Lacustrine sedimentation and tectonics: an example from the Weichselian at Lønstrup Klint, Denmark

Sedimentological analysis of the Weichselian deposits exposed in the coastal cliff section at Lønstrup Klint, northern Jutland, Denmark, demonstrates the presence of four sedimentary units comprising fine-grained lacustrine and fluvial deposits of the latest Middle Wcichselian. The Lønstrup Klint section also shows an interplay between glaciotectonics and sedimentation. The two lower sedimentary units are separated by an erosional unconformity of pretectonic origin, whereas the upper two units are syntectonic. The glaciotectonic processes reflect the Late Weichselian expansion of the Scandinavian ice cap into northern Jutland. The sedimentary structures indicate high rates of deposition. The area underwent dramatic palaeogeographic changes from deep lake to proglacial fluvial plain in a time-span of a few thousand years.     

AMS dating Swedish varved clays of the last glacial/interglacial transition and the potential/difficulties of calibrating Late Weichselian 'absolute' chronologies

The increasing focus on the chronology of environmental and climatic changes of the last glacial-interglacial transition has led to several independent attempts to try to calibrate the ¹⁴C time-scale beyond the Holocene. The Late Weichselian Gotiglacial varved clays of the Swedish Time Scale could potentially be used for this purpose. The reliability of the Swedish Time Scale is discussed as well as different ways of using the Swedish varved clays for calibrating the ¹⁴C chronology. The strategy and initial results from an ongoing calibration project are presented. They show clearly that, if the right strategy is adopted, varved clay may be dated by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C measurement of terrestrial macrofossils. A Late Weichselian 'event stratigraphy', including the Vedde Ash fall-out, is established for south Scandinavia using three dating categories: clay varve measurements, terrestrial macrofossil measurement, and lake sediment (including aquatic mosses) measurements. It suggests that a ¹⁴C chronology based on terrestrial organic remains is not consistent with the traditional Late Weichselian chronostratigraphy based on lake-sediment samples, and that 'clay varve years' exceed 'terrestrial ¹⁴C years' by c. 900 years at the end of, and by 1100–1200 years at the beginning of the Younger Dryas Chronozone. Further back in time, the time-scales appear to converge. These results are compared with other recently published calibration studies.     

Late Quaternary environmental history of central Prins Karls Forland, western Svalbard

This paper presents the results from stratigraphic and geomorphologic investigations in the Poolepynten area, Prins Karls Forland, western Svalbard. Field mapping, soil profile development and ¹⁴C dating reveal the existence of at least two generations of raised beach deposits. Well-developed raised beaches rise to the Late Weichselian marine limit at 36 m a.s.l. Discontinuous pre-Late Weichselian beach deposits rise from the Late Weichselian marine limit to approximately 65 m a.s.l. Expansion of local glaciers in the area during the Late Weichselian is indicated by a till that locally overlies pre-Late Weichselian raised beach deposits. Stratigraphic data from coastal sections reveal two shallow marine units deposited during part of oxygen isotope stage 5. The two shallow marine units are separated by a subglacially deposited till that indicates an ice advance from Prins Karls Forland into the Forlandsundet basin some time during the latter part of stage 5. Discontinuous glaciofluvial deposits and a cobble-boulder lag could relate to a Late Weichselian local glacial advance across the coastal site. Late Weichselian/early Holocene beach deposits cap the sedimentary succession. Palaeotemperature estimates derived from amino acid ratios in subfossil marine molluscs indicate that the area has not been submerged or covered by warm based glacier ice for significant periods of time during the time interval ca. 70 ka to 10 ka.     

Composite stable isotope records from a Late Weichselian lacustrine sequence at Grrenge, Lolland, Denmark: evidence of Allerød and Younger Dryas environments

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope data from a lacustrine sequence at Grænge, southeast Denmark, revealed distinct cnvironmental changes related to Late Weichselian climatic development in the region. Comparison of isotopic records obtained from sedimentary carbonates and freshwater molluscs enabled reconstruction of changes in the lacustrine environment. The degree of thermal and chemical stratification of the lake was evaluated and supported by pollen data from an earlier study of the site. During the Allerød interstadial, dimictic and stagnant conditions characterized the lake, whereas the stratification was disturbed during thc Younger Dryas stadial probably as a result of deforestation and increased wind impact. The origin of sedimentary carbonates was examined by mineralogic and morphologic studies. A considerable input of clastics and detrital carbonates, associated with pronounced enrichment of ¹⁸O and ¹³C. wds recorded in the Younger Dryas sediments indicating soil degradation and increased erosion. A climatic warming preceding the Pleis-tocene/Holocene boundary is clearly reflected in the different stable isotope records and in the lithostratigraphy.     

The Fossvogur marine sediments in SW Iceland - confined to the Allerød/Younger Dryas transition by AMS 14 C dating

An exhaustive ¹⁴C dating programme of molluscs from the Fossvogur sediments in Reykjavik. Iceland is presented. For the first time all the fossiliferous units of the sediments are dated. The results confirm earlier conclusions of a widespread occurrence of marine sediments of Allerød age in Reykjavik. The set of dates from the Fossvogur sediments shows a narrow ¹⁴C age distribution (standard deviation of ±235 years) of molluscs from all localities and from successive marine units in vertical sections. The weighted mean conventional ¹⁴C age is 11,400 BP. Assuming a reservoir effect of 400 years. this corresponds to a reservoir-corrected age of I1,000 BP. i.e. the Allerød- Younger Dryas transition for the sampled units, These new ¹⁴C dates from Fossvogur confirm the need for a revision of the Upper Pleistocene chronology of the Reykjavik region. They also have a bearing on the Late Weichselian record of glacier readvances and sea-level changes in the area. The dates suggest that the marine units in Fossvogur accumulated within a restricted time-span of a few hundred years. The sediments in Fossvogur are of volcaniclastic origin and are extremely lithified, indicating local geothermal activity soon after their deposition. This may explain anomalously high D/L amino acid ratios measured in molluscs from the Fossvogur sediments. δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O results suggest that temperatures may have ranged up to 60°C.     

A distinct δ13C decline in organic lake sediments at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in southern Sweden

Values of δ¹³C obtained from conventional bulk sediment radiocarbon dates encompassing the Pleistocene Holocene boundary have been compiled and plotted against ¹⁴C age. In all. 286 lake sediment dates from southern Sweden in the range 8.000 to 13.000 BP have been evaluated. A significant decrease in δ¹³C values, initiated shortly before 10.000 RP and amounting to 5%, is distinguished. This change is accompanied by increased limnic productivity. decreased erosive input and increased organic carbon content of the sediments. A probable explanation for the δ¹³C decline in organic material is decreased importance of dissolution of silicates at the transition to the Holocene. During the Late Weichselian. extensive weathering of exposed minerogenic material with subsequent input of bicarbonate to the lake water may have caused a relative enrichment of ¹³C in dissolved inorganic carbon. Furthermore, the early Holocene increase in terrestrial vegetation cover probably led to an increased supply of ¹³C depleted carbon dioxide to the lake water by root respiration. Altered limnic vegetation, presumably towards increased production of phytoplankton. could also have contributed to the observed decreasing δ¹³C trend. The importance of these processes compared to other possible influencing factors. mainly endogenic carbonate production and changes in the global carbon cycle. is discussed.     

The subdivision of the Quaternary of Norden: a discussion

The proposal for Quaternary stratigraphy of Norden published 1974 by Mangerud, Andersen, Berglund & Donner was discussed at a Nordie meeting 1978. On the basis of this discussion some recommendations are proposed here which deviate slightly from the 1974 proposal: (1) the term Flandrian should not be used in Norden until it is properly defined in the type area, (2) the Middle/Late Weichselian boundary should provisionally be defined as 25,000 ¹⁴C years B. P. In addition it was stated that there is an urgent need for complete subdivision of the Weichselian into a continuous chronozone sequence.     

Middle Valdaian forest environments at Biržai, northern Lithuania

Lacustrine sediments, 13 m thick, have been discovered under a Late Valdaian (Late Weichselian) moraine complex in a palaeokarst depression at Biržai, northern Lithuania. Wood fragments from silty layers in the basal part of the section were ¹⁴C dated at 34,440 ± 1500 (Vs-412) and 33,460 ± 1060 BP (LU-1633). Pollen analytical results suggest that taiga landscapes similar to the present-day environments in the Pechora Basin and eastern Urals occurred on the southern cryogenic grounds. Evidently, the ice sheet did not penetrate into the eastern Baltic region during the Middle Valdaian interval.     

AMS 14C measurements and macrofossil analyses of a varved sequence near Pudozh, eastern Karelia, NW Russia

The laminated sediments at Pudozh in eastern Karelia are generally assumed to have been deposited between 13 000 and 16 000 ¹⁴C yr BP and have been used to date the recession of the active ice margin. However, 17 AMS ¹⁴C measurements performed on terrestrial plant macrofossils contained in these sediments show that deposition began during the late Allerφd, when the ice margin had already receded to the northern part of Lake Onega. Based on an age model, we assume that the 1933-year-long varved sequence covers the time period between c. 12 900 and 11 000 calendar years BP. During this period, which comprises the later part of the Late Weichselian and the early Holocene, the local vegetation consisted of open, tree-less dwarf shrub heaths. Increased soil erosion may have occurred before 12 550 calendar years BP.     

A palaeoecological study of the mites (Acari) from a Lateglacial deposit at Usselo (The Netherlands)

The distribution of the remains of mites in the Lateglacial (Late Weichselian) type section at Usselo (The Netherlands) is presented. The division of the sequence into (sub-)zones, based upon combined palaeo-botanical and palaeoentomological studies, is shown, as well as the approximate age based on ¹⁴C determinations. The present habitats of the species are in agreement with the reconstruction of the local vegetational succession Four species of mites, three oribatids and one uropodid, have not previously been recorded as subfossils.     

Stratigraphy of a Late Pleistocene ice-cored moraine at Kap Herschell, Northeast Greenland

At Kap Herschell, in the outer fjord zone of central northeast Greenland, exposed sections in a Late Pleistocene ice-cored moraine revealed four major stratigraphic units deposited during the complex Kap Herschell Stade . All contain fragmented and redeposited marine shells that most likely belong to an Eemian or Early Weichselian marine episode. The oldest unit consists of buried ground ice with folded and sheared debris bands. Isotopic analyses show that the slope of the regression line for δ²H vs. δ¹⁸O of the ice is about 8.5. which suggests correlation with the Global Meteoric Water Line (GMWL). Data strongly suggest that the ground ice at Kap Herschell is a remnant of a Late Pleistocene glacier. It was probably generated at low altitudes (< 1000 m) in the inner fjord region or in the nunatak zone. The ground ice is unconformably overlain by all younger stratigraphic units, the oldest of which is a diamicton probably deposited as ablation till from the ice. A complex unit composed of mainly glaciolacustrine deposits and subordinate beds of fluvial and deltaic origin overlies the till and ground ice. Luminescence dating of the lacustrine sediments indicates maximum ages younger than 43 ka BP, suggesting deposition during isotope stages 3 or 2. The glaciolacustrine deposits suffered strongly from glaciotectonic deformation, caused by renewed glacier advance through the fjord. It reached the inner shelf and led to deposition of a discordant till at Kap Herschell, most probably during the Late Weichselian.     

A Late Saalian, Eemian and Weichselian marine sequence at Nørre Lyngby, Vendsyssel, Denmark

A 120 m thick marine Quaternary sequence resting on Upper Cretaceous chalk at Nørre Lyngby has been stratigraphically analysed on the basis of its foraminiferal content. The foraminiferal zones in the Nørre Lyngby boring are compared with corresponding zones from borings and outcrops in adjacent areas in Vendsyssel and Kattegat, and a general zonation covering the whole area is proposed. The lower part of the marine sequence at Nørre Lyngby represents deposits of pre-Eemian, possibly Saalian, and Eemian age. The Early Weichselian seems to be missing, while most of the Middle and Late Weichselian foraminiferal zones known from Vendsyssel occur. The foraminiferal zones and the corresponding macrofossil zones are correlated with the oxygen isotope stratigraphy. A cross-section through deposits from the Saalian-Eemian-Weichselian marine basin in North Jutland and the Kattegat illustrates the development of the basin through this period of time. The centre of basin subsidence shifted from the southwest in the pre-Eemian to the northeast in the Eemian, and remained there throughout the Weichselian.     

The Watten boring - an Early Weichselian and Holocene climatic and palaeoecological record from the French North Sea coastal plain

A deep boring (30 m), carried out at Watten (Nord, France) in 1990, has provided an opportunity to undertake palaeoecological studies based on stratigraphy, sedimentology, palynology, malacology and ¹⁴C datings on Early Weichselian and Holocene deposits. The location of the site in the inner zone of the coastal plain, extending in the Aa valley from the southernmost shores of the North Sea upstream to Watten, allows the comparison between interstadials recorded in a pure fluvial environment and the overlying Holocene sediments, in which alternation of marshy, fluvial and marine deposits are observed. The Early Weichselian sequence can be correlated with the Brørup and Odderade interstadials described in northwestern Europe, and belongs within the same palaeogeographical area. At that time the conditions were already continental at Watten. However, the last (Holocene) interglacial has been characterized, at least since the Boreal chronozone, by an oceanic climate and a progressive invasion of the sea, sometimes interrupted by stillstands and withdrawals.     

Terrestrial carbon-isotope records from coastal deposits (Algarve, Portugal): a tool for chemostratigraphic correlation on an intrabasinal and global scale

ABSTRACT The carbon-isotope signature of terrestrial organic matter (OM) offers a valuable tool to develop stratigraphic correlations for near-shore deposits. A mid-Cretaceous coastal succession of the western Algarve Basin, Portugal, displays a marked negative δ¹³C excursion ranging from − 21.2‰ to − 27.8‰ in the Early Aptian followed by two shifts towards higher values (up to − 19.3‰) during the Early and Late Aptian, respectively. The dominance of cuticle and leaf debris in the bulk OM fraction is confirmed by optical studies, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and by comparison with the δ¹³C signature of four different types of fossilized land-plant particles. Correlation of two terrestrial δ¹³C_bulk OM records from different study sites leads to a significant enhancement of the intrabasinal stratigraphic correlation within the Algarve Basin. Three prominent excursions in the Portuguese records can be correlated with existing δ¹³C curves from pelagic and terrestrial environments. The general carbon-isotope pattern is superimposed by small-scale fluctuations which can be explained by compositional variations within the OM.     

Fossil pollen, molluscs, and stable isotopes in the Dättnau valley, Switzerland

Pollen and mollusc deposits in a sedimentation series laid down in the Dattnau valley during the Late Glacial and early Post-glacial were studied. For the first time δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in land-snail shells were measured. It was possible to reconstruct vegetational and climatic developments from the Bölling ( c . 12,500 B.P.) until well into the early Boreal ( c . 9,000 B.P.). The two sets of findings agree well. The Late Glacial is seen to comprise two intervals: the continuous, locally rather moist, warm Bölling/Alleröd period, and the subsequent dry . cold Younger Dryas. The profile ceases after the changeover from the Late Glacial to the Post-glacial. The transitions from the Alleröd to the Younger Dryas and hence to the Preboreal and Boreal are both clearly identifiable in the pollen diagram; the mollusc record, however, ceases to be interpretable shortly before the climatic change to the Post-glacial. The δ¹⁸O curve shows a clear distinction between the AllerÖd and the Younger Dryas. The Gerzensee fluctuation, immediately before this transition. is evident as a negative deviation.     

Optimizing sampling strategy for radiocarbon dating of Holocene fluvial systems in a vertically aggrading setting

In this paper we address the question of how to determine the period of activity (sedimentation) of fossil (Holocene) fluvial systems in vertically aggrading environments. Our data base consists of almost 100 ¹⁴C ages (partly AMS) from the Rhine–Meuse delta in the central Netherlands. Radiocarbon samples from the tops of lithostratigraphically correlative organic beds underneath overbank deposits (sample type 1) yield consistent ages, indicating a synchronous onset of overbank deposition over distances of at least up to 20 km along channel belts. Similarly, ¹⁴C ages from the base of organic residual channel fills (sample type 3) generally indicate a clear termination of within-channel sedimentation. In contrast, ¹⁴C ages from the base of organic beds overlying overbank deposits (sample type 2), commonly assumed to represent the end of fluvial sedimentation, show a large scatter reaching up to 1000 ¹⁴C years. This setting usually produces ¹⁴C ages significantly younger than residual channels of the same fluvial system, indicating the presence of non-depositional unconformities. These usually occur on top of slightly elevated sediment bodies (especially natural levee deposits), which often contain palaeosols. Such hiatuses appear to be much more abundant than hitherto supposed. We conclude that a combination of sample types 1 and 3 generally yields a satisfactory delimitation of the period of activity of a fossil fluvial system. The problems associated with ¹⁴C samples of type 2 may also be present in coastal areas with an alternation of tidal deposits and organic beds.     

Palaeoecology of a Late Weichselian vertebrate fauna from Nmre Lyngby, Denmark

Investigations at a Late Weichselian freshwater basin in northwestern Jutland, Denmark, yielded a fairly rich assemblage of vertebrate remains, mostly bones and teeth of small mammals. The remains are primarily allochthonous and the bones have been subjected to different taphonomic pathways and agents. AMS ¹⁴C-dates on terrestrial organic remains provided ages of Middle to Late Allerød time. Identifications revealed the first fossil record in Scandinavia of Rana arvalis, Sorex minutus, Ochotona cf. pusilla, Microtus gregalis, Microtus oeconomus , and Sicista cf. betulinu. Spermophilus cf. major and Desmana moschata , previously found only once and twice respectively, were retrieved, and Sorex araneus and Arvicola terrestris were recovered for the first time beyond the Atlantic chronozone. Ecologically, the Nørre Lyngby small mammal fauna can be characterized by its very high and almost equal proportions of boreal forest and steppe elements followed by a relatively high proportion of tundra elements. The fossil species share a modern area of sympatry north of the Caspian Sea from the river Volga in the west to the southern and western slopes of the Urals. If, however, the large Allerød mammals are added, the fauna is without modern analogues. The Nørre Lyngby fauna can be seen as a last expansion of the North European glacial fauna. Provided that an absolute chronology and a differentiated sea-level curve for the area can be established, the Nsrre Lyngby fauna could become important for studies in mammalian dispersal and migration rates.     

Quaternary magnetostratigraphy in Denmark

Magnetostratigraphical results from various historical, Holocene, Lateglacial and Glacial deposits from Central Jutland, Vendsyssel, the Baltic Sea and Schleswig-Holstein are illustrated and discussed. Although only a few archaeomagnetic case studies have yet been made in Denmark, magnetic datings with accuracies of about ±50 years have been obtained on mediaeval kilns by comparing with a dipole transformed modification of the British archaeomagnetic master curve. Furthermore, a study of the expected east–west orientation of some 330 Romanesque churches in Denmark seem to indicate that about 25% of these churches were magnetically orientated; thus some kind of a magnetic compass may have been in common use in the twelfth century in Denmark. Radiocarbon-dated Holocene lake sediments from lake Skanderborg reveal a distinct pattern of magnetic secular variation with fairly short time constants, which may be useful in magnetostratigraphical correlations of other lake sediments. Also Lateglacial and Early Postglacial sediments from the southern Baltic Sea show systematical magnetic patterns, whereas glacial boulder clay at the bottom shows disturbed directions, obviously moulded by the moving ice. Lateglacial Younger Yoldia clay from North Jutland shows well-developed short periodic swings as well as an extreme declination variation of some 80° to 90°, the so-called 'Nørre Lyngby declination excursion' around 14,000 B.P. A sequence of Older Yoldia clay at the same site furthermore shows significantly low inclination values, the so-called 'Rubjerg low inclination excursion' of an age between 23,000 B.P. and 40,000 B.P. Finally, a well-clustering palaeomagnetic direction from a Weichselian glacial boulder clay from Timmerhorn north of Hamburg is discussed from a hierarchical, statistical point of view.     

Middle Weichselian to Holocene palaeoecology in the eastern Kattegat, Scandinavia: foraminifera, ostracods and 14C measurements

Examination of a 10 m piston core from the eastern Kattegat revealed marine sediments spanning a period from the late Middle Weichselian to the Early Holocene. The oldest marine unit in the core is ¹⁴C-dated to about 30,000–36,000 years BP. These sediments represent the Middle Weichselian Sandnes/Denekamp-Hengelo Interstadial (upper part of stable isotope stage 3) and can be correlated to marine deposits from several localities in the Kattegat region by means of foraminifera. The Late Weichselian deposits comprise sediments from the Oldest Dryas Stadial and the Allerød Interstadial. The intervening periods are not represented in the sequence (hiatuses). Sediments from the latest part of the Early Holocene Preboreal period succeeding the Allerod sequence indicate a considerable hiatus spanning 2000–3000 years around the Weichselian/Holocene boundary. The late Preboreal faunas document a high freshwater inflow during this period, and stable conditions seem not to have been reached in the area until a few hundred years later, in the Boreal period. Comparison with boxcore material from the same site documents a reduction of the energy level of the bottom currents some time between c. 8000 and 800 years BP.     

Mineral magnetic properties of Late Weichselian-Holocene sediments from the northwestern Baltic Proper

Mineral magnetic measurements were carried out on twelve sediment cores from the northwestern part of the Baltic Proper. The purpose was to use magnetic properties to correlate sediment sequences and to investigate changes in depositional conditions (e.g. rate of sedimentation and redox conditions). A general lithostratigraphy consisting of five units was established based mainly on mineral magnetic properties. Sediment has been deposited from the time of the Baltic Ice Lake (before 10 300 ¹⁴C years BP) to the present, i.e. since the Late Weichselian deglaciation. Five of the cores were also investigated by means of biostratigraphical methods and three by ¹⁴C dates. Based on the general stratigraphy and hiatuses, variations in sedimentation rate were identified. The occurrence of authigenically formed ferrimagnetic greigite (Fe₃S₄), mainly in sediments deposited during the brackish Yoldia Sea and Litorina Sea stages, is implied. These sequences are characterized by low S-ratios and high SIRM/z ratios. Glacial clay, deposited in freshwater during the Baltic Ice Lake stage and the early freshwater phase of the Yoldia Sea stage, seems to be unaffected by diagenetic processes. Gyttja clay, deposited in the Litorina Sea, has significantly lower susceptibility and SIRM than in the underlying clay. Dissolution of magnetic iron oxides (e.g. magnetite and hematite) in an anoxic environment was suggested as an explanation.