Deglaciation history of high massifs from the Romanian carpathians: Towards an integrated view

Abstract

The study of past glaciations extent and chronology in the Romanian Carpathians has been of great interest for scientists in the last 135 years. In the last decade, in addition to the geomorphologic investigations, several studies presented numerous absolute age datings of the glacial deposits that improved considerably the knowledge on the last glaciation chronology. Moreover, much progress was achieved in understanding the palaeoclimate oscillations during the last glacial cycle and Holocene. This paper summarizes the recent results and offers a unitary discussion of the deglaciation chronology of the highest massifs from the Romanian Carpathians (Retezat, Parâng, Făgăraș and Rodnei Massifs). The glacial oscillations in Southern Carpathians seem to be in good agreement with the Alpine chronology: a maximum extent during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) with a preference for the LGM late phase (20–21 ka), up to three glacial readvances during the Oldest Dryas (18.6, 16.3 and 15.0 ka), one possible glacial advance during the Older Dryas (around 13.5 ka), a Younger Dryas glacial advance at 12.9–12.1 ka and a last possible glacial phase with isolated small glaciers and glacierets occurrence during the early Holocene cold events. Rodnei Massif seems to have a slightly different deglaciation pattern with an earlier local LGM (37–26 ka) and a different altitudinal moraine distribution. At their maximum phase, glaciers reached altitudes below 1200 and 900 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in Southern Carpathians and north of Eastern Romanian Carpathians, respectively, and their equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) were below 1700 m a.s.l. During the warm phases of Late Glacial (Bølling/Allerød), the glaciers retreated dramatically or even disappeared completely from most of the glacial cirques. With all the new data and knowledge improvements, some uncertainties and contradictions appear and they need to be properly addressed in the coming years in order to understand in-depth the past evolution of the Romanian Carpathians.