• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.141-152
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• 2000

In the vicinity of the Antarctic-Scotia plate boundary off Elephant Island(EI), geophysical data(multichannel seismic and gravity data) reveal rapid structural variation of the Shackleton Fracture Zone(SFZ) along its strike. The SFZ ridge terminates in front of the Antarctic Peninsula margin, whereas the transform fault of the SFZ continues farther southeast near EI and the width of the SFZ broadens toward the southeast. Accordingly, the SFZ transform fault changes its morphology along its strike as (1) a graben structure along the high Shackleton ridge in Drake Passage, (2) a half-graben structure in oceanic crust just southeast of the Antarctic-Scotia plate boundary, and (3) splay faults deforming the margin of EI. Two phases of tectonic deformation are clearly observed along the transform fault. Major extensional deformation had formed a large-scale half-graben during roughly about $10{\sim}20$ Ma when Drake Passage had opened. And then, the Shackleton fault has been reactivated with reverse sense, which has been caused by recent convergence between Antarctic and Scotia plates due to westward movement of the Scotia plate since 6 Ma.