Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1998, Page 291

Distribution of Lateglacial Tephra
in Scandinavia
Útbreiðsla av seinglasialari tefru í Norðurlondum
297
Stefan Wastegárd
Department of Quaternary Research, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46-8-164892; Fax: +46-8-6747895, E-mail: stefan.wastegard@geo.su.se
Úrtak
Útbreiðslan av tefrahorisontum í syðra parti av Norður-
londum, sum er dagfest at vera tað seinasta glasiala/-
interglasiala skiftið, verður kannað. Uppi í hesum eru
Vedde-øskan (um 10.400-10.300 14C ár BP) og saksun-
arvatnsøskan (um 9000 l4C ár BP), sum eru av íslendsk-
um uppruna, og tann miðevropeiska Laachervatns-
tefran (um 11.200 14C ár BP). Tað, at fleiri nýggj støð
við Vedde-øsku eru funnin í Suðursvøríki, hevur økt ta
kendu útbreiðsluna av hesum týðandi markingarhori-
sontinum munandi. Eitt øki í Suðurbaltalondum verður
møguliga valt til framhaldandi rannsóknir, av tí at út-
breiðslan av øllum hesum trimum tefrunum tykist at
koma fyri samstundis.
Abstract
The distribution of tephra horizons in south Scandinavia
dated to the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition is re-
viewed. These include the Vedde Ash (c. 10,400 -
10,30014C years BP) and the Saksunarvatn Ash (c. 9000
14C years BP), which are of Icelandic origin and the
Central European Laacher See Tephra (c. 11,200 l4C
years BP). The identification of several new sites with
the Vedde Ash in south Sweden has increased the
known distribution of this important marker horizon sig-
nificantly. An area in the southern Baltic region may be
chosen for further research, as the distribution of all
these three tephras seem to coincide in this area.
Introduction
The Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition
(LGIT) in the North Atlantic region (c.
14,000 - 9000 l4C years BP) was charac-
terised by a number of rapid climate shifts
between cold and warm conditions. These
are well established in ice cores from
Greenland (e.g. the GISP2 and GRIP cores;
e.g. Grootes et al., 1993; Kapsner et al.,
1995) as well as in marine and terrestrial
records (e.g. Lowe et al., 1994; Hafliðason
et al., 1995). A widespread warming at c.
13,000 l4C years BP started the Lateglacial
Interstadial or the Bølling-Allerød com-
plex. Two or three short-lived cold events
have been described during this interstadial
which ended with the onset of the cold
Younger Dryas stadial, which lasted be-
tween c. 11,000 and 10,000 14C years BP
(e.g. Lowe etal., 1994). A rapid warming at
c. 10,000 l4C years BP ended the Younger
Dryas, but full interglacial conditions were
not established until the middle of the Pre-
boreal (c. 9600 BP; Bjorck et al., 1996;
Knudsen et al., 1996).
Different records from marine and ter-
restrial sources often show similar patterns
of climate variation during the LGIT, sug-
gesting that the different systems respond-
ed more or less simultaneously to the cli-
mate forcing processes. This is, however,
Fróðskaparrit 46. bók 1998: 297-303