Late Quaternary glaciations in Japan

Abstract

A general introduction to the Quaternary glaciations in the Japanese high mountains is presented. Particular attention is paid to the two most significantly-glaciated mountain ranges, and recent knowledge of the glacial history in the Japanese Alps and Hidaka Mountains is presented. Six glacial advances are recognised in the Japanese Alps that occurred during the penultimate glacial cycle, the Last Glaciation, and the Holocene. In the high Japanese mountains, the maximum advance during the Last Glaciation is commonly recognised during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 with subsequent advances occurring just before 24 ka BP, 18–20 ka PB, 11–10 ka BP and in the early Holocene. In the Hidaka Mountains, recent tephrochronological investigations have revealed the age and extent of the maximum glacier advance during MIS 5a, MIS 3, MIS 2 and MIS 6. Mountain glaciers in Japan were less extensive during the Last Glacial Maximum. This is out of phase with the continental ice sheets in the northern hemisphere.