Evidence of ameliorated Middle Weichselian climate and sub‐arctic environment in the western Baltic region: coring lake sediments at Klintholm, Møn, Denmark

• Published in: Boreas
• Main Authors: Houmark‐Nielsen, Michael, Bennike, Ole, Lemdahl, Geoffrey, Lüthgens, Christopher
• Other Authors: Carlsbergfondet
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2015
• Subjects: Arctic; permafrost
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bor.12159; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fbor.12159; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bor.12159

Coring through glaciotectonically stacked Quaternary sediments situated below sea level on the island of Møn, Denmark, recovered a succession of interstadial sediments of Middle Weichselian age. Plant and animal remains including insects found in laminated sand and mud indicate deposition in a lake surrounded by dwarf shrubs, herbs, mosses and rare trees. The insect fauna indicates a mean July temperature of 8–12 °C, suggesting an arctic to sub‐arctic environment, while winter temperatures around −8 to −22 °C suggest periglacial conditions with permafrost. Luminescence dating of sediment samples gave ages from 48–29 ka, and radiocarbon dating indicates deposition of plant fragments between 45 and 36 ka BP . The fossil assemblage from Møn shows close resemblance to those from other sites with similar ages found in the vicinity of the western Baltic Basin.