Timing of late pleistocene climate change in lowland Switzerland

A chronology of climate change in lowland Switzerland for the time between the Last Interglacial and the Last Glaciation Maximum (LGM) is provided by complementary radiocarbon, Th-230/U and luminescence dating of the Gossau key section. The Gossau-Interstadial-Complex is consistently dated to similar to50,000-30,000yr BP and hence correlated with Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Palaeotemperature readings reconstructed from coleoptera analyses and pollen assemblages evidence oscillating environmental conditions from tundra to open woodland and reflect changing climate during the Middle Wurmian. Delta deposits from the lower part of the Gossau section indicate a cold period prior to the Interstadial-Complex. This severe climatic deterioration is correlated with MIS 5d based on luminescence dating. Sedimentological evidence implies the presence of glaciers at the northern margin of the Swiss Alps during this time. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.