Molluscan and foraminiferal biostratigraphy of an Eemian-Early Weichselian section on Karmøy, southwestern Norway

Sejrup, Hans Petter 1987 03 01: Molluscan and foraminiferal biostratigraphy of an Eemian-Early Weichselian section on Karmøy, southwestern Norway. Boreas , Vol. 16, pp. 27–42. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.
At Karmøy, southwestern Norway, a section with marine sediments from the last interglacial (the Avaldsnes Interglacial) and from two ice-free periods (the Torvastad and Bø Interstadial) in the Weichselian have been examined for molluscs and foraminifera. The following conclusions concerning the depositional environments of these sediments can be drawn: (1) The Avaldsnes Interglacial was a high-energy environment with a sea level 20 to 50 m higher than at present, regressing towards the end of the interglacial. Sea temperatures were as in the area today or slightly warmer. (2) During the Torvastad Interstadial (71–85 ka) the sea level was between 0 and c . 20 m higher than at present, and sea temperatures were as between Svalbard and northern Norway today. (3) The Bø Interstadial (40–64 ka) shows a complete interstadial cycle, with changing sea level and temperatures. Its optimum was close to the conditions prevailing in North Norway today or slightly colder. By comparison with other sites, a total of at least four interstadial episodes through the Weichselian in southwestern Norway is proposed. These date to c . 30 ka, 40–64 ka, 71–85 ka and 87–101 ka. The episodes and the glacial advances between them do not directly correlate with published interpretations of changes in surface circulation in the Norwegian Sea through the Weichselian. It is suggested that the nourishment of the southern part of the Scandinavian ice sheet might be more related to sea surface conditions in the North Atlantic than to those of the Norwegian Sea.