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POLARPROG-Polarforskningsprogram

Mapping and dating Holocene advances of Nansenbreen on Erdmannflya, Svalbard

Tildelt: kr 20 999

This project is a part of a larger project conducted by Furze and collaborators. Erdmannflya is a peninsula located on the northern coast of Isfjorden, Svalbard. A complex of paleo-glacial moraines located on the northern part of Erdmannflya was formed by Nansenbreen, a surging glacier located to the north-west. Southward of this assumed Little Ice Age moraine, more subtle geomorphic features suggest an older moraine complex which has hitherto not been mapped or described. Given the marine-terminating history of Nansenbreen, it is likely that these older moraines contain re-deposited molluscan material making them ideal for radiocarbon dating. Further, the presence of molluscs would give indication on the paleo-sea-level changes and glacial adjustments in this area. The data provided by this moraine complex can be linked to the stratigraphy of the immediately adjacent lake Straumsjøen which is the largest lake found on Erdmannflya. Its bottom sediments can be studied to observe if its isolation is due to a sea-level change or to the earlier Nansenbreen glacial advances. Ten days of fieldwork will be conducted in July 2020 on the study area. During this field session paleo-glacial moraines in northern Erdmannflya, will be mapped and lake coring will be performed on Straumsjøen. Later on, geomorphological mapping, drone data processing, core analysis and dating will be conducted. Organic materials from the lake core and molluscan remains will be radiocarbon dated. Some non-organic material will be OSL dated. This study aims to answer several questions. If there are molluscan remains, when do they date from? What can we learn from those records about glacial and sea-level variations during the Holocene? How was Straumsjøen isolated? Can litho- and bio-stratigraphic markers reveal how this lake system was formed? What information would early pre-Little Ice Age glacial advances of Nansenbreen provide for the reconstruction of paleoclimate and glacial dynamics?

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POLARPROG-Polarforskningsprogram