Northwest Svalbard during the last glaciation: Ice-free areas existed

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 2003 Northwest Svalbard during the last glaciation: Ice-free areas existed Jon Y. Landvik; Jon Y. Landvik 1Agricultural University of Norway, Department of Soil and Water Sciences, N-1432 Ås, Norway Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Edward J. Brook; Edward J. Brook 2Washington State University, Department of Geology and Program in Environmental Science, Vancouver, Washington 98686, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lyn Gualtieri; Lyn Gualtieri 3Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1360, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Grant Raisbeck; Grant Raisbeck 4Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, F-91405 Campus Orsay, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Otto Salvigsen; Otto Salvigsen 5University of Oslo, Department of Geography, N-0316 Oslo, Norway Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Françoise Yiou Françoise Yiou 6Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, F-91405 Campus Orsay, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Jon Y. Landvik 1Agricultural University of Norway, Department of Soil and Water Sciences, N-1432 Ås, Norway Edward J. Brook 2Washington State University, Department of Geology and Program in Environmental Science, Vancouver, Washington 98686, USA Lyn Gualtieri 3Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1360, USA Grant Raisbeck 4Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, F-91405 Campus Orsay, France Otto Salvigsen 5University of Oslo, Department of Geography, N-0316 Oslo, Norway Françoise Yiou 6Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, F-91405 Campus Orsay, France Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 02 Apr 2003 Revision Received: 12 Jun 2003 Accepted: 23 Jun 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (10): 905–908. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19703.1 Article history Received: 02 Apr 2003 Revision Received: 12 Jun 2003 Accepted: 23 Jun 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Jon Y. Landvik, Edward J. Brook, Lyn Gualtieri, Grant Raisbeck, Otto Salvigsen, Françoise Yiou; Northwest Svalbard during the last glaciation: Ice-free areas existed. Geology 2003;; 31 (10): 905–908. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19703.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The possibility that ice-free areas existed during the late Weichselian glaciation of the Svalbard archipelago has been debated for several decades. This study reveals the first geologic evidence that nunataks existed on the islands of northwest Svalbard. Several 10Be exposure ages were obtained from bedrock and glacial erratics on Danskøya and Amsterdamøya Islands. Exposure ages for glacial erratics laid down in block-field–covered plateaus >300 m above sea level show that the last ice sheet that completely covered the islands deglaciated >80 k.y. ago. Dating of marine sediments close to sea level reveals that full ice-free conditions were achieved by ca. 50 ka. During the late Weichselian, the coastal lowlands were glaciated, and the major fjords and troughs controlled glacier flow. The existence of nunataks at this time opens the possibility for glacial survival of plant species. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.