Stratigraphic correlation and division of the South Shetland Islands, west Antarctica

Through the geological investigations and studies of the bedrock in the South Shetland Islands, the stratigraphic sequence and evolution process were restored.Based on fieldworks and data collection, previous results of geochronology, geochemistry, paleomagnetism and paleobiology, the volcanic-sedimentary strata in the area were divided into 24 stratigraphic units, and the stratigraphic framework of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic volcanic-sedimentary rocks in the South Shetland Islands was constructed.The results show that the volcanic activity in the South Shetland Islands generally migrated from southwest to northeast from early Cretaceous to early Miocene, which might be the result of the subduction of the ocean floor divided by faults from southwest to northwest.Since the Quaternary, with the opening of Bransfield Strait, Deception Island and Penguin Island have been formed with alkali basaltic magma of mantle source in the rift environment.The result provides a basis for the further study of the tectonic evolution and the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the South Shetland Islands.