Timing and correlation of glacial and glaciofluvial sediments in the German Alpine Foreland

Multiple periods of advance and retreat of piedmont glaciers in the German Alpine Foreland due to changing climatic conditions were classically defined by Penck and Brückner in 1909. However, a robust absolute chronology has not yet been established. Age assignments in previous studies have mostly been based on the interpretation of terrace deposits as a result of periods of glacier advance and retreat and correlation with periods of globally low temperatures. Intercorrelation between these discontinuous deposits has mainly been done by using morphological, petrographical, and hypsometric characteristics. We measure absolute cosmogenic ³⁶Cl exposure ages of glacial erratics and ¹⁰Be/²⁶Al isochron burial ages of till and glaciofluvial deposits, which have previously been interpreted as Würmian (ultimate) and Rissian (penultimate glacial period). This establishes an absolute chronology for these periods and enables the correlation of moraines, which are direct products of advancing and retreating glaciers, with indirect glaciofluvial deposits in the foreland. The absolute chronology of this study sheds light on the development of Central European climatic trends and enables the correlation to global climate.