Relationships Between Ice-Sheet Dynamics and Bedrock Relief on Dissected Plateau Areas in Finnish Lapland North of 69° Latitude

ABSTRACT

With the help of numerous till fabric analyses and other glacial indicators obtained from the study area proper a scheme of ice-flow pattern and ice-thickness variation throughout Weichselian time is put forward which in many respects differs from earlier ones. In the two separate fell areas on the Finnish side of the study area there can be discerned a clear zonal arrangement in an assemblage of residual bedrock forms such as tors, kopjes and inselbergs. This can be linked with areally altering conditions in the ice sheet dynamics. The dependence of ice flows on existing local and regional relief during various glacial phases has been verified by means of quantitative comparisons between known ice movement directions and the effective orientation of the bedrock relief. In the light of results gained from a large number of minor and major test areas it seems clear that this dependence has changed considerably from phase to phase according to thermal conditions on the ice sheet base.