The preparation and transportation of the terrigenous and biogenic material that enters into the sedimentation in the coastal regions of East Antarctica are examined on the basis of a review of the literature. The principal role in the formation of bottom sediments is played by terrigenous material removed from the source region as a result of the activity of the ice sheet and of outlet glaciers. However, this material is delivered only to a limited extent by calved icebergs, which tend to drift rapidly beyond the marginal seas; most of the sediments are derived as a result of the destructive activity of sea water (abrasion) at the outer edge of the Antarctic ice sheet.