TY - JOUR

T1 - New age constraints for the Saalian glaciation in northern central Europe: Implications for the extent of ice sheets and related proglacial lake systems

AU - Lang, Jörg

AU - Lauer, Tobias

AU - Winsemann, Jutta

N1 - Funding information: Funding for this study was provided in the framework of the “Wege in die Forschung” program by Leibniz Universität Hannover (project title: “ Mittelpleistozäne Megafluten in Norddeutschland: Auswirkungen und Magnituden “; Grant No. II-05-2014-05 ). We would like to thank S. Hesse for preparation of OSL samples. F. Busch, J. Sievers and T. Steinbrecher are thanked for GIS work. The hill-shaded relief maps were produced using Copernicus data and information funded by the European Union (EU-DEM layers) and data provided by the Bezirksregierung Köln. K. Cohen, W. Bartholomäus, B.-C. Ehling, M. Frechen, K. Skupin, E. Speetzen and S. Wansa are thanked for discussion. The constructive comments of two anonymous reviewers are appreciated and helped to improve the manuscript.

PY - 2018/1/15

Y1 - 2018/1/15

N2 - A comprehensive palaeogeographic reconstruction of ice sheets and related proglacial lake systems for the older Saalian glaciation in northern central Europe is presented, which is based on the integration of palaeo-ice flow data, till provenance, facies analysis, geomorphology and new luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits. Three major ice advances with different ice-advance directions and source areas are indicated by palaeo-ice flow directions and till provenance. The first ice advance was characterised by a southwards directed ice flow and a dominance of clasts derived from southern Sweden. The second ice advance was initially characterised by an ice flow towards the southwest. Clasts are mainly derived from southern and central Sweden. The latest stage in the study area (third ice advance) was characterised by ice streaming (Hondsrug ice stream) in the west and a re-advance in the east. Clasts of this stage are mainly derived from eastern Fennoscandia. Numerical ages for the first ice advance are sparse, but may indicate a correlation with MIS 8 or early MIS 6. New pIRIR290 luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits attributed to the second ice advance range from 175 ± 10 to 156 ± 24 ka and correlate with MIS 6. The ice sheets repeatedly blocked the main river-drainage pathways and led to the formation of extensive ice-dammed lakes. The formation of proglacial lakes was mainly controlled by ice-damming of river valleys and major bedrock spillways; therefore the lake levels and extends were very similar throughout the repeated ice advances. During deglaciation the lakes commonly increased in size and eventually drained successively towards the west and northwest into the Lower Rhine Embayment and the North Sea. Catastrophic lake-drainage events occurred when large overspill channels were suddenly opened. Ice-streaming at the end of the older Saalian glaciation was probably triggered by major lake-drainage events.

AB - A comprehensive palaeogeographic reconstruction of ice sheets and related proglacial lake systems for the older Saalian glaciation in northern central Europe is presented, which is based on the integration of palaeo-ice flow data, till provenance, facies analysis, geomorphology and new luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits. Three major ice advances with different ice-advance directions and source areas are indicated by palaeo-ice flow directions and till provenance. The first ice advance was characterised by a southwards directed ice flow and a dominance of clasts derived from southern Sweden. The second ice advance was initially characterised by an ice flow towards the southwest. Clasts are mainly derived from southern and central Sweden. The latest stage in the study area (third ice advance) was characterised by ice streaming (Hondsrug ice stream) in the west and a re-advance in the east. Clasts of this stage are mainly derived from eastern Fennoscandia. Numerical ages for the first ice advance are sparse, but may indicate a correlation with MIS 8 or early MIS 6. New pIRIR290 luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits attributed to the second ice advance range from 175 ± 10 to 156 ± 24 ka and correlate with MIS 6. The ice sheets repeatedly blocked the main river-drainage pathways and led to the formation of extensive ice-dammed lakes. The formation of proglacial lakes was mainly controlled by ice-damming of river valleys and major bedrock spillways; therefore the lake levels and extends were very similar throughout the repeated ice advances. During deglaciation the lakes commonly increased in size and eventually drained successively towards the west and northwest into the Lower Rhine Embayment and the North Sea. Catastrophic lake-drainage events occurred when large overspill channels were suddenly opened. Ice-streaming at the end of the older Saalian glaciation was probably triggered by major lake-drainage events.

KW - Ice-dammed lake

KW - Lake-outburst flood

KW - Luminescence dating

KW - Middle Pleistocene

KW - Saalian glaciation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85037365988&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.11.029

DO - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.11.029

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85037365988

VL - 180

SP - 240

EP - 259

JO - Quaternary Science Reviews

JF - Quaternary Science Reviews

SN - 0277-3791

ER -