Work

Ice-sheet burial and erosion inferred from cosmogenic nuclide bedrock depth profiles: Implications for the glaciation history of northeastern Fennoscandia

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: In this study, we evaluate the application of shallow (<2.5 m) cosmogenic depth profiles in bedrock to constrain long-term ice-burial and erosion histories. Using Markov Chain Monte Carlo inversion modelling on a series of synthetic scenarios, we demonstrate that cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al profiles provide more robust constraints on ice-burial duration and erosion histories than surface samples alone, particularly when erosion rates are low (<5–10 m Myr−1) and/or non-steady. We apply this method to new depth profiles of 10Be and 26Al measurements from two tors in the Parkajoki region in northeastern Sweden. Our results indicate erosion depths of ∼2–10 m and ice burial for ∼20–35% of the time since 500 ka. These estimates imply more erosion and less ice burial than previously inferred from the same tors. However, by re-assessing the extent of ice cover during the Weichselian from existing records, we show that some cosmogenic nuclide inheritance predates the penultimate glacial maximum (Late Saalian), implying limited glacial erosion in the Parkajoki region during the last glacial cycle.

Source: Quaternary Science Reviews

DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109010

Authors: Jane L. Andersen, Mads F. Knudsen, A.P. Stroeven, Jesper Olsen, Vivi K. Pedersen

Institution: Aarhus University

Language: English

Topic: Geology and Paleoclimatology Research

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,810