Volcanic succession at Deception Island, West Antarctica: A revised lithostratigraphic standard

New lithostratigraphic Standard is proposed for the Quaternary volcanic succession at Deception Island, South Shetland Islands (West Antarctica). The succession is subdivided into the older Foster Group (redefined group) which includes pre-caldera volcanics, and the younger Hawkes Group (new group) which includes syn-caldera and post-caldera volcanics and volcanic forms. The Foster Group consists of four formations (new units): the Entrance Fm. (basallic and basaltic andesite lavas and pyroclastics); the Cathcdral Fm. (agglomerates); the Stonethrow Fm. (basaltic andesite lavas alternating with agglomerates); and the Window Fm. (trachybasalt dykes). The Hawkes Group consists of seven formations (new units): the Murature Fm. (andesitic lapilli tuff, destroyed ring tephra cones); the Ronald Fm. (trachydacite lava and plug); the Collins F/n. (trachydacite lava flows, tuffs, craters and destroyed cones); the Chacao Fm. (basaltic andesite tephra cones and maars); the Casco Fm. (basaltic andesite tephra cones with craters); the Kirkwood Fm. (basaltic lavas and tephra; fissure eruptions and craters); and the Telefon Fm. (andesitic tephra cones, lavas and tephra cover associated with fissure eruptions, maars). The Telefon Fm. (three phases) relates to the 1967-1970 volcanic activity; the Kirkwood Fm. includes the 1842 event and the events between 1829 and 1912; all older formations pre-date 1829

Polskie badania polarne (zarys)

The article describes Polish research and discoveries in the Arctic and the Antarctic since the 19th century. The author is a geologist and since 1956 has been engaged in scientific field research on Spitsbergen, Greenland and Antarctica (23 expeditions). For many years chairman of the Committee on Polar Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, he is now its Honorary Chairman.Artykuł przedstawia w skrócie najważniejsze fakty z historii polskich badań i odkryć naukowych w Arktyce i Antarktyce od XIX stulecia do chwili obecnej. Autor jest geologiem, od 1956 roku badaczem polarnym, prowadził badania naukowe i zorganizował 23 wyprawy polarne na Spitsbergen, Grenlandię i do Antarktyki, przez wiele lat był przewodniczącym Komitetu Badań Polarnych przy Prezydium Polskiej Akademii Nauk. Obecnie jest jego honorowym przewodniczącym

Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous hydrocarbon seep boulders from Novaya Zemlya and their faunas

The paper describes Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous seep carbonate boulders from the Russian Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya, collected in 1875 by A.E. Nordenskiöld during his expedition to Siberia. The carbonates are significantly depleted in heavy carbon isotopes (δ13C values as low as ca. − 40‰) and show textures typical for carbonates formed under the influence of hydrocarbons, such as fibrous carbonate cements and corrosion cavities. The rocks contain index fossils of Late Oxfordian–Early Kimmeridgian, Late Tithonian (Jurassic) and latest Berriasian–Early Valanginian (Cretaceous) age. The fossil fauna is species rich and dominated by molluscs, with subordinate brachiopods, echinoderms, foraminifera, serpulids and ostracods. Most of the species, including two chemosymbiotic bivalve species, likely belong to the ‘background’ fauna. Only a species of a hokkaidoconchid gastropod, and a possible abyssochrysoid gastropod, can be interpreted as restricted to the seep environment. Other seep faunas with similar taxonomic structure are suggestive of rather shallow water settings, but in case of Novaya Zemlya seep faunas such structure might result also from high northern latitude