The significance of tectonism in the glaciations of Greece

Abstract

Abstract Glaciers were common features in the highlands of Greece during the Middle to Late Pleistocene glacial periods and cirques are characteristic landforms of mountain glaciation. This study examined the cirques of Greece and the role of tectonic uplift in determining their altitude across the country, from Mount Olympus to the Peloponnesus and Crete. An inventory of 227 Middle to Late Pleistocene age limestone cirques was compiled. The number and total area of the cirques decreased from northern mainland Greece (Macedonia, Epirus) to the south (the Peloponnesus, Crete) and on moving to higher elevations. Continued tectonic uplift of the Olympus massif, the Peloponnesus and Crete has led to altitudinal changes in cirques in every subsequent ice age. The formation of cirques at lower elevations during Marine Isotope Stage 12 suggests extreme climatic conditions. On Mount Olympus, the mean elevation of cirques was estimated to have increased by c. 450 m since Marine Isotope Stage 12; in the northern and southern Peloponnesus the elevation increased by c. 500 m and 190 m, respectively, and in Crete by c. 400 m. The cirques have uplifted at approximately the same rate in northern Greece, but at different rates in southern Greece during this period.