Extent and chronology of glaciation in the southern Black Forest, south-west Germany: the case of Haslach Valley

Whilst previous work has provided valuable insights into the chronology of the last deglaciation of the southern Black Forest, south-west Germany, the timing of its onset still remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, this study examines the glacial record of a former outlet glacier in this region, the Haslach glacier. Reconstructing the extent and dynamics of glaciation involved geomorphological mapping with high-resolution remote sensing data. Geomorphological mapping revealed that more ice-marginal positions occur in the study region than previously thought. This finding emphasises the importance of careful mapping prior to dating studies. The mapped moraines document the presence of an outlet glacier that disintegrated into individual valley glaciers and finally into cirque glaciers during deglaciation. Beryllium-10 surface exposure dating of a moraine in close proximity to its Late Pleistocene maximum position resulted in a mean age of 18.6 ± 0.7 ka before 2010 CE. As this age is derived from a single moraine boulder, further dating studies are, however, needed to confirm this preliminary age and to discuss it in the central European context.