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Holocene glacial history and sea‐level changes on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula
Author(s) -
Hjort Christian,
Ingólfsson Ólafur,
Möller Per,
Lirio Juan Manuel
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1417(199707/08)12:4<259::aid-jqs307>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - deglaciation , geology , peninsula , bay , glacier , sea level , oceanography , holocene , glacial period , physical geography , moraine , ice sheet , last glacial maximum , geography , paleontology , archaeology
A reconstruction of deglaciation and associated sea‐level changes on northern James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula, based on lithostratigraphical and geomorphological studies, shows that the initial deglaciation of presently ice‐free areas occurred slightly before 7400 14 C yr BP. Sea‐level in connection with the deglaciation was around 30 m a.s.l. A glacier readvance in Brandy Bay, of at least 7 km, with the initial 3 km over land, reached a position off the present coast at ca. 4600 yr BP. The culmination of the advance was of short duration, and by 4300 yr BP the coastal lowlands again were ice‐free. A distinct marine level at 16–18 m a.s.l. was contemporaneous with or slightly post‐dates the Brandy Bay advance, thus indicating the relative sea‐level around 4600–4500 yr BP. Our results from James Ross Island confirm that over large areas in this part of Antarctica the last deglaciation occurred late. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.