Abstracts of Symposium 55 and some papers from other related Symposia.

Pleistocene Palaeosols in Norway - Implications for Climate And Glacial Activity

Lars OLSEN, Geological Survey of Norway, P.O.Box 3006 Lade, 7002 Trondheim, Norway

As recently as five years ago it was common knowledge among Quaternary geologists that Pleistocene palaeosols are almost lacking in Norway. Only related features such as organic horizons of interstadial or interglacial Late Pleistocene age were discussed in earlier reports. However, Pleistocene palaeosols do exist in Norway, and some occurrences of the remains of such fossil soils have recently been reported. A new record supported by stratigraphy and some chemical data will be considered here, and the examples will be mainly from Sargejohka, Finnmark county, North Norway. Some occurrences from other parts of Norway will also be mentioned. At Sargejohka, up to seven, different, buried zones of pedogenic activity have been found. Each set of 'palaeopedons' is separated from the suprajacent one by tills and glaciotectonic deformation structures. This implies that the pedons really represent at. least five, and probably seven, different palaeosols of different ages and are not repeated horizons at different depths of just one or two soil profiles. The most important palaeosol from a stratigraphic and climatic point of view is a well developed red-yellow palaeosol, which is recorded as palaeosol no.3 (p3) counted in descending order from the top. It is thought to be a podzol from the last interglacial. Younger cryoturbation of pre-Middle Weichselian age has greatly altered the upper part of this palaeosol, indicating a dramatic change in climate after the development of the sail horizons. At Lillehammer in southeastern Norway, remains of the oxidised zone of a 5-6 m-deep buried palaeosol are recorded in an inferred Saalian till. This palaeosol is also thought to derive mainly from the last interglacial.

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