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Department of Geology, Pomona College, Claremont, California, USA
(Present address: Department of Geology, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Göteborg, S-41296 Göteborg, Sweden)
The balance between the meltwater supply of suspended sediment from an increasingly distal ice front and the local sources of clastic sediments through turbulent reworking is reflected in the stratigraphy of Weichselian glacimarine deposits near Göteborg. Descriptions from cored and exposed sections and process interpretations are reviewed in order to make generalized comparisons between the proximal to distal trends and the contrasting lithofacies in very distal settings. Since nearly all sediment was initially supplied by the meltwater overflow the distance to ice-front standstills, the seasonal or non-seasonal variability of the discharge and the local drainage were major influences on the textural and geochemical characteristics. This is best illustrated by the rhythmites interpreted to be annual varves. In very distal settings the fine sediments that the meltwater could supply are interrupted in the stratigraphy by silty and sand laminated clays interpreted to be the result of the increased importance of near-shore erosion. Granular sediments could be transported from local sources and concentrated in the stratigraphy during long periods of low meltwater discharge, such as with glacial stadial conditions. During high-discharge phases the fine-grained sedimentation predominated at localities along regional drainage paths for the meltwater and the coarser input from local sources was diluted.
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  L. Polyak and V. Mikhailov Post-glacial environments of the southeastern Barents Sea: foraminiferal evidence Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 1996; 111: 323 - 337. [Abstract] [PDF]
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