Late Quaternary Glacial and Climatic History of Northern Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, N.W.T., Canada

1973 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gifford H. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Ice Coverage ◽  
Organic Horizons ◽  
History Of ◽  
Marine Facies ◽  
Reported Data

AbstractRadiocarbon dates on molluses in marine facies associated with glacial deposits in northern Cumberland Peninsula indicate both main fiord (Laurentide) ice and local glaciers remained at their late Wisconsin maxima until ca. 8000 BP. Essentially continuous deglaciation followed; local corrie glaciers melted out by 7100 BP and by 5500 BP fiord glaciers had receded behind the present margin of the Penny Ice Cap. The Hypsithermal warm interval probably lasted from ca. 8000 to 5000 BP. Lichenometry and radiocarbon dates on peat and buried organic horizons delimit a detailed Neoglacial chronology. Of 46 outlet and corrie glaciers investigated, the oldest Neoglacial moraines are dated lichenometrically at 3200 ± 600 BP. Subsequent advances terminated immediately prior to ca. 1650, 780, 350, and 65 yr BP, the most recent of which marked the most extensive ice coverage during the Neoglacial. The highest occurrence of lateral moraines from late Wisconsin advances of local and Laurentide ice suggest that at the late Wisconsin glacial maximum, depression of snowline varied from 450 m below present at the coast to 350 m below present level in the vicinity of the Penny Ice Cap. Moraines, surrounded by glacial ice and lying above the present steady-state ELA, suggest that during the Hypsithermal snowline was up to ca. 200 m above its present elevation. A radiometrically controlled reconstruction of relative summer paleotemperatures for the postglacial derived independently of lichenometry agrees well with the lichenometric age dating of moraines. The data suggest that between ca. 1650 and 900 BP climatic conditions were unfavorable for glacier growth, whereas the period ca. 800-65 yr BP was one of general glacial activity. During the last decade permanent snow cover has been increasing in the area. Previously reported data on climatic trends in the Canadian Arctic based on palynological analyses are similar to the chronology reported here.

Late Quaternary Glacial History of the South Orkney Plateau, Antarctica

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J. Herron ◽  
John B. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
The South ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Orkney Islands ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
History Of ◽  
Seismic Records ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
History Of The South

AbstractPiston cores from the South Orkney Plateau penetrated overcompacted diamictons in water depths of up to 250 m. Detailed textural and petrological analyses of these diamictons indicate that they are basal tills. Seismic records from the plateau show a widespread surface of glacial erosion and provide additional evidence of an ice cap grounded to a depth of 250 m. Piston cores from the slope of the plateau penetrated diatomaceous muds resting directly on poorly sorted muds with very little to no biogenic material. The ice-rafted debris in these glacial-marine sediments is composed almost exclusively of material derived from the South Orkney Islands. This implies deposition beneath an ice shelf as opposed to iceberg rafting. In contrast, diatomaceous muds contain relatively abundant exotic iceberg-rafted material and reflect a glacial-maritime setting similar to that of today. The sharp contact separating diatomaceous surface sediments from basal tills and sub-ice shelf deposits indicates that the ice cap and ice shelf retreated from the plateau rapidly. Radiocarbon dates for diatomaceous muds from a glacial trough on the plateau indicate that the ice cap and ice shelf retreated from the plateau prior to 6000 to 7000 years ago. The homogeneity of surficial diatomaceous sediments suggests that sea ice conditions over the plateau have not changed radically since that time.

Late Quaternary Climate and Vegetation of the Sudanian Zone of Northeast Nigeria

2002 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Salzmann ◽  
Philipp Hoelzmann ◽  
Irena Morczinek
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Quaternary Climate ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sudanian Zone ◽  
Humid Period

AbstractThe Lake Tilla crater lake in northeastern Nigeria (10°23′N, 12°08′E) provides a ca. 17,000 14C yr multiproxy record of the environmental history of a Sudanian savanna in West Africa. Evaluation of pollen, diatoms, and sedimentary geochemistry from cores suggests that dry climatic conditions prevailed throughout the late Pleistocene. Before the onset of the Holocene, the slow rise in lake levels was interrupted by a distinct dry event between ca. 10,900 and 10,500 14C yr B.P., which may coincide with the Younger Dryas episode. The onset of the Holocene is marked by an abrupt increase in lake levels and a subsequent spread of Guinean and Sudanian tree taxa into the open grass savanna that predominated throughout the Late Pleistocene. The dominance of the mountain olive Olea hochstetteri suggests cool climatic conditions prior to ca. 8600 14C yr B.P. The early to mid-Holocene humid period culminated between ca. 8500 and 7000 14C yr B.P. with the establishment of a dense Guinean savanna during high lake levels. Frequent fires were important in promoting the open character of the vegetation. The palynological and palaeolimnological data demonstrate that the humid period terminated after ca. 7000 14C yr B.P. in a gradual decline of the precipitation/evaporation ratio and was not interrupted by abrupt climatic events. The aridification trend intensified after ca. 3800 14C yr B.P. and continued until the present.

scholarly journals Underwater faunal assemblages: radiocarbon dates and late Quaternary vertebrates from Cold Lake, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-294
Author(s):  
Christopher N. Jass ◽  
Devyn Caldwell ◽  
Christina I. Barrón-Ortiz ◽  
Alwynne B. Beaudoin ◽  
Jack Brink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
East Central ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cold Lake ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Last Glacial

Late Quaternary faunal remains from three underwater settings in Cold Lake, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, include at least 13 vertebrate taxa consistent with assemblages that postdate the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Seven new radiocarbon dates range from 10 350 ± 40 to 161 ± 23 years BP and provide insight into the post-LGM biotic history of east-central Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan. The presence of an essentially modern large mammal biota is suggested for the mid-Holocene, and possibly earlier, if the absence of extinct or extirpated taxa in association with Late Pleistocene Bison at the Alberta–Saskatchewan site is meaningful. Taphonomically, some of the remains suggest deposition in open environments during the Holocene, possibly when lake levels were lower. The recovery of late Quaternary faunal remains from a present-day lacustrine setting is novel, and suggests that similar records may occur in other lakes in western Canada, including those in areas with scarce Quaternary vertebrate records.

Lateglacial and early Flandrian environmental history of the Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

1986 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Lowe ◽  
M. J. C. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
South Central ◽  
Tundra Vegetation ◽  
Loch Lomond ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACTPollen-stratigraphic data, supported by lithological, geochemical and radiocarbon evidence are described from two Late Devensian Lateglacial sites on the Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. The data suggest that, following the wastage of the Late Devensian ice sheet some time prior to 13,000 BP, an open grass- and sedge-dominated landscape was colonised first by juniper scrub and subsequently by Empetrum heaths. Tree birch development was limited principally, it would seem, by exposure to strong westerly winds, although some scattered birch woodland did become established in more sheltered localities. The thermal maximum of the Lateglacial Interstadial appears to have occurred from c. 13,000 to 12,000 BP after which climate began to deteriorate as the atmospheric Polar Front migrated southwards. The harsh climatic conditions of the Loch Lomond Stadial, the full effects of which were experienced after c. 10,700 BP, led to the break-up of the Interstadial vegetation cover, the development of an ice cap and several smaller cirque and valley glaciers in the hills of south-central Mull, and the establishment of a periglacial regime throughout the island. By c. 10,200 BP, however, climatic amelioration was underway once more, the Loch Lomond Advance glaciers had wasted completely, and a plant succession was initiated which led to the replacement of tundra vegetation communities by Empetrum heath, juniper scrub and eventually hazel-birch woodland within the space of c. 1500 years.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Amino Acid Composition as a Geochronometer in Buried Soils on Mount Kenya, East Africa

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Mahaney ◽  
Michael G. Boyer ◽  
Nathaniel W. Rutter
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Aspartic Acid ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Buried Soils ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Acid Ratio ◽  
History Of ◽  
Quaternary History

ABSTRACT A sequence of surface and buried paleosols from the slopes of Mount Kenya, East Africa, has been identified and dated by radiocarbon and amino acid dating techniques in order to elucidate the Quaternary history of the area. Buried paleosols vary in radiocarbon age from 900 to > 40,000 yrs BP. They have developed in glacial and periglacial deposits of variable texture, consisting of a high percentage of clasts of phonolite, basalt and syenite. All but two paleosols are located in the Afroalpine zone (above 3200 m). D/L ratios of amino acids in Ab horizons were determined in order to establish their reliability for relative age dating. Alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, leucine, valine, and phenylalanine were routinely analyzed. Aspartic acid, as in other cases, proved reliable yielding remarkably consistent results, with higher ratios corresponding to increasing age. Other acids analyzed showed distinct trends, although not as convincing as aspartic acid. In most cases, the aspartic acid ratio/ age relationships were supported by radiocarbon dates. D/L ratios of aspartic acid varied from approximately 0.07 for modern samples, to approximately 0.45 in samples > 40,000 years old.

Late Quaternary glacial history of the Hermitage area of southern Newfoundland

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Leckie ◽  
S. B. McCann
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Glacial History ◽  
The South ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Small Complex ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ice Field ◽  
Late Wisconsinan

During late Wisconsinan glaciation, the northern part of the Hermitage area was glaciated by Newfoundland-centred ice and the southern part by a small, complex, upland ice field, broken by nunataks. During deglaciation a lobe of Newfoundland ice dammed a lake at the head of Bay d'Espoir in which a series of small glaciolacustrine deltas were deposited. Valley glaciers from the southern ice cap reached the south coast at several locations, most notably near Harbour Breton, where a large glaciomarine delta was formed during deglaciation when sea level stood 22–24 m above present HWM. Except for three occurrences of till, no deposits were found that can be attributed to glacial events older than late Wisconsinan.

The Late Quaternary history of east-central Ireland

1978 ◽  
Vol 115 (6) ◽  
pp. 397-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. McCabe ◽  
P. G. Hoare
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
East Central ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
The North ◽  
Organic Horizons ◽  
History Of ◽  
Complex Sequences ◽  
Quaternary History

SummaryThe drift succession in east-central Ireland is the result of a series of ice movements spreading from major centres of dispersion within theIrish Sea Basin and over the north-central Irish plain, and from local mountain sources. These glaciations have produced laterally and vertically complex sequences of deposits. The large-scale events influenced almost the entire area; problems of correlation emerge when considering episodes of relatively restricted extent such as those associated with upland ice-caps in the S and the hitherto unreported readvances which interrupted the withdrawalof ice-sheets across the northern part of the region under examination. Thetask of assigning the older units to particular Quaternary cold stages is frustrated by the absence of interstratified organic horizons. Two possible models of glaciation are considered: one may be regarded as ‘traditional’; the other requires a much shorter period of time by assuming that the stratigraphy records differences in the relative strengths of essentially contemporaneous ice-masses.

scholarly journals The Deposition History of the Coversands along the Bree Fault Escarpment, NE Belgium

2001 ◽  
Vol 80 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 171-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Frechen ◽  
K. Vanneste ◽  
K. Verbeeck ◽  
E. Paulissen ◽  
T. Camelbeeck
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Fault Scarp ◽  
Optically Stimulated Luminescence ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
History Of ◽  
Late Weichselian ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Village ◽  
Age Estimates

AbstractThe coversands along the Bree fault escarpment, NE Belgium, were investigated by a combined dating approach including infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL), thermoluminescence (TL) and radiocarbon methods. Four trenches were excavated cutting the fault scarp near the village of Bree in northeast Belgium. Altogether 17 luminescence samples and seven radiocarbon samples were investigated in order to set up a more reliable and precise chronological frame for the local coversand stratigraphy and the timing of Late Quaternary earthquake events. The chronological results indicate at least five accumulation periods for the coversand units in the area of interest. The oldest coversands were deposited during Saalian or Early Weichselian followed by coversands deposited during the Early and/or Middle Weichselian. At least three coversand units can be distinguished for the time span of the Late Weichselian to Holocene. Significant TL age underestimation of more than 20% compared to IRSL was found for samples from Trench 4. Most of the IRSL age estimates are in agreement with radiocarbon dates from the same section.

Ice-Sheet Dynamics and Glacial History of Southeasternmost Baffin Island and Outermost Hudson Strait

1988 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gifford H. Miller ◽  
Paul J. Hearty ◽  
Jay A. Stravers
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Baffin Island ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ice Sheet Dynamics

Southeasternmost Baffin Island is mantled by Hudson Strait drift; it contains abundant limestone erratics and 20 to 50% carbonate in the matrix. To the northwest, it is replaced by drift dominated by locally derived rock of the Canadian Shield. The sense and orientation of ice-erosional features demonstrate that Hudson Strait drift is associated with northeasterly ice flow that crossed the tip of Meta Incognita Peninsula; local drift, associated with ice flow S10°W along the Hudson Strait coast, was derived from a dispersal center on the peninsula. Erratic lithologies contained in the Hudson Strait drift indicate a Labradorean provenance. Large-scale bedrock molding and the distribution of cirques indicate NE-flowing ice has been dominant throughout the middle and late Quaternary. Radiocarbon dates of in situ shells confirm that deglaciation began more than 11,000 yr ago, with the Frobisher Bay coast becoming ice free by 9300 yr ago. Five dates from Hudson Strait suggest that the strait was deglaciated before 9000 yr BP. However, ice from the Labradorean Sector recrossed Hudson Strait during the Cockburn Substage, about 8500 yr ago, damming drainage from the west. Final retreat of Labradorean ice from Baffin Island was complete by 8000 yr ago, at which time the sea was able to penetrate Hudson Bay.

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