Comparison of the glacial chronology of Eastern Baffin Island, East Greenland and Camp century accumulation record

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Independently derived glacial chronologies
from eastern Baffin Island, Canadian
Arctic, and from East Greenland show
essentially similar glaciologic trends that
arc notably different from the response
of the southern margins of the Laurentide
and FCllnoscandia Ice Sheets. The critical
aspe~ts of both chronologies and the
related extcn t of the ice sheets are (1) an
early and maximum glacial stade, during
the early phase of the last glaciation,
reaching its peak abqut 100,000 to
75,000 yr ago; (2) an in terstadial about
.70,000 n.p.; (3) an ice advance peaking
about 45,000 yr ago; (4) an interval
about 40,000 to 11,000 yr ago of restricted
ice extent; and (5) a late glacial
sladial belween 11,000 and 8,000 B.P.
This record shows basic agreement with
a chronology of snow accumulation at
the Camp Century ice core site based on
a revised chronostratigraphic interpretation.
Fluctuations in sea level between
120,000 and 70,000 B.P. may well be
related to glacierization of high arctic
land masses under conditions of heavy
snowfall. The subsequent reduction of
accumulation in these high arctic areas
then leads to a reduction of ice volume
with a dry, cold interstadial correlative
in time with the "classical" Wisconsin
ice advance along the southern margins.
The late glacial advance of both eastern
Baffin Island and East Greenland, which
extended into Holocene time, represents
a brief return to high accumulation rates
as the global circulation changed from a
glacial to an interglacial mode.
Original languageDanish
JournalGeology
Volume2
Pages (from-to)355-358
Publication statusPublished - 1974

ID: 34396281