Geology,stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis-bearing Quaternary palaeolake(s) of Gorzów Wielkopolski (NW Poland,Central Europe)

The sedimentary succession exposed in the Gorzów Wielkopolski area includes Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e) or Early Weichselian (MIS 5d–e) deposits. The sedimentary sequence has been the object of intense interdisciplinary study, which has resulted in the identification of at least two palaeolake horizons. Both yielded fossil remains of large mammals, alongside pollen and plant macrofossils. All these proxies have been used to reconstruct the environmental conditions prevailing at the time of deposition, as well as to define the geological context and the biochronological position of the fauna. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the glaciofluvial layers of the GS3 succession to 123.6 ± 10.1 (below the lower palaeolake) and 72.0 ± 5.2 ka (above the upper palaeolake) indicate that the site formed during the Middle–Late Pleistocene (MIS 6 – MIS 5). Radiocarbon-dating of the lacustrine organic matter revealed a tight cluster of Middle Pleniglacial Period (MIS 3) ages in the range of ~41–32 ka cal bp (Hengelo – Denekamp Interstadials). Holocene organic layers have also been found, with ¹⁴C ages within a range of 4330–4280 cal bp (Neolithic). Pollen and plant macrofossil records, together with sedimentological and geochemical data, confirm the dating to the Eemian Interglacial.     

The Požarevac loess–paleosol sequence: a record of increased aridity in the south-eastern margin of the Carpathian Basin during the last 350 ka

The loess sequence preserved in the Požarevac brickyard in north-eastern Serbia comprises eight loess units separated by seven paleosols. Geochronological investigation using amino acid racemization and luminescence dating support stratigraphic correlations of loess units L3, S2LL1 and L1 at the Požarevac section with loess of glacial cycles E [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 10], D (MIS 9–8), C (MIS 7–6) and B (MIS 5–2) across central Europe. Correlation with the marine oxygen-isotope stratigraphy and associated paleoclimatic inferences are further supported by magnetic susceptibility, particle size and carbonate content measured in Požarevac sediments. Malacological investigations at the Požarevac section reveal the continuous presence of the Chondrula tridens and Helicopsis striata faunal assemblages throughout the last 350 ka. The loess malacological fauna, which is characterized by the complete absence of cold-resistant and cold-preferring species, suggests a stable, dry and relatively warm glacial and interglacial climate, compared with other central European loess localities. Together these data suggest that the south-eastern part of the Carpathian (Pannonian, Middle Danube) Basin was a refugium for warm-preferring and xerophilous land-snails during the generally unfavorable glacial climates of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene.     

A multi‐proxy palaeoenvironmental and geochronological reconstruction of the Saalian‐Eemian‐Weichselian succession at Klein Klütz Höved,NE Germany

Here we present a multi‐proxy investigation of the Klein Klütz Höved (KKH) coastal cliff section in northeastern Germany, involving lithofacies analysis, micromorphology, micropalaeontology, palynology and luminescence dating of quartz and feldspar. We subdivide the local stratigraphy into three depositional phases. (i) Following a Saalian advance (MIS 6) of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) at the site occurred between c. 139 and 134 ka, leading to the establishment of a braided river system and lacustrine basins under arctic‐subarctic climate conditions. (ii) In the initial phase of the Eemian interglacial lacustrine deposits were formed, containing warm‐water ostracods and a pollen spectrum indicating gradual expansion of woodlands eventually containing thermophile deciduous forest elements. A correlation of the local pollen assemblages with Eemian reference records from central Europe suggests that fewer than 750 years of the last interglacial period are preserved at KKH. The occurrence of brackish ostracods dates the onset of the Eemian marine transgression at the section at c. 300–750 years after the beginning of the last interglacial period. (iii) Directly above the Eemian record a ~10‐m‐thick sedimentary succession of MIS 2 age was deposited, implying a significant hiatus of c. 90 ka encompassing the time from middle and upper MIS 5e to late MIS 3. During the Late Weichselian, KKH featured a depositional shift from (glacio‐)lacustrine to subglacial to recessional terminoglacial facies, with the first documented Weichselian ice advance post‐dating 20±2 ka. Overall, the KKH section represents an exceptional sedimentary archive for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, covering the period from the Saalian glaciation and subsequent Termination II to the early Eemian and Late Weichselian. The results refine the existing palaeogeographical and geochronological models of the late Quaternary history in the southwestern Baltic Sea area and allow correlations with other reference records in a wider area.     

Stratigraphy of Pleistocene glaciations in the St Elias Mountains,southwest Yukon,Canada

At least five Middle to Late Pleistocene advances of the northern Cordilleran Ice Sheet are preserved at Silver Creek, on the northeastern edge of the St Elias Mountains in southwest Yukon, Canada. Silver Creek is located 100 km up‐ice of the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 McConnell glacial limit of the St Elias lobe. This site contains ~3 km of nearly continuous lateral exposure of glacial and non‐glacial sediments, including multiple tills separated by thick gravel, loess and tilted lake beds. Infrared‐stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and AMS radiocarbon dating constrain the glacial deposits to MIS 2, 4, either MIS 6 or mid‐MIS 7, and two older Middle Pleistocene advances. This chronology and the tilt of the lake beds suggest Pleistocene uplift rates of up to 1.9 mm a^?1 along the Denali Fault since MIS 7. The non‐glacial sediment consists of sand, gravel, loess and organic beds from MIS 7, MIS 3 and the early Holocene. The MIS 3 deposits date to between 30–36 ¹⁴C ka BP, making Silver Creek one of the few well‐constrained MIS 3‐aged sites in Yukon. This confirms that ice receded close to modern limits in MIS 3. Pollen and macrofossil analyses show that a meadow‐tundra to steppe‐tundra mosaic with abundant herbs and forbs and few shrubs or trees, dominated the environment at this time. The stratigraphy at Silver Creek provides a palaeoclimatic record since at least MIS 8 and comprises the oldest direct record of Pleistocene glaciation in southwest Yukon.     

Middle Weichselian glacial event in the central part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet recorded in the Hitura pit, Ostrobothnia, Finland

The Hitura open pit exposes a sedimentary sequence up to 50 m thick representing Late Saalian to Holocene glacial and non-glacial sediments. The sequence was investigated using sedimentological methods, OSL-dating and pollen and diatom analyses to reconstruct the Middle Weichselian (MWG) glacial event in the central part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS). The results indicate that the sediment succession represents two entire glacial advance and retreat cycles. The lowermost deposits are Late Saalian esker and delta sediments overlain by sediments that correlate with the early Eemian lacustrine phase. Remnants of the Eemian soil post-dating the lacustrine phase were also observed. The area was ice-free during the entire Early Weichselian (EWG). The first glacial advance recorded in the sediments is related to the MWG. It started 79 kyr ago, deformed underlying sediments and deposited an immature till, including large detached sediment pods containing remains of organic material, soils and fluvial sediments representing allochthonous material from EWG ice-free stadials and interstadials. The glacial deposits are conformably overlain by glaciolacustrine and littoral accumulations, indicating MWG deglaciation between 62 and 55 kyr ago. Based on the fabric measurements from the till unit overlying the MWG sediments, ice advance during the Late Weichselian (LWG) was initially from the west and later from a north-northwesterly direction. The Hitura strata provide the first dating of the MWG deglaciation (55 to 62 kyr ago) from central parts of the SIS. It can be considered as a key site for studying the growth and decay of SIS during the poorly known early parts of the glaciation.     

孢粉证据揭示MIS5a以来福建东北沿海地区人类活动、海平面及气候变化

通过获取了位于福建省宁德市海岸带的两个钻孔,并使用孢粉分析的方法来重建古环境.光释光和放射性碳十四测年结果表明,钻孔中最老的沉积物来自于深海氧同位素(MIS5a)阶段.孢粉组合中,海相沟鞭藻出现在MIS5a,MIS3早期和早、中全新世阶段,反映了这些时段的海侵事件.MIS5a以来,孢粉组合受控于常绿栎(Quercus)...     

他念他翁山中段第四纪冰川作用ESR定年初步研究

他念他翁山中段地处青藏高原东南部和云贵高原过渡地带,海拔4 200 m以上保存着确切的第四纪冰川遗迹.对其进行深入研究,不仅可以重建横断山脉冰川作用的演化历史,还能够为青藏高原的隆升机制提供重要依据.采用野外地貌调查与电子自旋共振测年（ESR）相结合的方法,查明他念他翁山第四纪冰川发育的地貌特点,并初步对研究区的冰期系列进行划分.结果显示,他念他翁山中段古冰川类型主要为山麓冰川、山谷冰川和冰斗冰川.晚第四纪以来至少经历了4次冰川作用,分别为倒数第二次冰期（MIS 6）,年代为（192±51）~（207±45）ka;末次冰期中期（MIS 3）,年代为（55±8）~（54±9）ka;末次冰盛期（MIS 2）,年代为（25±1）~（38±6）ka,以及全新世新冰期/小冰期（MIS 1）.     

Chronology of late Pleistocene Pampa loess from the Córdoba area in Argentina

In Argentina, loess/palaeosol sequences were studied from the two sections at Monte Ralo and Corralito, located near to the city of Córdoba in the east of the Pampean ranges. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating techniques were applied to set up a more reliable chronological framework for the Upper Pleistocene loess record. IRSL ages increase with depth and are stratigraphically consistent. The oldest loess exposed correlates at least to the penultimate glaciation. The luminescence dating study gives evidence for humid climate conditions with soil formation during the last interglacial period and the middle pleniglacial correlating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and 3, respectively. Three extended periods of soil formation are recorded in the loess/palaeosol sequences at the Corralito section. These buried soils most likely correlate with the last interglacial and early last glacial period. During the Middle Pleniglacial, two palaeosols are intercalated in the loess successions. In the Córdoba area, the periods of increased loess accumulation and deposition of loessic sediments correlate with more arid and glacial periods during the Early Pleniglacial, the Middle Pleniglacial and the Late Glacial. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Constraining the chronology of Pleistocene glaciations on Svalbard: Kapp Ekholm re‐visited

The Kapp Ekholm site, in central Spitsbergen, shows alternating units of glaciomarine sandy silt and diamicton representing three glacial cycles and is key in reconstructing the Late Pleistocene glacial history of Svalbard. Part of the site is reinvestigated here by focusing on re‐dating two units (B and F) interpreted as interglacial/interstadial glaciomarine deposits, in order to constrain the controversial chronology. A combination of Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) on quartz, infrared stimulated luminescence with a 50 °C readout temperature (IRSL₅₀) and post infrared‐infrared stimulated luminescence (pIR), both on feldspar, was applied. While Formation B was beyond the dateable range of OSL, IRSL₅₀ and pIR ages lead to the conclusion that this unit represents the Last Interglacial, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, and the underlying diamicton the MIS 6 glacial. Formation F yielded ages implying that the formation represents the MIS 5a interstadial and the underlying diamicton is interpreted to represent the MIS 5b stadial. This agrees with conclusions drawn concerning the Pleistocene glaciations elsewhere on Svalbard.     

Upper Pleistocene stratigraphy at the Medininkai site, eastern Lithuania: a continuous record of the Eemian-Weichselian sequence

Eemian—Weichselian sequences, located outside the maximum limit of the Late Weichselian ice sheet, provide excellent opportunities for the discovery of continuous sedimentary records encompassing the whole Last Interglacial/Glacial cycle. Such a sequence is recorded in a borehole (117P) through the succession in a small kettlehole lake located at Medininkai, eastern Lithuania. The succession consists of peat, gyttja and silt deposited on top of a Saalian till. Pollen and plant macrofossil analysis, lithological analysis, U/Th dating and mineral magnetic measurements on the sediments have allowed 19 lithostratigraphic units and 16 local pollen assemblage zones (LPAZ) to be identified. The palaeocarpological record reveals a clear transition from the Saalian Glacial to the Weichselian stadial and interstadial phases. The mineral magnetic parameters suggest a good correlation between the concentration of magnetic minerals and stadial and interstadial periods. The Merkine (Eemian) Interglacial and two Early Weichselian Interstadials, Jonionys 1 (Brörup) and Jonionys 2 (Odderade), separated by cryomers, are identified. Intervals interpreted as analogous to the Middle Weichselian Denekamp and Hengelo interstadials are also recognized on the basis of pollen assemblages. The results show alternating periglacial and interstadial palaeoenvironments in Lithuania during the Early and Middle Weichselian and are of importance for Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Baltic area as a whole.     

Late Pleistocene loess‐palaeosol sequences in the Vojvodina region,north Serbia

Late Pleistocene loess‐palaeosol sequences are widespread in the Vojvodina region, with thicknesses reaching a maximum of about 20 m. Our investigations include more than 40 of these loess sections. Geochronology of the last glacial loess‐palaeosol sequences, based on luminescence dating and amino acid racemisation, provides correlations between Upper Pleistocene loess‐palaeosol sediments in Vojvodina and comparable deposits at other European localities. Sedimentary logs of magnetic susceptibility, grain‐size measurements and carbonate content, combined with malacological evidence, indicate two main relatively cold and arid phases during the last glacial period, related to intensive accumulation of loess units L1L1 and L1L2, as well as many brief episodes of dry and windy climatic conditions, suggesting a possible relationship with cold events recorded in the North Atlantic region. Generally, late Pleistocene climate in the region was dry and relatively warm, compared with glacial period sites in central Europe, and was characterised by sharp differences between glacial and interglacial modes. New data and interpretations presented in this study emphasise the significance of loess‐palaeosol sequences in Vojvodina for the reconstruction of the temporal and spatial evolution of late Pleistocene palaeoclimate in this part of Europe. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

晚中更新世以来武威盆地沉积特征——基于WV3 钻孔的释光年代学研究

青藏高原东北缘河西走廊形成了一系列新生代盆地,是研究盆地沉积演化的重要区域。武威盆地位于河西走廊东部,盆地内沉积了较厚的新生代冲洪积地层。为了厘清武威盆地晚中更新世以来的沉积演化历史,笔者等在武威盆地石羊河中上游处钻取了长207 m的WV3 钻孔岩心,获得了上部17 m岩心的 19 个钾长石两步法 pIR200IR290 年龄和 2 个多步法 MET-pIRIR 年龄,结合粒度资料,重建了武威盆地石羊河流域中下游晚中更新世以来的光释光年代学框架和沉积历史。结果表明：两步法 pIR200IR290 和多步法MET-pIRIR年龄在误差范围内一致。220~128 ka时期,沉积速率最小,为 0.35 mm/ka,水动力条件较强,以侵蚀为主;128~108 ka (MIS 5d、MIS 5e) 时期沉积速率为 1.94 mm/ka,沉积物粒径由粗变细,表明此时水动力条件由强变弱;末次冰盛期到全新世早期 (19~9 ka) 沉积速率为2.78 mm/ka,沉积物粒径较细,表明此时水动力条件较弱,沉积速率最大,沉积为主。该地区新构造运动比较活跃,在末次间冰期至末次冰盛期期间存在逆冲活动。该研究对于揭示晚中更新世以来祁连山东北部石羊河流域沉积演化特征具有重要意义。     

OSL‐based chronostratigraphy of river terraces in mountainous areas,Dunajec basin,West Carpathians: a revision of the climatostratigraphical approach

The technique of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating applied to fluvial sediments provided a geochronological framework of river terrace formation in the middle part of the Dunajec River basin – a reference area for studies of evolution of river valleys in the northern part of the Carpathians (West Carpathians). Fluvial sediments at 18–90 m above valley bottoms were dated in the valleys of the Dunajec River and one of its tributaries. The resulting ages range from 158.9±8.3 to 12.2±1.3 ka. This indicates that some of the terrace sediments were deposited much later than previously assumed on the grounds of a combined morphostratigraphical and climatostratigraphical approach. The OSL‐based chronostratigraphy of terrace formation consists of seven separate phases of fluvial aggradation, separated by periods of incision and lateral erosion. Some of the ages determined correspond to warm stages of the Pleistocene – Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) and MIS 5 – demonstrating that some terraces were formed during interstadial or interglacial periods. The results provide a key for evaluating rates of neotectonic uplift, allowing us to decipher the response of a fluvial system to climate change within the context of the glacial–interglacial scheme.     

Aminostratigraphy and sea-level history of the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation,Mount Gambier region,southern Australia

A geochronological framework based on amino acid racemisation (AAR) and constrained by previously reported optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages is presented for the evolution and paleosea-level record of the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation of the Mount Gambier region, of southern Australia. Within the study area, the Bridgewater Formation is represented by late early Pleistocene [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 23 at 933 ka] to Holocene barrier shoreline successions deposited during sea-level highstands. Regional monotonic uplift (0.13 mm yr^–1) and pervasive calcrete development during the Pleistocene have preserved the sequence of calcarenite (mixed quartz-skeletal carbonate sand) shoreline complexes from denudation. AAR analyses confirm that the barriers generally increase in age landwards and correlate with sea-level highstands associated with interglacials as defined by the marine oxygen isotope record. AAR analyses on the benthic foraminifer Elphidium crispum have proved more reliable than the whole-rock method in extending the age range of AAR dating of these relict shoreline successions. Paleosea-levels from the coastal plain are as follows: MIS 7, –9 ± 2 m; MIS 9, 4 ± 1 m; and a minimum sea-level of 2 ± 2 m is derived for MIS 11. Paleosea-level could not be determined for MIS 15, 19 or 23 as diagnostic sea-level indicators were not identified within these sedimentary successions. Dismal Range, dated at 933 ± 145 ka (MIS 23), represents a correlative feature to the East Naracoorte Range but is some 25 km seaward of the Kanawinka Fault compared with the same barrier at Naracoorte. Mingbool Range (788 ± 18 ka) is of similar age to the West Naracoorte Range (MIS 19) and formed as an arcuate shoreline complex that became attached to the higher relief of the area represented by the Mount Burr Volcanic Province. The higher topographical relief resulted from crustal doming of the Oligo-Miocene Gambier Limestone caused by the intrusion of magma associated with the volcanic province. The AAR age of 788 ± 118 ka for Mingbool Range indicates that the Mount Burr volcanics predate the deposition of this shoreline complex.     

Middle to Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental evolution of the southeastern Alpine Valeriano Creek succession (northeastern Italy)

The Middle–Late Pleistocene alluvial and lacustrine succession of Valeriano Creek (southeastern Alpine foothills, 190 m a.s.l.) documents the environmental evolution of the piedmont plain before the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The sedimentary record was investigated by multidisciplinary stratigraphical and sedimentological studies coupled with petrographic and palaeobotanical analysis. A chronology has been provided by luminescence, radiocarbon dating and pollen biochronology. The succession developed at the valley mouth of a small catchment and is confined in the piedmont plain by the alluvial fans of major rivers. The oldest deposits were formed during a cold phase during the late Middle Pleistocene. This part of the piedmont plain was generally stable until Termination II, when it was trenched more than 15 m deep by watercourses. The infilling succession of the trench, mostly by low‐energy alluvial sediments interbedded with mire and peat deposits, documents, for the first time on the southern side of the Alps, the relationships between fluvial activity, vegetation and climate change at the foothills piedmont plain during late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. The stadial–interstadial climate forcing implies a local reorganisation of fluvial dynamics and of forest composition, although substantial plant cover persisted even during cooler stadials. In accordance with coeval alluvial and speleothem records from the northern side of the Alps, this environmental evolution supports a very restricted Alpine glaciation of the main fluvial catchments of the southeastern Alps during MIS 5a–d. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中低纬度MIS 3b(54～44 ka BP)冷期与冰川前进

MIS3b冷期在古里雅冰芯记录表现为54～44kaBP比现代温度低5℃的冷期,与MIS3c(早期)和MIS3a(晚期)温度高出现代3℃和4℃情况迥然相反,而和以23ka的岁差周期(precessional cycle)所导致的日射变化一致,在65°N～60°S间有重大作用.初步检阅现代有测年资料的末次冰期冰川前进文献,发现MIS3b冷期导致的山地冰川前进分布在亚洲、欧洲、北美洲、南美洲、大洋洲12个地区23个地点.当时降水较多与冷期降温抑制消融相结合,使冰川伸展范围都超过气候严寒而干燥的MIS2期内通常所说25～15kaBP末次冰盛期(LGM)的冰川规模.若干种新的测年方法包括改进的光释光(OSL)法、红外释光(IRSC)法、宇宙成因³He、¹⁰Be、²⁶Al和³⁶Al测年、U系法、连同原应用的¹⁴C法、热释光(TL)法、ESR法和径迹法(fissiontrackmethod)有助于末次冰期多次冰川前进时间的确定,但某些数据也存在不确定性.虽然古里雅冰芯记录明确了MIS3b冷期的重要性,但我国西部山区对该期冰川前进的定年研究还很少,亟应加强工作,以弥补不足。     

黄河源区第四纪地质研究的新进展

通过对黄河源区的钻孔、自然露头的研究, 建立了黄河源区的第四纪地层层序。第四纪地层可划分为下更新统、中更新统、上更新统和全新统。下更新统为河湖相沉积; 中更新统主要有湖积物、冰碛物和冰水沉积物; 上更新统主要有湖积物、冰碛物、冰水沉积物、洪积物和河流沉积物; 全新统主要由河流沉积物、洪积物和湖积物构成。黄河源区的冰期可划分为3期, 即末次冰期、倒数第二次冰期、倒数第三次冰期, 末次冰期又可分为2个冰阶。黄河源区的湖泊演化可划分为早更新世、中更新世和晚更新世—全新世3个阶段: 早更新世的湖泊范围小; 中更新世的湖泊范围明显扩大, 在位置上也较早更新世的湖泊南移; 晚更新世的湖泊经历了两次的扩张—收缩变化, 到了全新世, 除现今还发育的几个湖泊外, 大多数地区的湖水已退出, 基本上转变为河流环境。在晚更新世末期到全新世初期, 封闭黄河源区的多石峡被切开, 湖水外泄, 现今的黄河形成了, 同时发生了袭夺长江水系的水流。     

Pleistocene river systems in the southern peribaltic area as indication of interglacial sea level changes in the Baltic Basin

The modern drainage system of central Poland developed during the Holsteinian, but it originated from the Elsterian glacial tunnel valleys and deglacial residual overflow lakes. In spite of occupation of this area by the Wartanian ice sheet and the following formation of the landscape during deglaciation, a similar river network was renewed during the Eemian. During the Weichselian the Middle Vistula valley was subjected to widespread ice-dam deposition. This resulted in rise of the base level of erosion and in westward deflection of the runoff, connected with development of the Central European spillways. The presented reconstruction of the Middle and Late Pleistocene fluvial network shows that the Holstein and Eemian sea levels were the driving force for river system development in central Poland. The Holstein and Eemian sea levels were very close to the present water level of the Baltic Sea. They made interglacial fluvial patterns roughly similar to the contemporary one, and therefore the main watersheds have been only slightly modified since that time. However, due to the considerable southward extension of the sea during the Eemian and presumably also during the Holsteinian, buried interglacial river deposits in central Poland occur at present well beneath the Holocene alluvia.     

Pleistocene stratigraphy in the Dellen region, central Sweden

Robertsson, A.-M., Svedlund, J.-O., Andrén, T. & Sundh, M. 1997 (September): Pleistocene stratigraphy in the Dellen region, central Sweden. Boreas, Vol. 26, pp. 237–260. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483. The Pleistocene stratigraphy in the Dellen region, central Sweden was studied using field observations made during mapping of Quaternary deposits and fabric analyses in excavated sections. The lithostratigraphy was also studied by seismic refraction measurements, analyses of grain-size distribution and organic carbon content. Biostratigraphical methods applied were pollen and diatom analyses. A general outline of the Pleistocene stratigraphy in the area is presented. Three different till beds are identified, the lowermost suggested to have been deposited during the Saalian glaciation and the other two during the Weichselian glaciation. According to the interpretation of the stratigraphy, it is questioned whether the first Weichselian ice sheet did in fact reach the Dellen area. A clayey sediment sequence at Norra Sannas accumulated during an interglacial, probably the Eemian. Most of the interglacial vegetation succession is reflected in the identified pollen flora. An initial phase with a light-demanding forest of Belula and Pinus was followed by immigration of Alnus, Picea and scattered occurrences of Corylus. A freshwater diatom flora was identified dominated by plankton taxa, e.g. Aulacoseira italica, A. distans and Cyclotella spp. In the lower part of the sequence a brackish-marine flora was registered, representing accumulation in a bay of the Eemian Sea. Fine-grained sediments at the Sundson and Vastansjd sites are interpreted as rebedded Eemian sediments according to the pollen flora. An (Early Weichselian) interstadial age is suggested for sediments found at Bjuraker. Dating by the ¹⁴C- and OSL methods was carried out on the interglacial and interstadial sediments, respectively. The ages range from approximately 19000 to 92000 BP. Correlation of interglacial vegetation history with central Finland and other areas is discussed.