Crustal growth of the Antarctic Peninsula by accretion, magmatism and extension

A subduction-accretion model incorporating new geophysical data is presented to explain the geology of the Antarctic Peninsula from late Palaeozoic to Cenozoic time. According to the model, the peninsula consists of overlapping accretionary, magmatic and extensional regimes that were diachronous across the peninsula and have built the crust to its present form. The crust, which contains a small proportion of sialic basement, was mainly formed by accretionary and magmatic processes and modified to its present shape by extension. The Gondwanide Orogeny for the Antarctic Peninsula is interpreted in terms of the accretionary processes.