Bulletin Vol92 2 77-98 Aberg-Etal
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Bulletin of the Geological Society of Finland, Vol. 92, 2020, pp 77–98, https://doi.org/10.17741/bgsf/92.2.001 Weichselian sedimentary record and ice-flow patterns in the Sodankylä area, central Finnish Lapland Annika Katarina Åberg1*, Seija Kultti1, Anu Kaakinen1, Kari O. Eskola2 and Veli-Pekka Salonen1 1Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2b, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland 2Laboratory of Chronology, Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 64, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2b, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland Abstract Three different till units separated by interstadial fluvial deposits were observed in the Sodankylä area in the River Kitinen valley, northern Finland. The interbedded glaciofluvial sediments and palaeosol were dated by OSL to the Early (79±12 to 67±13 ka) and Middle (41±9 ka) Weichselian. A LiDAR DEM, glacial lineations, the flow direction of till fabrics, esker chains and striations were applied to investigate the glacial flow patterns of the Sodankylä, Kittilä and Salla areas. The analysis revealed that the youngest movement of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet is not visible as DEM lineations within the studied areas. The modern morphology in Kittilä and Salla shows streamlined landforms of various dimensions mainly oriented from the NW and NNW, respectively, corresponding to the Early/Middle Weichselian ice-flow directions inferred from till fabrics. The Late Weichselian ice flow has produced an insignificant imprint on the landforms. This study suggests a northern location for the ice-divide zone during the Early/Middle Weichselian, and a more western–southwestern position during the Late Weichselian. The OSL ages of 14±3.3 ka from the aeolian deposits may indicate ice-free areas during the Bølling–Allerod warm period in the vicinity of the River Kitinen. Keywords: Quaternary, till stratigraphy, LiDAR DEM, glacial lineations, weak glacial erosion, interstadial deposits, OSL * Corresponding author (email: [email protected]) Editorial handling: Niina Kuosmanen (e-mail: [email protected]) 78 Åberg, Kultti, Kaakinen, Eskola and Salonen 1. Introduction frozen bed conditions during glaciations (Kujansuu, 1967; Kleman et al., 1997; Johansson & Kujansuu, The Weichselian depositional history of Lapland is 2005; Kleman & Glasser, 2007; Ebert et al., 2015). a result of the unusual preservation of strata from It has been proposed that up to five glacier consecutive glacial and non-glacial climate events, advances and related till units are recorded in thus offering a unique, still inadequately known Finnish Lapland (Johansson et al., 2011). In window on the climate history of the core area western Lapland (Rautuvaara and Hannukainen), occupied by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS). The there is evidence of two Middle Weichselian and frequent occurrence of Neogene weathering crust one Early Weichselian stadial and associated ice-free (saprolith) and preservation of pre-Late Weichselian events (Salonen et al., 2014, Howett et al., 2015, tills with interbedded sorted sediments and organic Lunkka et al., 2015). In eastern Lapland, a recent remains, as well as erosion remnants such as tors stratigraphic scheme from Sokli indicates three (Fig. 1), indicate repeatedly weak glacial erosion glacial events during the Weichselian (Helmens, during the Quaternary as a result of prevailing 2014), one of which has been correlated with the 24°0'E 26°0'E 28°0'E 30°0'E N ' N ' 0 0 ° ± ° 8 8 6 Tepsankumpu 6 Maaselkä Sokli Naakenavaara Kevitsa N ' Hannukainen N Kittilä ' 0 0 3 Rautuvaara 3 ° _^ ° 7 7 6 Ukonharju 6 Pirttikenttä Sodankylä Kolari Savukoski N ' N ' 0 0 ° ° 7 7 6 6 24°0'E 26°0'E 28°0'E 30°0'E Legend 0 20 40 km y _ a Sodankylä interlobe ^ Study site w n r e o d Salla lobe Stratigraphic sites N e w S Kittilä lobe Deep weathering (Ebert et al. 2014) Finland LiDAR inspection areas Tor field (Ebert et al. 2014) Russia Estonia 0 200 400 km Upper figure location Figure 1. Index map showing the study area and three LiDAR image analysis areas in central Finnish Lapland. Administra- tive borders of Finland and hill-shaded DEM 32 m: © modified and reproduced after the National Land Survey of Finland, 2016. Administrative borders of Norway, Russia and Sweden: www.gadm.org (visited 4/2017). Weichselian sedimentary record and ice-flow patterns in the Sodankylä area, central Finnish Lapland 79 Middle Weichselian (Savukoski III, MIS 4). These and interpret the depositional environments, 2) stratigraphic studies have been accompanied by reconstruct the glacial history of central Finnish several age determinations, e.g. in Sokli (Helmens Lapland and, finally, 3) synthesize the Weichselian et al.; 2000; 2007a; 2007b; 2018; Helmens, 2014), ice-flow patterns in Finnish Lapland. Tervola (Mäkinen, 2005), Rautuvaara (Howett et al., 2015; Lunkka et al., 2015), Hannukainen (Salonen et al., 2014), Kittilä (Sarala & Eskola, 2. Study area 2011), Sodankylä (Sarala et al., 2015) and Inari (Sara la et al., 2016). Our study area lies in the municipality of Sodankylä The central Lapland region represents the core near Kersilö village in the River Kitinen valley, area of weak glacial erosion with many deposits northern Finland (Fig. 2). Overall, the study area is predating the Late Weichselian (Hirvas, 1991; a flat peneplain (180–200 m above sea level) covered Aalto et al., 1992; Salonen et al., 2014; Howett by sands or mire lowlands (Fig. 1). Occasional et al.; 2015; Lunkka, et al. 2015; Sarala et al., morainic terrains and bedrock hills break through 2015; Åberg et al., 2017). The Sodankylä area is the generally even topography (Räisänen, 2014; characterized by an open landscape consisting of Sarala et al., 2015). large mire complexes and a series of river systems, The local bedrock is part of the Central Lapland the latter of which are presumed to be of preglacial Greenstone belt and consists of mafic volcanic origin (Johansson & Kujansuu, 2005). There rocks, graphite paraschists, quartzite and gabbro are also a few important stratigraphic sites such as (Tyrväinen, 1983; Hanski & Huhma, 2005). The Paloseljänoja (Hirvas, 1991) and representative altitude of the bedrock surface varies from 150– stratigraphic reference sites such as the extensive 190 m a.s.l. The unconsolidated Pleistocene and till sections studied in Kevitsa (Hirvas et al., 1994). Holocene deposits in Sahankangas/Kärväsniemi Moreover, the region has recently been remapped attain a thickness of 10–30 m and they have for its Quaternary deposits (Sarala et al., 2015) and accumulated in a valley-form basin of bedrock a comprehensive 3D database exists on surficial (170–150 m a.s.l. Åberg et al., 2017) possibly geology over the Kersilö area in Sodankylä (Åberg et eroded by pre-Quaternary rivers. al., 2017). Despite the several accounts concerning The present investigations of the Quaternary the Quaternary geology of the Sodankylä area and sedimentary successions were undertaken in three central Lapland in general, central Lapland has only areas: Sahankangas (Kärväsniemi KN-1 and KN-2 a few age determinations as well as sedimentary and Hietakangas), Kuusivaara and Multaharju records from the Middle Weichselian (MIS 3, 4) (Fig. 2). The main site, Sahankangas, is located deposits (Putkinen et al., 2020). along the River Kitinen about 15 km NNE of the This paper presents new sedimentological and centre of the municipality of Sodankylä, between lithological observations, LiDAR image analyses the villages of Sattanen and Kersilö (Fig. 2). Sahan - and OSL age determinations from three areas kangas has been interpreted by Räisänen (2014) within the so-called ice-divide zone (Hirvas et al., as a sand-covered outwash plain with underlying 1977; Hirvas, 1991) in the River Kitinen valley in basal till. A hillshade generated from a LiDAR- Kärväsniemi, Sodankylä, which in an earlier 3D derived 2-metre digital elevation model (DEM) model study (Åberg et al., 2017) was shown to shows a braided river pattern in Sahan kangas and contain a variable succession of glacial and fluvial Pahanlaaksonmaa. The sandur plains are deposited sediments, and hypothesised to also include Middle at the levels of 188 m a.s.l. and 185 m a.s.l. The Weichselian deposits. The aims of the current study present morphology of Sahankangas reflects the were to 1) describe the sedimentary successions past and present activity of the River Kitinen 80 Åberg, Kultti, Kaakinen, Eskola and Salonen R 26°35'E 26°40'E 26°45'E 26°50'E 26°55'E 27°0'E Kota-Vanttioselkä Venevaara Moskuvaara N ' N ' 6 6 3 3 ° ° 7 Paloseljänoja 7 6 (! 6 Matarakoski Vanttioaapa Kersilö N ' N ' 4 KN-2 4 3 3 ° ° 7 7 6 KN-1 A. 6 Sahankangas Särkikoskenmaa Viiankia(!apa B. HI-1 N ' N ' 2 2 3 Viiankiaavan Petäjäsaari 3 ° ° 7 7 6 Sattanen û (! 6 Myllymaa D. Viiankiaapa Sattanen Kuusivaara û KU-3 KU-1 Sattanen KU-2 N ' N ' 0 0 3 3 ° ° 7 7 6 û 6 Kitinen Eliasaapa N ' Kelujoki N ' 8 8 2 2 ° ° 7 7 6 6 û C. MU-1 Multaharju ± Sodankylä 26°35'E 26°40'E 26°45'E 26°50'E 26°55'E 27°0'E Altitude m a.s.l. Stratigraphic sites Flow directions Landforms R 310.1 - 314 260.1 - 270 210.1 - 220 !( Interglacial sites¤ Till bed I* Dune field 300.1 - 310 250.1 - 260 200.1 - 210 û Esker Glacial striations# Till bed II* 290.1 - 300 240.1 - 250 190.1 - 200 Drainage channels Insets of Fig. 3 Till bed III* 280.1 - 290 230.1 - 240 180.1 - 190 Lateral drainage channels 270.1 - 280 220.1 - 230 174.8 - 180 Unit 8 ¤ B. Eriksson & R. Tynni in Hirvas (1991), Unit 6 0 2 4 km # Geological Survey of Finland and Salmi, 1965, unpublished thesis, * after Hirvas (1991) Figure 2.