INDICATIONS OF A YOUNGER-DRYAS MARINE TRANSGRESSION IN INNER HARDANGER, WEST NORWAY

Litho- and biostratigraphy of sediment cores from three peatbogs situa ted al the head of the Hardangerfjord, western Norway, have been inves tigated with respect to late glacial relative sea-level changes. The p alaeoenvironmental record, with emphasis on the diatom stratigraphy, r eveals a late glacial marine transgression. Based on age and amplitude estimates, the transgression is closely identified with the Late Weic hselian (Younger Dryas) transgression, which previously has only been documented at the outer coast of western Norway. The highest late glac ial shorelines (marine limit) both at the head of the Hardangerfjord a nd at the outer coast of western Norway probably developed during the transgression maximum, suggesting a similar age of the inland and coas tal late glacial marine limits. In order to accommodate the recorded s ea-level changes in inner Hardanger with the established sea-level his tory of coastal areas, an earlier deglaciation of the Hardangerfjord t han hitherto believed is proposed.