Correlation of the Scandinavian and Alpine Glacial Moraines 



Scandinavian 

 J. Geikie, 1894-1914 

 IV Glaciation = Mecklenburgian 



Relatively restrained, local gla- 

 ciers in the British Isles, in the 

 diverging valleys of the High- 

 lands and the Grampians ; 

 large terminal moraines in 

 Denmark, Schleswig - Holstein, 

 northern provinces of Ger- 

 many, and Russia. Glaciers 

 of Scotland and Norway not 

 joined. [Several moraines of 

 north Germany that are in- 

 cluded by German geologists 

 in the last glaciation are out- 

 side the limits of Geikie's 

 Mecklenburgian. — Leverett.] 



Ill Glaciation = Polonian 



Less extensive than Glaciation 

 II; northern Britain beyond 

 the midlands shrouded in ice. 

 [These British moraines ap- 

 pear to be the correlatives of 

 the outer moraines of the last 

 glaciation in north Germany. 

 They appear to be younger 

 than the "Middle Drift" of 

 north Germany and also 

 younger than the Riss drift of 

 the Alps. The "Middle Drift" 

 and Riss drift appear to be 

 correl a ti ves. — Leverett. ] 



II Glaciation = Saxonian 



The most extensive; in England 

 united glaciers of Scandinavia 

 and Scottish Highlands ex- 

 tending southward to the 

 Thames, depositing there the 

 "Old Drift" or "lower Boulder- 

 clay" ; in Germany extending 

 to the foot of the Harz Moun- 

 tains, Bohemia, and Saxony, 

 spreading eastward over the 

 Russian plain to Moscow, and 

 joining the Ural glaciers. 

 "Old," or Saxonian, drift, the 

 most external ground moraine. 



I Glaciation = Scanian 



The least extensive; along trie 

 basin of the Baltic Sea, spread- 

 ing only to Scania and the Ger- 

 man plain through Hamburg 

 and Berlin; not reaching the 

 British Isles. [Wahnschaffie 

 (1909.1) and Leverett (1910.1) 

 find the equivalent of the Giin- 

 zian in well borings near Ber- 

 lin and near Hamburg, Ger- 

 many. Gagel (1913.1) finds no 

 equivalent of the Giinzian on 

 the German plain.] 



Alpine 



reticle, 1901-1909 

 = Wiirm 



Moraines strong ridges, strewn 

 with boulders of all classes; 

 weathered to 0.5 meter in certain 

 areas. Low river terraces (Nie- 

 derterrasse) are conspicuous fea- 

 tures throughout entire circuit 

 of Alps. Seldom ravined. Within 

 the Alps moraines mark stadia : 

 Biihl, Gschnitz, and Daun. 



= Riss 



Features of Riss drift are variable. 

 High terraces (Hochterrasse) 

 about 30 meters, but in places 55 

 to 60 meters, above river beds, 

 represent glacial outwash from 

 the Riss moraine; weathered to 

 1 to 2 meters, with passage to 

 unweathered portion abrupt. 

 Limestone pebbles absent in 

 weathered portion of Riss, not so 

 of Wiirm. In many places loess 

 rests on weathered Riss drift. 



= Mindel 



Most extensive generally of the 

 four glacial stages on the Alpine 

 foreland, but was surpassed by 

 the Riss glaciation in the Lyons 

 region and western Alps ; con- 

 nects with extensive outwash de- 

 posits, the younger Deckenschot- 

 ter; preserved in narrow valley 

 strips about 50 meters above the 

 present stream ; no limestone 

 pebbles remaining in weathered 

 upper 4-meter zone; granite and 

 gneiss pebbles are present but 

 rotten. 



= Giinz 



Giinz drift almost completely cov- 

 ered by later drift, but its glacial 

 outwash, the older Deckenschot- 

 ter, is preserved in the highest 

 terraces; also along divides be- 

 tween streams, in narrow strips 

 and small isolated areas; alti- 

 tude, nearly 100 meters above 

 present stream; average thick- 

 ness, 30 meters, representing a 

 prolonged and vigorous glacia- 

 tion. Weathering and solution 

 have removed granite and other 

 pebbles to a depth of a few me- 

 ters. 



Depe'ret, 1918-1921 

 ■■ Wiirmian 



Internal moraines in constant re- 

 lation with low 18-20-meter ter- 

 races (Niederterrasse of Penck) 

 destitute of loess; terraces gen- 

 erally between 15 and 20 meters 

 above valleys of great water- 

 courses. The internal glaciation 

 is surely the Wiirm, as main- 

 tained by the 15-20-meter alti- 

 tudes of the terraces to which it 

 is related. 



= Rissian 



Frontal moraines in constant rela- 

 tion with terraces (Hochterrasse 

 of Penck) , which dominate by 

 an average of 20 meters the 

 Wiirm moraines, attaining in 

 consequence a relative altitude 

 of 30 to 35 meters. The inter- 

 mediate glaciation (Neorissian, 

 Deperet) corresponds to the 30- 

 meter terraces — that is, the true 

 Rissian of Penck. 



= Mindelian 



Terminal moraines east of the Alps 

 in constant relation with terraces 

 (jung er er Dcckenschotter of 

 Penck), 20 to 25 meters above 

 the Rissian terraces — that is, 

 with a relative altitude of 50 to 

 60 meters. Hence the external 

 moraines of the Lyons region, in 

 relation to the terraces of 55 to 

 60 meters, belong to the Minde- 

 lian glaciation and not to the 

 Rissian, as supposed by Penck 

 and Bruckner. [Leverett still is 

 of the same opinion as Penck 

 and Briickner, because of fine 

 state of preservation of the mo- 

 raines and terraces in the Lyons 

 region.] 



= Giinzian 



Moraines frequently giving rise to 

 terraces (alterer Dcckenschotter 

 of Penck), whose altitude gener- 

 ally attains 90 to 100 meters 

 above the existing river levels. 

 It appears probable to Deperet 

 that the deposits of the still 

 older alluvium have been in some 

 places confused by Penck and 

 Bruckner with this older Deck- 

 euschotter. 



