Climatic and topographic controls on the style and timing of Late Quaternary glaciation throughout Tibet and the Himalaya defined by 10Be cosmogenic radionuclide surface exposure dating

Temporal and spatial changes in glacier cover throughout the Late Quaternary in Tibet and the bordering mountains are poorly defined because of the inaccessibility and vastness of the region, and the lack of numerical dating. To help reconstruct the timing and extent of glaciation throughout Tibet and the bordering mountains, we use geomorphic mapping and ¹⁰Be cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) surface dating in study areas in southeastern (Gonga Shan), southern (Karola Pass) and central (Western Nyainqentanggulha Shan and Tanggula Shan) Tibet, and we compare these with recently determined numerical chronologies in other parts of the plateau and its borderlands. Each of the study regions receives its precipitation mainly during the south Asian summer monsoon when it falls as snow at high altitudes. Gonga Shan receives the most precipitation (>2000 mm a⁻¹) while, near the margins of monsoon influence, the Karola Pass receives moderate amounts of precipitation (500–600 mm a⁻¹) and, in the interior of the plateau, little precipitation falls on the western Nyainqentanggulha Shan (∼300 mm a⁻¹) and the Tanggula Shan (400–700 mm a⁻¹). The higher precipitation values for the Tanggula Shan are due to strong orographic effects. In each region, at least three sets of moraines and associated landforms are preserved, providing evidence for multiple glaciations. The ¹⁰Be CRN surface exposure dating shows that the formation of moraines in Gonga Shan occurred during the early–mid Holocene, Neoglacial and Little Ice Age, on the Karola Pass during the Lateglacial, Early Holocene and Neoglacial, in the Nyainqentanggulha Shan date during the early part of the last glacial cycle, global Last Glacial Maximum and Lateglacial, and on the Tanggula Shan during the penultimate glacial cycle and the early part of the last glacial cycle. The oldest moraine succession in each of these regions varies from the early Holocene (Gonga Shan), Lateglacial (Karola Pass), early Last Glacial (western Nyainqentanggulha Shan), and penultimate glacial cycle (Tanggula Shan). We believe that the regional patterns and timing of glaciation reflect temporal and spatial variability in the south Asian monsoon and, in particular, in regional precipitation gradients. In zones of greater aridity, the extent of glaciation has become increasingly restricted throughout the Late Quaternary leading to the preservation of old (≫100 ka) glacial landforms. In contrast, in regions that are very strongly influenced by the monsoon (≫1600 mm a⁻¹), the preservation potential of pre-Lateglacial moraine successions is generally extremely poor. This is possibly because Lateglacial and Holocene glacial advances may have been more extensive than early glaciations and hence may have destroyed any landform or sedimentary evidence of earlier glaciations. Furthermore, the intense denudation, mainly by fluvial and mass movement processes, which characterize these wetter environments, results in rapid erosion and re-sedimentation of glacial and associated landforms, which also contributes to their poor preservation potential.     

Late Quaternary glaciation of Tibet and the bordering mountains: a review

Abundant glacial geologic evidence present throughout Tibet and the bordering mountains shows that glaciers have oscillated many times throughout the late Quaternary. Yet the timing and extent of glacial advances is still highly debated. Recent studies, however, suggest that glaciation was most extensive prior to the last glacial cycle. Furthermore, these studies show that in many regions of Tibet and the Himalaya glaciation was generally more extensive during the earlier part of the last glacial cycle and was limited in extent during the global Last Glacial Maximum (marine oxygen isotope stage 2). Holocene glacial advances were also limited in extent, with glaciers advancing just a few kilometers from their present ice margins. In the monsoon-influenced regions, glaciation appears to be strongly controlled by changes in insolation that govern the geographical extent of the monsoon and consequently precipitation distribution. Monsoonal precipitation distribution strongly influences glacier mass balances, allowing glaciers in high altitude regions to advance during times of increased precipitation, which are associated with insolation maxima during glacial times. Furthermore, there are strong topographic controls on glaciation, particular in regions where there are rainshadow effects. It is likely that glaciers, influenced by the different climatic systems, behaved differently at different times. However, more detailed geomorphic and geochronological studies are needed to fully explore regional variations. Changes in glacial ice volume in Tibet and the bordering mountains were relatively small after the global LGM as compared to the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. It is therefore unlikely that meltwater draining from Tibet and the bordering mountains during the Lateglacial and early Holocene would have been sufficient to affect oceanic circulation. However, changes in surface albedo may have influenced the dynamics of monsoonal systems and this may have important implications for global climate change. Drainage development, including lake level changes on the Tibetan plateau and adjacent regions has been strongly controlled by climatic oscillations on centennial, decadal and especially millennial timescales. Since the Little Ice Age, and particularly during this century, glaciers have been progressively retreating. This pattern is likely to continue throughout the 21st century, exacerbated by human-induced global warming.     

Timing of Late Quaternary glaciation along the southwestern slopes of the Qilian Shan, Tibet

Moraines along the southwestern slopes of the Qilian Shan were dated using cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) surface exposure techniques to help define the timing of glaciation in northernmost Tibet. The CRN data show glaciers extending 5–10 km beyond their present positions during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and probably maintained at their maximum extent until the Lateglacial. These data help support the view that glaciers throughout Tibet and the Himalaya were maintained at or near their maximum LGM extent until the Lateglacial. An optically stimulated luminescence date of 11.8 ± 1.0 ka on silt that caps a latero-frontal moraine shows that glaciers had retreated significantly by the end of the Pleistocene and that loess was beginning to form in this region in response to the changing climate during and after the Younger Dryas Stade.     

Late Quaternary glacial history of Khentey Mountains,Central Mongolia

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

Contributions and unrealized potential contributions of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating to glacier chronology, 1990–2010

This paper reviews the application of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating to glacier chronology. Exposure dating of glacial landforms has made an outsize impact on this field because the technique filled an obvious need that had already been recognized by glacial geologists. By now, hundreds of studies have used cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating to date glacial deposits, and in fact it is rare to find a study of glacial geology or glacier chronology, or any paleoclimate synthesis that makes use of such studies, that does not involve exposure dating. These developments have resulted in major contributions to glacier chronology and paleoclimate, in particular i) reconstructing Antarctic ice sheet change, ii) establishing the chronology of late Pleistocene and Holocene glacier change in mountain regions where it was previously unknown; iii) establishing the broad chronological outlines of mountain glaciations prior to the Last Glacial Maximum; and iv) gaining insight into subglacial erosional processes through the observation that many glaciated surfaces preserve cosmogenic-nuclide inventories from long past ice-free periods as well as the present one. An important potential future contribution will be the application of the large data set of exposure-dated glacier chronologies to better understand global and regional climate dynamics during Lateglacial and Holocene millennial-scale climate changes. However, this contribution cannot be realized without significant progress in two areas: i) understanding and accounting for geologic processes that cause apparent exposure ages on glacial landforms to differ from the true age of the landform, and ii) minimizing systematic uncertainties in exposure ages that stem from cosmogenic-nuclide production-rate estimates and scaling schemes. At present there exists an enormous data set of exposure ages on glacial deposits, but these data cannot be used to their full potential in paleoclimate syntheses due to an inadequate understanding of geologic scatter and production-rate uncertainties. The intent of this paper is to highlight this situation and suggest some strategies for realizing this potential.     

Timing and style of Late Pleistocene glaciation in the Queer Shan,northern Hengduan Mountains in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Glacial landforms and sediments provide evidence for the existence of two Late Pleistocene major glacial advances in the Queer Shan, northern Hengduan Mountains in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. In the current study, optically stimulated luminescence and electron spin resonance dating results reveal that the two glacial advances occurred during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in MIS 2, respectively. Geomorphic evidence shows that the glacial advance during MIS 3 was more extensive than that in MIS 2. This glacial advance is synchronous with other glaciated areas in the Himalaya and Tibet, but contrasts with global ice volumes that reached their maximum extent during the LGM. Glaciers in the Queer Shan are of the summer accumulation type and are mainly fed by precipitation from the south Asian monsoon. Palaeoclimate proxies show that during MIS 3 the south Asian monsoon strengthened and extended further north into the Tibetan Plateau to supply more precipitation as snow at high altitudes. This in turn led to positive glacier mass balances and caused glaciers to advance. However, during the LGM, despite cooler temperature than in MIS 3, the weakened south Asian monsoon and the associated reduced precipitation were not as favourable for glacier expansion as in MIS 3. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

贡嘎山第四纪冰川遗迹及冰期划分

在对贡嘎山现代冰川和古冰川考察研究的基础上，结合定位观测分析，对该区第四纪冰川遗迹进行了深入讨论，划分出三次冰期，即中更新世早期的倒数第三次冰期，中更新世晚期的倒数第二次冰期和晚更新世的末次冰期，以及全新世的新冰期和小冰期。提出在早更新世时，由于山体未达到当时冰川发育的雪线高度，所以未发育冰川；中更新世早期的冰期冰川为半覆盖式冰川类型，规模不大；中更新世晚期的冰期冰川是本区最大冰川作用时期，形成网状山麓冰川，东坡冰川曾达磨西台地；晚更新世冰期冰川以山谷冰川为主，以后规模逐次缩小。     

Holocene and latest Pleistocene alpine glacier fluctuations: a global perspective

Alpine glacier fluctuations provide important paleoclimate proxies where other records such as ice cores, tree rings, and speleothems are not available. About 20 years have passed since a special issue of Quaternary Science Reviews was published to review the worldwide evidence for Holocene glacier fluctuations. Since that time, numerous sites have been discovered, new dating techniques have been developed, and refined climatic hypotheses have been proposed that contribute to a better understanding of Earth's climate system. This special volume includes 12 papers on Holocene and latest Pleistocene alpine glacier fluctuations that update the seven review papers from 1988.Major findings of these 12 papers include the following: many, but certainly not all, alpine areas record glacier advances during the Younger Dryas cold interval. Most areas in the Northern Hemisphere witnessed maximum glacier recession during the early Holocene, with some glaciers disappearing, although a few sites yield possible evidence for advances during the 8.2 ka cooling event. In contrast, some alpine areas in the Southern Hemisphere saw glaciers reach their maximum post-glacial extents during the early to middle Holocene. In many parts of the globe, glaciers reformed and/or advanced during Neoglaciation, beginning as early as 6.5 ka. Neoglacial advances commonly occurred with millennial-scale oscillations, with many alpine glaciers reaching their maximum Holocene extents during the Little Ice Age of the last few centuries. Although the pattern and rhythm of these glacier fluctuations remain uncertain, improved spatial coverage coupled with tighter age control for many events will provide a means to assess forcing mechanisms for Holocene and latest Pleistocene glacial activity and perhaps predict glacier response to future impacts from human-induced climate change.     

Speleothem and glacier records of latest Pleistocene–early Holocene climate change in the western North American interior

Rapid and high-magnitude North Atlantic climate oscillations following the Last Glacial Maximum have been correlated to climate change events in western North America. However, the strength of teleconnections between the North Atlantic and the interior of western North America remains poorly understood. We present a U-series calibrated speleothem record from Timpanogos Cave National Monument, located at 2040 m asl in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, spanning 13.5–10.6 ka. Additionally, we carried out a climate reconstruction for a coeval glacier advance in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. Our results indicate that between 13.5 and 12.8 ka, the Wasatch was probably first cool and dry and then warmed. After 12.8 ka, our record suggests cool and/or wetter conditions followed by reduced moisture until 11.8 ka, followed by an early Holocene wet period. The Timpanogos record exhibits few similarities with those from the North Atlantic. Climate reconstructions of the Titcomb Basin glacier suggest modest temperature depressions relative to modern (<−3 °C) were necessary to sustain the glacier with a moderate increase in precipitation (>150%). The high-altitude speleothem record presented here provides a valuable basis for understanding latest Pleistocene–early Holocene glacial episodes in western North America.     

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）.     

西藏东南部末次冰期早阶段冰川作用及其古气候意义

西藏东南部的"古乡冰期"和"白玉冰期"是划分中国第四纪冰期的蓝本.其中,白玉冰期即末次冰期,分为早阶段和晚阶段,相对应的冰川沉积广泛分布于本区的波堆藏布谷地.已有的冰川数值年代结果显示,末次冰期晚阶段的冰川作用发生于海洋氧同位素阶段(MIS)2.然而,关于早阶段的冰进记录,目前却未有确切的年代学证据,此次冰川作用究竟发...     

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.     

Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier fluctuations in western Canada

We summarize evidence of the latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier fluctuations in the Canadian Cordillera. Our review focuses primarily on studies completed after 1988, when the first comprehensive review of such evidence was published. The Cordilleran ice sheet reached its maximum extent about 16 ka and then rapidly decayed. Some lobes of the ice sheet, valley glaciers, and cirque glaciers advanced one or more times between 15 and 11 ka. By 11 ka, or soon thereafter, glacier cover in the Cordillera was no more extensive than at the end of the 20th century. Glaciers were least extensive between 11 and 7 ka. A general expansion of glaciers began as early as 8.4 ka when glaciers overrode forests in the southern Coast Mountains; it culminated with the climactic advances of the Little Ice Age. Holocene glacier expansion was not continuous, but rather was punctuated by advances and retreats on a variety of timescales. Radiocarbon ages of wood collected from glacier forefields reveal six major periods of glacier advance: 8.59–8.18, 7.36–6.45, 4.40–3.97, 3.54–2.77, 1.71–1.30 ka, and the past millennium. Tree-ring and lichenometric dating shows that glaciers began their Little Ice Age advances as early as the 11th century and reached their maximum Holocene positions during the early 18th or mid-19th century. Our data confirm a previously suggested pattern of episodic but successively greater Holocene glacier expansion from the early Holocene to the climactic advances of the Little Ice Age, presumably driven by decreasing summer insolation throughout the Holocene. Proxy climate records indicate that glaciers advanced during the Little Ice Age in response to cold conditions that coincided with times of sunspot minima. Priority research required to further advance our understanding of late Pleistocene and Holocene glaciation in western Canada includes constraining the age of late Pleistocene moraines in northern British Columbia and Yukon Territory, expanding the use of cosmogenic surface exposure dating techniques, using multi-proxy paleoclimate approaches, and directing more of the research effort to the northern Canadian Cordillera.     

Dynamic Holocene glacial history of St. Jonsfjorden,Svalbard

Evidence of a dynamic Holocene glacial history is preserved in the terrestrial and marine archives of St. Jonsfjorden, a small fjord‐system on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. High‐resolution, remotely sensed imagery from marine and terrestrial environments was used to construct geomorphological maps that highlight an intricate glacial history of the entire fjord‐system. The geomorphology and stratigraphy indicate an early Holocene local glacier advance constrained to the Lateglacial–early Holocene transition. Identification and ¹⁴C dating of the thermophilous bivalve mollusc Modiolus modiolus to 10.0±0.12 cal. ka BP suggest a rapid northward migration of the species shortly after deglaciation. Further evidence enhances the understanding of the onset and subsequent climax of the Neoglacial‐Little Ice Age in inner St. Jonsfjorden. The present‐day terminus of Osbornebreen, the dominating glacier system in St. Jonsfjorden, is located over 8.5 km up‐fjord from its Neoglacial maximum extent. Cross‐cutting relationships suggest subsequent advances of all the smaller glaciers in the area following the break‐up of Osbornebreen. Glacial deposits, landforms and their cross‐cutting relationships observed in both terrestrial and marine settings imply a complex and highly dynamic environment through the later part of the Holocene.     

The response of vegetation at the end of the last glacial period (MIS 3 and MIS 2) in littoral areas of NW Iberia

This paper describes and discusses the palaeobotanical data obtained from organic levels of two exposed deposits on the Atlantic shore of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. Radiocarbon dating assigns these levels to a period of marine regression at the end of MIS 3 and the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum. The pollen record shows an initial predominance of tree taxa (mainly deciduous, including the presence of Fagus far from its current limit), followed by an episode of partial forest retraction related to the end of MIS 3 and the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum. However, the presence of numerous tree taxa in the record, even during the cold intervals associated with Heinrich events, points to the existence of sheltered refugia for these species during this period, in keeping with the conclusions of recent reviews of the vegetation dynamics of this region for the Lateglacial and the Holocene.     

Quaternary glaciation of Mt. Qomolangma-Xixabangma region

The uplift of the Himalaya and Qinghai-Xizang plateau began at the end of Pliocene to the beginning of Early Pleistocene, changing the atmospheric circulation in Asia, enhancing the South Asian monsoon and enormously effecting the climatic conditions and glacial development.According to the evidence of glacial deposits, geomorphology, paleobiology, paleopedology, etc., at least four glaciations can be recognized. The uplift of the Himalayas was earlier than that of other mountains, so that the glaciation occurred in Early Pleistocene, forming small piedmont glaciers on the N slope, whilst at the same time there were wide short valley glaciers on the S slope. During the Middle Pleistocene, the height of Himalaya was about 4000 m a s l, the monsoon was strong, and much water vapour reached the interior of the plateau, the most favourable period for glacial development. Great piedmont glaciers and small ice caps formed on the mountains N of Himalayas and great valley glaciers occurred on the S slope, but no great ice sheet covered the plateau.During the early Late Pleistocene, the Himalayas had risen to over 5000 m asl, forming a barrier against the incursion of the Indian monsoon, so that the precipitation decreased sharply on the plateau N of Himalayas, thus diminishing the extent of the glaciation. But on the high mountains of the S part of Xizang and on several high mountains of the S slope of the Great Himalaya, the precipitation increased and the extent of glaciation reached a maximum. Since Last Glaciation, the precipitation of the alpine zone has decreased more sharply, the climate has become drier and colder, becoming unfavourable for glacial development.During the Holocene, three stages may be distinguished, i.e. the recession in Early Holocene (10,000-8000 BP); the disappearance of most glaciers in the Hypsithermal period in Middle Holocene, (8000-3000 BP); and the neoglacial fluctuations in Late Holocene (3000 BP up to present). The glaciers of the Neoglaciation advanced several hundred meters or even 3–5 km farther than existing glaciers.     

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.     

Fluctuations of local glaciers in Greenland during latest Pleistocene and Holocene time

This paper is the first to summarize research on fluctuations of local glaciers in Greenland (e.g. ice caps and mountain glaciers independent of the Greenland Ice Sheet) during latest Pleistocene and Holocene time. In contrast to the extensive data available for fluctuations of the Greenland Ice Sheet, surprisingly little data exist to constrain local glacier extents. Much of the available research was conducted prior to wide-spread use of AMS radiocarbon dating and the advent of surface-exposure and luminescence dating. Although there is a paucity of data, generally similar patterns of local glacier fluctuations are observed in all regions of Greenland and likely reflect changes in paleoclimate, which must have influenced at least the margins of the Inland Ice. Absolute-age data for late-glacial and early Holocene advances of local glaciers are reported from only two locations: Disko (island) and the Scoresby Sund region. Subsequent to late-glacial or early Holocene time, most local glaciers were smaller than at present or may have disappeared completely during the Holocene Thermal Maximum. In general, local glacier advances that occurred during Historical time (1200–1940 AD) are the most extensive since late-glacial or early Holocene time. Historical documents and more recent aerial photographs provide useful information about local glacier fluctuations during the last 100 yrs. In all but one area (North Greenland), local glaciers are currently receding from Historical extents.     

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.     

Late Quaternary glaciation and equilibrium line altitude variations of the McKinley River region,central Alaska Range

Dortch, J. M., Owen, L. A., Caffee, M. W. & Brease, P. 2009: Late Quaternary glaciation and equilibrium line altitude variations of the McKinley River region, central Alaska Range. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00121.x. ISSN 0300‐9483 Glacial deposits and landforms produced by the Muldrow and Peters glaciers in the McKinley River region of Alaska were examined using geomorphic and ¹⁰Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) surface exposure dating (SED) methods to assess the timing and nature of late Quaternary glaciation and moraine stabilization. In addition to the oldest glacial deposits (McLeod Creek Drift), a group of four late Pleistocene moraines (MP‐I, II, III and IV) and three late Holocene till deposits (‘X’, ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ drifts) are present in the region, representing at least eight glacial advances. The ¹⁰Be TCN ages for the MP‐I moraine ranged from 2.5 kyr to 146 kyr, which highlights the problems of defining the ages of late Quaternary moraines using SED methods in central Alaska. The Muldrow ‘X’ drift has a ¹⁰Be TCN age of ～0.54 kyr, which is ～1.3 kyr younger than the independent minimum lichen age of ～1.8 kyr. This age difference probably represents the minimum time between formation and early stabilization of the moraine. Contemporary and former equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) were determined. The ELA depressions for the Muldrow glacial system were 560, 400, 350 and 190 m and for the Peters glacial system 560, 360, 150 and 10 m, based on MP‐I through MP‐IV moraines, respectively. The difference between ELA depressions for the Muldrow and Peters glaciers likely reflects differences in supraglacial debris‐cover, glacier hypsometry and topographic controls on glacier mass balance.