Uplift history of the Transantarctic Mountains in the Dry Valleys area, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, from apatite fission track ages

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Abstract
Apatite fission track ages of basement sampIes from Wright and Victoria Valleys increase systematically with sam pIe elevation.These ages reflect the times at wh ich different sampIes cooled below a temperature of about 100°C and began to retain stable fission tracks.The rate at which the apatite ages change with elevation is largely controlled by the uplift rate. The observed ages range from 154 ± 7 to 66 ± 4 m.y. and indicate a steady, slow uplift over this period at about 15 m/m.y., assuming a constant thermal gradient with time. Taken in conjunction with the present thermal gradient in this area, the youngest ages indicate a greatly increased rate ofuplift during the Cenozoic, and give a reliable older limit to the onset of the Victoria Orogeny.The results indicate that nearly 4 km of uplift has occurred during the Cenozoic, with a minimum average uplift rate of about 55 m/m.y., again assuming the thermal gradient has remained constant over that time.