The last deglaciation of Cape Adare, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Abstract

We present two Be-10 exposure ages from erratic boulders at Cape Adare, northem Victoria Land. The exposure ages obtained suggest that Cape Adare was covered by ice during the last glacial period, and the younger age points to deglaciation around 16.2 ka. Comparison of our younger Be-10 exposure age with published radiocarbon dates for Adelie penguin occupation at Cape Adare suggests that the onset of penguin colonization (at 2-3 kyr before present) lagged behind the deglaciation by at least 11.5 kyr. These observations indicate that penguin colonization did not occur until several thousand years after ice free ground became available