One of the primary objectives of Leg 120 was to obtain a high-resolution Neogene stratigraphic section from the Kerguelen Plateau. Site 751, located in the central part of the Raggatt Basin on the Southern Kerguelen Plateau in 1633.8 m of water (57°43.56'S; 79°48.89'E), was selected as the dedicated Neogene site for this objective. High-resolution sampling at Site 751 was used to delineate in detail the Neogene ice-rafted debris (IRD) occurrences on the Kerguelen Plateau.
The oldest IRD found at Site 751 was approximately 9.9 Ma, and it was not until approximately 8.5 Ma that significant concentrations of IRD were detected. The first major IRD event at this site occurred in the uppermost Miocene between 6.0 and 5.5 Ma. During this time period, a general climatic cooling and glacial expansion occurred on Antarctica.
The late Miocene IRD event was followed by a continuous episode of elevated IRD deposition in the lowermost Pliocene between 4.5 and 4.1 Ma. The 0.4-m.y. duration and the timing of the early Pliocene IRD event on the Kerguelen Plateau corresponds with IRD fluxes observed on the Falkland Plateau and in the Weddell Abyssal Plain. This correspondence of data indicates that a major global climatic event occurred during the early Pliocene. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet may have experienced deglaciation between 4.5 and 4.1 Ma and, as a result, released large volumes of sediment-laden ice into the Southern Ocean
