Benthic foraminiferal investigations in Middle to Late Quaternary sections of Kongsfjordhallet, north-west Svalbard

Abstract

Stratigraphic sites in north-west Svalbard record at least six significant glacial advances in the last 200 Ky, and sediments deposited under locally high relative sea level during intervening interstadials or interglacials contain abundant benthic foraminifera. We present a biostratigraphic record from the Kongsfjordhallet site in the Kongsfjorden area that covers five high relative sea-level events and stretches back to the Middle Pleistocene (>195 Kya). Five foraminiferal assemblages have been identified: (1) Cassidulina reniforme – Elphidium clavatum — Islandiella helenae; (2) Cassidulina neoteretis – Cassidulina reniforme; (3) Cassidulina reniforme – Cibicides lobatulus – Cassidulina neoteretis; (4) Cibicides lobatulus – Cassidulina reniforme – Elphidium clavatum; and (5) Cassidulina reniforme – Elphidium clavatum assemblages. The assemblages suggest a distal glaciomarine environment with variable influence of seasonal sea ice and nutrient availability in the Kongsfjorden region during the five deglaciation events. The foraminiferal data are also compared with foraminiferal records from other sites in Svalbard and the adjacent Arctic Ocean.

Keywords

• benthic foraminifera
• glacial–interglacial cycle
• palaeoenvironment
• kongsfjorden
• spitsbergen
• arctic