Late-Holocene advances of the Greater Azau Glacier (Elbrus area, Northern Caucasus) revealed by 14 C dating of paleosols
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21597633 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Olga N Solomina (0000-0002-3307-1951, Russian Academy of Sciences, corresponding author), A L Alexandrovskiy (0000-0003-1717-355X, Institute of Geography), Elya P Zazovskaya (0000-0002-1202-657X, Russian Academy of Sciences), Yulian Konstantinov (0000-0003-0686-6342, Institute of Geography), Evgeny A Konstantinov (Russian Academy of Sciences), Vasily A Shishkov (Russian Academy of Sciences), В А Шишков (0009-0007-3490-4349, Institute of Geography), Tatiana M Kuderina (0000-0001-5601-7168, Russian Academy of Sciences), I S Bushueva (0000-0002-8324-4822, Russian Academy of Sciences) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 468-481 |
| Publication date | 2022-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Holocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-6836 • E-ISSN: 1477-0911 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09596836221074029 |
| OpenAlex | W4211099936 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 37 |
Three paleosols buried in the left lateral moraines of the Greater Azau Glacier (Northern Caucasus) were identified in an excavated outcrop (43.2658 N, 42.4766 E, 2370 m a.s.l.). When the glacier was overlying the surface of the lateral moraines at this site, the thickness of the ice was 50 m and more above the valley floor. Fragments of charcoal from the uppermost soil (S1) buried 0.6 m below the surface yielded the radiocarbon date 130 ± 20 yr BP (IGAN AMS -6826) (AD 1680–1939). The middle soil (S2), buried at the depth of 13 m yielded two 14 C dates 320 ± 20 yr BP (IGAN AMS -8127) (bark of birch) (AD 1496–1641) and 1190 ± 20 yr BP (IGAN AMS -8126) (AD 774–889) (charcoal). We suggest that the soil S2 has been formed between these dates during the Medieval Warm Period and in the early Little Ice Age. The lowermost (S3) unit lying 15 m below the surface is the thickest (0.4–0.6 m), well-developed paleosol. Charcoal collected at the top of S3, yielded the date 1300 ± 20 yr BP (IGAN AMS -6826) (AD 663–773), indicating a prominent glacier advance occurred shortly before this date. Two dates from the charcoal buried at the bottom of S3 (2855 ± 20 yr BP (IGAN AMS -8125) and 2880 ± 20 yr BP (IGAN AMS -6827) mark the beginning of a long episode of restricted glacier extent that lasted for about 1600 years. The dates at the bottom of the S3 paleosol constrain the end of glacier advance that occurred before 2800–2900 14 C yr BP. The timing of most prominent advances of the Greater Azau Glacier in the past 3500 years is in general agreement with the Late-Holocene glacial chronologies in the European Alps, Scandinavia and other regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Charcoal · Geography · Geomorphology · Glacier · Holocene · Loess · Moraine · Outcrop · Paleosol · Physical geography · Radiocarbon dating · Climate change and permafrost · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Landslides and related hazards · Geology · Paleontology
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| Citations per year | 0.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |