On the deglaciation chronology of the Palivere ice-marginal zone, northern Estonia

Abstract

This paper presents new bio-, litho- and chronostratigraphical evidence from two adjacent sediment sequences of the Todva and Saku basins, northern Estonia that refine the age estimate of the Palivere ice-marginal zone and the deglaciation history of Estonia. Previous palynological studies demonstrated the presence of late-glacial sediments in the area; however, those sections were not dated, and their ages were poorly constrained. New accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C dates show that sedimentation in the Todva basin started at approximately 13 200 cal yr BP. Therefore, because the studied sites are located at the distal part of this zone, we infer that this age represents the minimum timing of the ice retreat from the Palivere ice-marginal zone.