Holocene glacial advances and moraine formation at Albrechtbreen, Edgeøya, Svalbard

Abstract

Terrace remnants close to the marine limit as well as two separate moraine ridges are observed in front of the glacier Albrechtbreen. The stacking of marine sediments from an original elevation of ca. 60–80 m a.s.l. into the Little Ice Age Moraine gives evidence for a considerably smaller glacier following the early Holocene deglaciation compared to that of the present. The outer moraine is composed of glacial diamicton. Radiocarbon datings of whale ribs, shell fragments and a log taken from sediment in front of Albrechtbreen indicate that the initial deglaciation occurred before 9, 400 B.P. and that the outer moraine was formed during a younger Holocene glacial advance. Lithological differences between the two moraine ridges suggest that the first ice advance occurred during a period with limited permafrost, whereas permafrost was more extensive during the Little Ice Age.