Radiocarbon dating of lacustrine strands in arctic Alaska

• Main Author: Charles E. Carson
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1968
• Subjects: Arctic; Lent; Arctique*; Barrow; Point Barrow; toundra; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.546.6087; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic21-1-12.pdf

ABSTRACT. Present exposures of lacustrine shelves 10 to 12 miles inland from the arctic coast of Alaska occur in response to intersection and draining by tundra streams. Near Point Barrow, these surfaces require 10 to 20 years for revegetation in today’s climate. Many relict lakes in the area are surrounded by a stabilized sequence of 2 to 4 ancient strands, which suggests that in previous times more common regional piracy may have occurred. Dates from 30 radiocarbon samples indicate the majority of relict strands are less than 3,500 years old, but with such a limited number of dates, neither equiva-lent levels nor similar sequences can establish clear time-correlation. However, the data perhaps suggest that lacustrine expansion reached a maximum near the end of the hypsithermal around 3,500-4,000 years ago and that the onset of the post-hypsithermal cooling phase corresponds in time with the initial period of draining. RlbUMfi. Radiodatations de plages soulevées dans l’Alaska arctique. C‘est par capture et drainage que les cours d’eau de la toundra provoquent l’apparition des