• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.99-112
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• 2004

The Basin, a marginal basin located between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, is consist of three small basins, the Central, Eastern, Western Basins. Seismic data obtained on December 1995 show well-defined spreading ridges, basement highs, faults, morphology of the basin, distribution of sediments, crustal and sedimentary deformation, diapirs, and contourites. The main spreading axis of the Central Bransfield Basin connecting Deception and Bridgeman Islands continues up to the central part of the Eastern Basin, whereas deep basin covered by thick sediments without any spreading structures develops in the northeastern part. This indicates that back-arc spreading along the axis of the Bransfield Basin has been taken place in the southwestern part of the Eastern Basin, not in the northeastern part. Many NW-SE trending faults perpendicular to the axis of the basin would be related with strike-slip movement of the Shackleton Fracture. Zone. Extensinal strutures like deep basin without any spreading structures in the northeastern part, normal faults and diapirs on both continental slopes of the Eastern Basin would be formed by extension as a consequence of the sinistral movement between Antarctic and the Scotia plates.