14 C dating and palaeoenvironment of the historic ‘little ice age’ glacier advance of Nigardsbreen Southwest Norway

• Published in: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
• Main Authors: Matthews, John A., Innes, John L., Caseldine, Christopher J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1986
• Subjects: Moraine Ridge; Norway; glacier
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290110403; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fesp.3290110403; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/esp.3290110403

Abstract Moss and grass remains associated with a well‐developed in situ palaeosol buried beneath a moraine ridge in front of Nigardsbreen (Jostedalsbreen ice cap, southern Norway) have been 14 C‐dated. Pollen preserved with the plant remains suggests the existence of an agricultural landscape prior to the deposition of the moraine. The calibrated dates and the pollen spectra are in close accord with historically‐documented evidence for the timing and palaeoenvironment of the ‘Little Ice Age’ advance of the glacier. Considerable potential is indicated for estimating the maximum ages of moraine ridges and for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction where such documentary evidence does not exist.