Absence of Large‐Scale Ice Masses in Central Northeast Siberia During the Late Pleistocene

Abstract Ongoing speculation regarding the existence of large Late Pleistocene ice masses in Northeast Eurasia reflects the dearth of age constraints on glaciations across this vast region. Here, we report the first dates from the central part of Northeast Siberia, consisting of 22 cosmogenic 10Be e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Jesper Nørgaard, Martin Margold, John D. Jansen, Redzhep Kurbanov, Izabela Szuman, Jane Lund Andersen, Jesper Olsen, Mads Faurschou Knudsen
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023
Subjects:
mountain glaciers
glacial moraines
boulder erratics
exposure dating
cosmogenic nuclides
ice sheet
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Chersky
Ice Sheet
Siberia
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103594
https://doaj.org/article/97470dff416a4981aa6b470ae3a6788e
Description
Summary:Abstract Ongoing speculation regarding the existence of large Late Pleistocene ice masses in Northeast Eurasia reflects the dearth of age constraints on glaciations across this vast region. Here, we report the first dates from the central part of Northeast Siberia, consisting of 22 cosmogenic 10Be exposure ages from boulders deriving from a sequence of three moraines in the Chersky Range. The dated moraine sequence indicates progressive contraction of maximum glacier extent from Marine Isotope Stage 6 to the Last Glacial Maximum, while the remotely‐sensed mapping indicates an older, more expansive glaciation in the region yet undated. Our results show that Late Pleistocene glaciations were limited to the highlands, and Northeast Siberia did not host a large, coalescent ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum or Marine Isotope Stage 6.

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