Extent and age of the Last Glacial Maximum in the southeastern sector of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet

Lithostratigraphical methods combined with absolute dating (OSL and C-14) were used to establish the Late Pleistocene stratigraphy and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) limit of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet south and east of the Lake Onega Basin. An estimate of the ice growth rate for the southeastern sector of the ice sheet, from western Finland to the LGM limit in the northeast Russian Plain is also presented. In addition, an interpretation of palaeoenvironments that existed during the LGM in the Vologda and adjacent areas is also discussed. Evidence from boreholes and exposures indicate that the Scandinavian Ice Sheet entered the Vologda and southern Arkhangelsk area, only once during the last cold stage, during the Late Valdai (Weichsel). It is also concluded that the Scandinavian Ice Sheet reached its maximum at ca. 18000 calendar years ago in the Vologda area and its extent was more restricted than previously thought. The timing of the LGM at 18 ka presented here, combined with recent ice growth results from Finland, suggest that the southeastern sector of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet expanded across Finland to its maximum position in the northern Russian Plain in 7000 calendar years. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.