Arctic‐alpine brown soils as a source of palaeoenvironmental information: Further 14 C dating and palynological evidence from Vestre Memurubreen, Jotunheimen, Norway
Abstract 14 C dating and pollen analytical evidence is presented relating to the usefulness of arctic‐alpine Brown Soils for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. A present‐day soil has been examined together with its continuation beneath the outermost ‚Little Ice Age’︁ end moraine of the glacier Vest...
| Published in: | Journal of Quaternary Science |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1987
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3390020106 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjqs.3390020106 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jqs.3390020106 |
| Summary: | Abstract 14 C dating and pollen analytical evidence is presented relating to the usefulness of arctic‐alpine Brown Soils for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. A present‐day soil has been examined together with its continuation beneath the outermost ‚Little Ice Age’︁ end moraine of the glacier Vestre Memurubreen at a location well above the tree‐line in the mid‐alpine belt of southern Norway. Fourteen 14 C dates from chemically‐fractionated soil samples, which range in age from 495 ± 55 14 C yr in the uppermost 1 cm to > 4000 14 C yr within 13 cm of the buried soil surface, demonstrate near‐linear age/depth gradients in the palaeosol. Continuous development of the palaeosol over at least 5000 calendar yr prior to burial confirms that Vestre Memurubreen attained its Neoglacial maximum extent in the ‚Little Ice Age’︁. Pollen stratification in buried and unburied profiles indicates a single vegetation change from a low‐alpine dwarf‐shrub heath to a mid‐alpine ‚grass’︁ heath, reflecting an altitudinal lowering of vegetation belts and a possible climatic cooling of 2‐4°C. Surface additions of allochthonous (aeolian) mineral particles appear to have contributed to soil development, whilst mixing processes have been relatively unimportant at this site. The immobilisation of resistant organic residues and the ineffectiveness of biological and chemical activity are major reasons for the preservation of a palaeoenvironmental record in these high altitude soils. |
|---|