Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional systems and the palaeogeography of the Dogger Bank, North Sea

3D seismic data from the Dogger Bank, North Sea, allow the mapping of Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional systems in unprecedented detail. The data demonstrate that glacial processes resulted in the development of incised tunnel valley systems during the Weichselian and that these were subsequently modified by fluvial processes in a pro-glacial setting. Subsequently, the Dogger Bank formed an emergent plain during the Holocene with a complex meandering river system, associated tributary or distributary channels and lakes, dominating the region. Prior to the sea level rising sufficiently to submerge the Dogger Bank around 7500 yr ago, the meandering river system was replaced by a dendritic channel network of potential fluvial, estuarine or intertidal origin. As the Holocene depositional features bear no systematic relationship to the bathymetry this study demonstrates that previously published bathymetry-based models for the Holocene palaeogeographic development of the North Sea require modification.     

Chronologies of sedimentary changes in the south Bohai Sea,China: constraints from luminescence and radiocarbon dating

The alternation of terrestrial and marine deposits is an indicator of past environmental and sea‐level changes. The age of deposition is usually dated by means of radiocarbon. However, radiocarbon dates of molluscan shells from coastal areas may be complicated by various sources of carbon, and problematic for deposits of 40–50 ka or older. Herein, we apply the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating method to date samples from terrestrial and marine/coastal sediments extracted from three cores in the south Bohai Sea, China. Multiple‐ and single‐aliquot regenerative‐dose procedures using OSL signals from fine‐silt (4–11 μm), coarse‐silt (38–63 μm) and fine‐sand (63–90 or 90–125 μm) quartz were employed to determine the equivalent dose (D _e). The results showed that: (i) OSL ages from quartz of different grain sizes and different protocols are consistent with each other; (ii) for Holocene samples, most of the radiocarbon dates agree well with OSL ages; (iii) for pre‐Holocene samples, radiocarbon dates cluster at 40–50 ¹⁴ C ka BP, whereas OSL ages are in stratigraphic order from 11 ka to 176 ka. Because of the self‐consistency of the quartz OSL ages, the stratigraphic agreement in the three cores, and the clustering of the radiocarbon dates, we suggest that the quartz OSL ages are more reliable with respect to dating the samples from the south Bohai Sea. Finally, the four marine strata identified in the south Bohai Sea are likely to have formed during the Holocene, Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 3–5, MIS 6 and probably MIS 7, respectively.     

Mid‐Weichselian interstadial in Kolari,western Finnish Lapland

Finnish Lapland is known as an area where numerous sites with sediments from Pleistocene glacial and interglacial periods occur. Recent sedimentological observations and dating call for reinterpretation of the record, which shows a complicated Mid‐Weichselian ice‐sheet evolution within the ice‐divide zone. Here, a large, previously unstudied section from a former Hannukainen iron mine was investigated sedimentologically and dated with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). Ten sedimentary units were identified displaying a variety of depositional environments (glacial, glaciolacustrine, fluvial and aeolian). They are all – except for the lowermost, deeply weathered till – interpreted to be of Mid‐ or Late Weichselian/Holocene age. Five OSL samples from fluvial sediments give ages ranging from 55 to 35 ka, indicating two MIS 3 ice‐free intervals of unknown duration. The Mid‐Weichselian interstadial was interrupted by a re‐advance event, which occurred later than 35 ka and caused glaciotectonic deformation, folding and stacking of older sediments. This new evidence emphasizes the importance of the Kolari area when unravelling the complex Late Pleistocene glacial history of northern Finland and adjacent regions.     

OSL and 14C chronologies of a Holocene sedimentary record (Garding‐2 core) from the German North Sea coast

The history of sea‐level change and sediment accumulation since the last deglaciation along the German North Sea coast is still controversial because of a limitation in the quantity and quality of chronological data. In the current study, the chronology of a 16‐ka coastal sedimentary record from the Garding‐2 core, retrieved from the Eiderstedt Peninsula in Schleswig‐Holstein, northern Germany, was established using OSL and AMS ¹⁴C dating techniques. The robust chronology using 14 radiocarbon and 25 OSL dates from the Garding‐2 core is the first long‐term record that covers the Holocene as well as the last deglaciation period in one succession in the German North Sea area. It provides a new insight into understanding the Holocene transgression and coastal accumulation histories. The combined evidence from the sedimentology and chronology investigations indicates that an estuarine environment dominated in Eiderstedt Peninsula from 16 to 13 ka, followed by a depositional hiatus between 13 and 8.3 ka, attributed to erosion caused by the Holocene transgression; the onset of the Holocene transgression at the core site occurred at around 8.3 ka. The sea level continued to rise with a decelerated rate until around 3 ka. Since 3 ka, the shoreline has begun to prograde. Foreshore (tidal flat) sediments have been deposited at the drilling site with a very high sedimentation rate of about 10 m ka^?1. At around 2 ka, a sandy beach deposit accumulated in the sedimentary succession, indicating that the coastline shifted landward, which may represent a small‐scale transgression in the late Holocene. At around 1.5 ka, terrestrial clastic sediment started to accumulate, indicating a retreat of the relative sea level in this area, which may be related to local diking activities undertaken since the 11th century.     

Late Pleistocene fluvial dynamics in the Hochrhein Valley and in the Upper Rhine Graben: chronological frame

During the Pleistocene, the Rhine glacier system acted as a major south–north erosion and transport medium from the Swiss Alps into the Upper Rhine Graben, which has been the main sediment sink forming low angle debris fans. Only some aggradation resulted in the formation of terraces. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating have been applied to set up a more reliable chronological frame of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial activity in the western Hochrhein Valley and in the southern part of the Upper Rhine Graben. The stratigraphically oldest deposits exposed, a braided-river facies, yielded OSL age estimates ranging from 59.6 ± 6.2 to 33.1 ± 3.0 ka. The data set does not enable to distinguish between a linear age increase triggered by a continuous autocyclical aggradation or two (or more) age clusters, for example around 35 ka and around 55 ka, triggered by climate change, including stadial and interstadial periods (sensu Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles). The braided river facies is discontinuously (hiatus) covered by coarse-grained gravel-rich sediments deposited most likely during a single event or short-time period of major melt water discharge postdating the Last Glacial Maximum. OSL age estimates of fluvial and aeolian sediments from the above coarse-grained sediment layer are between 16.4 ± 0.8 and 10.6 ± 0.5 ka, and make a correlation with the Late Glacial period very likely. The youngest fluvial aggradation period correlates to the beginning of the Little Ice Age, as confirmed by OSL and radiocarbon ages.     

Coastal permafrost landscape development since the Late Pleistocene in the western Laptev Sea,Siberia

Winterfeld, M., Schirrmeister, L., Grigoriev, M. N., Kunitsky, V. V., Andreev, A., Murray, A. & Overduin, P. P. 2011: Coastal permafrost landscape development since the Late Pleistocene in the western Laptev Sea, Siberia. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00203.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The palaeoenvironmental development of the western Laptev Sea is understood primarily from investigations of exposed cliffs and surface sediment cores from the shelf. In 2005, a core transect was drilled between the Taymyr Peninsula and the Lena Delta, an area that was part of the westernmost region of the non‐glaciated Beringian landmass during the late Quaternary. The transect of five cores, one terrestrial and four marine, taken near Cape Mamontov Klyk reached 12 km offshore and 77 m below sea level. A multiproxy approach combined cryolithological, sedimentological, geochronological (¹⁴C‐AMS, OSL on quartz, IR‐OSL on feldspars) and palaeoecological (pollen, diatoms) methods. Our interpretation of the proxies focuses on landscape history and the transition of terrestrial into subsea permafrost. Marine interglacial deposits overlain by relict terrestrial permafrost within the same offshore core were encountered in the western Laptev Sea. Moreover, the marine interglacial deposits lay unexpectedly deep at 64 m below modern sea level 12 km from the current coastline, while no marine deposits were encountered onshore. This implies that the position of the Eemian coastline presumably was similar to today's. The landscape reconstruction suggests Eemian coastal lagoons and thermokarst lakes, followed by Early to Middle Weichselian fluvially dominated terrestrial deposition. During the Late Weichselian, this fluvial landscape was transformed into a poorly drained accumulation plain, characterized by widespread and broad ice‐wedge polygons. Finally, the shelf plain was flooded by the sea during the Holocene, resulting in the inundation and degradation of terrestrial permafrost and its transformation into subsea permafrost.     

Fluvial system response to Late Devensian (Weichselian) aridity,Baston, Lincolnshire,England

Little is known about the impact of Late Devensian (Weichselian) aridity on lowland British landscapes, largely because they lack the widespread coversand deposits of the adjacent continent. The concentration of large interformational ice‐wedge casts in the upper part of many Devensian fluvial sequences suggests that fluvial activity may have decreased considerably during this time. The development of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating enables this period of ice‐wedge cast formation to be constrained for the first time in eastern England, where a marked horizon of ice‐wedge casts is found between two distinctive dateable facies associations. Contrasts between this horizon and adjacent sediments show clear changes in environment and fluvial system behaviour in response to changing water supply, in line with palaeontological evidence. In addition to providing chronological control on the period of ice‐wedge formation, the study shows good agreement of the radiocarbon and OSL dating techniques during the Middle and Late Devensian, with direct comparison of these techniques beyond 15 000 yr for the first time in Britain. It is suggested that aridity during the Late Devensian forced a significant decrease in fluvial activity compared with preceding and following periods, initiating a system with low peak flows and widespread permafrost development. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluvial aggradation phases in the Upper Rhine Graben—new insights by quartz OSL dating

The Upper Rhine Graben (URG) is characterized by a thickness of up to 500 m of unconsolidated Quaternary sediments, providing excellent records of the Rhine river system and its responses to tectonic and climatic changes. The most complete Quaternary sequence of fluvial and limnic-fluvial deposits is found in the Heidelberg Basin, due to its long-term subsidence since the mid-Eocene. The aim of this study is to provide a chronological framework using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of aeolian and fluvial sands derived from the upper 33 m of a sediment core, which was drilled into the Heidelberg Basin infill close to the village of Viernheim, Germany. The OSL ages demonstrate that the dated fluvial sediments were deposited during the last glacial period (Weichselian) and that there were at least three aggradation periods during this episode. The coversands that cap the sequence were emplaced during the early Holocene.     

Middle Weichselian marine sediments from eastern Kattegat, Scandinavia

Foraminifera, pollen, lithology and radiocarbon dates from a core in the southern Kattegat provide a rare opportunity to obtain data relating to environmental conditions during the Middle Weichselian in the offshore Kattegat. This core is also correlated with an adjacent second core. Redeposited Eemian foraminifera and pollen occur in the Middle Weichselian sediments. This is interpreted as a result of reworking by an active Middle Weichselian ice present in, or advancing from, a northeasterly to easterly direction. During a second phase the Middle Weichselian sediments were compacted, probably a result of overriding by an ice from the northeast during the Middle Weichselian and/or the Late Weichselian Maximum. The Middle Weichselian sequence is overlain by a Holocene sequence which, in turn, is overlain by an admixture of Middle Weichselian and Holocene sediments. This mixing may be a result of tectonic activity some time between 7300 and 1000 BP. The core ends in Holocene fine sediments representing the last c. 1000 years.     

Late Pleistocene stratigraphy and sedimentary environments of the Severnaya Dvina‐Vychegda region in northwestern Russia

The Late Pleistocene stratigraphy from the Severnaya Dvina‐Vychegda region of northwestern Russia is revised based on investigations of new localities, revisiting earlier localities, introduction of about 110 new OSL dates and burial depth corrections of earlier published OSL dates, in addition to six new radiocarbon dates. Most of the OSL samples studied here are from fluvial and subaquaeous sediments, which we found to be well bleached. Six chronostratigraphical units and their sedimentary environment are described, with the oldest unit consisting of pre‐Eemian glacial beds. For the first time, Early Weichselian sediments are documented from the region and a fluvial environment with some vegetation and permafrost conditions is suggested to have persisted from the end of the Eemian until at least about 92 ka ago. The period in which a Middle Weichselian White Sea Lake could have existed is constrained to 67?62 ka, but as the lake level never reached the thresholds of the drainage basin, the lake probably existed only for a short interval within this time‐span. Blocking and reversal of fluvial drainage started again around 21?20 ka ago when the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet advanced into the area, reaching its maximum 17?15 ka ago. At that time, an ice‐dammed lake reached its maximum water level, which was around 135 m above present sea level. Drainage of the lake started shortly after 15 ka ago, and the lake was emptied within 700 years. Severe periglacial conditions, with permafrost and aeolian activity, prevailed in the area until about 10.7 ka.     

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.     

Quaternary sequences and their relations to the pre-Quaternary in the vicinity of Anholt, Kattegat, Scandinavia

The stratigraphic record from a boring penetrating the 104 m thick Quaternary sequence on the island of Anholt is summarized. The spatial distribution of the pre-Quaternary formations and the surface topography of these are described on the basis of reflection seismic profiles. It is concluded that Anholt is located in the crestal zone of a southeast–northwest trending anticline in the pre-Quaternary. The anticline was formed during the Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary inversion episodes and was later deeply truncated by erosion. A southeast–northwest trending erosional channel, c. 2 km wide and with a maximum depth c. 250 m below sea level, is located southeast of Anholt along the crest of the anticline. This channel is not present at the bore locality. Although no direct correlation from the boring to the seismic profiles could be achieved it is argued that a strong reflection near the base of the Quaternary outside the channel may be correlated with the Saalian–Eemian complex found in the boring. Three younger sequences of probable Early and Middle Weichselian, Late Glacial and Holocene age respectively have been recognized. The Late Glacial and Holocene sediments appear to have been deposited in erosional troughs and channels cut into a sequence of Lower and Middle Weichselian sediments. Post-Eemian till deposits or other evidence unambiguously indicating the presence of Weichselian glaciers have not been found, either in the boring or in the seismic profiles. It is therefore assumed that the erosion of the Lower-Middle Weichselian sequence was of fluvial origin and can be ascribed to the lowstand period of the Weichselian glacial period. The western part of Anholt can possibly be regarded as an erosional remnant of the Lower-Middle Weichselian sequence.     

Glacitectonic evidence of ice sheet interaction and retreat across the western part of Dogger Bank (North Sea) during the Last Glaciation

High-resolution 2D seismic data from the western side of Dogger Bank (North Sea) has revealed that the glacigenic sediments of the Dogger Bank Formation record a complex history of sedimentation and penecontemporaneous, large-scale, ice-marginal to proglacial glacitectonism. The resulting complex assemblage of glacial landforms and sediments record the interplay between two separate ice masses revealing that Late Devensian ice sheet dynamics across Dogger Bank were far more complex than previously thought, involving the North Sea lobe of the British and Irish Ice Sheet, advancing from the west, interacting with the Dogger Bank lobe which expanded from the north. The active northward retreat of the Dogger Bank lobe resulted in the development of a complex assemblage of arcuate thrust-block moraines (≤ 15 km wide, > 30 km long) composed of highly folded and thrust sediments, separated by sedimentary basins and meltwater channels filled by outwash. The impact of the North Sea lobe was restricted to the western margin of Dogger Bank and led to deep-seated (100–150 m thick) glacitectonism in response to ice-push from the west. During the earlier expansion of the North Sea lobe, this thrust and fold complex initially occupied a frontal marginal position changing to a more lateral ice-marginal position as the ice sheet continued to expand to the south. The complex structural relationships between the two glacitectonic complexes indicates that these ice masses interacted along the western side of Dogger Bank, with the inundation of this area by ice probably occurring during the last glaciation when the ice sheets attained their maximum extents.     

The onset of dune formation in the Strzelecki Desert,South Australia

This study is concerned with the Late Quaternary climatic chronology of the Strzelecki Desert dunefields in central Australia. The sand ridges comprise layers of quartz sand, some of which include palaeosol horizons with carbonated rootlets providing excellent opportunity for dating of alternations of dune building and stability by using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). Deduced from the OSL age of the oldest aeolian layer dated, we conclude that the onset of aridity dates back to at least ∼65 ka. Older phases of aeolian activity though, following a fluvial depositional phase 160 ka ago, cannot be excluded, although no aeolian layers giving evidence for this have been found in the two dunes dated here. Unconsolidated dune sands in the upper part of one section with Late Holocene (4 ka to modern) depositional ages indicate a reactivation of the dunefield in recent times.From the crosscheck of ¹⁴C ages of the carbonated rootlets with OSL results it is concluded that under the given environmental conditions radiocarbon dating of the calcareous rootlets is not able to provide reliable ages for the phase of soil development.     

Fluvial style changes during the last glacial-interglacial transition in the middle Tisza valley (Hungary)

The Weichselian Late Pleniglacial, Lateglacial and Holocene fluvial history of the middle Tisza valley in Hungary has been compared with other river systems in West and Central Europe, enabling us to define local and regional forcing factors in fluvial system change. Four Weichselian to Holocene floodplain generations, differing in palaeochannel characteristics and elevation, were defined by geomorphological analysis. Coring transects enabled the construction of the channel geometry and fluvial architecture. Pollen analysis of the fine-grained deposits has determined the vegetation development over time and, for the first time, a bio(chrono)stratigraphic framework for the changes in the fluvial system. Radiocarbon dating has provided an absolute chronology; however, the results are problematic due to the partly reworked character of the organic material in the loamy sediments. During the Late Pleniglacial, aggradation by a braided precursor system of the Tisza and local deflation and dune formation took place in a steppe or open coniferous forest landscape. A channel pattern change from braided to large-scale meandering and gradual incision occurred during the Late Pleniglacial or start of the Lateglacial, due to climate warming and climate-related boreal forest development, leading to lower stream power and lower sediment supply, although bank-full discharges were still high. Alternatively, this fluvial change might reflect the tectonically induced avulsion of the River Tisza into the area. The climatic deterioration of the Younger Dryas Stadial, frequently registered by fluvial system changes along the North Atlantic margin, is not reflected in the middle Tisza valley and meandering persisted. The Lateglacial to Holocene climatic warming resulted in the growth of deciduous forest and channel incision and a prominent terrace scarp developed. The Holocene floodplain was formed by laterally migrating smaller meandering channels reflecting lower bank-full discharges. Intra-Holocene river changes have not been observed.     

Early Weichselian palaeoenvironments reconstructed from a mega-scale thrust-fault complex, Kanin Peninsula, northwestern Russia

A section, almost 20 km long and up to 80 m high, through alternating layers of diamict and sorted sediments is superbly exposed on the north coast of the Kanin Peninsula, northwestern Russia. The diamicts represent multiple glacial advances by the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea ice sheets during the Weichselian. The diamicts and stratigraphically older lacustrine, fluvial and shallow marine sediments have been thrust as nappes by the Barents Sea and Kara Sea ice sheets. Based on stratigraphic position, OSL dating, sea level information and pollen, it is evident that the sorted sediments were deposited in the Late Eemian-Early Weichselian. Sedimentation started in lake basins and continued in shallow marine embayments when the lakes opened to the sea. The observed transition from lacustrine to shallow marine sedimentation could represent coastal retreat during stable or rising sea level.     

Signature of the last shelf-centered glaciation at a key section in the Pechora basin,Arctic Russia

The Vastiansky Kon' is the largest exposure of Quaternary deposits in the Pechora lowland, northern Russia. Morphologically the site belongs to the so-called Markhida Moraine; a complex, east–west trending zone of ice-marginal landforms deposited by the Kara Sea Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. The site exhibits a succession of sediments more than 100 m thick that, according to previous studies, covers the interval from the end of the Elsterian to the beginning of the Holocene. Unfortunately both the strong glaciotectonic deformation of the sedimentary succession and few absolute dates have made the chronological interpretation of the section difficult. The present paper reviews previous studies of the site published in Russian, and presents the results of a reinvestigation focusing on the post-Eemian stratigraphy. A marine Eemian clay more than 8 m thick is overlain erosionally by 20 m of fluvial deposits of Late Eemain or Early Weichselian age. The fluvial succession is overlain by a till and a marine clay, which, according to one interpretation, may represent an Early or Middle Weichselian advance of the Kara Ice Sheet followed by a transgression. The clay shows a transition into 15 m of estuarine and fluvial sediments overlain by more than 12 m of tundra–floodplain deposits. The whole succession has been upthrusted glaciotectonically by the last ice advance, which deposited a more than 12 m thick till on top of the section. Based on a number of subtill radiocarbon age-estimates from the site, in the range 25–32 ka BP, the youngest ice advance is considered to be of late Weichselian age, although a Middle Weichselian age cannot be excluded. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optically stimulated luminescence dating of fluvial deposits: a review

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating allows age determination of sediments deposited during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. This relatively new technique therefore enables chronological frameworks to be established for fluvial deposits that often cannot be dated by other means. The OSL signal of quartz and feldspar minerals is reset by light exposure during fluvial transport, and builds up as a result of ionizing radiation after burial of the minerals. Incomplete resetting of the OSL signal because of inadequate light exposure in the fluvial environment can result in age overestimations, especially for relatively young samples. Methods used for the detection of incomplete resetting, or poor bleaching, are reviewed. It is argued that technique s measuring the OSL signal from small subsamples (aliquots) are most promising for detecting poor bleaching and for obtaining the true age for a sample in which not all grains had their OSL signal completely removed at deposition. Quartz should be the mineral of choice, because it has been shown to yield the most reliable results and because its OSL signal is more rapidly reset than that of feldspar. Aliquot size should be small, with aliquots ideally consisting of a single grain of quartz for samples in which the majority of grains are poorly bleached. Using single-aliquot dating of coarse-grain quartz, age offsets between zero and a few thousand years have been found for modern fluvial deposits. The validity of single-aliquot quartz OSL dating has been demonstrated by application to known-age samples, but for the older age range (>˜13 ka) further proof of the accuracy of the method is essential. The application of quartz OSL dating to investigations of fluvial deposits opens a new realm of possibilities to be explored, as is highlighted by some examples of geological applications.     

Late Weichselian and Holocene sediment flux and sedimentation rates in Andfjord and Vågsfjord,North Norway

Late Weichselian and Holocene sediment flux and sedimentation rates in a continental‐shelf trough, Andfjord, and its inshore continuation, Vågsfjord, North Norway, have been analysed. The study is based on sediment cores and high‐resolution acoustic data. Andfjord was deglaciated between 14.6 and 13 ¹⁴C kyr BP (17.5 and 15.6 calibrated (cal.) kyr BP), the Vågsfjord basin before 12.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP (14.7 cal. kyr BP), and the heads of the inner tributary fjords about 9.7 ¹⁴C kyr BP (11.2 cal. kyr BP). In Andfjord, five seismostratigraphical units are correlated to a radiocarbon dated lithostratigraphy. Three seismostratigraphical units are recognised in Vågsfjord. A total volume of 23 km³ post‐glacial glacimarine and marine sediments was mapped in the study area, of which 80% are of Late Weichselian origin. Sedimentation rates in outer Andfjord indicate reduced sediment accumulation with increasing distance from the ice margin. The Late Weichselian sediment flux and sedimentation rates are significantly higher in Vågsfjord than Andfjord. Basin morphology, the position of the ice front and the timing of deglaciation are assumed to be the reasons for this. Late Weichselian sedimentation rates in Andfjord and Vågsfjord are comparable to modern subpolar glacimarine environments of Greenland, Baffin Island and Spitsbergen. Downwasting of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and winnowing of the banks owing to the full introduction of the Norwegian Current, caused very high sedimentation rates in parts of the Andfjord trough at the Late Weichselian–Holocene boundary. Holocene sediment flux and sedimentation rates in Andfjord are about half the amount found in Vågsfjord, and about one‐tenth the amount of Late Weichselian values. A strong bottom current system, established at the Late Weichselian–Holocene boundary, caused erosion of the Late Weichselian sediments and an asymmetric Holocene sediment distribution. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non-glacial paleoenvironments and the extent of Weichselian ice sheets on Severnaya Zemlya, Russian High Arctic

The extent of the Barents-Kara Sea ice sheet (northern Europe and Russia) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 is controversial, especially along the southern and northeastern (Russian High Arctic) margins. We conducted a multi-disciplinary study of various organic and mineral fractions, obtaining chronologies with ¹⁴C and luminescence dating methods on a 10.5 m long core from Changeable Lake (4 km from the Vavilov Ice Cap) on Severnaya Zemlya. The numeric ages indicate that the last glaciation at this site occurred during or prior to MIS 5d-4 (Early Middle Weichselian). Deglaciation was followed by a marine transgression which affected the Changeable Lake basin. After the regression the basin dried up. In late Middle Weichselian time (ca 25–40 ka), reworked marine sediments were deposited in a saline water body. During the Late Weichselian (MIS 2), the basin was not affected by glaciation, and lacustrine sediments were formed which reflect cold and arid climate conditions. During the termination of the Pleistocene and into the Holocene, warmer and wetter climate conditions than before led to a higher sediment input. Thus, our chronology demonstrates that the northeastern margin of the LGM Barents-Kara Sea ice sheet did not reach the Changeable Lake basin. This result supports a modest model of the LGM ice sheet in northern Europe determined from numeric ice sheet modelling and geological investigations.