Cosmogenic radionuclide dating of glacial landforms in the Lahul Himalaya,northern India: defining the timing of Late Quaternary glaciation

The timing of glaciation in the Lahul Himalaya of northern India was ascertained using the concentrations of cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al from boulders on moraines and drumlins, and from glacially polished bedrock surfaces. Five glacial stages were identified: Sonapani I and II, Kulti, Batal and Chandra. Of these, cosmogenic exposure ages were obtained on samples representative of the Batal and Kulti glacial cycles. Stratigraphical relationships indicate that the Sonapani I and II are younger. No age was obtained for the Chandra glacial advance. Batal Glacial Stage deposits are found throughout the valley, indicating the presence of an extensive valley glacial system. During the Kulti Stage, glaciers advanced ca. 10 km beyond their current positions. Moraines produced during the Batal Stage, ca. 12–15.5 ka, are coeval with the Northern Hemisphere Late‐glacial Interstadial (Bølling/Allerød). Deglaciation of the Batal Glacial Stage was completed by ca. 12 ka and was followed by the Kulti Glacial Stage during the early Holocene, at ca. 10–11.4 ka. On millennial time‐scales, glacier oscillations in the Lahul Himalaya apparently reflect periods of positive mass‐balance coincident with times of increased insolation. During these periods the South Asian summer monsoon strengthened and/or extended its influence further north and west, thereby enhancing high‐altitude summer snowfall. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleo-glacial reconstruction of the Thajwas glacier in the Kashmir Himalaya using 10Be cosmogenic radionuclide dating

Quantitative glacial chronologies of past glaciations are sparse in the Himalaya, and mostly absent in the Kashmir Himalaya. We used cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure dating, and geomorphological mapping to reconstruct glacial advances of the Thajwas Glacier (TG) in the Great Himalayan Range of the Kashmir Himalaya. From ¹⁰Be exposure dating of ten moraine boulders, four glacial stages with ages ～20.77 ± 2.28 ka, ～11.46 ± 1.69 ka, ～9.12 ± 1.39 ka and ～4.19 ± 0.78 ka, were identified. The reconstructed cosmogenic radionuclide ages confirmed the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM), Younger Dryas, Early Holocene, and Neoglaciation episodes. As per area and volume change analyses, the TG has lost 51.1 km² of its area and a volume of 2.64 km³ during the last 20.77 ± 2.28 ka. Overall, the results suggested that the TG has lost 64% of area and 73% of volume from the Last glacial maximum to Neoglaciation and about 85.74% and 87.67% of area and volume, respectively, from Neoglaciation to the present day. The equilibrium line altitude of the TG fluctuated from 4238 m a.s.l present to 3365 m a.s.l during the gLGM (20.77 ± 2.28 ka). The significant cooling induced by a drop in mean ambient temperature resulted in a positive mass balance of the TG during the gLGM. Subsequently the melting accelerated due to the continuing rise of the global ambient temperature. Paleo-glacial history reconstruction of the Kashmir Himalaya, with its specific geomorphic and climatic setting, would help close the information gap about the chronology of past regional glacial episodes.     

New Findings concerning the Ice Age (Last Glacial Maximum) Glacier Cover of the East-Pamir, of the Nanga Parbat up to the Central Himalaya and of Tibet, as well as the Age of the Tibetan Inland Ice

The results presented on the glacio-geomorphological reconstruction of a maximum Ice Age (LGM = Last Glacial Maximum) glaciation in High-Asia concern five test-areas in and around Tibet (Figure 1, Nos. 14, 6, 17, 2, 9, 18, 16). For the E-Pamir plateau and its mountains a covering ice cap is proved; a snow-line (ELA)-depression of 820–1250 m in relation to the present relief has been calculated. The Ice Age snow-line ran at 3750–3950 m asl. In the Nanga Parbat-massif a glacial (LGM) ice-stream network with a snow-line altitude (ELA) at c. 3400– 3600 m has been reconstructed. This corresponds to an ELA-depression of at least 1200 m. The lowest ice margin site of the connected 1800–1900 m-thick Indus glacier flowed down to c. 800 m asl. From N-Tibet the author introduces further observations of ground moraines and erratics from a high plateau area he had already investigated in 1981. They provide evidence of a complete inland ice sheet in Tibet. From the S edge of Tibet six large outlet glacier systems i.e. lowest High Glacial ice margin sites of the Himalaya ice-stream network are reconstructed. This is a continuation of the investigations in 1977, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1988 and 1989 between Kangchendzönga in the E and Nanda Devi in the W. In this place probably the lowest glacial glacier end of the Himalaya-S-slope was found at c. 460 m asl at the Dumre settlement, S of the Manaslu. C14-datings from the Tsangpo valley on the S edge of Central Tibet classify the reconstructed Tibetan ice as being from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) between older than 48580 ± 4660–2930 and 9820 ± 350 YBP. From this empirical findings and inductive results on the Ice Age Tibetan glaciation are derived deductive conclusions on the interaction of the relief and the snow-line altitude with concern to the ice cover. Modelling by means of those snow-line depressions and estimations of the precipitation provide ideas about surface heights, ice thicknesses and flow behaviour of the ice sheet. The hypothesis of a global triggering of the ice age by the uplift of the subtropical Tibet up to above the snow-line motivates the investigations presented here.     

Post‐Last Glacial Maximum glacier fluctuations in the southern Écrins massif (westernmost Alps): insights from 10Be cosmic ray exposure dating

Only a few chronological constraints on Lateglacial and Early Holocene glacier variability in the westernmost Alps have hitherto been obtained. In this paper, moraines of two palaeoglaciers in the southern Écrins massif were mapped. The chronology of the stabilization of selected moraines was established through the use of ¹⁰Be cosmic ray exposure (CRE) dating. The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) during moraine deposition was reconstructed assuming an accumulation area ratio (AAR) of 0.67. Ten pre‐Little Ice Age (LIA) ice‐marginal positions of the Rougnoux palaeoglacier were identified and seven of these have been dated. The ¹⁰Be CRE age of a boulder on the lowermost sampled moraine indicates that the landform may have been first formed during a period of stable glaciers at around 16.2±1.7 ka (kiloyears before AD 2017) or that the sampled boulder experienced pre‐exposure to secondary cosmic radiation. The moraine was re‐occupied or, alternatively, shaped somewhat before 12.2±0.6 ka when the ELA was lowered by 230 m relative to the LIA ELA. At least six periods of stable ice margins occurred thereafter when the ELA was 220–160 m lower than during the LIA. The innermost dated moraine stabilized at or before 10.9±0.7 ka. Three ¹⁰Be CRE ages from a moraine of the Prelles palaeoglacier indicate a period of stationary ice margins at or before 10.9±0.6 ka when the ELA was lowered by 160 m with respect to the end of the LIA. The presented ¹⁰Be CRE ages are in good agreement with those of moraines that have been attributed to the Egesen stadial. Assuming unchanged precipitation, summer temperature in the southern Écrins massif at ~12 ka must have been at least 2 °C lower relative to the LIA.     

The quaternary glacial history of the Lahul Himalaya,northern India

This paper presents the first glacial chronology for the Lahul Himalaya, Northern India. The oldest glaciation, the Chandra Glacial Stage, is represented by glacially eroded benches at altitudes greater than 4300 m above sea-level. This glaciation was probably of a broad valley type. The second glaciation, the Batal Glacial Stage, is represented by highly weathered and dissected lateral moraines, which are present along the Chandra valley and some of its tributaries. This was an extensive valley glaciation. The third major glaciation, the Kulti Glacial Stage, is represented by well-preserved moraines in the main tributary valleys of the Chandra valley. This represents a less extensive valley glaciation. Two minor glacial advances, the Sonapani I and II, are represented by small sharp-crested moraines, which are within a few hundred metres or few kilometres of the present-day glaciers. The change in style and extent of glaciation is attributed to an increase in aridity throughout the Quaternary, due either to global climatic change or uplift of the Pir Panjal mountains to the south of Lahul, which restricted the northward penetration of the south Asian summer monsoon. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary fluvial aggradation and incision in the monsoon‐dominated Alaknanda valley,Central Himalaya,Uttrakhand, India

The present study aims to explain the spatial and temporal variability in phases of aggradation/incision in response to changes in climate and seismicity during the late Quaternary in the Alaknanda River valley (a major tributary of the river Ganges or Ganga). Geomorphology, stratigraphy and optical dating of the fluvial sediment reveal that the oldest fluvial landforms preserved in the south of the Main Central Thrust are debris flow terraces developed during the early part of pluvial Marine Isotopic Stage 3. Following this, a period of accelerated incision/erosion owing to an increase in uplift rate and more intense rainfall occurred. In the Lesser Himalaya, three phases of valley fill aggradation around 26 ± 3 ka, 18 ± 2 ka and 15 ± 1 ka and 8 ± 1 ka occurred in response to changes in monsoon intensity and sediment flux. The last phase was regionally extensive and corresponds to a strengthening of the early Holocene Indian Summer Monsoon. A gradual decline in the monsoon strength after 8 ± 1 ka resulted in reduced fluvial discharge and lower sediment transport capacity of the Alaknanda River, leading to valley fill incision and the development of terraces. The study suggests that fluvial dynamics in the Alaknanda valley were modulated by monsoon variability and the role of tectonics was subordinate, limited to providing accommodation space and post‐deposition modification of the fluvial landforms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateglacial and early Holocene surface exposure ages of glacial boulders in the Taiwanese high mountain range

Glacial landforms and sediments mapped in three presently unglaciated mountain massifs, the Nanhuta Shan, the Hsueh Shan and the Yushan, support the concept of repeated, multi-stage glaciations in the Taiwanese high mountain range during the late Pleistocene. New results from surface exposure dating using in situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be measured in samples taken from erratic and moraine boulders in Nanhuta Shan at altitudes between 3100 and 3500 m are presented here. The results confirm independent and previously reported Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) ages and ¹⁰Be exposure ages from glacial deposits in the same area and suggest a Lateglacial and early Holocene glaciation, the so called Nanhuta glacier advance with two substages at about 12–15 ka and 9.5 ka BP. The respective equilibrium line altitudes (ELA) were calculated at 3340 m and 3440 m with corresponding ELA depressions of 610 ± 100 m and 510 ± 100 m relative to the present day (theoretical) ELA, which is estimated to be at about 3950 ± 100 m in Taiwan. Large-scale erosional landforms indicate a much wider glacier extent during an earlier stage, which is not dated in Nanhuta Shan so far. Luminescence dating from near Hsueh Shan suggests an age of marine isotope stage (MIS) 4 for this stage.     

Late Pleistocene-Holocene morphosedimentary architecture, Spiti River, arid higher Himalaya

The Spiti River drains the rain shadow zone of western Himalaya. In the present study, the fluvial sedimentary record of Spiti valley was studied to understand its responses to tectonics and climate. Geomorphic changes along the river enable to divide the river into two segments: (i) upper valley with a broad, braided channel where relict sedimentary sequences rise 15–50 m high from the riverbed and (ii) lower valley with a narrow, meandering channel that incises into bedrock, and here, the fluvio-lacustrine sediments reside on a bedrock bench located above the riverbed. The transition between these geomorphic segments lies along the river between Seko-Nasung and Lingti villages (within Tethyan Himalaya). Lithofacies analyses of the sedimentary sequences show six different lithofacies. These can be grouped into three facies associations, viz. (A) a glacial outwash; (B) sedimentation in a channel and in an accreting bar under braided conditions; and (C) formation of lake due to channel blockage by landslide activities. Seventeen optically stimulated luminescence ages derived from ten sections bracketed the phases of river valley aggradation between 14–8 and 50–30 ka. These aggradation phases witnessed mass wasting, channel damming and lake formation events. Our record, when compared with SW monsoon archives, suggests that the aggradation occurred during intensified monsoon phase of MIS 3/4 and that proceeded the Last Glacial Maxima. Thus, the study reports monsoon modulated valley aggradation in the NW arid Himalaya.     

长白山现代理论雪线和古雪线高度

根据冰川地貌和地形特征、岩性、冰川沉积物的风化程度以及OSL测年结果,认为长白山地区发育两期冰川作用,即末次冰盛期和晚冰期,测年结果分别为20.0±2.1ka和11.3±1.2ka。根据平衡线（ELA）处6～8月多年平均气温（T）和年降水量（P）的关系,计算长白山现代理论雪线高度为3380±100m。通过积累区面积比率AAR（accumulation-arearatio）、冰川末端到山顶高度TSAM（the terminal to summit altitudinal）,冰川末端至分水岭平均高度Hofer（the terminal to average elevation of the catchment area）、末端至冰斗后壁比率THAR（toe-to headwall altitude ratios）、冰斗底部高程CF（cirque-floor altitudes method）、侧碛堤最大高度法MELM（maximum elevation of lateral moraines）等方法计算该区末次冰盛期雪线高度为2250～2383m,平均值2320±20m。考虑到末次冰盛期后地壳上升20m,当时雪线的实际高度为2300±20m,冰盛期的雪线降低值为1080±100m。晚冰期北坡和西坡的雪线高度分别为2490m和2440m,平均值2465m,考虑新构造运动后的雪线实际高度2454m,降低值926±100m。长白山新构造运动（LGM上升约20m,晚冰期上升约11m）在末次冰盛期以来对冰川发育的影响不明显。     

Timing and extent of Holocene glaciations in the monsoon dominated Dunagiri valley (Bangni glacier), Central Himalaya,India

Field stratigraphy and optical and radiocarbon dating of lateral moraines in the monsoon dominated Dunagiri valley of the Central Himalaya provide evidence for three major glaciations during the last 12 ka. The oldest and most extensive glaciation, the Bangni Glacial Stage-I (BGS-I), is dated between 12 and 9 ka, followed by the BGS-II glaciation (7.5 and 4.5 ka) and the BGS-III glaciation (∼1 ka). In addition, discrete moraine mounds proximal to the present day glacier snout are attributed to the Little Ice Age (LIA). BGS-I started around the Younger Dryas (YD) cooling event and persisted till the early Holocene when the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) strengthened. The less extensive BGS-II glaciation, which occurred during the early to mid-Holocene, is ascribed to lower temperature and decreased precipitation. Further reduction in ice volume during BGS-III is attributed to a late Holocene warm and moist climate. Although the glaciers respond to a combination of temperature and precipitation changes, in the Dunagiri valley decreased temperature seems to be the major driver of glaciations during the Holocene.     

Reconstruction of Last Glacial to early Holocene monsoon variability from relict lake sediments of the Higher Central Himalaya,Uttrakhand, India

Proglacial lake sediments at Goting in the Higher Central Himalaya were analyzed to reconstruct the summer monsoon variability during the Last Glacial to early Holocene. Sedimentary structures, high resolution mineral magnetic and geochemical data suggest that the lacustrine environment experienced fluctuating monsoonal conditions. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicates that the lake sedimentation occurred before 25 ka and continued after 13 ka. During this period, Goting basin witnessed moderate to strengthened monsoon conditions around 25 ka, 23.5 ka–22.5 ka, 22 ka–18 ka, 17 ka–16.5 ka and after14.5–13 ka. The Last Glacial phase ended with the deposition of outwash gravel dated at ～11 ka indicating glacial retreat and the onset of Holocene condition. Additionally, centennial scale fluctuations between 16.5 ka and 12.7 ka in the magnetic and geochemical data are seen.A close correspondence at the millennial scale between our data and that of continental and marine records from the Indian sub-continent suggests that Goting basin responded to periods of strengthened monsoon during the Last Glacial to early Holocene. We attribute the millennial scale monsoon variability to climatic instability in higher northern latitudes. However, centennial scale abrupt changes are attributed to the result of albedo changes on the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau.     

Late Pleistocene glaciers in Darhad Basin, northern Mongolia

Late Pleistocene glaciers around Darhad Basin advanced to near their maximum positions at least three times, twice during the Zyrianka glaciation (at ∼ 17-19 ka and ∼ 35-53 ka), and at least once earlier. The Zyrianka glaciers were smaller than their predecessors, but the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) difference was < 75 m. End moraines of the Zyrianka glaciers were ∼ 1600 m asl; ELAs were 2100-2400 m asl. ¹⁴C and luminescence dating of lake sediments confirm the existence of paleolake highstands in Darhad Basin before ∼ 35 ka. Geologic evidence and ¹⁰Be cosmic-ray exposure dating of drift suggests that at ∼ 17-19 ka the basin was filled at least briefly by a glacier-dammed lake ∼ 140 m deep. However, lake sediments from that time have not yet been recognized in the region. A shallower paleolake briefly occupied the basin at ∼ 11 ka, but between ∼ 11 and 17 ka and after ∼ 10 ka the basin was probably largely dry. The timing of maximum glacier advances in Darhad appears to be approximately synchronous across northern Mongolia, but different from Siberia and western Central Asia, supporting the inference that paleoclimate in Central Asia differed among regions.     

Optically stimulated luminescence chronology of terrace sediments of Siang River,Higher NE Himalaya: Comparison of Quartz and Feldspar chronometers

Four levels of terraces located along Siang River, north of Main Central Thrust at Tuting, NE Himalaya are dated using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The dating technique is applied using (1) Blue LED stimulation on Quartz (2) Infrared Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) stimulation on Feldspar at 50 °C and (3) Infrared Stimulated Luminescence stimulation on Feldspar at an elevated temperature of 225 °C. The results indicated that the later two protocols on feldspars yielded overestimated ages that suggested incomplete bleaching of luminescence signals in feldspar. The ages derived using quartz suggested a nearly continued valley aggradation from >21–8 ka with three phases of bedrock incision. The phase of aggradation coincides with a climatic transition from cold and dry Last Glacial phase to warm and wet Holocene Optimum. The bedrock incision phases centered at <21 ka, ∼11 ka and ∼8 ka indicate towards major episodes of tectonic uplift in the region around Tuting.     

Style and timing of glaciation in the Lahul Himalaya,northern India: a framework for reconstructing late Quaternary palaeoclimatic change in the western Himalayas

This paper presents a revised glacial chronology for the Lahul Himalaya and provides the most detailed reconstruction of former glacier extents in the western Himalayas published to date. On the basis of detailed geomorphological mapping, morphostratigraphy, and absolute and relative dating, three glaciations and two glacial advances are constrained. The oldest glaciation (Chandra glacial stage) is represented by glacially eroded benches and drumlins (the first to be described from the Himalaya) at altitudes of >4300 m and indicates glaciation on a landscape of broad valleys that had minimal fluvial incision. The second glaciation (Batal glacial stage) is represented by highly weathered and disssected lateral moraines and drumlins representing two phases of glaciation within the Batal glacial stage (Batal I and Batal II). The Batal stage was an extensive valley glaciation interrupted by a readvance that produced superimposed bedforms. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, indicates that glaciers probably started to retreat between 43400 ± 10300 and 36900 ± 8400 yr ago during the Batal stage. The Batal stage may be equivalent to marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 4 and early Oxygen Isotope Stage 3. The third glaciation (Kulti glacial stage), is represented by well-preserved moraines in the main tributary valleys that formed due to a less-extensive valley glaciation when ice advanced no more than 12 km from present ice margins. On the basis of an OSL age for deltaic sands and gravels that underlie tills of Kulti age, the Kulti glaciation is younger than 36900 ± 8400 yr ago. The development of peat bogs, having a basal age of 9160 ± 70 ¹⁴C yr BP possibly represents a phase of climatic amelioration coincident with post-Kulti deglaciation. The Kulti glaciation, therefore, is probably equivalent to all or parts of late Oxygen Isotope Stage 3, Stage 2 and early Stage 1. Two minor advances (Sonapani I and II) are represented by small sharp-crested moraines within a few kilometres of glacier termini. On the basis of relative weathering, the Sonapani advance is possibly of early mid-Holocene age, whereas the Sonapani II advance is historical. The change in style and extent of glaciation is attributed to topographic controls produced by fluvial incision and by increasing aridity during the Quaternary. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphological findings on the build-up of pleistocene glaciation in Southern Tibet and on the problem of inland ice —

Summary The last Ice Age (Würm) glacier cover was reconstructed on the basis of standard geomorphological indicators in S Tibet between the S slope and N slope of the Himalaya by way of the Tibetan Himalaya to the Transhimalaya (28° – 29° 50' N/85° 40' – 91° 10' E). At the same time, though subject to varying density of data, the process of Late and Post-Glacial deglaciation to Neo-Galacial and Recent glacier cover was considered. Evidence of an almost total glaciation of S Tibet was found in indicators like glaciated knobs, trough valleys with pronounced flank polishings and limits of glacial scouring on nunataks, as well as in findings of erratics, lateral moraines, end moraines, and terraces of outwash plains. This total glaciation took the form of an ice-stream network and attained a thickness of at least 1200 m. Ice-free to about 87° – 86° E, the Tsangpo valley with its sander deposits occupied the gap between the glacier areas of the Tibetan and High Himalayas in the S (I 3) and those of the Transhimalaya in the N (I 2). In the light of recently glaciated Late Glacial terminal moraines and ice marginal rapms it has been possible to estimate a glacio-isostatic uplift of c. 400 m during 10 x 10³ years (an average of 40 mm/year) following deglaciation. It is about 3 to 8 times greater than the tectonic uplift of the High Himalaya. The post-glacially intensified uplift of the S Tibetan Plateau by comparison with the High Himalaya is attributed to the much greater glacier burden during the Ice Age.In the area under investigation a High Glacial ELA depression (equilibrium line altitude depr.) of at least 1200 (1180) m was reconstructed for a mean altitude of about 4700 (4716) m asl. Assuming constant hygric conditions and a gradient of 0.7° C/100 m, the temperature drop at the time would have been 8.4° C. Since precipitation during the Ice Age must, if anything, have been less, a drop in summer temperature of about 10° C may be regarded as probable.     

青藏高原东北缘玛雅雪山晚第四纪冰川发育的气候和构造耦合

青藏高原东北缘的玛雅雪山(海拔4 447 m)保存着确切的第四纪冰川遗迹. 野外地貌调查与光释光测年方法相结合, 确认玛雅雪山晚第四纪主要经历3次冰川作用: 第Ⅰ组冰碛时代为新冰期; 第Ⅱ组冰碛物年龄为(23.2±1.0)ka, 其上覆泥石流年龄为(2.9±0.3)~(2.3±0.1)ka, 上层土壤年龄为(3.6±0.2)ka, 对应于深海氧同位素2阶段(MIS 2)的末次冰盛期(LGM); 第Ⅲ组冰碛年龄为(42.6±1.9)~(45.7±3.0) ka, 属于末次冰期中冰阶, 对应MIS 3中期. 采用最新综合因子法计算玛雅雪山现代冰川物质平衡线为海拔4 605 m. 依据冰川地貌形态, 计算末次冰期平衡线为海拔3 800 m. 通过庄浪河阶地的拔河高度及各级阶地的年代, 以河流的下切速率代表玛雅雪山的抬升速率, 计算得到末次冰期中期以来玛雅雪山抬升了50~60 m. 利用玛雅雪山周边的达里加山和太白山冰川漂砾的¹⁰Be 数据近似代表流域侵蚀速率, 推算出玛雅雪山剥蚀速率大约为29 mm·ka^-1, 推断MIS 3以来流域的剥蚀量为1~2 m. 综合末次冰期中期以来的构造抬升量和剥蚀量, 恢复末次冰期中期时的流域高度为海拔4 200 m, 平衡线高度为海拔3 750 m. 研究结果显示: 研究区在MIS 3时, 流域平均高度已经在平衡线之上, 在流域平均高度到主峰之间冰川开始积累, 发育冰川. 结合其他环境指标综合推断, 玛雅雪山晚第四纪冰川的发育是气候和构造耦合的产物.     

Late Quaternary multiple incised valley systems: An unusually well‐preserved stratigraphic record of two interglacial valley‐fill successions from the Arno Plain (northern Tuscany,Italy)

Un‐fragmented stratigraphic records of late Quaternary multiple incised valley systems are rarely preserved in the subsurface of alluvial‐delta plains due to older valley reoccupation. The identification of a well‐preserved incised valley fill succession beneath the southern interfluve of the Last Glacial Maximum Arno palaeovalley (northern Italy) represents an exceptional opportunity to examine in detail evolutionary trends of a Mediterranean system over multiple glacial–interglacial cycles. Through sedimentological and quantitative meiofauna (benthic foraminifera and ostracods) analyses of two reference cores (80 m and 100 m long) and stratigraphic correlations, a mid‐Pleistocene palaeovalley, 5 km wide and 50 m deep, was reconstructed. Whereas valley filling is chronologically constrained to the penultimate interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 7) by four electron spin resonance ages on bivalve shells (Cerastoderma glaucum), its incision is tentatively correlated with the Marine Isotope Stage 8 sea‐level fall. Above basal fluvial‐channel gravels, the incised valley fill is formed by a mud‐prone succession, up to 44 m thick, formed by a lower floodplain unit and an upper unit with brackish meiofauna that reflects the development of a wave‐dominated estuary. Subtle meiofauna changes towards less confined conditions record two marine flooding episodes, chronologically linked to the internal Marine Isotope Stage 7 climate‐eustatic variability. After the maximum transgressive phase, recorded by coastal sands, the interfluves were flooded around 200 ka (latest Marine Isotope Stage 7). The subsequent shift in river incision patterns, possibly driven by neotectonic activity, prevented valley reoccupation guiding the northward formation of the Last Glacial Maximum palaeovalley. The applied multivariate approach allowed the sedimentological characterization of the Marine Isotope Stage 7 and Marine Isotope Stage 1 palaeovalley fills, including shape, size and facies architecture, which revealed a consistent river‐coastal system response over two non‐consecutive glacial–interglacial cycles (Marine Isotope Stages 8 to 7 and Marine Isotope Stages 2 to 1). The recurring stacking pattern of facies documents a predominant control exerted on stratigraphy by Milankovitch and sub‐Milankovitch glacio‐eustatic oscillations across the late Quaternary period.     

Deglaciation and landscape history around Annapurna,Nepal, based on 10Be surface exposure dating

The High Himalaya is a key area for tectonic, geomorphological and climate studies, because of its extreme relief and location at the transition zone between areas with abundant monsoonal precipitation and the arid/semiarid Tibetan Plateau. We present ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages on 22 boulders from the Annapurna area in Nepal. The ages improve understanding of the Late Quaternary landscape history and the geomorphological processes operating in this part of the Himalaya.Although our study is reconnaissance in nature, it highlights the importance of catastrophic events, such as landslides and debris flows, for denudation of high mountains. Holocene exposure ages for the Dhampu–Chooya landslide (～4.1 ± 0.6 ka) and for 600 m of alluviation in Kali Gandaki Valley (～2.1 ± 0.6 ka), for example, indicate the frequent occurrence and extent of catastrophic events and their implications for natural hazards. We also offer an explanation for the differences in Late Quaternary glacial chronologies at closely spaced study sites in the Nepal Himalaya. Topographically controlled and spatially variable precipitation in the Himalaya determines the sensitivity of glaciers to changes in temperature and precipitation. Accordingly, some glaciers advanced in-phase with Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, whereas others reached their maximum extent at times of increased monsoonal precipitation during Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the early Holocene.     

Nature and timing of large landslides in the Himalaya and Transhimalaya of northern India

Four large landslides, each with a debris volume >10⁶ m³, in the Himalaya and Transhimalaya of northern India were examined, mapped, and dated using ¹⁰Be terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide surface exposure dating. The landslides date to 7.7±1.0 ka (Darcha), 7.9±0.8 ka (Patseo), 6.6±0.4 ka (Kelang Serai), and 8.5±0.5 ka (Chilam). Comparison of slip surface dips and physically reasonable angles of internal friction suggests that the landslides may have been triggered by increased pore water pressure, seismic shaking, or a combination of these two processes. However, the steepness of discontinuities in the Darcha rock-slope, suggests that it was more likely to have started as a consequence of gravitationally-induced buckling of planar slabs. Deglaciation of the region occurred more than 2000 years before the Darcha, Patseo, and Kelang Serai landslides; it is unlikely that glacial debuttressing was responsible for triggering the landslides. The four landslides, their causes, potential triggers and mechanisms, and their ages are compared to 12 previously dated large landslides in the region. Fourteen of the 16 dated landslides occurred during periods of intensified monsoons. Seismic shaking, however, cannot be ruled out as a mechanism for landslide initiation, because the Himalaya has experienced great earthquakes on centennial to millennial timescales. The average Holocene landscape lowering due to large landslides for the Lahul region, which contains the Darcha, Patseo, and Kelang Serai landslides, is ～0.12 mm/yr. Previously published large-landslide landscape-lowering rates for the Himalaya differ significantly. Furthermore, regional glacial and fluvial denudation rates for the Himalaya are more than an order of magnitude greater. This difference highlights the lack of large-landslide data, lack of chronology, problems associated with single catchment/large landslide-based calculations, and the need for regional landscape-lowering determinations over a standardized time period.     

Fashion and phases of late Pleistocene aggradation and incision in the Alaknanda River Valley, western Himalaya, India

We study the aggradation and incision of the Alaknanda River Valley during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The morphostratigraphy in the river valley at Deoprayag shows the active riverbed, a cut terrace, and a fill terrace. The sedimentary fabric of the fill terrace comprises four lithofacies representing 1) riverbed accretion, 2) locally derived debris fan, 3) the deposits of waning floods and 4) palaeoflood records. The sedimentation style, coupled with geochemical analysis and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, indicate that this terrace formed in a drier climate and the river valley aggraded in two phases during 21–18 ka and 13–9 ka. During these periods, sediment supply was relatively higher. Incision began after 10 ka in response to a strengthened monsoon and aided by increase of the tectonic gradient. The cut terrace formed at ~ 5 ka during a phase of stable climate and tectonic quiescence. The palaeoflood records suggest wetter climate 200–300 yr ago when the floods originated in the upper catchment of the Higher Himalaya and in the relatively drier climate ~ 1.2 ka when locally derived sediments from the Lesser Himalaya dominated flood deposits. Maximum and minimum limits of bedrock incision rate at Deoprayag are 2.3 mm/a and 1.4 mm/a.