Chapter 47 - European Ice Sheet Complex evolution during the Last Glacial Maximum (29–19 ka)

Abstract

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) extent of the European Ice Sheet Complex (EISC) has been the subject of intense research for over a century. Today, the landscapes that locate the former limits of the ice sheets of the EISC at their respective maximum coverage are recognised as time-transgressive; each ice sheet reached its maximum extent at different times, indeed within each ice sheet different sectors also exhibit variations in timing of advance and retreat. Here we give an overview of the dimensions, geometry, and evolution of the EISC during the LGM (29–19ka) to provide an ice-sheet scale context for the landscape evidence described in Chapters 48–53. We reflect on the historical development of ideas and approaches to constrain the dimensions and chronology of the EISC during the LGM. As for the pre-LGM period (Chapter 28), the majority of evidence is found along the former ice-sheet margins with glimpses of the internal structure of the LGM ice sheets predominantly restricted to locations preserved under cold-based ice. We examine how landscapes of the EISC have played a key role in recognising the spatiotemporal complexity of the subglacial thermal regime of ice sheets and outline routes for understanding the role of cold-based ice in landform genesis as well as a means of landscape preservation. Establishing the detailed geometry and precise volume of the three ice sheets comprising the EISC remains an active field of research.