The first deglaciation chronology of south-oriented valley in Bohemian Forest (central Europe) – Preliminary results

Abstract

The Bohemian Forest Mountain range is situated on the border of Czechia, Germany and Austria. Paleo-glaciers in this range could thus represent connection between mountain glaciation in the Alps and continental glaciation centred on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Till now, we have information about deglaciation chronology only for north oriented valley in the Bohemian Forest. We used geophysical profiling, sediment coring, palynological analysis of sediment core and radiometric dating of blocks on moraine ridges to establish chronology of deglaciation and landscape evolution. Based on preliminary results a glacier had the largest extension about 25.66 ± 1.74 ka. In 17.42 ± 1.49 the glacier retreated to a cirque. After final glacier retreat there was a lake in the cirque which was probably infilled by sediments in the beginning of the Middle Holocene. It seems the Bohemian Forest glacier in the south oriented valley was more active than glaciers in north-oriented valleys and it disappeared earlier than glaciers in north-oriented valleys.