The brittle structural architecture of the region between the Pacific Coast and the Outback Nunataks (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica): Integrating structural and fission track data

We report a synthesis of the structural data collected during the WISE campaign over northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. These data are integrated with the available apatite fission track data from the neighbouring regions to place new constraints on the kinematics and chronology of the brittle deformation along the eastern shoulder of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin. Brittle faulting is consistent with the regional Cenozoic tectonic pattern of north Victoria Land and responds to the increasing phases of denudation that accompanied extension/ transtension of the Rennick Graben flanks since 40-50 Ma. The discovery of pseudotachylyte-bearing fault rocks at the Pacific termination of the Rennick Graben is also reported for the first time. The dating of the pseudotachylyte-bearing fault zone opens new perspectives for the reconstruction of the brittle tectonic evolution of the region. Results coming from these studies combined with the analyses of the new samples collected for the fission track dating may generate permissive kinematic and geodynamic models for the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the entire northern Victoria Land region.