THE ROLE OF THE INDIAN-SUMMER MONSOON AND THE MIDLATITUDE WESTERLIES IN HIMALAYAN GLACIATION - REVIEW AND SPECULATIVE DISCUSSION

New dares for late Quaternary glaciations in the Himalayas show that, during the last glacial cycle, glaciations were not synchronous throug hout the region. Rather, in some areas glaciers reached their maxima a t the global glacial maximum of e. 18-20 ka sp, whereas in others glac iers were most extensive at c. 60-30 ka sp. Comparison of these data w ith palaeoclimatic records from adjacent regions suggest that, on mill ennial timescales, Himalayan glacier fluctuations are controlled by va riations in both the South Asian monsoon and the mid-latitude westerli es.