Pattern and timing of the northwestern Barents Sea Ice Sheet deglaciation and indications of episodic Holocene deposition

Abstract

The origin of two acoustic sediment units has been studied based on lithological facies, chronology and benthic stable isotope values as well as on foraminifera and clay mineral assemblages in six marine sediment cores from Kveithola, a small trough west of Spitsbergenbanken on the western Barents Sea margin. We have identified four time slices with characteristic sedimentary environments. Before c. 14.2 cal. ka, rhythmically laminated muds indicate extensive sea ice cover in the area. From c. 13.9 to 14.2 cal. ka, muds rich in ice‐rafted debris were deposited during the disintegration of grounded ice on Spitsbergenbanken. From c. 10.3 to 13.1 cal. ka, sediments with heterogeneous lithologies suggest a shifting influence of suspension settling and iceberg rafting, probably derived from a decaying Barents Sea Ice Sheet in the inner‐fjord and land areas to the north of Kveithola. Holocene deposition was episodic and characterized by the deposition of calcareous sands and shell debris, indicative of strong bottom currents. We speculate that a marked erosional boundary at c. 8.2 cal. ka may have been caused by the Storegga tsunami. Whilst deposition was sparse during the Holocene, Kveithola acted as a sediment trap during the preceding deglaciation. Investigation of the deglacial sediments provides unprecedented details on the dynamics and timing of glacial retreat from Spitsbergenbanken.