter Peninsula is consistent with evidence for enhanced glacier retreat from Maxwell Bay and sustained deglaciation on the nearby Barton and Fildes peninsulas at low altitude by c. 8.0 cal. ka BP (Figure 9B) (Seong et al., 2008; Milliken et al., 2009; Oliva et al., 2019), and glacier retreat on Livingston Island, c. 8.3–7.5 cal. ka BP (Oliva et al., 2016b). These events followed a period of sustained early Holocene warming across the northern AP region (Figures 9J,K) (Ingólfsson et al., 2003; Strelin et al., 2006;
5.2 A c. 7 ka glacier readvance
Radiocarbon ages from the marine shell-bearing horizons of Unit 5 in the nPII section provide a maximum age constraint of c. 7.0 cal. ka BP for a readvance of the former tidewater Fourcade Glacier to the outer mouth of Potter Cove. Glaciodeltaic facies on the surficial morainal bank terrace imply subaqueous discharge close to the calving zone, with contorted deformation structures near the top of Unit 5 most likely resulting from glaciotectonic push and shear (cf. Hambrey and McKelvey, 2000) indicative of subglacial deformation. Lithofacies 6 represents a period of inter-tidal sand accumulation, and the massive matrix-supported, clast-rich diamicton deposited on top of both sections is interpreted as a subglacial till formed by a readvance at or shortly after c. 7.0 cal. ka BP (Figures 6A, D,9D).
Changes in RSL recorded in raised beaches and isolation basins of the SSI provide the most reliable evidence of deglaciation, ice loading, and readvance (e.g., Johnson et al., 2022). As isolation basins are less prone to reworking and remobilization than raised beaches, we attempted to corroborate evidence for a < c. 7 ka readvance in the nPII profile from isolation basins on Potter Peninsula (Figure 2C) below the 8 ka SSI Holocene marine limit at ∼16 m a.s.l. (Fretwell et al., 2010; Watcham et al., 2011) (Figure 9C) by looking for sediment records with marine to terrestrial transitions, but most have unsuitable gravel (or boulder-strewn) lake beds.
RSL curves for the AP and SSI exhibit a regionally coherent shift from rising to falling RSL focused on c. 8.0–7.5 ka, reflecting ice retreat across the northern AP and SSI and isostatic uplift outpacing sea level rise (Roberts et al., 2011; Watcham et al., 2011; Johnson et al., 2022), which possibly prevented further marine-upwelling induced retreat of the Potter Cove glacier. The new c. 7 ka maximum age constraint on glacier readvance for Potter Cove/Peninsula from the nPII section is coeval with a phase of renewed, but comparatively minor, uplift at c. 7.2–7.0 cal. ka BP associated with a standstill or readvance (and/or thickening) of the BIC first determined from isolation basin studies on Fildes Peninsula (Watcham et al., 2011).
A c. 7 ka readvance is also in broad agreement with surface exposure ages of c. 7.0 cal. ka BP from moraine boulders, which represent a glacier advance on Hurd Peninsula, Livingston Island (Hall, 2007), and land-based glacier readvances on James Ross Island, northeast AP, between 7.3 and 7.1 cal. ka BP (Figure 9I) (Strelin et al., 2006; Kaplan et al., 2020). Terrestrial and marine proxies in records from the northern AP indicate extensive glacial melt and open waters without sea ice in Maxwell Bay, and generally warmer than Holocene average conditions, similar to the present-day shortly after c. 7 ka BP (Figures 9A, F, G) (Milliken et al., 2009; Watcham et al., 2011; Mulvaney et al., 2012; Peck et al., 2015; Roberts et al., 2017). Therefore, a precise climate connection between these records and glacier readvance at c. 7 ka on Potter Peninsula remains unclear and is discussed further in Section 5.6.
5.3 Mid-late Holocene deglaciation
Radiocarbon ages from basal lake sediments suggest that glaciers across the SSI and northern AP had receded to within or close to their present-day limits by c. 6 cal. ka BP (Mäusbacher et al., 1989; Watcham et al., 2011; Roberts et al., 2017; Giralt et al., 2020; Gomez et al., 2020). Marine sediment records from Maxwell Bay show decreasing sea surface temperatures (SST) and increasing sea ice cover between c. 5.9 and 2.6 cal. ka BP (Milliken et al., 2009), but we found no evidence for glacier readvance on Potter Peninsula in this period (Figures 6C, 9D).
Hall (2010) and Watcham et al. (2011) suggested that RSL fall was broadly continuous after 6 cal. ka BP (Figure 9C). Although
Jeong (2006) proposed that the diameter of sorted vegetated polygons on KGI is directly related to formation age, with the largest polygon (3.23 m) dated at 5.4 ± 0.1 cal. ka BP. Polygons ∼2.5 m in diameter were measured in this study and are tentatively assigned ages >2.6 ka using this method. Deglaciation ages derived using this method have obvious limitations but provide the only available age estimate for the periglacial landform assemblage (LA-4) on Potter Peninsula. Nevertheless, this age is consistent with ages of 4.5 to 2.8 cal. ka BP for a period of sustained mid-to-late Holocene warming, termed the Mid-Holocene Hypsithermal (MHH) in
FIGURE 10

Mechanisms of deglaciation and glacier fluctuations on Potter Peninsula. (A) Total Solar Irradiance, as ΔTSI, which represents the deviation from present-day value (Steinhilber et al., 2009), compared with annual (dashed black line), austral spring/summer (SONDJF) (red line), and winter (JJA) (blue line) solar insolation received at 62°S during the Holocene (Laskar et al., 2004). The open red circle is the mean ± 1σ ΔTSI value for the last 10 ka; orange stars mark ΔTSI peaks greater than the 10 ka mean value. (B) Ultra-high resolution (69 μm) hyperspectral (SPECIM) R850/R900 data, a proxy for mineral input into the Emerald Lake, Macquarie Island at 54°S (Saunders et al., 2018), which reflects changes in the Southern Hemisphere Westerly wind (SHW) strength during the mid-late Holocene; the dark grey horizontal dotted line is the R850/R900 dataset mean; dark green line is 100-year interval LOESS regression of the R850/R900. (C) Hypothetical representation of changes in the mean annual latitudinal position of the core SHW intensity belt (dark grey line) and approximate 1σ latitudinal range of enhanced precipitation (light blue stipple) (
5.4 Neoglaciation in the last 2,000 years
New geomorphological mapping and chronological evidence presented in this study show the Warszawa Icefield/Fourcade Glacier advanced beyond present-day limits on at least three occasions during the late Holocene: after c. 1.7–1.4 ka, following the return to “neoglacial” conditions (cf. Ingólfsson et al., 2003;
5.4.1 <1.7–1.4 ka readvances
The “Inland Outcrop,” a massive matrix-supported sandy diamicton sequence, ∼700 m from the present glacier front, was revealed in 2013 following at least ∼60 years of retreat of the Warszawa Icefield across the inner Potter Peninsula (Figure 2A). This diamicton was probably derived from the foliation of entrained subglacial debris at the glacier front, forming unstable ridges of till with sedimentary characteristics of re-sedimentation from a primary subglacial till by melt-out. During melt seasons, its foliation likely collapsed, and any orientation has now been lost (cf. Hambrey et al., 2015).
Warmer and/or more humid conditions that existed before c. 2.2 cal. ka BP, implied by the presence of moss within the “Inland Outcrop” (Figures 6C, 9D), are consistent with similar conditions implied by the first of the two closely-spaced phases of freshwater subaquatic moss deposition in lake records from Fildes Peninsula at c. 2.2–1.9 cal. ka BP and 1.5–1.3 cal. ka BP (Roberts et al., 2017). Remnants of moss layers scattered randomly at its base have median calibrated ages of 1.8 and 1.7 cal. ka BP and a 95% summed probability range of 2.2–1.4 cal. ka BP (Table 2), meaning they were most likely emplaced when the Warszawa Icefield had readvanced further landward by c. 1.7–1.4 cal. ka BP (Figures 6C, 9D).
We link the “Inland Outcrop” to the ice-cored Stranger Point moraine system based on their relative positions to the present glacier margin and the degree of degradation and extent of mass-wasting processes (e.g., landslides and weathering) within the diamicton (Figures 2, 8A–D, F; Table 1). As these sequences are in front of a former theoretical limit of the Warszawa Icefield and form part of the inactive glacial landform assemblage (LA-2) (Figure 2; Table 1), we propose that both sequences were formed by the same glacier advance and subsequent melt-out processes that produced thrusting and deformation of subglacial till at the glacier margin of the Warszawa Icefield (Figures 2, 8C; Table 2).
A readvance sometime after 2.2 cal. ka BP and by c. 1.7–1.4 cal. ka BP in the central foreland of Potter Peninsula is consistent with ages of c. 1.9 cal. ka BP obtained from raised beaches up to 7.3 m a.s.l. overlying volcanic bedrock and till on the south side of Potter Peninsula that imply increased late Holocene ice loading (Lindhorst and Schutter, 2014). The timing is also consistent with offshore evidence of a glacier readvance dated to c. 2.6–1.6 cal. ka BP from the outermost marine moraine complex, M1, in Potter Cove (Figure 1C; Wölfl et al., 2016) and marine diamictons deposited by ice rafting in Maxwell Bay between c. 1.4 and 1.1 cal. ka BP (Ingólfsson et al., 2003; Yoon et al., 2004). The M1 moraine represents the furthest preserved maximum position of the Fourcade Glacier in the late Holocene (Wölfl et al., 2016).
Although late Holocene ice loading and readvances on Potter Peninsula are too small to be modeled by regional-scale ice sheet and glacio-isostatic adjustment models (e.g., Whitehouse et al., 2012a, b), the most recent RSL curve for the SSI (Johnson et al., 2022) (Figure 9C) hypothesizes that the continuous decline from the Holocene marine limit between 8 and 6 ka was interrupted by increased isostatic uplift between 1.5 and 0.5 ka BP. Rebound at this time relates to the “most significant” readvance event of the mid-late Holocene (Hall, 2010) and is consistent with published raised beach data and evidence for a post c. 2 ka “neoglacial” readvance on Potter Peninsula.
Colder “neoglacial” conditions persisted on the SSI and northern AP from c. 2 ka (2070 ± 50 cal a BP in
5.4.2 <0.7 ka readvances
Our new geomorphological mapping revealed vegetated protalus ramparts between 30 and 60 m a.s.l. on Potter Peninsula, approximately 200 m below the current ELA, implying that cooler and drier environmental conditions existed when they were formed. By examining their cross-cutting relationships with raised beaches on Livingston Island, Serrano and López-Martı́nez (2000) and Kääb (2007) linked their formation to that of low altitude protalus landforms and rock glaciers which advanced between c. 0.8 and 0.3 ka. Applying a similar principle, the Stranger Point moraine system crosscuts raised beaches at 6 m a.s.l., implying a maximum age of 0.7 cal. ka BP for a readvance at this location (Heredia Barión et al., 2019). This age estimate is consistent with coastal gravel deposits at 6 m a.s.l. that were deposited on top of a till deposit at the west and north coast of Potter Peninsula sometime after 0.65 cal. ka BP (Sugden and John, 1973;
Supporting evidence for a readvance after c. 0.7 ka and subsequent retreat also exists in the lake sediment records on Potter Peninsula. 1) The first evidence is the modeled age for the contact between the basal diamicton unit and the uppermost laminated sediments in the Matias Lake record of c. 0.3 cal. ka BP (Supplementary Figure S5).
Data from marine sediment cores and the submerged moraine complexes M2 and M3 in Potter Cove show that the Fourcade Glacier was located forward of its present position in the inner cove between 0.5 and 0.1 cal. ka BP (Figure 1C) (Hass et al., 2010; Majewski et al., 2012; Wölfl et al., 2016; Munoz and Wellner, 2018). On Fildes Peninsula, ice-cored moraines composed of till, ice-proximal meltwater fan deposits and ice-marginal pond sediments were forming adjacent to present-day glacial margins by thrusting processes, incorporating remnants of mosses dated to c. 0.83–0.65 cal. ka BP (Hall, 2007). These mosses represent warmer/milder conditions before a <0.7 ka readvance, and their ages are coeval with the timing of the Mediaeval Climate Anomaly (MCA; Figure 9K) c. 1–0.7 cal ka BP, 950–1250 CE (Mann et al., 2009; Kaufman et al., 2020).
More widely, using radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of raised beaches, Simms et al. (2012; 2021) showed that the last glacier readvances occurred across the SSI and the AP between c. 0.45 and 0.25 ka BP and that increased ice loading is consistent with increasing rates of post-MCA RSL decline on KGI in the last 500 years (
Evidence for a <0.7 ka readvance on Potter Peninsula is also broadly coeval with: 1) more persistently colder conditions on or around the SSI and the AP (Figure 9E) (Yoon et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2005; Hall, 2007; Hass et al., 2010; Monien et al., 2011;
5.5 Recent (post-1956 CE) deglaciation and active geomorphological processes
Aerial photographs show that the Warszawa Icefield was also in an advanced position close to the “Inland Outcrop” in 1956 CE (Figure 3). In 1956 CE, the front of the Fourcade (tidewater) glacier was located 1,200 m away from the mouth of Potter Cove (Figures 1, 2) and has since experienced a net retreat of more than 1,000 m along the flow line. Aerial and satellite imageries show that the Warszawa Icefield and the Fourcade Glacier then retreated rapidly to their present-day position between 1956 and 2013 CE (Figure 3B), and since 2016 CE, satellite imagery has shown that it has terminated on land (Jerosch et al., 2018).
After deglaciation, periglacial/frost action and mass movement became widespread on Potter Peninsula (Figures 3D, 4J). Rapid mass movements and rockfalls have transferred the sedimentary products of the periglacial processes down-slope, creating talus accumulation at the foot of bedrock plateaus and around Three Brothers Hill (Figure 2; Table 1). Cryoturbated sorted circles and polygons form on gentle slopes above 50 m a.s.l. and where surficial sediments are saturated with water due to the presence of a permafrost table that inhibits drainage. Repeated freeze-thaw processes, rather than permafrost (Matsuoka, 2001), most likely led to the formation of cryoturbated stone stripes on steeper slopes and gelifluction lobes at the base of the bedrock plateaus.
The inactive Stranger Point moraine system has been actively degraded by mudflows, solifluction, and thermokarst processes (Figures 2, 4G, 8A,C) (cf. López-Martínez et al., 2012; Oliva and Ruiz-Fernández, 2017). Meanwhile, thermokarst processes are prevalent in active ice-cored moraines close to the glacier margin at Stranger Point and across Potter Peninsula (Figures 4F, 8A, C) (John and Sugden, 1971; Sugden and John, 1973; Hochschild, 1995; Lukas, 2011). The large, suspended sediment load produced by intense glaciofluvial processes at the glacier front and the incision of relict moraines (Figures 4A, H) forms active glaciofluvial fans and deltas that prograde toward and into Potter Cove (Figure 2). Meltwater and suspended sediment change the physical and chemical properties of Potter Cove (Henkel et al., 2013; Monien et al., 2017; Henkel et al., 2018), impacting the local biological communities and, ultimately, the biogeochemical cycle of the Southern Ocean (Quartino et al., 2013; Pasotti et al., 2015a, b; Sahade et al., 2015; Monien et al., 2017; Falk et al., 2018; Henkel et al., 2018).
The uppermost 6.5 cm of Lake L15 and its surrounding environment at the base of Three Brothers Hill is dominated by freshwater subaquatic, littoral, and terrestrial mosses and cyanobacterial mats with post-1950 CE ages (Supplementary Figure S2; see Supplementary Material for further details). Elsewhere on KGI, increased primary productivity and moss colonization of the lake-water interface is commonplace in seasonally lake-ice-free and stable lacustrine environments undisturbed by glaciofluvial inputs and indicative of warmer and more favorable climatic conditions (
5.6 Mechanisms of change
After ice retreat from offshore LGM limits (Termination I), early Holocene deglaciation and subsequent glacier fluctuations on Potter Peninsula primarily reflect interactions between changes in climate and RSL (
Subsequent changes in Holocene glacier mass balance across the SSI were controlled by hemispheric to global scale climate processes and long-term (millennial-scale) trends in solar insolation at 62°S (i.e., increasing to c. 5 ka maximum, declining after c. 5 ka) (
Deglaciation of the SSI before c. 8.2 ka coincided with a sustained phase of positive SAM-like conditions, increased global irradiance, increasing spring/summer insolation at 62°S, warmth and sustained glacier retreat, and more open water on and around the northern AP (Figures 9F–K, 10A and references therein). A c. 7 ka readvance on Potter Peninsula was initiated during a short-lived period of lower than Holocene average global solar irradiance (Figure 10A) that would have lowered the ELA across the SSI and negative (colder/more humid) SAM-like conditions (Figure 10D), likely leading to increases in year-round precipitation as snowfall (Kaplan et al., 2020).
In contrast, after c. 5 ka, a steadily declining trend in insolation at 62°S coupled with more persistently colder/wetter and more negative SAM-like conditions, stronger SHW, and an enhanced ENSO (especially during the last 4 ka) likely drove late Holocene readvances after c. 1.7–1.4 cal. ka BP, <0.7 cal. ka BP and by 1956 CE (Figures 10A, D, G) (
More recently, the longer-term pattern of interannual variability in the SAM has been altered by the ozone hole over Antarctica, which, combined with increases in greenhouse gases and global temperature, is forcing a more positive trend in the SAM and further enhancing the ENSO (Marshall, 2007). The regionally synchronous retreat of most land-terminating glaciers across the northern AP and SSI since the mid-20th Century provides strong evidence that glacier retreat on KGI was initiated by increasing air temperatures (
6 Conclusion
Using a glacial landsystems approach, we have produced a new geomorphological map for Potter Peninsula. Based on this and a detailed chronostratigraphic analysis of two new stratigraphic profiles and two new lake records on the glacier foreland, we propose the following five-stage deglaciation and readvance model for Potter Peninsula:
(1) Sustained low altitude deglaciation began before 8.2 cal. ka BP.
(2) Deglaciation was interrupted by a readvance that reached outer Potter Cove around, or shortly after, c. 7.0 cal. ka BP.
(3) Glacier retreat to or within present-day limits likely occurred between 6 and 2 ka. We found no new terrestrial evidence for readvances across Potter Peninsula in this interval.
(4) Evidence of up to three readvances on Potter Peninsula in the last 2000 years includes the following: i) radiocarbon ages from mosses embedded in glacial deposits of a recently exposed “Inland Outcrop” close to the modern glacier front implying a readvance had most likely occurred by c. 1.7–1.4 cal. ka BP; ii) geomorphic and lake stratigraphic (varve, 210Pb dating) evidence for a <0.7 cal. ka BP readvance, most likely between 0.5 and 0.1 cal. ka BP; iii) aerial images showing the Warszawa Icefield ∼700 m in front of its present-day limit by 1956 CE.
(5) Recent warming and deglaciation have exposed the glacier foreland to periglacial, paraglacial, mass wasting, and glaciofluvial processes.
• The timing of Holocene deglaciation and readvances on Potter Peninsula is broadly coeval with sites elsewhere on KGI, the SSI, and the northern AP.
• Early Holocene deglaciation occurred during phases of increased solar irradiance and increasing spring/summer insolation and during a sustained phase of more positive SAM-like conditions that have been associated with increased warmth and glacier retreat across the northern AP.
• Mid-late Holocene glacier readvances occurred during phases of reduced solar irradiance and when more negative (colder) SAM-like conditions existed.
• Field evidence for increased local late Holocene ice loading and readvances on Potter Peninsula is not well-represented in the regional-scale ice sheet and glacio-isostatic adjustment models.
Statements
Data availability statement
The datasets presented in this study can be found in the following NERC Polar Data Centre online repositories: Chronological and sedimentological data:https://doi.org/10.5285/4671A42F-7A2E-4883-948C-EF6B26DD41C9; Lake L5 data:https://doi.org/10.5285/6575CD7A-CFBA-4820-9FA6-257161B4D24B; Lake L15 data:https://doi.org/10.5285/2031310D-1E35-4EA1-A1CC-CD318E82D394; Glacier advance/retreat data:https://doi.org/10.5285/9337F8F4-1A8F-4156-8F79-7A249F733117. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can also be found in the Supplementary Material. The satellite images used in this paper and its Supplementary Material are Maxar products © 2022 Maxar technologies and have been reproduced at low resolution under license to BAS.
Author contributions
PB, JS, SR, and GK conceived the research questions, obtained funding, wrote the manuscript, and constructed figures and tables; PB, JS, SR, MB, EP, and NC undertook fieldwork and collected samples; PB made the geomorphological map and analyzed the landscape assemblages; PB, CS, LW, SN, SR MB, NC, and BS undertook cosmogenic and chronological sampling and analysis; SR, SD, MG, SA, and BP undertook lake sediment analysis. All authors undertook the data analysis and edited the final manuscript.
Funding
This study was funded by Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), the Dirección Nacional del Antártico/Instituto Antártico Argentino (DNA/IAA), in the framework of the Project PICTA, 2011 – 0102, IAA “Geomorfología y Geología Glaciar del Archipiélago James Ross e Islas Shetland del Sur, Sector Norte de la Península Antártica,” and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) research program Polar Regions and Coasts in a Changing Earth System (PACES II). PHB, GK, JS, SR, EP, and TMC were funded IMCONet (FP7 IRSES, action no. 318718) led by Doris Abele (AWI). EP and SR received additional funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC/BAS-CGS Grant no.81). SR and MB were funded by the NERC/BAS science programmes CACHE-PEP: Natural climate variability—extending the Americas palaeoclimate transect through the Antarctic Peninsula to the pole and GRADES-QWAD: Quaternary West Antarctic Deglaciations.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the crews of the Argentine research station “Carlini” and the adjoined German Dallmann (AWI) Laboratory, the Uruguayan research station “Artigas,” the Russian Bellingshausen Station, the Chinese Great Wall Station, Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, the Brazilian Navy Almirante Maximiano, the UK Navy (HMS Endurance), and NERC/BAS James Clark Ross for their cordial hospitality and invaluable logistical support during the 2006, 2011, 2014, and 2015 field seasons. Fieldwork assistance by M. Barrionuevo, M. Makeschin, M. Argota, D. Mengedoht, I. Schutter, and B. Maltman was greatly appreciated, as were field pictures provided by M. Martini. They also thank S. Wiebe and R. Fröhlking for their support with textural analyses; C. Schott, A. Toltz, M. Medina, and E. Schnabel for sample processing, mineralogy determination, and noble gas analysis for 3He exposure dating; and Mari Whitelaw from the UKRI Polar Data Centre. They thank Tim Heaton (Marine20 radiocarbon calibration) and Bethan Davies (geomorphology/landsystems) for discussions and suggestions, and Daniel Nývlt and Yuribia Munoz for constructive review comments which helped improve the original manuscript. This article is dedicated to the memory of Doris Abele and Christian Haas, inspirational scientists and good friends who made the IMCONet Exchange Program possible and very enjoyable.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations or those of the publisher, the editors, and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Supplementary material
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.1073075/full#supplementary-material
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Summary
Keywords
deglaciation, geomorphological mapping, radiocarbon dating, South Shetland islands, stratigraphy, glacier readvance
Citation
Heredia Barión PA, Strelin JA, Roberts SJ, Spiegel C, Wacker L, Niedermann S, Bentley MJ, Pearson EJ, Czalbowski NTM, Davies SJ, Schnetger B, Grosjean M, Arcusa S, Perren B, Hocking EP and Kuhn G (2023) The impact of Holocene deglaciation and glacial dynamics on the landscapes and geomorphology of Potter Peninsula, King George Island (Isla 25 Mayo), NW Antarctic Peninsula. Front. Earth Sci. 10:1073075. doi: 10.3389/feart.2022.1073075
Received
18 October 2022
Accepted
06 December 2022
Published
04 January 2023
Volume
10 - 2022
Edited by
Benedict Reinardy, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Reviewed by
Daniel Nývlt, Masaryk University, Czechia
Yuribia Munoz, University of Houston, United States
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Copyright
© 2023 Heredia Barión, Strelin, Roberts, Spiegel, Wacker, Niedermann, Bentley, Pearson, Czalbowski, Davies, Schnetger, Grosjean, Arcusa, Perren, Hocking and Kuhn.
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*Correspondence: Stephen J. Roberts, sjro@bas.ac.uk
This article was submitted to Quaternary Science, Geomorphology and Paleoenvironment, a section of the journal Frontiers in Earth Science
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