Kansan glaciation
The Elster- glacial period also Elster Elster glacial or period, called in the older and popular scientific literature Elster glaciation is the oldest cold period in which there has been proven safe in a large-scale glaciation in northern Germany. It is temporally correlated with the southern German Mindel glaciation. The Elster glaciation is currently dated to about 400000-320000 years before present. It replaced the long period of slightly warmer on average Cromer complex. Two ice advances are widely disseminated. On the Magpie cold period, the Holstein interglacial period follows.
Naming and conceptual history
The Elster- glacial period is named after the White Elster, a right tributary of the Saale. The name was first used by Konrad Keilhack in 1910 as " Elster glaciation ". A type locality he did not name. By decision of the Sub-Commission for European Quartärstratigraphie a profile on Voigtstedt ( Kyffhauserkreis, Thuringia ) was determined to Lecto - stratotype locality. The term " Magpie Ice Age" replaced the older term " First Ice Age" from. Today in the scientific literature, the terms Elster Elster glacial cold period or are the most common. Since the Elster glaciation but also warmer periods includes, speak some researchers also from Elster complex. However, Litt et al observed. (2007) this term is incorrect and reject the term because the Elster- glacial period is divided by no warm period. In the Stratigraphic Table of Germany 2002, the name has been modified to Elsterium to achieve alignment with the chronostratigraphic units.
Correlation and dating
The exact age of the Elster glacial period is still controversial. The reason lies in the lack of absolute dating possibilities of glacial sediments, so that the age correlation based on data with slightly younger deposits of the Holstein interglacial period. But the age position just this warm period is controversial to this day. From one part of the Quaternary geologists, the oxygen isotope stage (MIS or OIS) is still 11 for the Holstein favored during MIS Stage 7 is currently barely represented. The improved in the last 10 years, methods of age determination, particularly the uranium -thorium dating and Radio fluorescence as a new method of thermoluminescence make the oxygen isotope stage 9.3 today most likely. Thus, the Elster glaciation is correlated in Central Europe usually with the global marine oxygen isotope zone MIS 10 and a period of 400,000 set to 320,000 years ago. In a classification of the Holsteins in the MIS level 11 then would the Elster- glacial classification in the MIS stage 12 ( climax by 430,000 years ago).
Dissemination
Deposits of the Elster glaciation are found widely distributed in northern and central Germany. The deposits extend to the maximum extent of the magpie cold temporal inland ice, which is characterized in Saxony, Saxony -Anhalt and Thuringia by the flint line. Originally from Cretaceous deposits of flint was shipped with the ice from northern Europe to southern and central Germany, and stored at the Eisrandlagen, the terminal moraines. The ice of the Elster glaciation in Germany reached the northern edge of the Harz, went from there to the southeast and east of the Bode valley overcame the Lower Harz. South of the resin, the ice turned to the west and penetrated to a line Bad Langensalza -Erfurt- Weimar. From there, can the ice edge over Jena, Weida follow up to Zwickau. From Zwickau he proceeded further along the Ore Mountains on Chemnitz, Roßwein to Freital, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and the Lusatian mountains. West of the resin, the course of the ice until about Seesen, Alfeld and Rinteln is quite well known. Further west it is uncertain since it was run over here by the glaciers of the younger Saalian time and the end moraines were leveled. With the flint line the position of the ice edge can however set about further: along the Teutoburg Forest, after a bend of a few tens of kilometers as further south to the northwest north of the river Ems to the North of the Netherlands and the North Sea.
Sequence and structure of the Elster glaciation
The border to the older Cromer complex is drawn a significant slowdown after the last interglacial of Cromer complex. In Lecto - stratotype profile Elster glaciation from Voigtstedt Interglacial is underlain. However, the limit is extremely problematic. After Litt et al. (2007) are some indications that the Voigtstedt - interglacial is not to correlate with the most recent interglacial of Cromer complex, but with an older interglacial within the Cromer complex. But that has become very questionable defined in Voigtstedt lower limit of the Elster glaciation; it is to be expected with a larger hiatus between Voigtstedt Interglacial and the Elster glaciation.
In Elsterhochglazial, a period of 65,000 years, there were at least two major ice advances, the maximum extension reached to the foot of the Central German Uplands. The advances are separated by an ice retreat.
- Markranstadt phase with glacial sediments ( lithostratigraphically called Markranstadt - Glaziär Formation)
- Miltitz interval and fluvial deposits meltwater deposits (also called " Miltitzer horizon " or " Miltitzer interim sediment " called )
- Zwickau- phase ( in Thuringia called Erfurt phase) glaciogenic sediments ( lithostratigraphically called Zwickau- Glaziär Formation)
In Elsterspätglazial took place over the course of about 15,000 years back a gradual warming. Three interstadials have been excreted
- Esbeck interstadial, all three interstadials occupy a forestation with pine, spruce and birch.
- Offleben II interstadial
- Offleben I interstadial
The three interstadials are separated from each other by short stadials, the Esbeck interstadial is separated by a short stadial of the Holstein interglacial period. This stadials have not been named by his own name.
In contrast to the subsequent freezing, the maximum extension is no longer based on moraine recognizable. A still further south, reaching freezing during the later Saale glaciation in the west of Germany erased all traces above ground visible here. The later no longer shaped by ice eastern end moraines were leveled primarily through long-term periglacial processes. Reconstructed is the expansion on the basis of flint line. In Schleswig -Holstein subglaziäre flushes created gutters to -360 m below sea level, which were later filled with younger deposits.