Die POLARSTERN-Expedition ARK IX/4: Geowissenschaftliche Arbeiten am nördlichen eurasischen Kontinentalrand

Fahrtbericht der GEOMAR-Expeditionsteilnehmer. Fahrtroute (5.8. - 5.10.1993): Tromsoe - Murmansk - Svalbard - Franz-Josef-Land - Karasee - Laptevsee - Karasee - Barentsee - Murmansk - Bremerhave

Arctic Ocean evidence for late Quaternary initiation of northern Eurasian ice sheets

A high-resolution multiparameter stratigraphy allows the identification of late Quaternary glacial and interglacial cycles in a central Arctic Ocean sediment core. Distinct sandy layers in the upper part of the otherwise fine-grained sediment core from the Lomonosov Ridge (lat 87.5°N) correlate to four major glacials since ca. 0.7 Ma. The composition of these ice-rafted terrigenous sediments points to a glaciated northern Siberia as the main source. In contrast, lithic carbonates derived from North America are also present in older sediments and indicate a northern North American glaciation since at least 2.8 Ma. We conclude that large-scale northern Siberian glaciation began much later than other Northern Hemisphere ice sheets

Arctic Ocean evidence for late Quaternary initiation of northern Eurasian ice sheets

A high-resolution multiparameter stratigraphy allows the identification of late Quaternary glacial and interglacial cycles in a central Arctic Ocean sediment core. Distinct sandy layers in the upper part of the otherwise fine-grained sediment core from the Lomonosov Ridge (lat 87.5°N) correlate to four major glacials since ca. 0.7 Ma. The composition of these ice-rafted terrigenous sediments points to a glaciated northern Siberia as the main source. In contrast, lithic carbonates derived from North America are also present in older sediments and indicate a northern North American glaciation since at least 2.8 Ma. We conclude that large-scale northern Siberian glaciation began much later than other Northern Hemisphere ice sheets