Glacial history of interior Jameson Land, East Greenland

The plateaus between 400 and 800 m a.s.l. around the water-divides on central and eastern Janieson Land are covered by the 'Jameson Land Drift' up to 50 m thick glacial. placiotluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits. A high content of far-travelled wcsterii rocks indicates the overriding by extensive glaciers channelled from the west through the Scoresby Sund basin. The Jameson Land Drift deposits have bccn lithostratigraphically divided into two groups. each representing the sedimentary successions from one glaciation in the wider sense of the word. sediments from the lower Lollandselv glaciation are upwards delimited by a distinct periglacial surface. TL-dates suggest a prc-Saalian (approximately isotope stages 11–9) age. The following Scoreshby Sund glaciation . when most of the studied Jameson Land Drift sediments were laid down. is of Saalian age (e. isotope stages 8 6). The deposits from the Scoresby Sund glaciation are interpreted as representing a complete glaciation deglaciation succession, including proglacial sandur and glaciolacustrine sediments. followed by till deposition, with an overlying succession of glaciolacustrinc and glaciofluvial sediments. From 200–250 m to c . 400 m a.s.l. there is a driftless area, exposing Jurassic sandstones, probably a result of intensive and long-lasting periglacial erosion. Extensive occurrences of tors and of glaciofluvially (subglacially as well as subaerially) eroded canyons and channels characterize the landscape. A similar. although less well defined. upper driftless zone is found above c 500 m a.s.l. on northern Jameson Land, north of the drift-covered plateaus. During the Wcichsclian (isotope stages 5d 2). thick glacial. fluvial and marine deposits were laid down in a coastal zone below c . 200 m a.s.l., and only cold-based local ice caps seem to have existed on the interior plateaus of Jameson Land. The now driftless areas were characterized by periglacial erosion during this period.     

Land biotas of the last interglacial/glacial cycle on Jameson Land, East Greenland

Macrofossil plant and insect remains from nearshore marine sediments in Jameson Land, central East Greenland show that the land biotas of the last interglacial stage, the Langelandselv stage, were more diverse than those of the Holocene. Rich dwarf shrub heaths with a diverse assemblage of ericaceous plants occupied low land areas with copses of Betula pubescens on sheltered sites. Many southern extra-limital species were present, and the mean summer temperature was c . 5°C higher than today. The subarctic bioclimatic zone was displaced from southernmost Greenland/Iceland to central East Greenland. The diverse beetle fauna was of palaearctic affinity and strikingly different from the Plio-Pleistocene and the Holocene Greenlandic beetle faunas. A few fossil assemblages from the Hugin Sø Interstade, which is correlated with oxygen isotope stage 5c (early last glacial stage), point to poor, perhaps entirely herbaceous vegetation with a mean summer temperature that was perhaps 3 4°C lower than today.     

Bryophytes from the last interglacial/glacial cycle, Jameson Land, East Greenland

Subfossil bryophyte remains from Jameson Land, central East Greenland reveal diverse moss floras from the Langelandselv interglacial and the Hugin Sø interstadial. Around 30 species are reported as new subfossils from Greenland, indicating our insufficient knowledge of earlier bryophyte floras in the area. Among the species found from the Langelandselv interglacial. Several are southern and do not reach as far north as Jameson Land today, thus indicating a slightly warmer climate than at present in the area. The climate indications for the Hugin Sø interstadial are less clear, and further studies are necessary before delinitivc conclusions can he drawn. A large proportion of the found taxa indicate mineral-rich or intermediately mineral-rich conditions. Several wetland species indicate moving water, and a few sometimes or exclusively ( Sanionia nivalis ) occur in connection with late snow beds or meltwater brooks. Abundant material or the Polytrichaceae and of Racomitrum indicates that more or less unstable soil. with sparse vascular plant cover, was relatively abundant.     

Late Quaternary history of Washington Land, North Greenland

During the last glacial stage, Washington Land in western North Greenland was probably completely inundated by the Greenland Ice Sheet. The oldest shell dates from raised marine deposits that provide minimum ages for the last deglaciation are 9300 cal. yr BP (northern Washington Land) and 7600 cal. yr BP (SW Washington Land). These dates indicate that Washington Land, which borders the central part of Nares Strait separating Greenland from Ellesmere Island in Canada, did not become free of glacier ice until well into the Holocene. The elevation of the marine limit falls from 110 m a.s.l. in the north to 60 m a.s.l. in the southwest. The recession was followed by readvance of glaciers in the late Holocene, and the youngest shell date from Neoglacial lateral moraines north of Humboldt Gletscher is 600 cal. yr BP. Since the Neoglacial maximum, probably around 100 years ago, glaciers have receded. The Holocene marine assemblages comprise a few southern extralimital records, notably of Chlamys islandica dated to 7300 cal. yr BP. Musk ox and reindeer disappeared from Washington Land recently, perhaps in connection with the cold period that culminated about 100 years ago.     

Late Pleistocene stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Fynselv area, Jameson Land, East Greenland

Deposits of Late Pleistocene age were investigated near the Fynselv river on the southwestern coast of Jameson Land. East Greenland. The deposits are of fluvial, deltaic shallow marine and glacigenic origin. Four stratigraphic units are recorded. Unit I consists of deltaic and shallow marine deposits reflecting a relative sea level of at least 20 m above the present. Elevated fluvial deposits represent the subaerial part of the depositional system. The system existed during full interglacial and subarctic conditions as indicated by remains or flora and Fauna and unit I is correlated with the Langelandselv interglaciation (isotopic substage 5e). Unit II consists of a till deposited by a glacier in the Scoresby Sund Fjord during the beginning of the Early Weichselian referred to as the Aucellaelv stade. The glacier probably melted in a marine environment. Unit III represents a marine delta system during the Hugin Sø interstade. and reveals a relative sea level of at least 62 m above the present. Unit IV consists of till and kame deposits assumed to be deposited by a glacier in the Scoresby Sund Fjord during the Flakkerhuk stade. probably a Late Weichselian glacier advance.     

Late Pleistocene glacial history of Jameson Land, central East Greenland, derived from cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure dating

Previous work has presented contrasting views of the last glaciation on Jameson Land, central East Greenland, and still there is debate about whether the area was: (i) ice-free, (ii) covered with a local non-erosive ice cap(s), or (iii) overridden by the Greenland Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Here, we use cosmogenic exposure ages from erratics to reconcile these contrasting views. A total of 43 erratics resting on weathered sandstone and on sediment-covered surfaces were sampled from four areas on interior Jameson Land; they give ¹⁰Be ages between 10.9 and 269.1 kyr. Eight erratics on weathered sandstone and till-covered surfaces cluster around ∼70 kyr, whereas ¹⁰Be ages from erratics on glaciofluvial landforms are substantially younger and range between 10.9 and 47.2 kyr. Deflation is thought to be an important process on the sediment-covered surfaces and the youngest exposure ages are suggested to result from exhumation. The older (>70 kyr) samples have discordant ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be data and are interpreted to have been deposited by the Greenland Ice Sheet several glacial cycles ago. The younger exposure ages (≤70 kyr) are interpreted to represent deposition by the ice sheet during the Late Saalian and by an advance from the local Liverpool Land ice cap in the Early Weichselian. The exposure ages younger than Saalian are explained by periods of shielding by non-erosive ice during the Weichselian glaciation. Our work supports previous studies in that the Saalian Ice Sheet advance was the last to deposit thick sediment sequences and western erratics on interior Jameson Land. However, instead of Jameson Land being ice-free throughout the Weichselian, we document that local ice with limited erosion potential covered and shielded large areas for substantial periods of the last glacial cycle.     

Eemian-Weichselian stratigraphy of the Flakkerhuk ridge, southern Jameson Land, East Greenland

The coast-parallel Flakkerhuk ridge on southern Jameson Land revealed a succession of four marine formations separated by tills and glaciotectonic deformation zones representing glacier advances. Paleontological evidence. supported by 32 luminescence datings, indicates that deposition took place during the Eemian and Early Weichselian. A pronounced rise in sea-level due to glacio-isostatic depression is evidenced within the Late Eemian part of the sequence, indicating buildup of ice commencing while interglacial conditions still prevailed. A diamicton interpreted as a till deposited by a glacier moving from the interior of Jameson Land and overlying the interglacial deposits would seem to suggest the presence of a local ice cap on Jameson Land at the last interglacial/glacial transition. Three ice advances from the fjord onto the coast were identified following the last interglacial. The glaciers at no time advanced beyond 2–3 km inland from the coast in the investigated area. This demonstrates that the glaciers advancing through the Scoresby Sund fjord during the Weichselian were relatively thin, with a low longitudinal gradient. Glacier advances onto the coast were apparently strongly influenced by local topography and relative sea-level. The Flakkerhuk ridge is mainly an erosional landform originating from continued fluvial downcutting of former drainage channels from along the Early Weichselian ice margin. Only the very top of the ridge is considered to he a constructional ice marginal ridge, related to the Flakkerhuk glaciation.     

Weathering of surface clasts as an indicator of the relative age of glacial deposits on Jameson Land, East Greenland

The relative age of glacial deposits on Jameson Land was investigated by weathering-based techniques. Two related methods, measurement of rind thickness and of Schmidt hammer rebound values. were added to a dating programme of luminescence-, amino acid- and ¹⁴C-analyses. Rind thicknesses differ significantly between areas which represent three glacial phascs, spanning a time interval from late Saale to Late Weichselian. Rebound values are more susceptible to external factors than the rind values but may, if these external factors are known, serve as a complement to the interpretation of rind development.     

The distribution of different glacial landscapes on southern Jameson Land, East Greenland, according to Landsat Thematic Mapper Data

Four geologic units previously mapped in southern Jameson Land. _East Greenland (Funder 1978, 1990) are identifiable on a false colour composite of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) spectral hands TM5. TM4 and TM1. The area covered by the Weichselian glaciations has a fresh glacial morphology and a less developed drainage system than the older landscape. The Weichselian glaciers reached more than 200 m a.s.l. in the west. but only about 100 m a.s.l. in the east. A contextual analysis (local frequency and local orientation) was included in a Maximum Likelihood classification (M-L) to map the extent of the Weichselian glaciations. Deposits correlated with the Saalian Scoreshy Sund glaciation are found on the central plateaux of Jameson Land. Landsat TM geological mapping of the surficial distribution of deposits from the Scoreshy Sund glaciation and of weathered Jurassic sandstone or deposits with a high percentage of such sandstone was done using a supervised Maximum Likelihood procedure. Except for the mapping of thc extent of the Late Weichselian Flakkerhuk glaciation, the Maximum Likelihood boundaries between units are in general agrecnient with earlier mapping or with the visual interpretation of the false colour composite. A strong vegetational influence. and similar spectral reflectance lrom deposits of different age due to similarities in lithological composition reduced the possibility of an independent remote sensing approach. Taking already existing general geological knowledge and chronology into account allowed successful Landsat TM geological mapping.     

Early Holocene insect and plant remains from Jameson Land, East Greenland

Fluvial and deltaic sediments from Jameson Land in East Greenland contain the first record of the leaf beetle Phratora o f. polaris , not presently found in Greenland; the ground beetle Bembidion grapii , north of this species' present northern range limit; and the true bug Nysius gruenlandieus . In addition, there is a rather diverse flora. All of these records are in sediments of Early Holocene age. We suggest that most of these animals and plants immigrated to East Greenland in the Early Holocene by long-distance chance dispersal, mostly from northwest Europe. The environment was physiognomically similar to that of today, but Salix aretica and Cassiope tetragonu that are important dwarf shrubs today had not yet immigrated.     

Late Quaternary glacial history of Khentey Mountains,Central Mongolia

Mongolian glaciers have been the subject of relatively little research, resulting in less geochronological constraint than other parts of Central Asia. The Khentey Mountains (latitude 47–51°N, longitude 105–112°E) are a typical landlocked mountain range exhibiting clear geomorphic evidence of late Quaternary glaciation. Yet, compared to western parts of Mongolia such as the Mongolian Altay, Gobi Altay, Khangay, and Khovsgol, glacial history of the Khentey Mountains is poorly understood. To address this, and permit comparison of the Khentey glacier–climate record with other alpine regions in Mongolia, we performed geomorphological mapping and cosmogenic ¹⁰Be surface‐exposure dating in two glaciated regions of the Khentey Mountains: Yestii and Khagiin Khar. Specifically, we measured ¹⁰Be in 34 samples collected from five moraine sequences, which, together with morphostratigraphy, correspond to four main glacial stages: (i) The M_y1 terminal moraine sequence for Yestii (21.0±4.9 ka) and the M_k1 moraine for Khagiin Khar (19.6±2.6 ka), both of which represent the Last Glacial Maximum; (ii) the Lateglacial M_k2 moraine, dated to 16.0±3.5 ka; (iii) the M_k3 moraine, dated to either 17.6±7.0 ka (Lateglacial) or 12.1±1.1 ka (Younger Dryas); and (iv) the currently undated M_k4 moraine (~2200 m a.s.l.), to which we assign a Holocene age. Our results suggest that the timing of maximum glacier extent in Mongolia was regionally variable. In the Khentey Mountains, maximum glaciation occurred during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, whereas the maximum occurred during MIS 3 in Khangay and Khovsgol and during MIS 4 in the Altay. The MIS 2 glacial maximum in the Khentey Mountains coincided with the global sea level minimum during the Last Glacial Maximum, and was followed by at least three glacial re‐advances during the Lateglacial to possibly the Holocene.     

Late Quaternary history of the Kap Mackenzie area,northeast Greenland

Wagner, B., Bennike, O., Cremer, H. & Klug, M. 2010: Late Quaternary history of the Kap Mackenzie area, northeast Greenland. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 492–504. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00148.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The Kap Mackenzie area on the outer coast of northeast Greenland was glaciated during the last glacial stage, and pre‐Holocene shell material was brought to the area. Dating of marine shells indicates that deglaciation occurred in the earliest Holocene, before 10 800 cal. a BP. The marine limit is around 53 m a.s.l. In the wake of the deglaciation, a glaciomarine fauna characterized the area, but after c. one millennium a more species‐rich marine fauna took over. This fauna included Mytilus edulis and Mysella sovaliki, which do not live in the region at present; the latter is new to the Holocene fauna of northeast Greenland. The oldest M. edulis sample is dated to c. 9500 cal. a BP, which is the earliest date for the species from the region and indicates that the Holocene thermal maximum began earlier in the region than previously documented. This is supported by driftwood dated to c. 9650 cal. a BP, which is the earliest driftwood date so far from northeastern Greenland and implies that the coastal area was at least partly free of sea ice in summer. As indicated by former studies, the Storegga tsunami hit the Kap Mackenzie area at c. 8100 cal. a BP. Loon Lake, at 18 m a.s.l., was isolated from the sea at c. 6200 cal. a BP, which is distinctly later than expected from existing relative sea‐level curves for the region.     

The Eemian and Weichselian stratigraphy of the Langelandselv area, Jameson Land, East Greenland

Coastal Jameson Land is characterized by thick Quaternary deposits from the last interglacial/glacial cycle. The successions at the mouth of Langelandselv exhibit a key stratigraphy where sediments from the Langelandselv interglaciation (Eemian) are overlain by three till units interbedded with glacimarine and deltaic interstadial successions. Immediately after the retreat of glaciers after the extensive Scoresby Sund glaciation (Saalian). advection of warm Atlantic surface water surpassed what is known from the Holocene. The two lowermost Weichselian tills, deposited during the Aucellaelv and Jyllandselv stades (Early Weichselian), reflect short-lasting readvances of fjord glaciers. Luminescence dates and correlation with adjacent areas suggest ages of 110–80 ka and 70–60 ka for the Hugin Sø and the Møselv interstades, respectively.     

Luminescence dating of Late Quaternary sediments from East Greenland

Luminescence dating based on K-feldspars and using both TL and OSL methods have been performed on 94 sediment samples from East Greenland. The ages go back more than 380 ka, but are mainly from the last interglaciation and the subsequent period and include both shallow-marine/coastal-fluvial and ice proximal meltwater sediments. Independent age control indicates that the dates in the first group generally fall within ± 15% of the expected age, although a few samples show larger deviations. The ice proximal sediments, on the other hand, show a much larger spread and exaggerated ages, probably owing to incomplete bleaching. OSL may give better results than TL in these sediments.     

The Late Quaternary sedimentary record in Scoresby Sund, East Greenland

Until recently, little was known about the Quaternary marine sedimentary record in East Greenland. Geophysical and geological investigations in Scoresby Sund were undertaken to characterize the nature and chronology of this record. Seismic records show that almost 70% of the outer fjord system is covered by about 10 m of unlithified sediments, making direct correlation with the Quaternary records on land and the adjacent continental margin difficult. These acoustically unstratified sediments are scoured by icebergs above 550 m water depth. Almost 90% of core material is massive diamicton of Holocene age, deposited mainly from iceberg rafting and turbid meltwater. Sedimentation rates are 0.1 -0.3 m 1000 yr-¹. Thicker accumulations of unlithified Quaternary sediments in Scoresby Sund occur as sediment ridges and in two other major depocentres. A low sediment ridge runs across the mouth of Scoresby Sund, and is interpreted as an end moraine of Late Weichselian Flakkerhuk stadial age. The very restricted sediment thickness suggests that grounded ice filled the fjord during the Flakkerhuk and an ice shelf was not present. High inputs of ice rafted debris to the continental margin at about 18 000 BP indicate this as a probable age for the moraine. During the Allerød Interstadial, ice probably retreated from the outer fjord system, since massive diamictons similar to those of Holocene age are present at the base of most cores. A major depocentre of acoustically stratified sediments at the head of Hall Bredning is interpreted to represent ice proximal deposits from a glacier margin extending across the fjord. It is adjacent to dated moraines on land and is inferred to be of Milne Land stadial age (about 10 000 BP). A similar age is interpreted for acoustically laminated sediments and a moraine at the entrance of Vikingebugt, on the south side of Scoresby Sund. Dated kame terraces in the inner fjord system indicate that ice retreated to its present position 6–7000 years ago.     

Lake Boksehandsken's earliest postglacial sediments and their palaeoenvironmental implications, Jameson Land, East Greenland

Lake Boksehandsken, the largest lake on Jameson Land, central East Greenland, is situated 54 m a.s.l. and holds a long (6.3 m) and complex stratigraphy. It was analysed with respect to lithology, carbon content, ¹⁴C, micro- and macrofossils. The diamict material in the bottom is overlain by a fining-upwards sequence, possibly deposited close to a receding ice margin in a glaciomarine environment. These deposits are interpreted to have been formed at the time of the marine limit ( c . 70 m) in the area. In spite of a large series of ¹⁴C datings, very few of the obtained dates were considered reliable. This is because the sediments contain coal fragments and old redeposited plant remains. Based on a set of arguments and correlations to the surrounding glacial stratigraphy it is implied that the marine limit and deglaciation cannot be much older than 10,000 BP. The lithology of the lake sediments, in combination with occurrence of marine macrofossils. shows that deglaciation was succeeded by a (glacio)marine depositional environment. The lake was isolated from the sea at c . 9000 BP. followed by a short transgression and a final isolation at c . 8400 BP. This sequence of events is demonstrated by both litho-and biostratigraphy and possible causes are discussed. A later oscillation some time between 8000 and 7500 BP. evidenced by litho-, carbon-, pollen- and Pecliastrum stratigraphy, is interpreted as a regional climatic cooling possibly correlatable to a distinct δ¹⁸O minima in the Greenland ice cores.     

Late Quaternary history around Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden and Jøkelbugten, North-East Greenland

Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden in North-East Greenland is at present covered by a floating glacier. Raised marine deposits in the surrounding area contain shells of marine molluscs, bones of marine mammals and pieces of driftwood. A fairly systematic sampling of such material has been conducted, followed by extensive radiocarbon dating. We suggest that the Greenland ice sheet extended onto the shelf offshore North-East Greenland during isotope stage 2, perhaps even reaching the shelf break. During the subsequent recession of the ice sheet, the entrance of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden had become ice-free by 9.7 cal. ka BP. The recession culminated between 7.7 and 4.5 cal. ka BP, during which time the fjord was glacier-free along its entire 80 km length. No dates younger than 4.5 cal. ka BP are available on marine material from the fjord, and it seems probable that the fjord has been continuously covered by the floating glacier since this time. The maximum glaciation was attained around AD 1900, after which thinning and recession took place. The marine limit increases from c. 40 m above sea level near the present margin of the Inland Ice to c. 65 m above sea level at the outer coast. These figures fit into the regional pattern of the marine limit for areas both to the south and north. The marine fauna comprise two bivalves, Macoma calcarea and Serripes groenlandicus, that may represent a southern element present during the Holocene temperature optimum. Remains of three taxa of southern extralimital terrestrial and limnic plants were dated to 5.1 cal. ka BP, and remains of another extralimital plant were dated to 8.8 and 8.5 cal. ka BP. The known Holocene time ranges of the willow Salix arctica and the lemming Dicrostonyx torquatus have been extended back to 8.8 and 6.4 cal. ka BP, respectively, providing minimum dates for their immigration to Greenland.     

Be data from meltwater channels suggest that Jameson Land, east Greenland, was ice-covered during the last glacial maximum

Along the northeast Greenland continental margin, bedrock on interfjord plateaus is highly weathered, whereas rock surfaces in fjord troughs are characterized by glacial scour. Based on the intense bedrock weathering and lack of glacial deposits from the last glaciation, interfjord plateaus have long been thought to be ice-free throughout the last glacial maximum (LGM). In recent years there is growing evidence from shelf and fjord settings that the northeast Greenland continental margin was more extensively glaciated during the LGM than previously thought. However, little is still known from interfjord settings. We present cosmogenic ¹⁰Be data from meltwater channels and weathered sandstone outcrops on Jameson Land, an interfjord highland north of Scoresby Sund. The mean exposure age of samples from channel beds (n = 3) constrains on the onset of deglaciation on interior Jameson Land to 18.5 ± 1.3–21.4 ± 1.9 ka (for erosion conditions of 0–10 mm/ka, respectively). This finding adds to growing evidence that the northeast Greenland continental margin was more heavily glaciated during the LGM than previously thought.     

格陵兰东部Jameson Land盆地铜多金属矿床地质特征与成因

研究区位于格陵兰东部成矿带Jameson Land盆地,盆地内已发现铜、铅、锌等多种矿产资源。对研究区矿床地质特征研究表明,铜、铅、锌等金属地表矿化特征明显、矿化强度大、分布范围广、矿化层位厚度大,具多赋矿层位、多矿化类型的特点,且矿化主要受上二叠统Foldvik Creek组(FC组)灰岩和下三叠统Pingo Dal组(PD组)砂砾岩控制,具备形成大型甚至超大型Cu-Pb-Zn矿床的条件,找矿潜力巨大。在详细研究矿体地质特征、矿石特征的基础上,对矿床成因进行了讨论,为研究区找矿提供了理论依据和思路。