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Estimates of South Greenland late-glacial ice limits from a new relative sea level curve

Bennike, O ; Björck, Svante LU and Lambeck, K (2002) In Earth and Planetary Science Letters 197(3-4). p.171-186
Abstract
Marine-lacustrine isolation contacts from seven basins in the Nanortalik area, South Greenland have been analysed and dated. The basins were isolated from the sea as a consequence of isostatic rebound following deglaciation. The isolation contacts were identified with litho- and biostratigraphical analyses, especially sedimentary changes, grey scale analyses and analyses of macroscopical remains of plants and animals. Dating was performed by analytical mass spectroscopy radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples. A slow initial relative sea level fall that begins at 13.8 cal ka BP changes to a rapid relative sea level fall before the sea level fell below the present-day sea level just prior to 10 cal ka BP. The emergence... (More)
Marine-lacustrine isolation contacts from seven basins in the Nanortalik area, South Greenland have been analysed and dated. The basins were isolated from the sea as a consequence of isostatic rebound following deglaciation. The isolation contacts were identified with litho- and biostratigraphical analyses, especially sedimentary changes, grey scale analyses and analyses of macroscopical remains of plants and animals. Dating was performed by analytical mass spectroscopy radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples. A slow initial relative sea level fall that begins at 13.8 cal ka BP changes to a rapid relative sea level fall before the sea level fell below the present-day sea level just prior to 10 cal ka BP. The emergence curve goes further back in time than any previous emergence curve constructed from Greenland, which reflects the early deglaciation of the studied region. The glacio-isostatic crustal rebound following deglaciation was around 110 in. The sea level history indicates that the margin of the Greenland ice sheet probably extended out to the shelf margin during the Last Glacial Maximum, and that the ice thickness must have been at least 1500 in over the outer coast. Thus the highest coastal mountains would have been ice-covered, which is surprising given their alpine character. In addition, the major part of the recession of the ice must have occurred relatively late and quickly, maybe from 14 to 12 cal ka BP. The late Holocene transgression may, at least in part, be due to increased isostatic loading as a consequence of advancing glaciers during the Neoglaciation. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Greenland, sea-level changes, Holocene, last glacial maximum
in
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
volume
197
issue
3-4
pages
171 - 186
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000175551700004
  • scopus:0036090801
ISSN
1385-013X
DOI
10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00478-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cec291a1-b5dc-4ac3-97a6-72b152041ca6 (old id 338356)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:44:50
date last changed
2022-04-20 21:14:11
@article{cec291a1-b5dc-4ac3-97a6-72b152041ca6,
  abstract     = {{Marine-lacustrine isolation contacts from seven basins in the Nanortalik area, South Greenland have been analysed and dated. The basins were isolated from the sea as a consequence of isostatic rebound following deglaciation. The isolation contacts were identified with litho- and biostratigraphical analyses, especially sedimentary changes, grey scale analyses and analyses of macroscopical remains of plants and animals. Dating was performed by analytical mass spectroscopy radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples. A slow initial relative sea level fall that begins at 13.8 cal ka BP changes to a rapid relative sea level fall before the sea level fell below the present-day sea level just prior to 10 cal ka BP. The emergence curve goes further back in time than any previous emergence curve constructed from Greenland, which reflects the early deglaciation of the studied region. The glacio-isostatic crustal rebound following deglaciation was around 110 in. The sea level history indicates that the margin of the Greenland ice sheet probably extended out to the shelf margin during the Last Glacial Maximum, and that the ice thickness must have been at least 1500 in over the outer coast. Thus the highest coastal mountains would have been ice-covered, which is surprising given their alpine character. In addition, the major part of the recession of the ice must have occurred relatively late and quickly, maybe from 14 to 12 cal ka BP. The late Holocene transgression may, at least in part, be due to increased isostatic loading as a consequence of advancing glaciers during the Neoglaciation.}},
  author       = {{Bennike, O and Björck, Svante and Lambeck, K}},
  issn         = {{1385-013X}},
  keywords     = {{Greenland; sea-level changes; Holocene; last glacial maximum}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3-4}},
  pages        = {{171--186}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Earth and Planetary Science Letters}},
  title        = {{Estimates of South Greenland late-glacial ice limits from a new relative sea level curve}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00478-8}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00478-8}},
  volume       = {{197}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}