Periglacial phenomena in the wooded areas of Northern Sweden - relicts from the Tärendö Interstadial

Frost-shattered bedrock and ventifacts interpreted to be abraded by drifting snow or ice particles occur frequently in the wooded areas of northernmost Sweden. Ice-wedge casts and periglacial involutions are encountered more sporadically. The phenomena cannot be explained by the present or the Holocene climate and demonstrably pre-date the last deglaciation. The relation to glacial and non-glacial stratigraphy, and to ice flow during the latest glacial stade, strongly suggests that the periglacial activity dates from the local Tärendö Interstadial, tentatively correlated with Odderade. The presence of the periglacial features implies not only that different morphological formations survived the erosive impact of the last continental ice sheet but also that in wide areas the very ground surface, including ventifacts in primary position, is the same today as during the interstadial. A similar situation appears to prevail in northernmost Dalecarlia and parts of Härjedalen and Jämtland in central Sweden.