Late Glacial-Postglacial Foraminiferal Boundary in Sediments of Eastern Canada, Denmark and Norway

• Main Author: Vilks, Gustavs
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Geological Association of Canada 1981
• Subjects: Canada; Labrador Shelf; Norway; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/GC/article/view/3246

Sediments in cores collected from the Scotian and Labrador shelves contain a faunal discontinuity where older benthic foraminiferal assemblages dominated by Elphidium excavatum f. clavata change to more diverse present day continental shelf assemblages. A similar change is found in Late Quaternary borings in Denmark (Jutland) and in the Oslofjord area of Norway. The 14C age of the faunal break varies from 10,000 years B.P. in the European sediments to 13,000 years B.P.on the Scotian Shelf and 15,000 years B.P. on the Labrador Shelf. The present day oceanographic setting along the coasts of Norway, Denmark and eastern Canada was established when the glacial ice retreated inland. The dominance of E. excavatum f. clavata in the older sediments is related to diluted and cold coastal waters during the time when continental ice was ablating on the inner shelf. The disappearance of E excavatum f. clavata therefore can be used to estimate the Late Glacial-Postglacial boundary in the Canadian and Scandinavian North Atlantic continental shelf sediments. This paper reviews the evidence of the faunal break to alert geologists in its possible use.