Seafloor linear and curvilinear erosive features on polar and subpolar continental margins are generally interpreted as ploughmarks left by the keels of grounded icebergs. A large number of ploughmarks made by icebergs with keel depths of up to 500 m have been observed on the South Patagonian continental margin as far north as 44°50′ S. The ploughmarks show a variety of forms and are the most northerly such features reported in the South Atlantic Ocean (López-Martínez et al. 2011).
Description
Over 2500 individual linear and curvilinear seafloor landforms occur on the South Patagonian margin at modern water depths of 135–646 m (Fig. 1); the great majority are found at depths of 250–550 m. These landforms are predominantly orientated from south to north. Their individual lengths range over c. 0.3–32 km, with a mean of almost 2 km. Ploughmark widths are 73–685 m, with depths of 10–25 m and an average of about 15 m. In plan view, some cross-cutting relationships are also apparent (Fig. 1b–d). …
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Giant ploughmarks on the South Patagonian continental margin produced by Antarctic icebergs
