THE LATE PLEISTOCENE MULTIFOLD GLACIATION IN THE ALPS: UPDATES AND OPEN QUESTIONS

Abstract

The stratigraphic record of Late Pleistocene glaciations in the Alps is well defined for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) thanks to recent chronological and stratigraphic studies. These allowed to compare the spread of the glaciers to the global climate models for the LGM, whereas, the amplitude of glacial advances in the pre-LGM Late Pleistocene needs further investigation in chronostratigraphic archives, with emphasis on the dynamics of Alpine glaciers during cold stages MIS5d, MIS4, and the several MIS3 stadials. In this perspective, the stratigraphic archives bearing finite ages close to the radiocarbon method limit could be tested for improvements of the available chronological methods.Late Pleistocene