The Larsemann Hills are a series of low rounded coastal hills along the southeastern shore of Prydz Bay, Antarctica extending for 9 nautical miles (17 km) from Dålk Glacier. They were discovered in February 1935 by Captain Klarius Mikkelsen from the whaling ship Thorshavn, sent out by Norwegian whaling magnate Lars Christensen, and given this name.

The bedrock of the Larsemann Hills contains an unusually high abundance of boron and phosphate minerals and is the location of the discovery of four new species of mineral. In 2014, the Stornes Penininsula within the Larsemann Hills was declared an Antarctic Specially Protected Area due to its mineral diversity.

The terrain encompasses high amphibolite facies to granulite facies to psammitic and pelitic paragneiss, along with a small quantity of pyroxene-bearing mafic granulite and leucogranitic orthogneiss.
The Brattstrand paragneiss stands as the primary rock formation, comprising various metasedimentary units. Within these units, certain types are recognized for their high levels of boron (B), exemplified by tourmaline quartzite and a suite of borosilicate minerals like grandidierite, kornerupine, and tourmaline. This paragneiss exhibits significant features of partial melting, resulting in the formation of diverse gneiss and migmatites that feature mixtures of sillimanite and cordierite. The Søstrene orthogneiss, primarily composed of a mafic–felsic magmatic complex, is typically preserved in pelitic granulite in lens-, lentil-, and sausage-shaped forms. Following its peak in metamorphism, an actual occurrence of deep melting took place, leading to the formation of multiple pegmatites, migmatites, and garnet-containing granites. These occurrences were distributed among syenite granites and monzonitic granites. The granite is syn- and post-tectonic, and the elongated rock aligns with the overall distribution of gneiss in the surrounding rock where it is emplaced.
The distribution of the different rock types has a NE–SE direction. Most of the sequence is represented by metamorphic lithotypes. The primary tectonic line in the Larsemann Hills follows a NEE–SWW direction, while the eastern Mirror peninsula aligns NNW–SSE, forming a complex compound syncline that wraps in a NEE direction.
The deformation in the Larsemann Hills into four phases. The first phase of regional deformation (D1) occurred during the Grenvillian orogeny associated with the peak metamorphic event (M1). The second phase of deformation (D2)
resulted in tightly closed asymmetric folds. The third phase of deformation (D3) exhibited significant tensor ruptures that cut through the asymmetric folds formed in D2. Subsequently, magma intruded along tensional fracture surfaces, creating granite veins. Finally, in the D4 stage, a set of nearly equidistant and densely arranged upright broken cleavages developed.

Fossils

There are 4 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.

These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data.

Occurrences	4
Youngest Fossil Listed	2.59 Ma (Pleistocene)
Oldest Fossil Listed	5.33 Ma (Miocene)
Fossils from Region	Click here to show the list.
Accepted Name Hierarchy Age Hiatellidae family Animalia : Mollusca : Bivalvia : Adapedonta : Hiatellidae 5.333 - 2.588 Ma Cenozoic Pectinidae family Animalia : Mollusca : Bivalvia : Pectinida : Pectinidae 5.333 - 2.588 Ma Cenozoic Bacillariophyceae class Chromista : Ochrophyta : Bacillariophyceae 5.333 - 2.588 Ma Cenozoic
Fossil Localities	Click to show 1 fossil locality

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larsemann_Hills
Wikidata ID:	Q3307731

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect

References