Early Holocene deglaciation of northern Hudson Bay and Foxe Channel constrained by new radiocarbon ages and marine reservoir correction

• Published in: Quaternary Research
• Main Authors: Ross, Martin, Utting, Daniel J., Lajeunesse, Patrick, Kosar, Kevin G.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2012
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Earth-Surface Processes; Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); Foxe Basin; Foxe Channel; Hudson Bay; Ice Sheet; Southampton Island
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2012.03.001; http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589412000270?httpAccept=text/xml; http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0033589412000270?httpAccept=text/plain; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0033589400008401

Abstract Radiocarbon ages from Southampton Island (Canada) provide new chronological control on the deglaciation of Foxe Channel and northern Hudson Bay, a strategic area for understanding the demise of a marine-based portion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. A regional marine reservoir age of 630 ± 45 yr and a reservoir offset ( ΔR ) of 263 ± 48 yr were calculated from two early to mid-Holocene terrestrial/marine radiocarbon age pairs. These values are consistent with corrections based on early 20th century mollusks suggesting that following deglaciation the oceanic conditions controlling the regional reservoir effect rapidly became similar to those of modern times. However, our ΔR value is 352 ± 52 yr less than another correction from eastern Foxe Basin, which may be affected by 14 C dilution from carbonate rocks. Our ΔR value is used to calibrate new marine radiocarbon ages which help further develop the deglaciation history of Southampton Island, especially along the north coast where deglaciation of Foxe Channel appears to have been completed by 8100–7800 cal yr BP (2σ). This provides key chronological constraints on the development of a long marine ice margin in southern Foxe Basin prior to the final breakup of the Foxe ice dome.