Geochemical and mineralogical compositions of modern and Late Quaternary marine sediments from the Scotia Sea trace sources and transport paths of terrigenous sediment. We discuss downcore variations of compositional data of two sediment cores from the northern and southern Scotia Sea that correlate with fluctuations in magnetic susceptibility. Sediments were derived from very different sources at both localities, as revealed by contrasting clay-mineral assemblages. However, a common feature is the input of more basic and undifferentiated crustal material with the potential of high magnetic susceptibility during glacial periods, indicated by variable quartz/feldspar ratios and major, trace and rare earth elements. Terrigenous sediments mainly originate from nearby terrestrial sources or are introduced through interbasinal sediment transfer from adjacent seas. The observed temporal compositional variations have to be attributed to changes in the relative detrital contributions from the diverse source areas. Ice-mass extensions in southern Patagonia, on the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands likely control the supply of glaciogenic detritus to the open ocean during times of glacial expansion, diluting the sediment input of interbasinal origin. Current transport is mainly responsible for sediment dispersal to the pelagic Scotia Sea and may amplify the glaciological source signals during glacial climate periods, because of a stronger wind forcing of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.