Dynamics of the pleistocene glaciation and the nature of Marine Transgression Basins in northern Europe

Abstract

Abstract Throughout the Pleistocene a system of two major ice divides operated in Fennoscandia: a northern one (with a western center of glaciation) and a southern one (with an eastern center of glaciation). With relatively thin ice the northern ice divide and the western center of glaciation were operative; with relatively thick ice the southern ice divide and the eastern center of glaciation came into play. The pattern of isostatic depression of the crust and of subsequent isostatic rebound varied depending on where the center of glaciation was located; inevitably, too, the areas of marine transgression also varied depending on the same controls. The article briefly examines the glacial history of Northeastern Europe from the Dnepr glaciation to the present day, focusing on the shifts in the positions of the ice divides and centers of glaciation, the patterns of isostatic depression and rebound, and the patterns of marine transgression over time.