Review of the geology and paleontology of the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica

The geology of the Ellsworth Mountains has become known in detail only within the past 40-45 years, and
the wealth of paleontologic information within the past 25 years. The mountains are an anomaly, structurally speaking,
occurring at right angles to the Transantarctic Mountains, implying a crustal plate rotation to reach the present location.
Paleontologic affinities with other parts of Gondwanaland are evident, with nearly 150 fossil species ranging in age
from Early Cambrian to Permian, with the majority from the Heritage Range. Trilobites and mollusks comprise most of
the fauna discovered and identified, including many new genera and species. A Glossopteris flora of Permian age
provides a comparison with other Gondwana floras of similar age. The quartzitic rocks that form much of the Sentinel
Range have been sculpted by glacial erosion into spectacular alpine topography, resulting in eight of the highest peaks
in Antarctica.