Weichselian glaciation

The Weichselian glaciation is the name used for the Last Glacial Period in northern parts of Europe. During this time, a huge ice sheet called the Fennoscandian ice sheet grew from the Scandinavian Mountains. It stretched far south, reaching the east coast of Schleswig-Holstein, northern Poland, and even into Northwest Russia.

This glaciation was the most recent icy period in Northern Europe during the Pleistocene ice age. It began about 115,000 years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago, marking the end of the Pleistocene and the start of the warmer Holocene period. Before this cold time, the region had a warmer period called the Eemian interglacial.

The name "Weichselian" comes from the German name for the Vistula River in Poland, chosen by a German geologist named Konrad Keilhack. In the Alpine region, this same icy time is known as the Würm glaciation. It was a major event that shaped the lands and landscapes of Europe today.

Naming in other parts of the world

In different parts of the world, the same big ice age event has different names. In the Alpine region, it is called the Würm glaciation. In Great Britain, it is known as the Devensian glaciation, and in Ireland, it is called the Midlandian glaciation. In North America, this time period is referred to as the Wisconsin glaciation.

Development of the glaciation

The Fennoscandian Ice Sheet grew from small glaciers in the Scandinavian Mountains. This growth was helped by moist air from the Atlantic Ocean and the high altitude of the mountains. Changes in the North Atlantic Ocean were important for the ice to grow in Scandinavia.

There was a warmer time between 38 and 28 thousand years ago called the Ålesund interstadial, named after Ålesund in Norway.

The ice sheet grew to its largest size after the Ålesund interstadial. By about 26 thousand years ago, it reached far into Norway and then connected with ice sheets from other areas. The ice covered lands from Ireland to Novaya Zemlya.

As the ice began to melt, regions like Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Belarus became free of ice. The ice continued to retreat, and by the time of the Younger Dryas, much of Götaland, Gotland, the Baltic states, and parts of Finland were also free of ice.

The final melting of the ice left the Scandinavian Mountains as the last place where ice remained. The land rose as the heavy ice melted, changing shorelines and creating new landscapes.

Sequence and subdivisions of the Weichselian

About 115,000 years ago, temperatures dropped a lot, and forests full of warm-weather trees disappeared. This marked the beginning of the Weichselian glacial stage, which is divided into three parts: Early Glacial, High Glacial, and Late Glacial. During this time, the climate in the northern hemisphere changed often.

The Weichselian Early Glacial had four stages with different kinds of plants, like birch and pine trees, and grassy areas. In the High Glacial, huge sheets of ice moved into parts of Germany, with some warmer periods in between. The Late Glacial was a slow warming period, but it still had a few cooler times before ending around 9,660 BC and starting the warm period we live in today, called the Holocene.