A 10Be-based reconstruction of the last deglaciation in southern Sweden

We present 23 cosmogenic surface exposure ages from 10 localities in southern Sweden. The new Be-10 ages allow a direct correlation between the east and west coasts of southern Sweden, based on the same dating technique, and provide new information about the deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet in the circum-Baltic area. In western Skane, southernmost Sweden, a single cosmogenic surface exposure sample gave an age of 16.8 +/- 1.0ka, whereas two samples from the central part of Skane gave ages of 17.0 +/- 0.9 and 14.1 +/- 0.8ka. Further northeast, in southern Smaland, two localities gave ages ranging from 15.2 +/- 0.8 to 16.9 +/- 0.9ka (n=5) indicating a somewhat earlier deglaciation of the area than has previously been suggested. Our third locality, in S Smaland, gave ages ranging from 10.2 +/- 0.5 to 18.4 +/- 1.6ka (n=3), which are probably not representative of the timing of deglaciation. In central Smaland one locality was dated to 14.5 +/- 0.8ka (n=3), whereas our northernmost locality, situated in northern Smaland, was dated to 13.8 +/- 0.8ka (n=3). Samples from the island of Gotland suggest deglaciation before 13ka ago. We combined the new Be-10 ages with previously published deglaciation ages to constrain the deglaciation chronology of southern Sweden. The combined deglaciation chronology suggests a rather steady deglaciation in southern Sweden starting at c.17.9cal. ka BP in NW Skane and reaching northern Smaland, approximate to 200km further north, c.13.8ka ago. Overall the new deglaciation ages agree reasonably well with existing deglaciation chronologies, but suggest a somewhat earlier deglaciation in Smaland.