Three frost wedge casts from Jutland (Denmark) and TL dating of their infill

Excavations for an oil pipeline in western Jutland provided the opportunity to study geological features in the trenches. Among these were ice wedge casts, composite wedge casts, and wedges with primary infilling of eolian sand. In this paper the characteristics of three wedges with a high proportion of primary infill of eolian sand are described in some detail. Thermoluminescence (TL) dating was made on the eolian sand using 0.1–0.3 mm grains of quartz and potassium feldspar. The TL ages are: 39,000 ± 5,000, 24,000 ± 3,000, and 17,000 ± 3,000 years B.P. These ages are discussed and compared with indirect datings. Palaeoenvironmental conditions at the time of maximum cold during the upper part of the Weichselian are briefly considered.