Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements

<p>We present a new in situ produced cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 nuclide chronology from two sets (outer and inner) of alpine glacier moraines from the Grey Hunter massif of southern Yukon Territory, Canada. The chronology of moraines deposited by alpine glaciers outside the limits o...

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Main Authors: B. M. Goehring, B. Menounos, G. Osborn, A. Hawkins, B. Ward
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2022-05-01
Series:Geochronology
Online Access:https://gchron.copernicus.org/articles/4/311/2022/gchron-4-311-2022.pdf
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author B. M. Goehring
B. Menounos
G. Osborn
A. Hawkins
B. Ward
author_facet B. M. Goehring
B. Menounos
G. Osborn
A. Hawkins
B. Ward
author_sort B. M. Goehring
collection DOAJ
description <p>We present a new in situ produced cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 nuclide chronology from two sets (outer and inner) of alpine glacier moraines from the Grey Hunter massif of southern Yukon Territory, Canada. The chronology of moraines deposited by alpine glaciers outside the limits of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice sheets potentially provides a less-ambiguous archive of mass balance, and hence climate, than can be inferred from the extents of ice sheets themselves. Results for both nuclides are inconclusive for the outer moraines, with evidence for pre-LGM deposition (beryllium-10) and Holocene deposition (carbon-14). Beryllium-10 results from the inner moraine are suggestive of canonical LGM deposition but with relatively high scatter. Conversely, in situ carbon-14 results from the inner moraines are tightly clustered and suggestive of terminal Younger Dryas deposition. We explore plausible scenarios leading to the observed differences between nuclides and find that the most parsimonious explanation for the outer moraines is that of pre-LGM deposition, but many of the sampled boulder surfaces were not exhumed from within the moraine until the Holocene. Our results thus imply that the inner and outer moraines sampled pre- and post-date the canonical LGM and that moraines dating to the LGM are lacking likely due to overriding by the subsequent Late Glacial/earliest Holocene advance.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-2bc59300466645f6860c53383ef83b602024-04-03T03:16:27ZengCopernicus PublicationsGeochronology2628-37192022-05-01431132210.5194/gchron-4-311-2022Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurementsB. M. Goehring0B. Menounos1G. Osborn2A. Hawkins3B. Ward4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USAGeography Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, CanadaDepartment of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaGeography Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, CanadaDepartment of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada<p>We present a new in situ produced cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 nuclide chronology from two sets (outer and inner) of alpine glacier moraines from the Grey Hunter massif of southern Yukon Territory, Canada. The chronology of moraines deposited by alpine glaciers outside the limits of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice sheets potentially provides a less-ambiguous archive of mass balance, and hence climate, than can be inferred from the extents of ice sheets themselves. Results for both nuclides are inconclusive for the outer moraines, with evidence for pre-LGM deposition (beryllium-10) and Holocene deposition (carbon-14). Beryllium-10 results from the inner moraine are suggestive of canonical LGM deposition but with relatively high scatter. Conversely, in situ carbon-14 results from the inner moraines are tightly clustered and suggestive of terminal Younger Dryas deposition. We explore plausible scenarios leading to the observed differences between nuclides and find that the most parsimonious explanation for the outer moraines is that of pre-LGM deposition, but many of the sampled boulder surfaces were not exhumed from within the moraine until the Holocene. Our results thus imply that the inner and outer moraines sampled pre- and post-date the canonical LGM and that moraines dating to the LGM are lacking likely due to overriding by the subsequent Late Glacial/earliest Holocene advance.</p>https://gchron.copernicus.org/articles/4/311/2022/gchron-4-311-2022.pdf
spellingShingle B. M. Goehring
B. Menounos
G. Osborn
A. Hawkins
B. Ward
Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements
Geochronology
title Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements
title_full Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements
title_fullStr Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements
title_full_unstemmed Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements
title_short Reconciling the apparent absence of a Last Glacial Maximum alpine glacial advance, Yukon Territory, Canada, through cosmogenic beryllium-10 and carbon-14 measurements
title_sort reconciling the apparent absence of a last glacial maximum alpine glacial advance yukon territory canada through cosmogenic beryllium 10 and carbon 14 measurements
url https://gchron.copernicus.org/articles/4/311/2022/gchron-4-311-2022.pdf
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