Quaternary palaeoceanography and palaeogeography in northern Denmark: a review of results from the Skagen cores

Abstract

Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from the Skagen record contribute to the understanding of Late Quatemary climatic changes and variations in the oceanographic circulation pattem in the entire North Atlantic region. The Skagen cores penetrated c. 192 m of Quatemary sediments comprising two marine Late Quaternary records: A 7 m marine unit (185.3-178.3 m) comprised the entire last interglacial, including its lower and upper transitions (Late Saalian-Eemian-Early Weichselian), while the upper 132 m of marine deposits covered the last about 15,000 years from the Late Weichselian through the Holocene, including the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Results from the study of lithology, foraminifera, stable isotope measurements and radiocarbon dates are reviewed while emphasizing the most important contributions to the general understanding of the North Atlantic Quatemary history