STRATIGRAPHY OF ANTARCTIC LATE CENOZOIC PECTINID-BEARING DEPOSITS

Antarctic late Cenozoic pectinid-bearing sedimentary strata are chiefl y confined to localities in the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsu la, in the McMurdo Sound area, and Marine Plain, East Antarctica. Ages of these deposits range from Oligocene to Holocene. Chlamys-like scal lops, which are absent from today's Southern Ocean, thrived in Antarct ic waters during both glacial and interglacial episodes, but disappear ed during the Late Pliocene. Their extinction is believed to result fr om the combined effects of increased carbonate solubility, habitat los s and limitations in food availability, associated with major cooling.