Weichselian interstadials at Riipiharju,northern Sweden – interpretation of vegetation and climate from fossil and modern pollen records

Hättestrand, M. & Robertsson, A.‐M. 2010: Weichselian interstadials at Riipiharju, northern Sweden – interpretation of vegetation and climate from fossil and modern pollen records. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00129.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. The most complete records of Weichselian ice‐free conditions in northern Sweden have been retrieved from kettleholes in the Riipiharju esker. In an earlier study, the Riipiharju I core was described as containing two Weichselian interstadials and Riipiharju was chosen as type site for the second Weichselian interstadial in northern Sweden. Here, we present a palynological investigation of two new sediment cores (Riipiharju II and III) retrieved from Riipiharju. Together, the new cores comprise a late cold part of the first Weichselian interstadial recorded in northeastern Sweden (Tärendö I, earlier correlated with Peräpohjola in Finland) as well as a long sequence of the second Weichselian interstadial (Tärendö II, earlier named Tärendö). The results indicate that the climate during deposition of the Tärendö II sequence was more variable than earlier suggested. According to the present interpretation it was relatively warm in the early part of Tärendö II; thereafter a long cold phase persisted, and finally the climate was warmer again in the late part of Tärendö II. The warm phases are characterized by Betula‐dominant pollen assemblages, while the cold phase is characterized by high percentages of Artemisia and Gramineae pollen. Since there is still no firm chronology established of the interstadials in northeastern Sweden, two possible correlations are discussed; either Tärendö I and II are correlated with Brörup (MIS 5c) and Odderade (MIS 5a), or, perhaps more likely, they are correlated with Odderade and early Middle Weichselian (MIS 3) time.     

Thermoluminescence dating of Dimlington Stadial deposits in eastern England

The loess component of a solifluction deposit of the Dimlington Stadial exposed at the inland site of Eppleworth in eastern England gave a thermoluminescence date of 17.5 ± 1.6 × 10³ years. The solifluction deposit is overlain by a slightly weathered till correlated with the Skipsea Till of coastal exposures. which lies between organic horizons with radiocarbon dates of 18,500–18,240 B.P. and 13,045 B.P. Although the till must have been deposited during the Dimlington Stadial (after 18,240 B.P. at Dimlington and after 17,500 B.P. at Epplcworth), it gave apparent TL dates of 42.1 ± 3.6 × 10³ years at Eppleworth and 102 ± 9 × 10³ years at Dimlington, indicating that the components of the till were not exposed to light immediately before deposition.     

Deposition of the Bear Gulch Limestone: a Carboniferous Plattenkalk from central Montana

The Carboniferous Bear Gulch Limestone of the central Montana Big Snowy Trough is a lithographic limestone analogous to the plattenkalk carbonates of the Mesozoic European/Middle Eastern Tethyan belt. It contains an excellently preserved chitinous and phosphatic marine fauna. Petrographic and field studies synthesized with palaeontological data provide insights into depositional history. Tectonic activity initiated development of small en echelon basins. Rims of these basins were sites of high primary productivity. Photosynthesis by subtidal cyanobacterial mats and algae caused in situ precipitation of micrite. Cyanobacteria and algae also provided a food source for benthic and nektonic organisms, which provided food for predators. Respiration in turn provided carbon dioxide for continued photosynthesis. Thus a balanced ecosystem evolved. Productivity in the water column used up available oxygen, resulting in dysaerobic to anaerobic conditions in the bottom waters and sediments. This plus high sedimentation rates of carbonate ooze transported downslope, aided in preservation of whole-body fossils. There are no likely modern analogues known for the Bear Gulch Limestone. However, comparisons with Mesozoic plattenkalke demonstrate that it is most closely analogous to those deposited in shallow water back-reef areas of the Tethyan carbonate platform, rather than to those deposited in the deeper water shelf-edge environment. This is in agreement with the water depth of roughly 40 m estimated for the Bear Gulch Limestone.     

A scanning system for measuring the age-related luminescence of split sediment cores

This article describes the development and performance of an integrated optical sensor system that has been designed for rapid analysis of split sediment cores. The primary aim of the system is to obtain information based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques; these provide a record of the accrued radiation dose of material since deposition. Particularly after suitable normalization, the luminescence signal recorded along the length of the core will provide information on the relative age of the sediment. Two wavelengths of stimulation are used (infra-red and green) and these probe the feldspar, and combined feldspar and quartz components of the sediment respectively; the ratio of the two signals can thus provide some indication of relative changes in the silicate mineralogy. A secondary use of the system is for optical reflectance measurements. With the addition of a monochromator, optical reflectance spectroscopy can be applied to obtain additional information on down-core mineralogical changes. In this article we describe technical aspects of the sensor system, discuss measurement techniques and consider the relevance of data obtained. Two examples of sediment cores are presented, which demonstrate the applicability of the instrument.     

Quaternary vertebrate palaeontology

Book reviewed in this article:
Genoways, Hugh & Dawson, Mary (eds.) 1984: Contributions in Quaternary Vertebrate Palaeontology: A Volume in Memorial to John E. Guilday     

The Turiy Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia: Isotopic and Geochemical Evidence for Multi-source Evolution

The Turiy Massif, lying within the Kandalaksha Graben, and onthe southern coast of the Kola Peninsula, contains carbonatites,phoscorites, melilitolites, ijolites and pyroxenites withinone central and four surrounding satellite complexes. Sr–Ndisotopic data from the central complex phoscorites and carbonatites,and the nearby Terskii Coast kimberlites, combined with otherrecently published data on the Devonian Kola Alkaline Province,allow us to redefine the position of the Kola Carbonatite Line(KCL) of Kramm (European Journal of Mineralogy 5, 985–989,1993). We propose that the revised-KCL mantle sources includea lower-mantle plume, and a second enriched source, which alsocontributed to the Terskii Coast and Archangelsk kimberlites.The Turiy Massif silicate rocks and northern complex carbonatiteshave more enriched isotopic signatures than the distinct, anddepleted signatures of the central complex phoscorites and carbonatites,particularly with respect to     

The subfossil seals of Finland and their relation to the history of the Baltic Sea

The occurrence of seals in the Finnish prehistoric fauna and in the Baltic since the end of the last glaciation is discussed on the basis of subfossil remains in refuses at cultural sites, and stray finds. The species represented are the harp ( Phoca groenlandica Müller), the ringed seal ( Phoca hispida Schreb.), and the grey seal ( Halicoerus grypus (Fabr.)), of which the latter two are native in the recent fauna, whereas the former has since become extinct in the Baltic. The earliest seals, which probably immigrated to the Yoldia Sea, were ringed seals, whereas the subfossil harp seals are solely found in sediments of the Litorina Sea stage.