Research Article| February 01, 2000 Were the North Atlantic Heinrich events triggered by the behavior of the European ice sheets? Francis E. Grousset; Francis E. Grousset 1Unité Mixte de Recherche 5805 Environnement et Paléoenvironnement Océaniques, Université Bordeaux I, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Claude Pujol; Claude Pujol 1Unité Mixte de Recherche 5805 Environnement et Paléoenvironnement Océaniques, Université Bordeaux I, Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Laurent Labeyrie; Laurent Labeyrie 2Laboratoire des Sciences du climat et de l'Environnement, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gérard Auffret; Gérard Auffret 3Institut Français de Recherche sur la Mer, Centre de Brest, BP 70, 29280 Plouzané Cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar An Boelaert An Boelaert 3Institut Français de Recherche sur la Mer, Centre de Brest, BP 70, 29280 Plouzané Cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2000) 28 (2): 123–126. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<123:WTNAHE>2.0.CO;2 Article history received: 24 May 1999 rev-recd: 05 Oct 1999 accepted: 15 Oct 1999 first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Francis E. Grousset, Claude Pujol, Laurent Labeyrie, Gérard Auffret, An Boelaert; Were the North Atlantic Heinrich events triggered by the behavior of the European ice sheets?. Geology 2000;; 28 (2): 123–126. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<123:WTNAHE>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Theories explaining the origin and distribution of Heinrich layers—abrupt, massive discharges of ice-rafted detritus—generally attribute these layers to the Laurentide ice sheet. However, doubt has been cast by the discovery that sediments also originated from European ice sheets. Here we present isotopic (Sr-Nd) fingerprints of Heinrich layers obtained in cores from the European margin. They reveal that for most of the Heinrich layers, the icebergs were calved first from the European ice sheets, predating the Laurentide surges. Accelerator mass spectrometry 14C ages reveal that the oceanic Heinrich events were synchronous with their dust equivalents in the Greenland ice cores, implying a direct ocean-atmosphere link. The typical Laurentide surge seems to have occurred over a short time span, after about 1.5 k.y. of iceberg release from the European ice sheets. This suggests that the Laurentide ice sheet responded to a stimulus created by events in the European sector. You do not currently have access to this article.