Late Quaternary glacial chronology on Nevado Illimani, Bolivia, and the implications for paleoclimatic reconstructions across the Andes

Abstract

10Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure ages from moraines on Nevado Illimani, Cordillera Real, Bolivia suggest that glaciers retreated from moraines during the periods 15.5–13.0 ka, 10.0–8.5 ka, and 3.5–2.0 ka. Late glacial moraines at Illimani are associated with an ELA depression of 400–600 m, which is consistent with other local reconstructions of late glacial ELAs in the Eastern Cordillera of the central Andes. A comparison of late glacial ELAs between the Eastern Cordillera and Western Cordillera indicates a marked change toward flattening of the east-to-west regional ELA gradient. This flattening is consistent with increased precipitation from the Pacific during the late glacial period.