Early Triassic Legoupil Formation in Schmidt Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula: Provenance and Depositional Settings

Abstract

Geochemical compositions can be used to determine the tectonic setting of sedimentary basins, while where the link of source to sink is no longer preserved, detrital zircon age patterns can aid in resolving the original basin setting. The metasedimentary Legoupil Formation, located at Cape Legoupil and the Schmidt Peninsula, could give a hint for the tectonic evolution of Antarctic Peninsula. In this contribution, we constrain the sedimentary provenance of the Legoupil Formation through geochemistry and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology. The petrography and geochemical features indicate that the provenance of the Legoupil Formation could be felsic rocks. Detrital zircon grains record a steady supply of Permian and Ordovician material into the Legoupil Formation. The youngest concordant zircon ages of 262 Ma suggest that the depositional time of Legoupil Formation is no older than Late Permian. The detrital zircon age spectrum of Legoupil Formation suggests that the Legoupil Formation sediments should be derived from regional sources endemic to western Gondwana prior to its breakup. Together with the previous studies, geochemistry and detrital zircons reflect an active continental margin tectonic setting and the detrital zircon spectra of Legoupil Formation are similar to the ones deposited in forearc tectonic setting.

Keywords

Schmidt Peninsula / Legoupil Formation / Trinity Peninsula Group / detrital zircons / Antarctic Peninsula / geochemistry

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