Illinois was free of glacier ice from about 130,000 to 25,000 yr B.P. Deposits of this time interval in northeastern Illinois, represented by core samples from test-hole ISGS S-30, are composed of leached, nonglacigenic, stratified, or pedoturbated silty sediments that typically are organic-rich and pedogenically modified. These deposits overlie the Sangamon Soil, which is identified by its stratigraphic position, soil morphology, and distinct alteration products in the clay-mineral fraction, including a variably swelling vermiculite-like phase and a randomly interstratified kaolinite/10 Å phase. The regional extent of these deposits suggests that if Altonian ice existed in the Lake Michigan basin, it did not extend westward beyond the cuesta of Silurian dolomite that rims the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan.

Thick Roxana Silt (middle Wisconsinan) in central and southwestern Illinois traditionally has been interpreted as loess derived from valley-train deposits in the ancient Mississippi River valley. Winters et al. (H. A. Winters, J. J. Alford, and R. L. Rieck, Quaternary Research 29, 25–35, 1988) recently suggested that the Roxana was not directly related to glacial activity, but was derived from sediment produced by increased shoreline and spillway erosion associated with a fluctuating ancestral Lake Michigan. Because (1) paleoenvironmental and paleohydrologic conditions inferred in the hypothesis are unlikely for a loess depositional system and (2) loess did not accumulate during late Wisconsinan deglaciation under conditions similar to those hypothesized, we suggest the hypothesis should be rejected. Roxana distribution suggests the major source was drainage from the upper Mississippi River valley, and variations in loess thickness in Illinois can be explained by consideration of valley width, depth, orientation, and postdepositional erosion. Tills in the headwaters region of the ancient Mississippi drainage system in Minnesota and Wisconsin occur in the appropriate stratigraphic position and have colors and mineralogic compositions that suggest they could be the parent till of the Roxana. We believe a valley-train source for thick Roxana is most probable and urge continued consideration of middle Wisconsinan glaciation in the upper Great Lakes area.

The Lamayuru lacustrine strata in Ladakh typify many of the carbonate-rich Pleistocene alpine lakes found in the semiarid environment of the northern Himalaya. Created by a 200-m-thick landslide, the lake was in existence by at least 35,000 yr ago, and may have persisted until 500–1000 yr ago. Represented in the center by thin turbidites and laminated muds, the lacustrine sedimentation along the lake margins and low-relief deltas characteristically displays a marked contrast between (1) clastic lenses representing rapid, sporadic, matrix-poor debris flows and periglacial inputs from the alpine slopes and (2) abundant, diverse, shallow-water, biologically dominated carbonate strata, among which organism-rich, chalky beds and oncolithic and encrusted stem-rich strata predominate. Resemblances of the Lamayuru lacustrine strata and their setting to those of former lakes throughout areas north of the Greater Himalayan crest suggest that the alpine, semi-arid environment would favor diversified, spacially restricted carbonate sedimentation punctuated by occasional clastic influxes. Such a depositional regime contrasts strongly with that found immediately south of the Himalayan crest where more humid conditions promote a more continuous clastic influx into intramontane lakes.

A model of the growth and decay of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet during the last glacial/interglacial cycle is used to identify the main controls on ice sheet behavior. Using as input glaciological assumptions derived by W. F. Budd and I. N. Smith (1982, Annals of Glaciology 3, 42–49), bedrock topography, isostatic compensation, and mass balance relationships, the model is driven by sea-level change over the last 40,000 yr in association with assumed changes in the rate of melting beneath ice shelves. An ice sheet dome over 3.5 km thick grows on the offshore shelf and straits west of the Antarctic Peninsula and reaches a maximum at 18,000 yr B.P. Collapse begins at 14,000 yr B.P. but becomes rapid and continuous after 10,000 yr B.P. The present stable ice cover is achieved at 6500 yr B.P. Ice growth and decay are characterized by thresholds which separate periods of steady state from periods of rapid transition; the thresholds usually relate to topography. Tests show that ice sheet behavior is most sensitive to sea-level change, basal marine melting, and accumulation and is less sensitive to isostasy, spatial variation in accumulation, calving rates, and ice flow parameterization. Tests of the model against field evidence show good agreement in places, as well as discrepancies which require further work.

The growth of speleothems is indicative of interglacial and interstadial conditions in the United Kingdom, since their growth is dependent on two factors. First, the occurrence of significant diffuse groundwater recharge and, second, the biogenic production of carbon dioxide in the soil, both are dependent on temperature and water availability. The growth frequency of speleothems is examined using a cumulative distributed error frequency method applied to 341 uncontaminated uranium-series age determinations. The curves derived are shown to be statistically stable, and the ages of the peaks are interpreted as the best estimates of the ages of interglacial and interstadial periods. Ten such periods are recognized during the interval 220,000 to 20,000 yr B.P., considerably more than are currently recognized in the UK pollen- and coleoptera-based Quaternary stratigraphy. Correlations between the speleothem growth frequency peaks and last interglacial (Ipswichian) sites can be made, but correlations with last glacial (Devensian) interstadial sites are limited because of the paucity of dates. The speleothem growth frequency record provides a well-dated terrestrial chronology for the past 140,000 yr B.P., which directly reflects regional palaeoclimatic conditions in Britain, and should prove very useful in unravelling the complex stratigraphy of the Devensian and Ipswichian stages.

A composite thickness of about 25 m of sediment has been cored from the Verrill Canyon on the Scotian Slope. It is interpreted that the majority of this sequence was deposited in a glaciomarine environment during oxygen isotopic stage 2 and the top of stage 3. These sediments, as seen in high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, are well stratified, become thicker upslope, are laterally variable in thickness, and pass upslope into possible outer shelf tills. Three wedge-shaped units of incoherent reflections interfinger with the parallel reflections and terminate in water depths greater than 700 m. These wedge-shaped units are interpreted as slumped diamict and outwash deposits. The age of the uppermost wedge-shaped unit is 26,000–21,000 yr based on extrapolation of radiocarbon dates. This unit documents a late Wisconsinan glacier readvance on the outer Scotian Shelf. The underlying wedge-shaped unit, estimated to be 70,000 yrs old, extends further west along the continental slope, and may represent a more extensive early Wisconsinan ice advance. A third wedge-shaped unit, inferred to have formed during isotopic stage 6, is possibly a remnant of the first glaciation in the study area.

Three ice cores drilled in the central part of the Antarctic continent extend back to the last glacial period: one from West Antarctica (Byrd) and two from East Antarctica (Vostok and Dome C). This period is also partly covered by a few cores from the coastal areas. In these cores, climatic information is mostly derived from the isotopic profiles (δD or δ18O) from which surface temperature and, more indirectly, precipitation rate can be estimated. The main objective has been to compare thoroughly the three deep ice cores for the main part of the last glacial period (from ca. 65,000–15,000 yr B.P.). The time scales have been examined in detail and a new 40,000 yr chronology for the Dome C core adopted. Special emphasis is placed on the link between the concentration of 10Be and past accumulation changes and on the use of peaks in the concentration of this cosmogenic isotope as stratigraphic markers. Elevation changes of the ice sheet, derived from gas content and isotopic data, bear directly on interpretations of past temperature and precipitation rate changes.

Badland exposures in the Indian Springs Valley, southern Nevada, contain evidence of formerly widespread spring and seep discharge. The stratigraphic position and appearance of most of these deposits suggests correlation with late Wisconsin (30,000 to ca. 10,000 yr B.P.) marsh sediments in nearby Las Vegas Valley. Previously, all these deposits have been loosely described as lacustrine because of the presence of extensive green mudstones associated with aquatic mollusks. However, this association also typifies modern groundwater discharge environments in many basins of northeast Nevada such as the Steptoe Valley, basins often without hydrographic closure. Such analogs best explain the origin of late Wisconsin fine-grained deposits in the unclosed southwestern arm of the Indian Springs Valley. Key features of these depositional systems are the lack of shoreline deposits, the presence of a broad belt of subaerially deposited plae-brown silts surrounding spring, “wet meadow,” and marsh deposits, and the intermixture of terrestrial and aquatic mollusks in most horizons where mollusks occur.

Newly discovered outcrops of the middle Pleistocene Benot Ya'aqov Formation are strongly disturbed due to recent tectonic activity along the Dead Sea Rift. The lacustrine-fluviatile sediments of this formation comprise the littoral facies of a paleo-lake that occupied the adjacent Hula Basin. Acheulian artifacts, found embedded in the formation, have typical African characteristics. The geographical position of the site (the northern extension of the East African Red Sea Rift System) is important for understanding hominid diffusion from Africa to Eurasia.

Lateral drift sheets of outlet glaciers that pass through the Transantarctic Mountains constrain past changes of the huge Ross ice drainage system of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Drift stratigraphy suggests correlation of Reedy III (Reedy Glacier), Beardmore (Beardmore Glacier), Britannia (Hatherton/Darwin Glaciers), Ross Sea (McMurdo Sound), and “younger” (Terra Nova Bay) drifts; radiocarbon dates place the outer limits of Ross Sea drift in late Wisconsin time at 24,000–13,000 yr B.P. Outlet-glacier profiles from these drifts constrain late Wisconsin ice-sheet surface elevations. Within these constraints, we give two extreme late Wisconsin reconstructions of the Ross ice drainage system. Both show little elevation change of the polar plateau coincident with extensive ice-shelf grounding along the inner Ross Embayment. However, in the central Ross Embayment one reconstruction shows floating shelf ice, whereas the other shows a grounded ice sheet. Massive late Wisconsin/Holocene recession of grounded ice from the western Ross Embayment, which was underway at 13,040 yr B.P. and completed by 6600-6020 yr B.P., was accompanied by little change in plateau ice levels inland of the Transantarctic Mountains. Sea level and basal melting probably controlled the extent of grounded ice in the Ross Embayment. The interplay between the precipitation (low late Wisconsin and high Holocene values) and the influence of grounding on outlet glaciers (late Wisconsin thickening and late Wisconsin/Holocene thinning, with effects dying out inland) probably controlled minor elevation changes of the polar plateau.

On Vancouver Island, the Dashwood Drift, Cowichan Head Formation, Quadra Sand, and Vashon Drift were deposited during late Pleistocene glacial and interstadial periods and show large variations in clay-mineral contents partly related to changing climatic conditions. Glacial deposits are characterized by iron-rich chlorite, illite (both well crystallized), and smectite with a morphology reflecting rapid derivation from volcanic rocks. The clay mineralogy of nonglacial deposits is more complex, and is marked by the presence of vermiculite, kaolinite, halloysite, and irregular mixed-layer minerals. Nonglacial clay minerals are poorly preserved and show a higher state of alteration due to pedogenesis. Large variations in nonglacial deposits compared to glacial deposits are also due to secondary factors such as selective sorting, soil and rock source variations, differences in sedimentary environment, and diagenesis. These secondary factors do not seem to obliterate significantly the climatic imprint on the clay minerals. These studies also permit the recognition of glacially reworked sediments, the determination of relationships between two units in the same section, and the establishment of the conditions of clay-mineral formation.

Two pollen records from the northern Great Plains of Montana portray vegetational and climatic changes during the last 12,200 yr in a region where few other data are available. A 6.4-m core from Guardipee Lake, east of the Rocky Mountains in the area formerly covered by the Two Medicine glacial lobe, contains the Glacier Peak G and Mt. St. Helens Jy volcanic ashes. Pollen percentage data are dominated by Pinus, Poaceae, Artemisia, and Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae. High nonarboreal percentages and small amounts of Juniperus, Alnus, Salix, and Populus pollen in sediments deposited between ca. 12,200 and ca. 9300 yr B.P. suggest a temperate grassland with shrubs growing locally in mesic settings. After ca. 9300 yr B.P. an increase in Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae pollen and a concomitant decline in Artemisia indicate the development of more xerophytic grassland and the beginning of the altithermal period. The lake probably was intermittently dry thoughout the Holocene. A high sedimentation rate and the presence of cereal taxa characterize the last ca. 100 yr of Euroamerican settlement. Lost Lake at the northern margin of the Highwood Mountains yielded a 16.94-m core with no volcanic ashes that spans the last 9400 yr. High amounts of Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Artemisia, and Poaceae pollen, from ca. 9400 to ca. 6000 yr B.P., suggest the presence of xeric grassland and a climate drier than at present. After ca. 6000 yr B.P. Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae values declined and Artemisia, Poaceae, Pinus, Picea, Salix, Alnus, and Betula increased. The inferred spread of shrubs in wet habitats at this time and the expansion of forest in nearby mountain ranges indicate the end of the altithermal period and the onset of cooler/moister conditions.

Although the character of late-glacial vegetation development in Ireland is well known, the dating is weak for a number of reasons. We report six accelerator-mass spectrometer (AMS) 14C dates of hand-picked organic material from Ballybetagh. Several of the dates are based on terrestrial plant remains, thus eliminating the commonly encountered problem associated with Irish sites of errors due to the hard-water effect. The two most significant indicate that (1) the Rumex-Salix zone, which represents the initial establishment of vegetation following deglaciation, began about 12,600 yr B.P. and (2) the classic Younger Dryas began at 10,600 yr B.P., somewhat younger than the traditionally accepted age of 11,000 yr B.P.

Former longitudinal profiles of Beardmore Glacier, an outlet through the Transantarctic Mountains, constrain polar plateau elevations near the center of Antarctica and ice-shelf grouding in the southern Ross Embayment. Three gravel drift sheets of late Quaternary age occur alongside Beardmore Glacier. Plunket drift, the youngest, is parallel to and 7–30 m above the present ice surface. The upper limit of Beardmore drift, intermediate in age, is within 35–40 m of the present ice surface near the polar plateau but about 1100 m above the present ice surface near the glacier mouth. The upper limit of Meyer drift, the oldest, is parallel to and 30–50 m above Beardmore drift. From correlation with numerically dated drifts farther north, we assign an early Holocene age to Plunket drift, a late Wisconsin age to Beardmore drift, and an age of marine isotope Stage 6 to Meyer drift. By our age model, Beardmore Glacier was close to current elevations in its upper reaches and thickened considerably in its middle and lower reaches during the last two global glaciations represented by Beardmore and Meyer drifts. Most likely, grounded ice in the southern Ross Embayment caused such thickening of Beardmore Glacier almost to the polar plateau. A concomitant decline in precipitation is implied by ice-cap retreat on the nearby Dominion Range and is consistent with little change of upper Beardmore Glacier. Ice-shelf grounding most likely resulted from lowered sea level and/or basal melting. Lower than present precipitation was probably caused by colder air temperatures and more-distant open water. The Plunket profile records Holocene ice-surface lowering from increased surface ablation, decreased ice flow, or grounding-line recession.

South Georgia provides a terrestrial record of postglacial environmental change from a largely oceanic zone of the Earth. The record is representative of the southern westerlies and provides a link between Antarctica and the temperate zones of southern South America. Evidence from glacial geomorphology, slope stratigraphy, and analyses of environmental indicators in peat and lake cores is used to interpret this record. Wastage of the full-glacial ice cap was interrupted by a late-glacial stade of the outlet and valley glaciers before ca. 10,000 yr B.P. Plant growth had begun at low altitude (<50 m) on the sheltered (lee side) northeast coast within the late-glacial moraine limits by 9700 yr B.P. Environmental conditions on slopes above 80 m probably were too rigorous for a stable vegetation cover until ca. 6400 yr B.P. This was followed by a period from 5600 to 4800 yr B.P. when conditions were warmer than at present by up to 0.6°C. Periods of climatic cooling occurred at ca. 4800-3800 yr B.P., ca. 3400-1800 yr B.P., and within the last 1400 yr. The most extensive Holocene advance of South Georgia glaciers culminated just before 2200 yr B.P. These Holocene temperature changes of between 0.5 and 1.0°C are comparable in scale and timing to those identified from recent analyses of Vostok ice cores from the Antarctic ice sheet.

Coupled measurements of δ18O and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C in a particular species of planktonic foraminifera may be used to calculate sea-level estimates for the last deglaciation. Of critical importance for this type of study is a knowledge of the seasonality of foraminiferal growth, which can be provided by δ18O measurements of modern shells (core tops, plankton tows). Isotopic (δ18O, AMS-14C dating) and faunal records (transfer function sea surface temperature) were obtained from two cores in the North Atlantic at about 37°N. The locations were chosen to obtain high sedimentation rate records removed from the major ice-melt discharge areas of the last deglaciation. Based upon Globigerina bulloides data, four δ18O-based sea-level estimates were calculated: −67 ± 7 m at 12,200 yr B.P. and −24 ± 8 m at about 8200 yr B.P. for core SU 81-18; −83 ± 10 m at 12,200 yr B.P. and −13 ± 11 m at about 8500 yr B.P. for core SU 81-14. Using a second working hypothesis concerning the seasonability of G. bulloides growth, it is suggested that the sea-level rose by about 40 m during the millennium which followed 14,500 yr B.P.

The climate of the Southern High Plains during the middle Holocene is indicated by data from a variety of sources. Stratigraphic, geomorphic, and pedologic research at six localities in draws, several dune sites, and one playa-lake basin show that widespread eolian erosion and sedimentation began in some areas by 9000 yr B.P. and culminated 6000-4500 yr B.P., probably because of warmer, drier conditions that reduced the vegetative cover. Archaeological investigations at three sites provide evidence for the excavation of wells at this time, apparently because of a declining water table. Studies of a few vertebrate and invertebrate faunas also indicate warming and drying in the middle Holocene. Climate models and very limited isotopic data from Bison bone suggest that summers in the middle Holocene were warmer than present, with reduced effective precipitation. All lines of evidence indicate that the Southern High Plains was subjected to prolonged drought in the middle Holocene with a maximum between 6500 and 4500 yr B.P., conforming climatically and chronologically to the Altithermal.

Samples of corals from all three previously reported Pleistocene localities in eastern Australia have been dated anew using the 230Th/234U technique. Results for two sites are confirmed, but the new results for the third site are older than previously reported and do not support a high sea level for isotope substage 5c. All sites are now referred to substage 5e.

Archaeological materials in several prairie mounds in the northern Western Lowlands of southeastern Missouri indicate that mounds began forming prior to ca. 5000-3000 yr B.P. The mounds subsequently were inundated and built up to their modern configuration by aggradational and reworking processes. Human use of the mounds may have been tied to exploitation of aquatic animals residing in backwater habitats during periods of prolonged flooding. Principal features of the sampled portion of the mound field include preoccupation topographic highs, early occupation (ca. 5000-3000 yr B.P.) layers that drape the topographic highs, and later occupation (ca. 3000-950 yr B.P.) layers that drape earlier occupation layers and extend onto intermound areas.