The Early and Middle Weichselian in Norway: a review

All Known sites with fossils and ‘non-till sediments’ of possible Early and Middle Weichselian age in Norway are discussed. Along the west coast there are many sites marine shells which have been dated by means of radiocarbon, amino acids and thorium/uranium methods. Some sites are also correlated by means of underlying Eemian sequences. A tentative glaciation curve for western Norway indicates a first glacial advance soon after the end of the Eemian. There are indications of another re-advance around 40,000 B.P., and the Late Weichselian maximum (maxima?) occurred somewhere between 30,000 B.P. and 13,000 B.P. Parts of the coast may have been ice-free for most of the remaining periods. From the central parts of the country are known bones (e.g. mammoth), glaciolacustrine and fluvial sediments, peat, etc. The newly discovered site with peat of Brumunddal can very probably be correlated with the Jämtland Interstadial in Sweden, and the Brørup Interstadial in Denmark. If this is correct, nearly the whole of southern Scandinavia must have been deglaciated during the interstadial.     

MIS 3 mammoth remains from Sweden—implications for faunal history, palaeoclimate and glaciation chronology

The distribution of low-arctic megafaunal remains in time and space from the area previously covered by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) suggests the presence of breeding mammoth populations in the circum-Baltic region during the time interval from 44 to 26 ka ago. The transport history of 30 mammoth teeth and bones from southern and north-central Sweden was estimated and the remains were subjected to osteological analyses and ¹⁴C dating. Oxygen isotope analyses of tooth enamel indicate a palaeoclimate considerably more homogenous than that experienced in Sweden today, showing moderate north–south gradients in the δ¹⁸O value of precipitation and temperature. In general, the results support the model of restricted ice sheet distribution during the second half of the Middle Weichselian. The clear discrepancy in the inferred absence of glaciation in the central Swedish uplands and the Baltic basin as evidenced by the Swedish mammoth data versus the Danish OSL-based glaciation chronology in the period from 40 to 30 ka ago is discussed in the light of radiocarbon calibration and glacial dynamics.     

New radiocarbon dates from Finnish mammoths indicating large ice-free areas in Fennoscandia during the Middle Weichselian

New radiocarbon dates from Finnish subfossil mammoth material (Mammuthus sp.), transported by glacial ice, range in age from ca. 32000 to ca. 22500 yr BP. These results suggest that there was a larger ice-free area in Fennoscandia during the Middle Weichselian than previously assumed. In addition, two dates are also presented for bones found in clay with a different transport history. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the present habitats and ecology of Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 (Mollusca,Gastropoda, Vertiginidea) in Central Asia and its distribution history in Central and Eastern Europe

The small terrestrial gastropod Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 is one of the rarest glacial indicator species in the Pleistocene of Central and Eastern Europe. In all, this species has been found at only about 15 sites in Europe. V. pseudosubstriata was initially described as a fossil in Central Europe and was discovered only later alive in Central Asia. With regard to its modern distribution, 25 habitats with V. pseudosubstriata have been examined in Tien Shan and in the central and southern Altai. These findings seem to capture the contemporary distribution of the species and provide information on the boundaries of its ecological requirements. These data are of great significance for the interpretation of the fossil assemblages. Since the few fossil specimens in Europe date from very different glacial periods in the Elsterian, Saalian Complex and Weichselian, it can be concluded that V. pseudosubstriata apparently immigrated in at least three distinct waves. Most of the Pleistocene specimens in eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe are reported from archaeological sites of the Upper Middle Weichselian (Gravettian), roughly between 33 and 29 ka cal bp. In this paper, we review all reported modern and fossil occurrences and discuss the species' ecological range.     

Quaternary stratigraphy of Norden, a proposal for terminology and classification

Principles and terminology for classification of the Quaternary are discussed, including lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy. morphostratigraphy, climatostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy. The main conclusion is a proposal for a common chronostratigraphical classification of the Quaternary in Norden (and partly continental NW Europe). The Quaternary is subdivided into the Pleistocene and the Holocene Series. The Pleistocene is further subdivided into several provisional stages (Weichselian, Eemian, etc.), based on the sequence of glacials/interglacials. but with the boundaries preferably defined by stratotypes. The Late Weichselian and the Flandrian (Holocene) are subdivided into chronozoncs (Bolling, Older Dryas, Allerød, Younger Dryas, Preboreal, Boreal, Atlantic, Subboreal, Subatlantic) with the boundaries dcfined in conventional radiocarbon years.     

Marine glacial and interglacial stratigraphy in Vendsyssel, northern Denmark: foraminifera and stable isotopes

The marine Quaternary of Vendsyssel has been studied in a series of new boreholes in the area, and the climatic development is discussed on the basis of foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotopes. The foraminiferal zones are correlated with previously published records from northern Denmark, and the spatial local and regional distribution is discussed in details based on the new evidence. The new data show that the marine sedimentation in Vendsyssel was not continuous from the Late Saalian to the Middle Weichselian, as previously thought. For example, there is indication of a hiatus at our key site, Åsted Vest in the central part of Vendsyssel, at the transition between regional foraminiferal zones N4 and N3, i.e. at the Late Saalian (MIS 6) – Eemian (MIS 5e) transition. The hitherto most complete Early Weichselian succession (zone N2) in Vendsyssel is presented from Åsted Vest. Deposits from the Early Weichselian sea‐level lowstands (MIS 5d and 5b) may, however, be missing in parts of the area. Two major breaks in the marine deposition during the Middle Weichselian represent glacial advances into northern Denmark. The first event occurred just after deposition of the regional foraminiferal zone N2 (late MIS 4), and the second event in the middle part of zone N1 (early MIS 3). Zone N1 is succeeded by a series of non‐marine units deposited during the sea‐level lowstand of the Weichselian maximum glaciation (late MIS 3 and MIS 2), including deeply incised tunnel valleys, which have been refilled with non‐marine sediments during the Late Weichselian. Vendsyssel was inundated by the sea again during the Late Weichselian, at c. 18 kyr BP. Subsequently, the marine conditions were gradually changed by forced regression caused by local isostatic uplift, and around the Weichselian–Holocene transition most of Vendsyssel was above sea level. A continuous deposition across the Late Weichselian–Holocene boundary only occurred at relatively deep sites such as Skagen. The environmental and climatic indications for Vendsyssel are in accordance with the global sea‐level curve, and the Quaternary record is correlated with the oxygen isotope record from the NorthGRIP ice core, as well as the marine isotope stages.     

Age and extent of the Barents and Kara ice sheets in Northern Russia

The youngest ice marginal zone between the White Sea and the Ural mountains is the W-E trending belt of moraines called the Varsh-Indiga-Markhida-Harbei-Halmer-Sopkay, here called the Markhida line. Glacial elements show that it was deposited by the Kara Ice Sheet, and in the west, by the Barents Ice Sheet. The Markhida moraine overlies Eemian marine sediments, and is therefore of Weichselian age. Distal to the moraine are Eemian marine sediments and three Palaeolithic sites with many C-14 dates in the range 16-37 ka not covered by till, proving that it represents the maximum ice sheet extension during the Weichselian. The Late Weichselian ice limit of M. G. Grosswald is about 400 km (near the Urals more than 700 km) too far south. Shorelines of ice dammed Lake Komi, probably dammed by the ice sheet ending at the Markhida line, predate 37 ka. We conclude that the Markhida line is of Middle/Early Weichselian age, implying that no ice sheet reached this part of Northern Russia during the Late Weichselian. This age is supported by a series of C-14 and OSL dates inside the Markhida line all of >45 ka. Two moraine loops protrude south of the Markhida line; the Laya-Adzva and Rogavaya moraines. These moraines are covered by Lake Komi sediments, and many C-14 dates on mammoth bones inside the moraines are 26-37 ka. The morphology indicates that the moraines are of Weichselian age, but a Saalian age cannot be excluded. No post-glacial emerged marine shorelines are found along the Barents Sea coast north of the Markhida line.     

Re‐dating the Pilgrimstad Interstadial with OSL: a warmer climate and a smaller ice sheet during the Swedish Middle Weichselian (MIS 3)?

Alexanderson, H., Johnsen, T. & Murray, A. S. 2009: Re‐dating the Pilgrimstad Interstadial with OSL: a warmer climate and a smaller ice sheet during the Swedish Middle Weichselian (MIS 3)? Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00130.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Pilgrimstad in central Sweden is an important locality for reconstructing environmental changes during the last glacial period (the Weichselian). Its central location has implications for the Scandinavian Ice Sheet as a whole. The site has been assigned an Early Weichselian age (marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 a/c; >74 ka), based on pollen stratigraphic correlations with type sections in continental Europe, but the few absolute dating attempts so far have given uncertain results. We re‐excavated the site and collected 10 samples for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating from mineral‐ and organic‐rich sediments within the new Pilgrimstad section. Single aliquots of quartz were analysed using a post‐IR blue single aliquot regenerative‐dose (SAR) protocol. Dose recovery tests were satisfactory and OSL ages are internally consistent. All, except one from an underlying unit that is older, lie in the range 52–36 ka, which places the interstadial sediments in the Middle Weichselian (MIS 3); this is compatible with existing radiocarbon ages, including two measured with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The mean of the OSL ages is 44±6 ka (n=9). The OSL ages cannot be assigned to the Early Weichselian for all reasonable adjustments to water content estimates and other parameters. The new ages suggest that climate was relatively mild and that the Scandinavian Ice Sheet was absent or restricted to the mountains for at least parts of MIS 3. These results are supported by other recent studies completed in Fennoscandia.     

The Berelekh Mammoth “Graveyard”: New Chronological and Stratigraphical Data from the 2009 Field Season

To clarify unanswered questions of site formation, geology and the archaeology of the Berelekh geoarchaeological complex, a special survey was undertaken in 2009 of the area surrounding the site. Several geological units have been revealed. By establishing the spatial and temporal relationship of these deposits—as well as their age—we have reconstructed the formation history of the Berelekh bone bed. The mammoth bone deposit belongs to a paleochannel. Radiocarbon dating of mammoth remains at Berelekh demonstrates rapid accumulation during the Bølling warming. Human involvement in its formation is, at best, questionable, since there is no real overlap between the radiocarbon dates associated with past human activity, and those of the mammoth bone bed. This study confirms that humans used mammoth bone remains after the bone bed was deposited. Culturally, the Berelekh “site” does not have any relationship to the so‐called “Dyuktai culture.” Instead, the Berelekh archaeological finds (side notched stone pendants) show certain similarities to non‐microblade terminal Pleistocene assemblages found from Yenisei to Kamchatka. Additionally, the Berelekh complex presents a clear analogy with lithics found in Eastern Beringia. Teardrop‐shaped incomplete bifaces found in the assemblage are comparable to the Chindadn points of Alaska. The nature of this “Chindadn connection” is intriguing but it is the only visible cultural link between Western and Eastern Beringia.     

The Sevsk woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) site in Russia: Taphonomic,biological and behavioral interpretations

Excavations at Sevsk, Bryansk Region, Russia, by the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1988–1991 recovered 3800 bones of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blum.) representing a minimum of 33 individuals. The locality is one of the largest naturally occurring deposits of mammoth remains in Europe and is inferred to be a catastrophic death assemblage. The material includes five skeletons of juvenile mammoths, from 1 month to 6 or 7 years of age, as well as partial skeletons and isolated bones of adult individuals. A femur and humerus of an approximately 10–12-month-old fetus are also among the finds. Morphological features suggest that the Sevsk mammoths belonged to one family group; the age structure and sexual composition of the assemblage do not differ significantly from that of a family group of Modern African elephants. In contrast to other localities in Siberia and central Russia, relatively more (about 45% of individuals) prepubertal animals are preserved at Sevsk. Radiocarbon dates indicate that the mammoths died about 14,000 years ago. Data from diatoms, pollen and rodents, as well as archeological evidence, corroborate this age, and provide the basis for a paleoenvironmental reconstruction at the end of the Valdaian Glaciation in western Russia.     

Weichselian in Sweden before 15,000 B.P.

A brief summary is given of the present state of knowledge about the Weichselian glaciations and interstadials in sweden. The following stages are discussed: (1) The first Weichselian glaciation (W1). This glaciation has not been identified. Probably only northern Sweden was ice-covered. (2) The Jämtland Interstadial , dated at > 50,000 B.P. and correlated with the Finnish Peräpohjola and the Danish Brörup Interstadials. - (3) The second Weichselian glaciation (W II). There are several uncertainteis concerning this glaciation. Sweden was probably ice-covered down to the latitude of Stockholm. – (4) A Middle Weichsedlian interstadial , or complex of interstadials. Some radiocarbon dates indicate, although very uncertain, that most of Sweden may have been free of ice some time rather well known. – Some main problems which have to be investigated are also identified.     

Weichselian interstadials at Riipiharju,northern Sweden – interpretation of vegetation and climate from fossil and modern pollen records

Hättestrand, M. & Robertsson, A.‐M. 2010: Weichselian interstadials at Riipiharju, northern Sweden – interpretation of vegetation and climate from fossil and modern pollen records. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00129.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The most complete records of Weichselian ice‐free conditions in northern Sweden have been retrieved from kettleholes in the Riipiharju esker. In an earlier study, the Riipiharju I core was described as containing two Weichselian interstadials and Riipiharju was chosen as type site for the second Weichselian interstadial in northern Sweden. Here, we present a palynological investigation of two new sediment cores (Riipiharju II and III) retrieved from Riipiharju. Together, the new cores comprise a late cold part of the first Weichselian interstadial recorded in northeastern Sweden (Tärendö I, earlier correlated with Peräpohjola in Finland) as well as a long sequence of the second Weichselian interstadial (Tärendö II, earlier named Tärendö). The results indicate that the climate during deposition of the Tärendö II sequence was more variable than earlier suggested. According to the present interpretation it was relatively warm in the early part of Tärendö II; thereafter a long cold phase persisted, and finally the climate was warmer again in the late part of Tärendö II. The warm phases are characterized by Betula‐dominant pollen assemblages, while the cold phase is characterized by high percentages of Artemisia and Gramineae pollen. Since there is still no firm chronology established of the interstadials in northeastern Sweden, two possible correlations are discussed; either Tärendö I and II are correlated with Brörup (MIS 5c) and Odderade (MIS 5a), or, perhaps more likely, they are correlated with Odderade and early Middle Weichselian (MIS 3) time.     

The Weichselian glaciation in Svalbard before 15,000 B.P.*

Th/U dating and radiocarbon dating of 'old' shells are discussed, and amino acid ratios from shells are used as a method of relative-age dating. The Svalbard area has been completely covered by an extensive ice sheet at leats once. New data from Sjuøyane indicate that such glaciation took place in the Early Weichselian. The Middle Weichselian was a period of interstadial conditions. Series of beaches of assumed Middle Weichselian age occur in several places in western Spitsbergen while no such beaches are known in the eastern part of the archipelago. The maximum glaciation in the Late Weichselian is assumed to have taken place about 18,000 B.P. In the western part of Spitsbergen, the Late Weichselian glaciation was limited and local, while the eastern part of the archipelago was covered by an ice sheet. Kongsøya has a pattern of Holocene shoreline displacement which indicates that the centre of this ice sheet was east of kong karts Land.     

History of the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in the eastern Baltic region and its implications for the origin and immigration routes of the recent northern European wild reindeer populations

A total of 45 subfossil reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) antlers and bones - artefacts excluded - have been found over the years in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The relatively high number of specimens suggests a stable residence of the species in the eastern Baltic region. For the first time, 12 of these finds were radiocarbon-dated. The ages of the samples range between 12 085 and 9970 ¹⁴C yr BP (14 180-11 280 cal. yr BP), and cover the Lateglacial and early Holocene, a time period during which climatic conditions shifted from periglacial to temperate. The dates suggest a rapid colonization of the area during the deglaciation period and a local extinction around the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary. The results of the study do not support the theory that the recent wild reindeer populations of northern Europe had their origin in the Late Weichselian reindeer populations of the eastern Baltic region.     

Aminostratigraphy of European marine interglacial deposits

Molluscan fossils collected from shallow water marine sediment across NW Europe and nearby Arctic regions have been analysed for the extent of isoleucine epimerization ( ratio) in indigenous protein residues. The ratios confirm that essentially all ‘classical’ Eemian sites from NW Europe are of the same age, and are correlative with the type locality near Amersfoort in the Netherlands; shells from interglacial marine sediment beneath the type Weichselian till in Poland also correlate with the type Eemian site. ratios in Holsteinian marine shells (0.29) are substantially higher than in their Eemian counterparts (0.17); ‘Late Cromerian’ shells yield even higher ratios (0.46). ratios in late glacial shells (0.06) and Middle Weichselian shells (0.09) permit differentiation from modern (0.01) and last interglacial material. Based on the position of the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary and the differences in ratios, the Eemian must correlate with isotope substage 5e, whereas the Holsteinian is most likely substage 7c, possibly stage 9 but certainly younger than stage 11. Intra-Saalian warm periods may be terrestrial equivalents of the younger substages of stage 7. Extensive pre-Eemian marine sediments along the SW coast of Denmark previously correlated with the Holsteinian are shown to be of ‘Late Cromerian’ age. The underlying till there is the first widespread evidence of a pre-Elsterian till in NW Europe. ratios in molluscs from last interglacial sites along the Arctic coast of the USSR, the Arctic Islands and eastern Greenland are substantially lower than in their European counterparts due to their low thermal histories. The combined mid- and high-latitude data are used to develop a predictive model for the expected ratio in any of several moderate epimerization-rate taxa for last interglacial sites with mean temperatures between −20 and +15°C.Not all sites could be unambiguously assigned to an established interglacial. The Fjøsanger (Norway) and Margareteberg (Sweden) sites previously thought to be Eemian, yield ratios higher than in secure nearby Eemian material. It is yet unresolved whether these are aberrant sites or if they predate the last interglacial. In situ shoreline deposits encountered in borings in SW Belgium and in exposures on the Belgium coastal plain contain molluscs that yield ratios intermediate between secure Eemian and Late Weichselian ratios, raising the possibility that a late stage 5 high-sea-level event attained near-modern levels in the southern North Sea basin. Resolution of these uncertainties is the focus of future work.     

Lithostratigraphy and age estimations of the Pleistocene erosional remnants near the centre of the Scandinavian glaciations in western Finland

Extensive, 20–100 m thick Quaternary sediment accumulations, deposited before the latest Weichselian stage, were discovered in the Suupohja region in western Finland, near the centre of the Scandinavian glaciations. Fourteen lithofacies have been identified and interpreted in the accumulations. Geomorphologically and lithostratigraphically these accumulations occur in two forms: (1) till-covered beaded gravelly ridges that have occasional fine-grained sediments and paleosols between the gravel and the overlying till, and (2) irregularly shaped broad multilayer accumulations that include up to seven till units, three silt/clay units and three sand units. These sediments have been deposited in glacial, glaciofluvial, glaciomarine/-lacustrine and possibly in littoral and eolian environments during up to six glacial–deglacial cycles. The units are divided into five formations, which are proposed to form the Suupohja Group. According to the luminescence datings, lithostratigraphy and sedimentary structures, the sediments below the uppermost till are interpreted to have been deposited before the latest Weichselian glaciation, which occurred during the Middle or Late Weichselian Substage. This article clarifies the multiple lithostratigraphy of the Suupohja region and introduces potential type sections for further stratigraphic studies. The rich diversity of the sediments and their large extent makes this region one of the key areas in the Pleistocene research of the glaciated areas of northern Europe.     

A new Early–Middle Weichselian palaeoenvironmental record from a lacustrine sequence at Svirkanciai,Lithuania

The Middle Weichselian (OIS 4‐3) and the transition from Early to Middle Weichselian are the most problematic and disputed time intervals of the Late Pleistocene with regard to the palaeogeography of the Fennoscandian glaciations. The number of sites with sediments of Middle Weichselian age in the Baltic region is very limited. An extensive area (77 km²) of lacustrine sediments (sand, clay, silt with humus and interlayers of peat), under the relief‐forming Upper Weichselian till, was discovered in the vicinity of the Venta settlement, northwestern Lithuania, and named the Venta Palaeolacustrine Basin. The Svirkanciai outcrop (56°18′05″N, 22°53′00″E) (15 m in height) of this palaeobasin is composed of two sediment complexes of different genesis and age. The lower part consists of silt and very fine‐grained sand of lacustrine origin. According to palynological data, the lacustrine sediments accumulated under boreo‐arctic climatic conditions. The pollen records suggest that local vegetation was sparse forest with open areas. An Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) date of the lacustrine sand yielded an age of >79±6 ka, which indicates that lacustrine conditions may have occurred during part of the Early Weichselian Odderade Interstadial (Jonionys 2). However, the palynological data from Svirkanciai suggest a Middle Weichselian age, possibly correlating with the Oerel Interstadial (Jonionys 3) 55 ka ago. No traces of early Middle Weichselian Schalkholz (Nemunas 2a) stadial glacial advance have been found in the Venta sections. This also suggests a Middle Weichselian age for the Svirkanciai lacustrine sediments.     

New remains of Pleistocene Ovibos moschatus from Germany and its geographic and stratigraphic occurrence in Europe

All remains of Pleistocene muskoxen from central and western Europe are attributable to a single species, Ovibos moschatus. Its occurrence was restricted mainly to the area north of the Pyrenees and Alps, covering lowlands and mountain areas up to 1600 m. In the Middle Pleistocene, Ovibos occurred in a cold phase, well before the Elsterian, and again during the Saalian and Weichselian. In the Late Pleistocene, Ovibos co-occurred with other faunal elements indicative of severe continental climatic conditions during the early and late Weichselian. During the middle Weichselian, the genus seems to have retreated. A list of European localities that have yielded Ovibos moschatus, inclusive of geographical references, is provided.     

Calibration of mammoth (Mammuthus) dispersal into North America using rare earth elements of Plio-Pleistocene mammals from Florida

The first appearance of mammoth (Mammuthus) is currently used to define the beginning of the Irvingtonian North American Land Mammal Age at about 1.4 Ma. Thereafter, mammoth fossils are common and widespread in North America until the end of the Pleistocene. In contrast to this generally accepted biochronology, recent reports have asserted that mammoth occurs in late Pliocene (ca. 2.5 Ma) alluvium from the Santa Fe River of northern Florida. The supposedly contemporaneous late Pliocene fossil assemblage from the Santa Fe River that produced the mammoth specimens actually consists of a mixture of diagnostic Blancan (late Pliocene) and late Rancholabrean (latest Pleistocene) species. Fossil bones and teeth of the two mammalian faunas mixed together along the Santa Fe River have significantly different rare earth element (REE) signatures. The REE signatures of mammoth are indistinguishable from those of Rancholabrean mammals, yet they are different from those of diagnostic Blancan vertebrates from these same temporally mixed faunas of the Santa Fe River. Thus, no evidence for late Pliocene mammoth exists in Florida, and mammoth fossils remain reliable biochronological indicators for Irvingtonian and Rancholabrean terrestrial sequences throughout mid- and lower-latitude North America.     

Rediocarbon dates from Late Weichselian lake sediments in south Sewden as a basis for chronostratigraphic subdivision

Altogether 62 radiocarbon dates from 17 pollen diagrams (16 sites) of Late Weichselian lake sediments in S Sweden have been determined to establish the chronostratigraphic sequence as defined by the pollen stratigraphy. This method of controlling the dates and the validity of the assumed synchronous Nordic climatostratigraphy are discussed. Most of the dates sufer from age erors, mainly caused by contamination by redeposited organic material. The effect of this source of error increases with decreasing percent of organic carbon in the deated samples. The significance of these problems for the Late Weichselian chronostratigraphic subdivision as well as ways of solving them are discussed.