Weathering rinds as palaeoenvironmental indicators: evidence from the Cape Roberts drill core (CRP-3), Victoria Land basin, Antarctica

XRD analysis of weathering rinds on ocean-deposited ice rafted clasts provide a snapshot of palaeo-terrestrial conditions prevailing at the time of rind formation. Investigation of weathering rinds found on some CRP-3 clasts indicate environmental conditions conducive to the formation of expanding clays, mostly smectites. Although sampling for clasts with weathering rinds was limited, those obtained for the 272 to 300 and 480 to 561 mbsf (metres below sea level) regions show rinds commensurate with relatively wet and warm terrestrial conditions that would have been conducive to enhanced chemical weathering. The occurrence of clasts with weathering rinds within those parts of the core substantiate the palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of other investigators in the Cape Roberts Project