Late Quaternary Stratigraphy, radiocarbon chronology, and Glacial history at Cape Shpindler, southern Kara Sea, Arctic Russia

William F. Manley; Hanna Lokrantz; Valery Gataullin; Ølafur Ingólfsson; Steven L. Forman; Torbjørn Andersson

doi:10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00122-9

Late Quaternary Stratigraphy, radiocarbon chronology, and Glacial history at Cape Shpindler, southern Kara Sea, Arctic Russia

William F. Manley^*, Hanna Lokrantz, Valery Gataullin, Ølafur Ingólfsson, Steven L. Forman, Torbjørn Andersson

^*Corresponding author for this work

Faculty of Earth Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Depositional environments, stratigraphic relations, and 35 new AMS ¹⁴C dates at Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, help constrain the late Pleistocene glacial and environmental history of the southern Kara Sea region. Fifteen- to fifty-meter-high coastal exposures reveal a complex package of shallow marine, fluvial, glacial, and postglacial deposits, and are documented here in a 19-km-long cross-section and eight vertical sections. The shallow marine (Unit A), estuarine or prodeltaic (Unit B), and fluvio-deltaic (Unit C) deposits contain an interglacial molluscan fauna, yield radiocarbon dates greater than 40 ka, and may correspond with a regional sea-level highstand during the Eemian. These units are overlain by a diamicton (Unit D), and are pervasively deformed by folds and low- to high-angle faults into a stacked glaciotectonic accretionary complex. The diamicton (Unit D) is a subglacial till, and associated massive ground ice with deformed debris bands (Unit E) appears to be relict glacier ice. Glaciotectonic structures document both southward- and northward-directed glacier movement. Above the till and associated glaciotectonic horizons lies 0- to 11-m-thick postglacial deposits of peatland, eolian, fluvial, and primarily lacustrine origin (Unit F). The postglacial deposits yield radiocarbon ages of 12.8 to 0.8 ka. Thus, at least one regional glaciation is prominently represented in the stratigraphy, and occurred probably after the Eemian but before 12.8 ka. We infer that the bulk of the glacial record corresponds with southward advance by an early Weichselian Kara Sea Ice Sheet, in agreement with other recently documented, regional records from Yamal Peninsula and the Pechora Basin. The timing and source of northward-directed glacier ice are less well constrained. Across the broad expanse of the Eurasian Arctic, Quaternary stratigraphy is still sparsely documented. The new data from Cape Shpindler fill a spatial gap in paleoenvironmental research.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	239-254
Number of pages	16
Journal	Global and Planetary Change
Volume	31
Issue number	1-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00122-9
Publication status	Published - 2001

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was made possible through grants and logistical support from the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, Göteborg University, and the National Science Foundation (OPP-9529350 and OPP-9529293). Marina Leibman (Earth Cryosphere Institute, Moscow) helped greatly with logistical preparations, and joined in discussion of ground ice genesis. Svend Funder (University of Copenhagen) identified the molluscan fauna in Unit A. Andrei Andreev (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) shared in the field research and discussions of environmental history. The manuscript was improved with comments from David Lubinski (Univ. of Colorado) and reviewers Svend Funder and Per Möller (Lund University).

Other keywords

Chronology
Glacial
Kara Sea
Quaternary
Russian Federation
Stratigraphy

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10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00122-9

Cite this

@article{3394e16b511a442db0314c3fd5476a26,

title = "Late Quaternary Stratigraphy, radiocarbon chronology, and Glacial history at Cape Shpindler, southern Kara Sea, Arctic Russia",

abstract = "Depositional environments, stratigraphic relations, and 35 new AMS 14C dates at Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, help constrain the late Pleistocene glacial and environmental history of the southern Kara Sea region. Fifteen- to fifty-meter-high coastal exposures reveal a complex package of shallow marine, fluvial, glacial, and postglacial deposits, and are documented here in a 19-km-long cross-section and eight vertical sections. The shallow marine (Unit A), estuarine or prodeltaic (Unit B), and fluvio-deltaic (Unit C) deposits contain an interglacial molluscan fauna, yield radiocarbon dates greater than 40 ka, and may correspond with a regional sea-level highstand during the Eemian. These units are overlain by a diamicton (Unit D), and are pervasively deformed by folds and low- to high-angle faults into a stacked glaciotectonic accretionary complex. The diamicton (Unit D) is a subglacial till, and associated massive ground ice with deformed debris bands (Unit E) appears to be relict glacier ice. Glaciotectonic structures document both southward- and northward-directed glacier movement. Above the till and associated glaciotectonic horizons lies 0- to 11-m-thick postglacial deposits of peatland, eolian, fluvial, and primarily lacustrine origin (Unit F). The postglacial deposits yield radiocarbon ages of 12.8 to 0.8 ka. Thus, at least one regional glaciation is prominently represented in the stratigraphy, and occurred probably after the Eemian but before 12.8 ka. We infer that the bulk of the glacial record corresponds with southward advance by an early Weichselian Kara Sea Ice Sheet, in agreement with other recently documented, regional records from Yamal Peninsula and the Pechora Basin. The timing and source of northward-directed glacier ice are less well constrained. Across the broad expanse of the Eurasian Arctic, Quaternary stratigraphy is still sparsely documented. The new data from Cape Shpindler fill a spatial gap in paleoenvironmental research.",

keywords = "Chronology, Glacial, Kara Sea, Quaternary, Russian Federation, Stratigraphy",

author = "Manley, {William F.} and Hanna Lokrantz and Valery Gataullin and {\O}lafur Ing{\'o}lfsson and Forman, {Steven L.} and Torbj{\o}rn Andersson",

note = "Funding Information: This research was made possible through grants and logistical support from the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, G{\"o}teborg University, and the National Science Foundation (OPP-9529350 and OPP-9529293). Marina Leibman (Earth Cryosphere Institute, Moscow) helped greatly with logistical preparations, and joined in discussion of ground ice genesis. Svend Funder (University of Copenhagen) identified the molluscan fauna in Unit A. Andrei Andreev (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) shared in the field research and discussions of environmental history. The manuscript was improved with comments from David Lubinski (Univ. of Colorado) and reviewers Svend Funder and Per M{\"o}ller (Lund University).",

year = "2001",

doi = "10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00122-9",

language = "English",

volume = "31",

pages = "239--254",

journal = "Global and Planetary Change",

issn = "0921-8181",

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T1 - Late Quaternary Stratigraphy, radiocarbon chronology, and Glacial history at Cape Shpindler, southern Kara Sea, Arctic Russia

AU - Manley, William F.

AU - Lokrantz, Hanna

AU - Gataullin, Valery

AU - Ingólfsson, Ølafur

AU - Forman, Steven L.

AU - Andersson, Torbjørn

N1 - Funding Information: This research was made possible through grants and logistical support from the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, Göteborg University, and the National Science Foundation (OPP-9529350 and OPP-9529293). Marina Leibman (Earth Cryosphere Institute, Moscow) helped greatly with logistical preparations, and joined in discussion of ground ice genesis. Svend Funder (University of Copenhagen) identified the molluscan fauna in Unit A. Andrei Andreev (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) shared in the field research and discussions of environmental history. The manuscript was improved with comments from David Lubinski (Univ. of Colorado) and reviewers Svend Funder and Per Möller (Lund University).

PY - 2001

Y1 - 2001

N2 - Depositional environments, stratigraphic relations, and 35 new AMS 14C dates at Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, help constrain the late Pleistocene glacial and environmental history of the southern Kara Sea region. Fifteen- to fifty-meter-high coastal exposures reveal a complex package of shallow marine, fluvial, glacial, and postglacial deposits, and are documented here in a 19-km-long cross-section and eight vertical sections. The shallow marine (Unit A), estuarine or prodeltaic (Unit B), and fluvio-deltaic (Unit C) deposits contain an interglacial molluscan fauna, yield radiocarbon dates greater than 40 ka, and may correspond with a regional sea-level highstand during the Eemian. These units are overlain by a diamicton (Unit D), and are pervasively deformed by folds and low- to high-angle faults into a stacked glaciotectonic accretionary complex. The diamicton (Unit D) is a subglacial till, and associated massive ground ice with deformed debris bands (Unit E) appears to be relict glacier ice. Glaciotectonic structures document both southward- and northward-directed glacier movement. Above the till and associated glaciotectonic horizons lies 0- to 11-m-thick postglacial deposits of peatland, eolian, fluvial, and primarily lacustrine origin (Unit F). The postglacial deposits yield radiocarbon ages of 12.8 to 0.8 ka. Thus, at least one regional glaciation is prominently represented in the stratigraphy, and occurred probably after the Eemian but before 12.8 ka. We infer that the bulk of the glacial record corresponds with southward advance by an early Weichselian Kara Sea Ice Sheet, in agreement with other recently documented, regional records from Yamal Peninsula and the Pechora Basin. The timing and source of northward-directed glacier ice are less well constrained. Across the broad expanse of the Eurasian Arctic, Quaternary stratigraphy is still sparsely documented. The new data from Cape Shpindler fill a spatial gap in paleoenvironmental research.

AB - Depositional environments, stratigraphic relations, and 35 new AMS 14C dates at Cape Shpindler, Yugorski Peninsula, help constrain the late Pleistocene glacial and environmental history of the southern Kara Sea region. Fifteen- to fifty-meter-high coastal exposures reveal a complex package of shallow marine, fluvial, glacial, and postglacial deposits, and are documented here in a 19-km-long cross-section and eight vertical sections. The shallow marine (Unit A), estuarine or prodeltaic (Unit B), and fluvio-deltaic (Unit C) deposits contain an interglacial molluscan fauna, yield radiocarbon dates greater than 40 ka, and may correspond with a regional sea-level highstand during the Eemian. These units are overlain by a diamicton (Unit D), and are pervasively deformed by folds and low- to high-angle faults into a stacked glaciotectonic accretionary complex. The diamicton (Unit D) is a subglacial till, and associated massive ground ice with deformed debris bands (Unit E) appears to be relict glacier ice. Glaciotectonic structures document both southward- and northward-directed glacier movement. Above the till and associated glaciotectonic horizons lies 0- to 11-m-thick postglacial deposits of peatland, eolian, fluvial, and primarily lacustrine origin (Unit F). The postglacial deposits yield radiocarbon ages of 12.8 to 0.8 ka. Thus, at least one regional glaciation is prominently represented in the stratigraphy, and occurred probably after the Eemian but before 12.8 ka. We infer that the bulk of the glacial record corresponds with southward advance by an early Weichselian Kara Sea Ice Sheet, in agreement with other recently documented, regional records from Yamal Peninsula and the Pechora Basin. The timing and source of northward-directed glacier ice are less well constrained. Across the broad expanse of the Eurasian Arctic, Quaternary stratigraphy is still sparsely documented. The new data from Cape Shpindler fill a spatial gap in paleoenvironmental research.

KW - Chronology

KW - Glacial

KW - Kara Sea

KW - Quaternary

KW - Russian Federation

KW - Stratigraphy

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ER -

Late Quaternary Stratigraphy, radiocarbon chronology, and Glacial history at Cape Shpindler, southern Kara Sea, Arctic Russia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Other keywords

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