The Younger Dryas (YD) maximum highstand shoreline in SW Norway has traditionally been considered as being slightly concave, gradually steepening in the direction of uplift. This phenomenon is attributed to geoidal and isostatic effects near the former ice-sheet margin. On the basis of isolation basin data from the region, we have reconstructed this shoreline, and a Bølling-Allerød (B-A) lowstand shoreline, along three profiles in SW Norway. Along all profiles there are shore levels which, within the error limits estimated, cannot be captured by a single straight (or curved) shoreline. The anomalous shore levels occur near major fault zones and are interpreted to reflect differential uplift rates on opposite sides of faults, superimposed on the general glacio-isostatic tilting of the region. The inferred faulting is consistent with observations previously reported as neotectonic 'claims' in the region and shed new light on the deformational structures observed in seismic profiles of the fjord sediments. Excluding the anomalous shore levels, a straight shoreline with gradient ca. 1.1 m/km provides the best and most consistent representation of the YD shore levels along the three profiles. The B-A lowstand shoreline is constrained by fewer data points, but is approximately parallel-dipping the highstand shoreline. Our reconstructions imply a less steep YD maximum highstand shoreline compared to previous reconstructions, where gradients up to 1.4 m/km have been inferred. This may imply that the ice load effect on the lithosphere in SW Norway during the YD is less than previously assumed.
Radiocarbon dating of thin palaeopodsols buried beneath turf-banked gelifluction lobes at four localities in the low alpine mountain zone in the Jostedalsbreen region, western Norway, show that gelifluction processes were initiated subsequent to the late Subboreal Chronozone. Although large ageedepth gradients have been demonstrated from buried palaeosols in southern Norway, evidence is presented that the palaeosols in this study show only moderate age-depth gradients. The age estimates from these buried palaeosols give maximum dates of burial, but the error is not thought to be large. Gelifluction processes were probably initiated close to the time of the climatic deterioration, which led to the formation of the present glaciers during the Subatlantic Chronozone. The processes may have been most active during the peak of the Little Ice Age, during which a periglacial climate was established to low levels in this mountainous region.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.