Mezen Bay—a key area for understanding Weichselian glaciations in northern Russia

• Published in: Journal of Quaternary Science
• Main Authors: Kjær, Kurt H., Demidov, Igor N., Larsen, Eiliv, Murray, Andrew, Nielsen, Jan K.
• Other Authors: Danish Natural Science Research Council (CLIENT and ‘Triple Junction’ projects., European Community (Eurasian Ice Sheets), Norwegian Research Council.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2003
• Subjects: Dammed Lake; Kara Sea; White Sea; Arkhangelsk; Ice cap; Ice Sheet; Mezen; Mezen Bay; Mezen'
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jqs.700; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjqs.700; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jqs.700

Abstract Sediment successions in coastal cliffs around Mezen Bay, southeastern White Sea, record an unusually detailed history of former glaciations, interstadial marine and fluvial events from the Weichselian. A regional glaciation model for the Weichselian is based on new data from the Mezen Bay area and previously published data from adjacent areas. Following the Mikulinian (Eemian) interglacial a shelf‐centred glaciation in the Kara Sea is reflected in proglacial conditions at 100–90 ka. A local ice‐cap over the Timan ridge existed between 75 and 65 ka. Renewed glaciation in the Kara Sea spread southwestwards around 60 ka only, interrupted by a marine inundation, before it advanced to its maximum position at about 55–50 ka. After a prolonged ice‐free period, the Scandinavian ice‐sheet invaded the area from the west and terminated east of Mezen Bay about 17 ka. The previously published evidence of a large ice‐dammed lake in the central Arkhangelsk region, Lake Komi, finds no support in this study. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.