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A Late Pleistocene marine clay succession at Kriegers Flak, westernmost Baltic, southern Scandinavia
Author(s) -
Klingberg Fredrik
Publication year - 1998
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(199805/06)13:3<245::aid-jqs358>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - geology , foraminifera , ecological succession , eemian , paleontology , holocene , meltwater , marine transgression , arctic , oceanography , pleistocene , glacial period , structural basin , interglacial , benthic zone , ecology , biology
In the Baltic Sea south of Skåne county in southern Sweden, an over‐ consolidated marine clay succession on the northeastern slope of Kriegers Flak was observed in shallow seismic data as a unit overlain by younger Weichselian sediments. Two cores were taken from the clay succession. The Foraminifera present were predominantly of two species, Elphidium excavatum and Elphidium albiumbilicatum , reflecting deposition under arctic– boreal conditions. Stable oxygen isotope analyses were performed on foraminiferal tests, and the results show extremely light δ 18 O values ranging between −11‰ and −12‰. The cause of these extreme values is uncertain but may result from the high influence of meltwater. Brackish conditions are also indicated by the tolerance for low salinity shown by the Foraminifera. Radiocarbon dating shows an infinite age >40000 yr BP. The pollen flora seems mainly to have been redeposited, which makes interpretation difficult. The sea may have entered the Baltic basin during periods with high eustatic levels, an isostatic downloading of the crust, or a combination of both. It is suggested that the deposition of the overconsolidated marine clay succession occurred in the Late Saalian, Early Eemian or Early Weichselian. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.