The bedrock of the northern halves of North America and Europe is covered by Quaternary glacial deposits, forming a surficial overburden that is relatively thin, nonlithified, lithologically variable on a small scale (in terms of grain-size, mineralogy, texture, fabric, structure, and color), and often has a well-preserved depositional topography. These geologically unique characteristics and the fact that the glacial overburden was long considered to be of only restricted economic value have caused it to be treated differently in geological research from the older, regularly lithified strata. Due to the striking geomorphology of these glacial deposits, their investigation has also been incorporated into physical geography research. Thus, the segregation of the Quaternary research community into different schools of geology and geography has created multiple classification approaches and has caused the formal stratigraphic classifications successfully applied in pre-Quaternary geology to be applied less regularly to Quaternary glacial strata. This has led to inefficient use of Quaternary geological data for scientific and socio-economic purposes.The few currently existing national Quaternary stratigraphic frameworks are based on lithostratigraphy. These are poorly suited for describing deposits in glaciated shield areas in particular; we propose a classification for such areas based on the combined use of allostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic data, with alloformations as the fundamental units and lithostratigraphic units filling out the framework where appropriate. This classification would provide a hierarchical framework for glaciogenic deposits that could potentially support stratigraphic information systems, databases, and digital spatial models more effectively than the traditional lithostratigraphic frameworks.

a b s t r a c tQuaternary climatic and glacial history must be known in order to understand future environments. Reconstructions of the last Weichselian glacial cycle 117,000e11,700 years (kyr) ago propose that S Finland, adjacent Russia and the Baltic countries in the SE sector of the Eurasian Ice Sheet (EIS), were glaciated during the Middle Weichselian time [marine isotope stage (MIS) 4, 71e57 kyr ago] and that this glaciation was preceded in S Finland by an Early Weichselian interstadial (MIS 5c, 105e93 kyr ago) with pine forest. We apply glacial sequence stratigraphy to isolated Late Pleistocene onshore outcrop sections and show, that these events did not take place. The one Late Weichselian glaciation (MIS 2, 29e11 kyr ago) was preceded in S Finland by a nearly 90 kyr non-glacial period, featuring tundra with permafrost and probably birch forest. Our new Middle Weichselian paleoenvironmental scenario revises the configuration and hydrology of the S part of EIS and gives new setting for the evolution of Scandinavian biota. If future development during the coming glacial cycle proves to be similar, the high-level nuclear waste stored in the bedrock of SW Finland should be located deeper than currently planned, i.e. below any possible future permafrost.