Initial Characterization of Organic Matter in Cretaceous- Paleogene Sedimentary Rocks, Cape Roberts, Antarctica

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Kettler OPP 9527070 Abstract This award supports organic geochemical characterization of Cretaceous-Paleogene sedimentary rocks that are expected to be recovered during the Cape Roberts Project (CRP). The CRP proposes to core four 500 m holes from a fast ice drilling platform in the Ross Sea in 1995 and 1996. The core recovered will be described, curated, and sampled for scientific research. The CRP has the potential to answer significant questions regarding the history of the West Antarctic rift system, the development of continental ice sheets in Antarctica during the Cretaceous and Paleogene, and the response of biota to climatic deterioration and the development of seaways. Organic geochemical measurements are relevant to these issues and so are included in the initial core characterization studies. The work supported here includes measurement of whole-rock carbonate carbon, total carbon, total nitrogen, and total sulfur, analysis of the elemental composition of kerogen in selected samples, and gas chromatographic analysis of the solvent-soluble organic matter in selected samples. These data will be collected in the Crary Science and Engineering Center (CSEC) at McMurdo Station and will be reported as part of the initial core characterization study of the CRP.