A detailed map of ribbed moraines in central and northern Sweden is pr
esented. They are frequent features over much of the mapped area, and
the distribution has well defined Limits. The most abundant ribbed mor
aines are situated in close connection to areas that are inferred to h
ave been cold-based during the retreat of the Late Weichselian Ice She
et, while outer, fully warm-based areas, lack ribbed moraine. Observat
ions have also been made on a more local scale, where cold-based patch
es grade into ribbed moraines via a zone of a broken-up till cover. A
model of origin is presented, which includes contracting of a frozen c
are area of a retreating ice sheet. At the transition from non-sliding
to sliding conditions there will be high stresses resulting in local
extensional flow at the base of the ice sheet. A rising phase change s
urface (frozen-thawed material) would cause detachment and 'boudinage-
like' breaking up of a pre-existing till cover, thawed at the bedrock
contact, but still frozen to the ice sole. The orientation of ice flow
during the formation of the ribbed moraines closely matches the ice f
low directions of the deglaciating Late Weichselian Ice Sheet. Thus, r
ibbed moraines are considered to be deglaciation landforms, typical of
shrinking cold-based zones of a retreating ice sheet.