Dating Rissian and Würmian glacials in the Bavarian Alpine Foreland and correlation with glaciofluvial equivalents

• Applicant: Professorin Anke Friedrich, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 456836686

Multiple periods of advance and retreat of piedmont glaciers in the Bavarian Alpine Foreland due to changing climatic conditions were classically defined by Penck and Brückner in 1909. However, a robust absolute chronology has not yet been established. Age assignments in previous studies have mostly been based on the interpretation of terrace deposits as a result of periods of glacier advance and retreat and correlation with periods of globally low temperatures. Intercorrelation between these discontinuous deposits has mainly been done by using morphological, petrographical, and hypsometric characteristics. We propose to measure absolute cosmogenic 36Cl exposure ages of glacial erratics and 10Be/26Al isochron burial ages of till and glaciofluvial deposits, which have previously been interpreted as Würmian (ultimate) and Rissian (penultimate glacial period). This will establish an absolute chronology for these periods and enables the correlation of moraines, which are direct products of advancing and retreating glaciers, with indirect glaciofluvial deposits in the foreland. The absolute chronology of this study sheds light on the development of Central European climatic trends and enables the correlation to global climate.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Co-Investigators: Professor Florian Hofmann, Ph.D.; Dr. Silke Merchel
• Cooperation Partner: William Odom