Proximal volcaniclastic sedimentation in a Cretaceous back-arc basin, northern Antarctic Peninsula

During Cretaceous times, the northern Antarctic Peninsula was the site of an active ensialic magmatic arc. Volcanism was dominated by pyroclastic eruptions with rare lava flows. Marine conglomerates and sandstones formed a volcaniclastic apron along the eastern margin of the arc and represent the proximal deposits of an extensive back-arc basin. Volcanogenic material, redeposited by turbidity currents and other sediment gravity flows, forms an important part of the proximal basin fill. Air-fall tuffs and eruption-induced sediment flows form a small but significant part of the succession and large exotic slideblocks of Jurassic sediment are a distinctive feature of the Lower Cretaceous strata on James Ross Island. Aeromagnetic data and regional geology indicate that the arc-back-arc basin boundarv was fault-controlled. Sedimentation within the basin was strongly influenced by both the steep, unstable nature of the faulted arc flanks and the coeval volcanism.