Depositional evidence for marginal oscillations of the Irish Sea ice stream in southeast Ireland during the last glaciation

Late Devensian/Midlandian glacial deposits on the southeast Irish coast contain a record of sedimentation at the margins of the Irish Sea ice stream (ISIS). Exposures through the Screen Hills reveal a stratigraphy that documents the initial onshore flow of the ISIS ('Irish Sea Till') followed by ice stream recession and readvances that constructed glacitectonic ridges. Ice-contact fans (Screen Member) were deposited in association with subglacial deformation tills and supraglacial/subaqueous mass flow diamicts. In SE Ireland, the ISIS moved onshore over proglacial lake sediments which were intensely folded, thrust and cannibalized producing a glacitectonite over which laminated and massive diamictons were deposited as glacitectonic slices. Ice marginal recession and oscillations are documented by: (a) ice-proximal, subaqueous diamict-rich facies; (b) isolated ice-contact glacilacustrine deltas; (c) syn-depositional glacitectonic disturbance of glacilacustrine sediments and overthrusting of ice-contact outwash; (d) offshore moraine ridges; and (e) changing ice flow directions and facies transitions. Diagnostic criteria for the identification of dynamic, possibly surging, ice-stream margins onshore include thrust-block moraines, tectonized pitted outwash and stacked sequences of glacitectonites, deformation tills and intervening stratified deposits. In addition, the widespread occurrence of hydrofracture fills in sediments overridden and locally reworked by the ISIS indicate that groundwater pressures were considerably elevated during glacier advance. The glacigenic sediments and landforms located around the terrestrial margins of the ISIS are explained as the products of onshore glacier flow that cannibalized and tectonically stacked pre-existing marine and glacilacustrine sediments. Localized tectonic thickening of subglacially deformed materials at the former margins of glaciers results in zones of net erosion immediately up-ice of submarginal zones of net accretion of subglacial till. The more stable the ice-stream margin the thicker and more complex the submarginal sedimentary stack.     

Geological evidence for neotectonic activity during deglaciation of the southern Sperrin Mountains,Northern Ireland

In the southern Sperrin Mountains, Northern Ireland, stacked glacigenic sequences that accumulated during deglaciation (ca. 17000–13000 yr BP) overlie a basement of jointed and mascerated bedrock. The glacigenic sequences comprise interbedded glaciotectonic shears, diamictic breccias and rock rafts. At one site a normal fault with a metre‐scale vertical displacement cuts through part of the sequence and is overlain by a glacial diamict. Sediments at an adjacent site show that faulting and associated hydrothermal activity was related to neotectonic reactivation of pre‐existing Caledonian lineaments caused by ice unloading. From stratigraphical and directional evidence, fault reactivation occurred early in the deglaciation after north central Ireland ice had retreated southwards into lowland areas, but before Sperrin Mountain ice readvanced from the north. This relationship provides evidence for the relative timing of neotectonic activity in Northern Ireland, and demonstrates the effects of glacio‐isostatic unloading near ice‐sheet centres. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary glaciation history of Isla de los Estados,southeasternmost South America

Isla de los Estados is a mountainous island southeast of Tierra del Fuego, in southernmost South America. Its central and eastern parts have an alpine topography, transected by U-shaped valleys, small, partly over-deepened fjords, and a multitude of abandoned cirques, all associated with extensive former local glaciations. Traces of glacial erosion generally reach 400–450 m a.s.l., and above that trimline a distinct sharp-edged nunatak derived landscape is present. The westernmost part of the island has a lower, more subdued topography, reflecting its “softer” geology but possibly also over-running and erosion by mainland-derived ice streams. The present study concentrated on glacigenic sediment sequences exposed along coastal erosional cliffs. A combination of OSL and ¹⁴C datings show that these sediments mostly date from the latest (Wisconsinan/Weichselian) glacial cycle, i.e. from the last ca. 100 ka with the oldest (glaciolacustrine) deposits possibly as old as 90–80 ka. The upper parts of overlying tills, with associated lateral and terminal moraines from glaciers that expanded onto an eustatically exposed dry shelf north of the island, date from the last global glacial maximum (LGM). Radiocarbon ages of peat and lake sediments indicate that deglaciation began 17–16 cal ka BP.     

Freshwater organic deposits and stratified sediments between Early and Late Midlandian (Devensian) till sheets,at Aghnadarragh,County Antrim,Northern Ireland

The following events have been identified from a complex sequence of Midlandian (Devensian) sediments recently exposed at Aghnadarragh, County Antrim: (1) A lower till interpreted as Early Midlandian was deposited by a major lowland ice sheet which moved south-eastwards from central Ulster across the Lough Neagh depression. (2) Deglacial conditions were followed by a periglacial phase characterised by ice-wedge growth and sedimentation by gravelly debris flows. The latter contain the oldest known remains of Mammuthus primigenius in Ireland. (3) An Early Midlandian interstadial is represented by a woody detritus peat, with evidence of Betula, Pinuos and Picea woodlands and a rich beetle fauna. Wood from this horizon has been shown to be beyond the range of radiocarbon dating (>48 180 BP). (4) Interstadial conditions were succeeded by a cold, non-glacial phase dominated by in-channel gravelly flows and deposition of organic muds which contain plant and insect fossils. These horizons are older than 46 850 BP. (5) An upper, non-drumlinised till was deposited during the Late-Midlandian by a major lowland ice sheet which moved generally eastwards across the Lough Neagh Lowlands from central Ulster. This glaciation probably reached its maximum at ca 20–24 ka. (6) Drumlin formation occurred in the Lough Neagh Lowlands towards the end of the Late-Midlandian. The limiting moraines are dated to 17 ka. The lower till at Aghnadarragh is the first positive record of a major lowland ice sheet in Ireland during the early part of the last cold stage. The Early Midlandian interstadial peats have not been documented elsewhere in Ireland and correlate broadly with the Chelford Interstadial complex of the English Midlands. Related exposures elsewhere in Ulster confirm that the middle part of the last cold stage was free of major lowland ice masses but deposits of this period are absent from Aghnadarragh.     

Sedimentary Characteristics and Paleoenvironmental Records of Zabuye Salt Lake, Tibetan Plateau, since 128 ka BP

This paper for the first time reveals high-resolution core records of Zabuye Salt Lake in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to 1346 samples taken continuously, relatively accurate 14^C, U-series disequilibrium and ESR ages have been obtained, thus revealing that the lake core ages from 0 to 83.63 m of hole SZK02 are -800 to over 128 ka. In the paper, the lake core sedimentary characteristics （including the lithologies and mineral assemblages） are analyzed in detail and correlated with ostracod assemblages I to XX and sporopollen zones A to I, and on the basis of an integrated analysis of the δ^18O values of authigenic calcium-magnesium carbonate and environmental proxies of minerals, sporopollen and microfossils in the lake core, a correlation has been made of oxygen isotope change between this lake core and the Greenland GISP2 and GRIP and Guliya ice cores, and the climate of Zabuye Salt Lake since 128 ka BP is divided into the last interglacial stage （including substages e, d, c, b and a） of oxygen isotope stage （OIS） 5, early glacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 4, interglacial stadial of the last glacial stage of OIS 3, late glacial stadial of the last glacial stage or Last Glacial Maximum of OIS 2 and postglacial state of OIS 1; in addition, 6 Heinrich （H6-H1） events, Younger Dryas event and 8.2 ka BP cold event have been recognized.     

New chronological and stratigraphical data on the Ivrea amphitheatre (Piedmont, NW Italy)

The Ivrea amphitheatre (IA) in NW Italy has been studied since 1850, on pedostratigraphic and morphological bases. Three stratigraphic groups of glacial sediments were distinguished. Newly recognized stratigraphic boundaries are based on interstadial/interglacial units, palaeosols and lacustrine organic layers interbedded with glacigenic deposits, and on pedostratigraphy. Mapping of morphological features and associated marginal and sub-glacial deposit facies was used to characterize and reconstruct glacial margin fluctuations. Based on the field evidence, the stratigraphical limits recognized at single sites can be interpolated over the whole amphitheatre. Ten stratigraphic units (referred to as alloformations: Afs) were distinguished and mapped. They are related to at least as many glacial episodes ranging in age from the end of the Early Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene. The youngest three glacial units (Serra Af, Piverone Af and Ivrea Af) and one interstadial level (Alice Superiore Unit between Serra and Piverone Afs) are discussed in detail. Based on biostratigraphical and pedological, as well as sedimentological and morphological data, the Serra Af can be attributed to MIS 6 and Piverone Af to MIS 4. The ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages from two boulders (27.9±3.1, 32.4±4.0 kyr) on the Serra d’Ivrea moraine provide only a minimum age for moraine construction. The alignment of typical ice marginal landforms (moraines and kame terraces) for the more recent unit (Ivrea Af) has allowed recognition of 12 principal stadials during the LGM and Lateglacial; 6 stadials in the amphitheatre and 6 stadials in Dora Baltea Valley, and reconstruction of the nature of the last glacial retreat from the amphitheatre to the cirques. ¹⁰Be exposure ages from three boulders related to Ivrea Af are 13.1±1.0, 17.4±2.6 and 20.8±1.5 ka. The latter two ages indicate that the Dora Baltea Glacier deposited the Ivrea Af in the IA during MIS 2. The ¹⁰Be exposure ages of 14.6±1.2 and 14.0±0.9 ka from a polished bedrock surface some 15 km upstream from the amphitheatre provide a minimum age for ice decay.     

Geomorphological and seismostratigraphic evidence for multidirectional polyphase glaciation of the northern Celtic Sea

High-resolution seismic and bathymetric data offshore southeast Ireland and LIDaR data in County Waterford are presented that partially overlap previous studies. The observed Quaternary stratigraphic succession offshore southeast Ireland (between Dungarvan and Kilmore Quay) records a sequence of depositional and erosional events that supports regional glacial models derived from nearby coastal sediment stratigraphies and landforms. A regionally widespread, acoustically massive facies interpreted as the ‘Irish Sea Till’ infills an uneven, channelized bedrock surface overlying irregular mounds and deposits in bedrock lows that are probably earlier Pleistocene diamicts. The till is truncated and overlain by a thin, stratified facies, suggesting the development of a regional palaeolake following ice recession of the Irish Sea Ice Stream. A north–south oriented seabed ridge to the north is interpreted as an esker, representing southward flowing subglacial drainage associated with a restricted ice sheet advance of the Irish Ice Sheet onto the Celtic Sea shelf. Onshore topographic data reveal streamlined bedforms that corroborate a southerly advance of ice onto the shelf across County Waterford. The combined evidence supports previous palaeoglaciological models. Significantly, for the first time, this study defines a southern limit for a Late Midlandian Irish Ice Sheet advance onto the Celtic Sea shelf. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Landslide deposits as stratigraphical markers for a sequence‐based glacial stratigraphy: a case study of a Younger Dryas system in the Eastern Alps

Detailed ¹⁰Be and ¹⁴C dating and supporting pollen analysis of Alpine Lateglacial glacial and landslide deposits in the Hohen Tauern Mountains (Austria) constrain a sequence‐based stratigraphy comprising a major landslide (13.0±1.1 ka) overlain by till and termino‐lateral moraines of an advancing (12.6±1.0 ka) and retreating (11.3±0.8 ka) glacier in turn overlain by a minor landslide (10.8±1.1 ka). These results define glacier activity during the Younger Dryas age Egesen stadial bracketed by landslide activities during the Bølling‐Allerød interstadial and the Preboreal. In contrast to recent studies on Holocene glaciation in the Alps, no traces of any Holocene glacier advance bigger than during the Little Ice Age are documented. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the advantages of using an allostratigraphical approach based on unconformity‐bounded sedimentary units as a tool for glacial stratigraphy in formerly glaciated mountain regions, rather than a stratigraphy based on either isolated morphological features or lithostratigraphical characteristics.     

Sedimentology and stratigraphy in the cave Hamnsundhelleren,western Norway

The stratigraphy in Hamnsundhelleren is as follows. A basal weathered rock bed of unknown age is followed by laminated clay deposited under stadial conditions and correlated with palaeomagnetism to the Laschamp excursion (43–47 000 yr BP). Angular blocks, bones and clay above this are ¹⁴C dated to the Ålesund Interstadial (28–38 000 yr BP). Another stadial laminated clay following the Ålesund Interstadial includes a palaeomagnetic excursion correlated with Lake Mungo (28 000 yr BP). The newly discovered Hamnsund Interstadial above this consists of frost-weathered clay and scattered angular blocks. It is ¹⁴C dated to 24 500 yr BP on bones mixed into the Ålesund Interstadial. The Hamnsund Interstadial is succeeded by another stadial laminated clay and then a Late-glacial–Holocene mixture of bones and blocks. In Hamnsundhelleren and other similar caves four successive phases of sedimentary environments for each ice-free–ice-covered cycle have been identified: (i) ice-free phase (deposition of bones and frost-weathered blocks); (ii) subaerial ice-dammed lake phase (sand or silt deposited in a lateral glacial lake); (iii) subglacial ice-dammed lake phase (cave closed by ice, deposition of till, debris flows and laminated clay); (d) ice-plugged phase (cave is plugged by frozen lake water and/or glacial ice, no deposition).     

渤海南部莱州湾晚更新世以来沉积演化特征

晚更新世以来渤海南部莱州湾发生了3次重要海侵-海退事件及沉积演化过程,渤海南部多源河流三角洲对莱州湾沉积环境改变作用明显。本文选择莱州湾剖面进行沉积地层对比,结合调查资料和测试数据,初步建立莱州湾沉积地层格架,分析晚更新世以来莱州湾沉积演化过程。研究发现,渤海南部中小河流与黄河泥沙为莱州湾沉积物的共同物质来源,二者在不同阶段分别对莱州湾沉积演化起主导作用。提出本区沉积地层具有分期性、分段性和相关性规律。在124.6~72.0 ka B.P.,60.0~24.4 ka B.P.和10.2~4.0 ka B.P.出现过3次暖湿期,分别对应沧州海侵、献县海侵和黄骅海侵,主要发育滨浅海相沉积,向南退积为三角洲/潮坪—河流沉积;由陆向海,短源河流沉积贡献降低,黄河沉积贡献增加。在72.0~60.0 ka B.P.和24.4~10.2 ka B.P.出现2次冷干期,分别对应玉木早冰期和玉木晚冰期,河流相发育,三角洲进积。受海陆交互作用影响,晚更新世以来渤海南部莱州湾大致经历了浅海相—三角洲—潮坪—浅海相—三角洲—陆相的沉积演化。     

西藏扎布耶湖区128～1.4ka BP的微体古生物与环境气候变化

本文主要根据西藏扎布耶湖区SZK02孔所揭露的近84m剖面的沉积物特征与其产的介形类6属20种,轮藻类2属3种,结合14C、ESR、U-series地层测年等,初步认为该区128～1.4ka至少存在5个较明显的气候变化时期。①在128～76.7ka(83.63～57.0m)处于我国末次间冰期时段,气候凉湿,湖盆扩展,在90～81ka期间湖面最高,水质最淡。②76.7～58.6ka(57.0～38.13m)为我国末次冰期早冰阶时期,湖盆收缩,水温低,早期76.7～69.7ka(57.0～47.5m)偏冷湿,中期69.7～65.0ka(47.52～42.64m)气候温干,正逢早冰阶时期;晚期65.0～58.6ka(42.64～38.13m)气候干燥度下降。③58.6～29.1ka(38.13～13.75m)处于我国末次冰期间冰阶时段,早期58.6～51.6ka(38.13～33.07m)偏温湿,为3c暖期;中期51.6～42.5ka(33.07～26.13m)气候干冷,为3b冷期,正临末次冰期中冰阶时;晚期42.5～36.0ka(26.13～20.16m)偏凉湿,湿度更大,再次出现高湖面,为3a暖期;末期36.0～29.1ka(20.16～13.75m),趋向温干。④29.1～11.8Cal.ka(13.75～4.83m),气候趋向干冷,处于末次盛冰期(LGM)、末次晚冰阶时期,湖盆萎缩,水温低。早期29.1～16.6Cal.ka(13.75～6.98m)偏温湿;晚期16.6～13.1Cal.ka(6.98～5.76m)寒冷干燥;至末期13.1～11.7Cal.ka(5.76～4.83m),进一步干燥寒冷,全球新仙女木事件在本区发生。⑤11.7～1.4Cal.ka(4.83～0.65m),大致进入全新世气候期,气候波动大,凉湿与干冷交替频繁发生。在11.7～10.7Cal.ka(4.83～4.42m)时较温湿;10.7～9.5Cal.ka(4.42～4.07m)转向干冷;9.5～9.1Cal.ka(4.07～3.7m)更干冷,湖盆进一步萎缩;9.1～6.3Cal.ka(3.7～2.86m)向温干过渡;6.3～3.6Cal.ka(2.86～1.77m)干冷,湖泊已成盐湖;3.6～1.4Cal.ka(1.77～0.65m),气候趋向冷湿。     

Facies and stratigraphical analyses of glacial and interglacial sediments at Morgan Bluffs,Banks Island,Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Stratigraphical exposures of both glacial and non‐glacial sediments at Morgan Bluffs, a >6‐km long exposure on the east coast of Banks Island, comprise a discontinuous archive of Quaternary environmental change. A detailed facies analysis of the sediments and a new stratigraphical framework is incompatible with the many climatostratigraphical units proposed previously. Instead, three distinct intervals of sedimentation are recognized. The first records the progradation of a delta, followed by fluvial aggradation of a braided river valley perhaps ～1 Ma. The second documents glacigenic sedimentation, including fluctuations of a tidewater glacier margin, in a marine basin more than 0.78 Ma. The third records till deposition by the NW Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Late Wisconsinan, followed by the progradation of a deglacial, ice‐contact delta into an ice‐dammed lake ～12.8 cal. ka BP. The revised stratigraphical framework adds important new terrestrial observations to a sparse and fragmentary data set of Quaternary environmental change in the Canadian Arctic. This study challenges former references and correlations to the previously proposed climatostratigraphical framework and nomenclature.     

冰后期以来长江水下三角洲层序地层特征及沉积环境演化*

长江水下三角洲层序地层学研究有助于全面了解长江三角洲地层特征和沉积环境演化模式。通过对长江水下三角洲下切河谷区YD0901和YD0903孔岩心的详细沉积物粒度、特征元素比值(Cl/Ti和Zr/Rb)、沉积相对比分析,恢复了冰后期以来长江水下三角洲层序地层格架。研究区冰后期以来自下而上依次出现河流相、潮汐河流相、河口湾相、浅海相和三角洲相的沉积相序。末次冰期海平面下降,古长江形成下切河谷,古河间地发育硬黏土层,构成五级Ⅰ型层序界面。之后海平面回升,分别于15 cal ka BP和8.0 cal ka BP形成最大海退和最大海侵界面,水下三角洲区域最大海侵发生时间略滞后于平原区,约为7.5 cal ka BP。据此3个层序界面将冰后期地层划分为低位体系域、海侵体系域和高位体系域。钻孔岩心记录揭示了14.8 cal ka BP海侵到达研究区;14.8~13 cal ka BP期间,受MWP-1A冰融水事件影响海平面快速上升,海岸线向陆推进速率可达71.9,km/ka;海退期间各钻孔沉积速率较低,直至2 cal ka BP开始,沉积速率明显增加。     

Whither stratigraphy?

There have been three revolutions in sedimentary geology. The first two began in the 1960s, consisting of the development of process-response sedimentary models and the application of plate-tectonic concepts to large-scale aspects of basin analysis. The third revolution, that of sequence stratigraphy, began in the late 1970s and helped to draw together the main results of the first two: the knowledge of autogenic processes learned through facies analysis, and the understanding of tectonism implicit in the unravelling of regional plate kinematics. Developments in the use of seismic-reflection data and the evaluation of a hypothesis of global eustasy provided considerable stimulation for stratigraphic research.Current developments in the field of sequence stratigraphy are focusing on three areas. (1) Elaboration of the sequence-architecture models for various configurations of depositional environment and sea-level history. (2) Exploration of various mechanisms for sequence generation, especially tectonism and orbital forcing. (3) Attempts to improve the level of precision in stratigraphic correlation and to refine the geological time scale, as a means to test the model of global eustasy.The growth in the power of computers and our knowledge of physical and chemical processes has led to the evolution of an entirely new way of evaluating earth history, termed quantitative dynamic stratigraphy. Mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of complex earth processes are now possible, and require the collection and integration of a wide array of quantitative and qualitative data sets. Applications include the study of the geodynamic evolution of sedimentary basins, modelling of stratigraphic sequences and global climates, studies of Milankovitch cycles (cyclostratigraphy) and simulation of fluid flow through porous media. The Global Sedimentary Geology Program has brought many of these areas of study together in multidisciplinary, global-scale studies of the sedimentary history of the earth. The results of these studies have wide application to many problems of importance to the human condition, including the past history of global climate change and other environmental concerns. The study of stratigraphy is at the centre of the new view of the earth, termed earth-systems science, which views earth as an ‘organic’ interaction between the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.     

Glacial sedimentary processes and environmental reconstruction based on lithofacies

Glacigenic sediments exposed in pits around Villeneuve, near Edmonton, Alberta, are subdivided into facies based on grain size, sedimentary structure, glacially-induced deformation and faulting, and groove marks. Two diamicton facies are recognised, one of which is interpreted as a primary till, deposited directly from glacier ice, and the other as a product of mass-movement. The diamicton facies are closely associated with current bedded facies interpreted as fluvioglacial deposits. The stratigraphic sedimentological and tectonic aspects of these fluvial deposits suggest subglacial deposition in channels and cavities. At any one place the glacier appears to have alternated between being attached to the bed, causing thrusting and sole marking, and being separated from the bed by a cavity in which fluvial and mass-movement sediments accumulated. The net result is a highly complex and laterally variable stratigraphy produced by a single glacial advance. The correct interpretation of such sequences is essential if lithostratigraphy is to be used to establish glacial history. In addition, the interpretations presented here have implications regarding the formation of soft zones in ‘till’. They indicate that the soft zones are beds of sorted sediment redeposited by mass-movement.     

西藏阿里阿伊拉日居山脉第四纪冰川作用

在西藏阿里阿伊拉日居山脉南北两麓及切割山脉的各沟谷中,分布着4套早更新世以来的冰川沉积物。根据这些冰川沉积物的地层层序和冰川沉积物的电子自旋共振(ESR)年龄测定结果,将阿伊拉日居山脉南北两麓所发生的4次早更新世以来的冰川作用,分别命名为札达冰期(1161-952 ka BP)、阿伊拉日居冰期(762-730 ka BP)、学朗冰期(336-211 ka BP)和弄穷冰期(105-15 ka BP),并与青藏高原及其他地区冰期进行了对比。各次冰期的冰川性质分别为大型山岳冰川、冰帽、山麓冰川和中小型山谷冰川。全新世时期,现代冰川有过冰川推进。近期冰川则发生了明显的后退。     

The last glaciation and relative sea level history of Northwest Ellesmere Island,Canadian high arctic

Philips Inlet and Wootton Peninsula are located at 82°N and 85°W on the northwest coast of Ellesmere Island and are composed of three bedrock controlled zones: (1) 900 m undulating plateau dissected by fiords; (2) a deeply fretted cirque terrain >1200m; (3) a 300m plateau bounded by coastal cliffs. Each zone contains different glacier morphologies and these control glacigenic sediment and landform assemblages. The extent of the last glaciation is mapped using the distribution of moraines, kames, meltwater channels and glacimarine sediments. Glaciers advanced on average <10 km from their present margins and many piedmont lobes coalesced and floated in the sea. Morainal banks were deposited at the grounding lines of floating glaciers, and where debris-charged basal ice occurred, subaqueous fans were deposited upon deglaciation. Marine shells dating 20.2 ka BP (<2km from present ice margin) and 14.9ka BP (from a morainal bank) document full glacial marine fauna. Thirty-three radiocarbon dates document glacier retreat patterns and are used to reconstruct the postglacial sea level history (glacioisostatic rebound pattern). An equidistant shoreline diagram is constructed using the 8.5ka BP shoreline as a guide. Tilts from 0.73-0.85m/km are calculated for this shoreline. Using two firm control points and tilts from elsewhere on northern Ellesmere Island, the 10.1 ka BP (full glacial) marine limit descends from 117m as at the fiord heads to 63 m asl at the north coast. Deglaciation started with a pronounced calving phase throughout the field area between 10.1 and 7.8ka BP. This chronology is similar to that from northeast Ellesmere Island and attests to an early Holocene warming trend recorded in high arctic ice cores. A maximum lag of 2.1 ka exists between the field area and locations to the south of the Grant Land Mountains suggesting differences in glacioclimatic regimes on either side of the mountain range. Persistent reconstructions of all-pervasive ice sheets for the last glaciation of the area are obsolete and should be abandoned.     

Deglaciation sequences in the Permo-Carboniferous Itararé Group, Paraná Basin, southern Brazil

The Late Carboniferous–Early Permian Itararé Group is a thick glacial unit of the Paraná Basin. Five unconformity-bounded sequences have been defined in the eastern outcrop belt and recognized in well logs along 400 km across the central portion of the basin. Deglaciation sequences are present in the whole succession and represent the bulk of the stratigraphic record. The fining-upward vertical facies succession is characteristic of a retrogradational stacking pattern and corresponds to the stratigraphic record of major ice-retreat phases. Laterally discontinuous subglacial tillites and boulder beds occur at the base of the sequences. When these subglacial facies are absent, deglaciation sequences lie directly on the basal disconformities. Commonly present in the lowermost portions of the deglaciation sequences, polymictic conglomerates and cross-bedded sandstones are generated in subaqueous proximal outwash fans in front of retreating glaciers. The overlying assemblage of diamictites, parallel-bedded and rippled sandstones, and Bouma-like facies sequences are interpreted as deposits of distal outwash fan lobes. The tops of the deglaciation sequences are positioned in clay-rich marine horizons that show little (fine-laminated facies with dropstones) or no evidence of glacial influence on the deposition and likely represent periods of maximum ice retreat.     

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.