Abstract
The South Shetland Block is a fragment of continental crust that extends between the South Shetland Trench and the Bransfield Basin. Its southern boundary shows present-day tectonic activity and its nature changes along strike from a spreading center in the area between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula to a transtensional boundary at the northern part of the block. Eastwards, along the South Scotia Ridge, the fault system finally intersects the transcurrent boundary between the Antarctic and Scotia Plate. The variability in the features of the southern boundary of the block is probably a consequence of the variable orientation of active faults in a nearly constant stress field. The study of several transects of the boundary indicates that extensional structures are generally asymmetrical. The Bransfield Strait has been formed by an asymmetrical extension, probably related to a low-angle normal fault dipping towards the NW.
Published Version
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