The origin and mode of emplacement of lujavrites in the Ilímaussaq alkaline complex, South Greenland

Lujavrites are rare meso- to melanocratic agpaitic nepheline syenites that are characterized by elevated contents of elements such as Li, Be, Zr, REE, Nb, Th and U. They are the most evolved members of the three large composite agpaitic complexes – Lovozero, Kola Peninsula, Russia; Pilansberg, South Africa; and Ilímaussaq, South Greenland – and are inferred to stem from the same deep fractionating magma sources that fed the earlier members of the complexes. The composition of the melts that evolved into lujavrites is, however, not well known. The agpaitic part of the Ilímaussaq complex is divided into a roof series, a floor series of cumulates and an intermediate series of lujavrites sandwiched between the two. In the traditional view, the lujavrites formed from residual melts left between the downward crystallizing roof series and the floor cumulates. New field observations and geochemical data suggest that the floor cumulates and the main mass of lujavrites constituted a separate intrusive phase which was emplaced into the already consolidated roof series rocks largely by piecemeal stoping. Studies of the contact facies of the floor cumulates indicate that the initial magma of the floor cumulate–lujavrite sequence was peralkaline nepheline syenitic with enhanced contents of Zr, Hf, HREE, Y, Nb, Ta, F, Ba and Sr. Subsequent crystallization in a closed system resulted in the formation of the floor cumulates and lujavrites. Chemical analyses of dykes within and outside the complex represent stages in the magmatic evolution of the agpaitic rocks.     

Volatiles in a peralkaline system: Abiogenic hydrocarbons and F–Cl–Br systematics in the naujaite of the Ilímaussaq intrusion, South Greenland

Agpaitic rocks comprise most of the exposed part of the 1.16 Ga old, 8 × 17 km large and about 1700 m thick Ilímaussaq intrusion in South Greenland. Within these, more than 600 m thick sequence of sodalite-rich “naujaites” (mainly sodalite + arfvedsonite + alkali feldspar + nepheline + eudialyte + aenigmatite) are interpreted as a sodalite flotation cumulate. Sodalites show two to three different zones in cathodoluminescence (CL) and at least two zones in thin sections. The CL zones can be related to chemical differences detectable by electron microprobe, whereas relations with optical zonations are less obvious. Compositional trends in sodalite reflect trends in the evolution of volatile contents in the melt. The sodalite at Ilímaussaq is almost free of Ca and closely corresponds to the pure Na–Cl sodalite endmember with about 7 wt.% of Cl; S contents reach up to 0.9 wt.%. Cl/Br ratios range from 500 to 1700. Raman spectroscopy shows that S is present as [SO₄]²⁻ in sodalite, although sphalerite (ZnS) is a stable phase in naujaites. Peralkalinity and fO₂ conditions allow S²⁻ and [SO₄]²⁻ to be present contemporaneously.

The whole naujaite sequence is divided into two parts, an upper part with low, homogeneous S contents and Cl/Br ratios in the sodalite cores, and a lower part with strongly variable and higher S contents and with Cl/Br ratios, which are decreasing downwards. The details of the S content and the Cl/Br ratio evolution show that sodalite strongly influences the halogen contents of the melt by scavenging Cl and Br.

The naujaites were formed from a highly reduced, halogen-rich magma in equilibrium with magmatic methane at about 800 °C, which, upon ascent, cooling and fractionation, exsolved an aqueous fluid phase. Both fluids were trapped in separate inclusions indicating their immiscibility.

Micrometer-sized aegirine crystals and primary hydrocarbon-bearing inclusions are abundant in the crystal cores. The inclusions were trapped at pressures up to 4 kbar, although the emplacement pressure of the intrusion is about 1 kbar. This indicates growth of the sodalite during melt ascent and a very effective mechanism of trace element scavenging during sodalite growth. Sodalite rims are devoid of aegirine or primary hydrocarbon inclusions and probably reflect the emplacement stage.     

On the origin of microrhythmic layering in arfvedsonite lujavrite from the Ilímaussaq alkaline complex, South Greenland

Microrhythmic layering is locally developed in agpaitic arfvedsonite lujavrite from the Ilímaussaq alkaline complex, South Greenland. Three–15-cm-thick laminated dark layers alternate with 1–10-cm-thick, light-coloured granular urtitic layers. Dark layers are uniform (isomodal) but the urtitic layers are enriched in early nepheline and eudialyte in their lower parts and in late analcime and REE phosphate minerals in the upper parts. The layers are separated by sharp contacts; they are draped around rafts from the overlying roof zone and lack structures indicative of current processes or post-cumulus deformation. Compared with the background arfvedsonite lujavrite of the complex, the dark layers are richer in sodalite, microcline and arfvedsonite and poorer in analcime and eudialyte. They have higher K₂O, Cl, FeO and S but lower Na₂O, H₂O⁺, Zr and P contents, the opposite of the light-coloured layers. The complementary chemistry of the two types of layers oscillates about the composition of the background arfvedsonite lujavrite. Layers probably formed in a stagnant bottom layer of the lujavrite magma chamber. Each layer started as a liquid layer which exchanged components with the underlying crystallization front. On cooling, it crystallized primocrysts and exchanged components with the overlying magma which became a new, complementary liquid layer and, during further cooling and burial within the sequence of layers, it underwent largely closed-system interstitial crystallization. Exhaustion of Cl and a sharp decrease in a_NaCl relative to a_H2O terminated the crystallization of a sodalite-rich dark layer and initiated abundant crystallization of nepheline in the overlying liquid layer (urtitic layer). The layered sequence represents a local K₂O-, Cl-rich but Na₂O-, H₂O-poor facies of arfvedsonite lujavrite and may have formed by exchanging components with sodalite-bearing rafts from the roof zone.     

Fluid–rock interaction in autoliths of agpaitic nepheline syenites in the Ilímaussaq intrusion, South Greenland

Within the 1.16 Ga old Ilímaussaq intrusion, up to 700 m large autoliths occur in one stratigraphic unit of the layered floor series of agpaitic nepheline syenites (kakortokites). These autoliths consist of two different rock types: augite syenite and naujaite (agpaitic nepheline syenite). All three rock types show a number of alteration features related to the entrapment of the autoliths in the kakortokite magma caused by the interaction with a fluid phase.

In the kakortokites, the oxidation of primary arfvedsonite to aegirine and fluorite is restricted to the close proximity to the autoliths. Close to the surrounding kakortokite, the primary mafic phases of the augite syenites (augite, fayalite, Fe–Ti oxides) are completely replaced by arfvedsonite, aenigmatite, biotite, aegirine and fluorite. The decomposition of primary hastingsite to spectacular aegirine–augite–nepheline–aenigmatite symplectites can be observed up to several meters inside the autoliths. Additionally, fluorite formed at grain boundaries of primary nepheline. In the naujaite autoliths, primary arfvedsonite is replaced by aegirine–biotite intergrowths and abundant aenigmatite is occasionally replaced by Ti-rich aegirine and Fe–Ti oxides.

The mineral reactions in the autoliths are used to decipher details of the late to post-magmatic processes in a peralkaline syenitic intrusion. Mineral equilibria record an evolution governed by falling temperature (620 to ca. 500 °C) and increasing relative oxygen fugacity from FMQ + 1 to above FMQ + 4. Quantification of the observed mineral reactions reveals the infiltration of the autoliths with an oxidizing fluid phase rich in Na and F and minor addition of K. Volatiles (H and F) and in some cases also Fe, Ti and Ca (± Mg) released from primary autolith phases were mainly just relocated within the autoliths.     

Crust-mantle interaction in the evolution of the Ilímaussaq Complex, South Greenland: Nd isotopic studies

Sm-Nd isotopic compositions were determined for the peralkaline Ilímaussaq Complex of the Gardar Province of southern Greenland. The majority of the samples in the agpaitic and augite syenitic units have near chondritic initial _Nd(≈ 0), whereas a few samples trend towards _Nd values as low as − 6 at the time of intrusion (1143 Ma). This latter value, from a sample taken from the margin of the complex, lying on the evolutionary trend for Ketilidian country-rock granitoids, suggests that large-scale contamination took place only at the margins of the complex. The similarity of the Nd isotopic compositions of the augite syenite and agpaitic units suggests that their parental magmas were derived from the same reservoir. A comparison of the Nd with existing Sr and Hf isotopic data for the complex suggests an origin by combined assimilation fractionation processes. Assimilation-fractional crystallization modeling of the isotopic compositions indicates that the Ilímaussaq magmas could have formed through fractional crystallization of a basaltic melt while assimilating granitic crust. The model requires initially higher assimilation rates from basalt to augite syenite composition with subsequent decreasing assimilation rates from augite syenite to agpaitic compositions. Alkali granites, which formed after the intrusion of the augite syenites, have isotopic compositions intermediate between those of the augite syenites and the surrounding Ketilidian basement. This implies even greater amounts of assimilation and is interpreted as evidence for an origin through fractionation of a basaltic or augite syenite magma with concurrent assimilation of Ketilidian crust.     

Li distribution in aegirine lujavrite, Ilímaussaq alkaline intrusion, South Greenland: role of cumulus and post-cumulus processes

Li was analysed by activation analysis in 363 whole-rock samples and 53 minerals from a 200 m drill core through aegirine lujavrite I, Ilímaussaq intrusion. The rocks are interpreted as cumulates and Li is dominantly located in the intercumulus material which is thought to represent the coexisting magma with 540 ppm: whole-rock contents generally range from 80–260 ppm Li and reflect variations in the amount of intercumulus material from 25–48 wt. %. The proportion of intercumulus material is lowest in the deeper parts of the drill core, in layers with a moderate density stratification resulting from showers of near-liquidus crystals and in compressed cumulates beneath a large naujaite xenolith from the roof. Intercumulus arfvedsonite with an average of 2200 ppm Li contains the bulk of Li in most samples, but nearly every sample contains Li (0–176 ppm) outside the rock-forming minerals (Li-ORFM) which was unlocated by conventional mineral separation. Li-ORFM formed during late-magmatic crystallization (a) from the final residues of intercumulus magma which crystallised as accessory Li-mica and alteration products and (b) during in situ zeolitization of arvedsonite which released Li. A later, more intense zeolitization released Li from the rocks of the drill core. Naujaite xenoliths contain 42–130 ppm Li, except where Li-metasomatised, and are associated with low Li values in adjacent lujavrites. Shearing of consolidated lujavrite allowed mobilization of the Li and its reprecipitation along narrow channels (< 10 cm). Li is not concentrated in late hydrothermal coatings.     

Aenigmetites from the Ilímaussaq intrusion, south Greenland: Chemistry and petrological implications

Aenigmatite in the Ilímaussaq intrusion shows a variety of textural relations to the other mafic minerals and an unusual range in chemical compositions. The saturated and oversaturated rocks contain zoned aenigmatities with Ca, Al, Fe²⁺-rich cores coexisting with katophorite, and near-ideal Ti-aenigmatite rims coexisting with arfvedsonite and aegirine. The aenigmatite substitutions are outlined, and the varying chemistry discussed. A no-oxide field seems to have existed in the (log f_O2, T) space for the undersaturated magma, and an arfvedsonite-aenigmatite oxygen buffer equilibrium is suggested for the coexisting Fe³⁺-rich aenigmatite and katophorite. This buffer was later invalidated by the stabilisation of aegirine, whereby the Fe³⁺-aenigmatite component broke down, causing extensive recrystallisation into near-ideal Ti-aenigmatite.     

Sector zoned aegirine from the Ilímaussaq alkaline intrusion,South Greenland

Sector zoned aegirine crystals occur in the interstices of peralkaline nepheline syenites in Ilímaussaq. The crystals have grass-green [001] sectors enriched in Ca and Fe²⁺ (as CaFeSi₂O₆), Mn and Zr; pale green {010} sectors enriched in Al (as NaAlSi₂O₆); blue-green {110} sectors enriched in Ti (as NaTi_0.5Fe _0.5 ²⁺ Si₂O₆); and light green {100} sectors enriched in Fe₃₊ (as NaFe³⁺ Si₂O₆).The crystals grew in the liquid with a rate that did not exceed the diffusion rate of most elements in the liquid. However. Fe³⁺ seems to have had diffusion rates lower than the crystal growth rate, and this probably caused the development of some sectors enriched in acmite and others enriched in the hedenbergite component. For Al, Ti and Zr a crystal structural control is envisaged although a recent structure-based model for sector zoning fails to explain the efficient separation of these elements into different sectors.Three more occurrences of sector zoned aegirine are noted, all from peralkaline nepheline syenites. The phenomenon is probably more widespread than hitherto realised.Contribution to the mineralogy of Ilímaussaq no. 62     

Plagioclase replacement textures in partially eclogitised gabbros from the Sanddal mafic-ultramafic complex, Greenland Caledonides

The Sanddal mafic‐ultramafic complex (SMUK) is a cluster of variably eclogitised mafic and ultramafic bodies that comprise the westernmost known eclogite facies locality in the North‐East Greenland eclogite province (NEGEP). Although there are no true eclogites in the SMUK, we interpret three distinct textural types of plagioclase replacement to record sequential stages in adjustment of SMUK olivine gabbro‐norites to eclogite facies conditions. The earliest stage, in which plagioclase was replaced by omphacite/spinel symplectite before nucleation of garnet (Type 1A & 1B) has not previously been described. Documentation of this texture provides clear evidence that, at least in some cases, garnet nucleation is delayed relative to nucleation of omphacite and is a rate‐limiting step for eclogitisation. Type 1C domains were produced by scattered nucleation of garnet in the same sample. In Type 2 domains, plagioclase was replaced by a layered corona with an outer layer of garnet, an inner layer of omphacite and an interior of inclusion‐rich plagioclase. In Type 3 domains, the omphacite layer was overgrown by the garnet rim, and omphacite is preserved only as inclusions in garnet. In more coarse grained leucogabbros, recrystallization was more complete, plagioclase replacement textures were less localised, and could not be divided into distinct stages. Plagioclase replacement in SMUK samples was not isochemical, and required diffusion of at least Mg and Fe from replacement of mafic phases in the surroundings. Strong compositional gradients in garnet reflect disequilibrium and were controlled by the different diffusion rates of Mg/Fe and Ca, different local chemical environments, and progress of the plagioclase breakdown reaction. The presence of small amounts of hydrous minerals (amphibole, phlogopite and clinozoisite) in local equilibrium in plagioclase domains of most SMUK samples indicates that a small amount of H₂O was present during high pressure metamorphism.     

Ca-rich Ilvaite-Epidote-Hydrogarnet Endoskarns: a Record of Late-Magmatic Fluid Influx into the Persodic Ilimaussaq Complex, South Greenland

Endoskarn assemblages involving the Ca-silicates ilvaite, epidoteand Ca-rich garnet occur along fracture zones in the persodicIlímaussaq intrusion, South Greenland. The 1·16Ga intrusion solidified at a depth of about 3–4 km, belowa cover of sandstones and pillow-basalts of the Eriksfjord Formation.In contrast to typical skarn assemblages, the Ilímaussaqendoskarns contain albite as a main phase and they did not formin metacarbonate rocks, as these are completely lacking in thevicinity of Ilímaussaq. Instead, they record late- topost-magmatic interaction of possibly external Ca-rich fluidswith the alkaline to agpaitic magmatic rocks. Accordingly, endoskarntextures clearly reflect the magmatic textures of the precursorrocks. Phase relations in two endoskarn varieties with epidote+ albite + andradite-rich garnet ± ilvaite ± retrogradeprehnite suggest their formation at about 500°C at highoxygen fugacities slightly above the hematite–magnetiteoxygen buffer [FMQ (fayalite–magnetite–quartz) +5 to FMQ + 7] with later small modifications as a result offluid influx or cooling of the original fluid at about 300–350°C(formation of prehnite) and at about 200–250°C (oxygenisotopic re-equilibration of the albite). One model for theformation of the observed assemblages is the decomposition ofCa-bearing minerals, such as primary eudialyte, clinopyroxeneor ternary feldspar, and redistribution of the Ca by a metasomatizinglate-magmatic fluid. Stable isotope (O, H) investigations, however,favour a model in which seawater was the metasomatizing fluid,which entered the Eriksfjord basalts above the intrusion, reactedwith them (spilitization) and brought about 10^–3 mol/lCa along fractures into the metasomatized rocks. Fluid–rockinteraction in the Eriksfjord basalts is documented by abundantchlorite–epidote–quartz assemblages; high fluid/rockratios allowed the fluid to retain its seawater oxygen isotopecomposition. KEY WORDS: agpaite; endoskarn; Ilímaussaq; ilvaite; metasomatism; seawater     

Variations in the content of uranium in eudialyte from the differentiated alkaline Ilímaussaq intrusion,south Greenland: (Contribution to the Mineralogy of Ilímaussaq,no. 36)

Uranium analyses by the fission-track method on eudialytes from the undersaturated rocks of the Ilímaussaq intrusion demonstrate that uranium enters eudialyte in isomorphous substitution. The content of uranium in the eudialytes varies with the crystallization of the magma in two ways.In the downwards-crystallizing roof rocks, eudialyte is interstitial and the content of uranium in eudialyte decreases with proceeding crystallization, whereas in the bottom rocks, formed by upwards accumulation of liquidus minerals including eudialyte, the uranium content in eudialyte increases with crystallization. The reason for the abnormal trend in the roof rocks is discussed and compared with similar trends elsewhere.     

Behaviour of boron in the generation of an anatectic complex: The Pen˜a Negra complex, central Spain

The Pe˜na Negra anatectic complex (central Spain) was formed from a pelitic protolith low in boron (3–80 ppm), by dehydration reactions, melting and fluid loss, which expelled much of the boron; residual B is present in sillimanite and muscovite. Migmatite melanosomes and restites (sillimanite + biotite + ilmenite) are relatively richer in B (mean 29 ppm), while the leucosomes are poorer (13 ppm). Late shears, fractures and zones of retrograde alteration have permitted some reintroduction of B. Experiments demonstrated that B cannot be removed from these rocks by heating or by leaching, indicating that very little is present in superficial adsorption and that the element occurs in mineral structures.     

Conditions of Archean granulite metamorphism in the Godthab-Fiskenaesset region, southern West Greenland

The Nordlandet peninsula (Akia terrane) and the Tasiusarsuaq terrane in southern West Greenland were metamorphosed to granulite facies at 3.0 and 2.8 Ga respectively. Temperatures of metamorphism are estimated using magnetite + ilmenite, garnet + orthopyroxene, garnet + clinopyroxene and garnet + biotite thermometers. Barometry has been carried out in the two terranes using eight different garnet barometers. A uniform set of activity models for all minerals, including the garnet activity model of Newton et al. (1986), is applied to each barometer in order to permit comparison. Pressure estimates using the different barometers are generally quite consistent (±1.5 kbar). Use of the Newton et al. (1986) garnet activity data results in pressures similar to those obtained using other garnet activity models.
Peak metamorphic conditions on the Nordlandet peninsula are estimated to have been 800 ± 50°C, 7.9 ± 1.0 kbar. Values of log f _O2 are estimated to have been 1.1 to 2.0 above the quartz + magnetite + fayalite buffer from assemblages of magnetite + ilmenite and quartz + magnetite + ferrosilite. Peak metamorphic conditions in the Tasiusarsuaq terrane are estimated to have been 780 ± 50°C, 8.9 ± 1.0 kbar. Estimates of f _H2O and f _CO2 using biotite, amphibile, grossular + anorthite and grossular + scapolite equilibria are low in both terranes. These results suggest that granulite metamorphism was fluid absent in both terranes, and that the metamorphism in the Akia terrane and possibly also in the Tasiusarsuaq terrane was initiated by the injection of large volumes of magma into the lower crust.     

Migmatite gneiss of the Jættedal complex,Liverpool Land,East Greenland: protracted high‐T metamorphism in the overriding plate of the Caledonian orogen

The Greenland Caledonides (GC) formed in the overriding Laurentian plate during the closure of the Iapetus Ocean and the subduction of Baltica, and offer a unique opportunity to study metamorphic patterns, regional structures and the kinematic evolution of the overriding plate of a continental collision. We present new metamorphic petrology and coupled zircon geochronology and geochemistry data from the Jættedal complex in southern Liverpool Land to document the thermal evolution of the orogenic core of the southern GC. Pelitic migmatite gneisses from the Jættedal complex document metamorphic conditions of 850–730 °C at pressures of 11–9.5 kbar. Zircon from these samples yields Archean–Mesoproterozoic detrital cores with positive heavy rare earth element (HREE) slopes, and 440–425 Ma rims with flat HREE slopes are interpreted to date the timing of prograde pelite anatexis. Intercalated mafic assemblages record metamorphic conditions of 860–820 °C at 12–10 kbar. Zircon from mafic gneisses contains cores with ages of c. 458 Ma with positive HREE slopes and 413–411 Ma rims with flat HREE slopes that are interpreted to record the timing of original mafic dyke intrusion and subsequent partial melting respectively. When placed in the context of correlative rocks from the southern GC, these results suggest the development of a thermally weakened lower to middle crust in the Caledonian overriding plate that spanned >200 km perpendicular to orogenic strike during the Silurian. The existing data further suggest Silurian syn‐orogenic channel flow and exhumation occurred at the thrust front, while protracted high‐T metamorphism continued in the orogenic core. These patterns highlight variations in the thermal and rheologic structure of the Caledonian overriding plate along orogenic strike, and have implications for the development and exhumation of high‐ and ultrahigh‐pressure terranes.     

Glacimarine lithofacies,provenance and depositional processes on a West Greenland trough‐mouth fan

Along the West Greenland continental margin adjoining Baffin Bay, bathymetric data show a series of large submarine fans located at the mouths of cross‐shelf troughs. One of these fans, termed here ‘Uummannaq Fan’, is a trough‐mouth fan built largely by debris delivered from a fast‐flowing outlet of the Greenland Ice Sheet during past glacial maxima. Cores from this fan provide the first information on glacimarine sedimentary facies within a major West Greenland trough‐mouth fan and on the nature of Late Weichselian–Holocene glacigenic sediment delivery to this region of the Baffin Bay margin. Glacigenic debris flows deposited on the upper slope and extending to at least 1800 m water depth in front of the trough‐mouth are related to the remobilization of subglacial debris that was delivered onto the upper slope at times when an ice stream was positioned at the shelf edge. In contrast, sedimentary facies from the northern sector of the fan are characterized by hemipelagic and ice‐rafted sediments and turbidites; glacigenic debris flows are notably absent in cores from this region. Quantitative X‐ray diffraction studies of the <2‐mm sediment fraction indicate that the bulk of the sediment in the fan is derived from Uummannaq Trough but there are distinct intervals when sediment from northern Baffin Bay sources dominates, especially on the northern limit of the fan. These data demonstrate considerable variation in the nature of sediment delivery across the Uummannaq Fan when the Greenland Ice Sheet was at the shelf edge. They highlight the variability of glacimarine depositional processes operating on trough‐mouth fans on high‐latitude continental margins during the last glacial maximum and indicate that glacigenic debris flows are just one of a number of mechanisms by which such large depocentres form. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene sea‐level reconstruction in the Young Sound region,Northeast Greenland

A relative sea‐level curve over the Holocene is constructed for the Young Sound region in northeastern Greenland. The reconstruction is derived by dating the heights of raised beach ridges in coastal plains using optically stimulated luminiscence (OSL), and by dating palaeoterrestrial surface levels now buried beneath the intertidal frame using the ¹⁴C technique. The relative sea‐level curve reveals a rapid fall of at least 10 mm a^?1 from ca. 9500 to 7500 a ago, which slowed to 2 mm a^?1 until it reached the present sea level ca. 3000 a ago. This part of the curve is based on the raised beach ridge data. Thereafter, relative sea level continued to fall, to reach a minimum level at about 0.5 m below the present sea level ca. 2300 a ago. Since then, relative sea level has experienced a slow rise of about 0.2 mm a^?1. This part of the curve uses the data from the palaeoterrestrial surfaces. The study supplements other estimates of Holocene relative sea‐level changes and supports the observations of a decreasing trend in the timing of the cross point and in minimum relative sea level from South to North Greenland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relative sea level changes during the Holocene in the Sisimiut area,south‐western Greenland

Holocene relative sea level (RSL) changes have been investigated by analysing and dating isolation sequences from five lakes near Sisimiut in south‐western Greenland. The transitions between marine and lacustrine sediments were determined from elemental analyses and analyses of macroscopic plant and animal remains. Radiocarbon dating was used to provide minimum ages for the transitions and to construct a RSL curve. Dating of a shell of the marine bivalve Macoma balthica indicates that deglaciation of the lowlands occurred in the early Holocene, at around 10 900 cal a BP. The RSL curve shows initial rapid regression from the marine limit at around 140 m, implying strong glacio‐isostatic rebound. We suggest that the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet was located at the shelf break during the Last Glacial Maximum. Frequent remains of the ostracode Sarcypridopsis aculeata, which is a thermophilous brackish water species that is unknown from the extant fauna of Greenland, in one of the basins around 8500 cal a BP may mark the beginning of the Holocene thermal maximum in the region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeoecology of two lake basins from Disko,West Greenland

The macrofossils, lithology and chronology of two lake basins on Disko in central West Greenland have been investigated. Both lakes were isolated from the sea in the mid-Holocene as a result of relative land uplift. A marine-brackish-limnic sequence was recovered from the Qivittut Lake. The marine fauna is unusually diverse, whereas the brackish water fauna consists only of few species. Immediately after isolation the lake passed through a short-lived eutrophic phase, after which stable, mesotrophic conditions were established. From the second lake basin, the Fortunebay Lake, only limnic sediments were recovered. This lake record demonstrates that rather stable conditions have persisted since mid-Holocene times. Both lakes show anomalously high accumulation rates.