Chronological Significance of Tateyama E Tephra on the Lowest Moraine (Iwatake Stage) on the Eastern Side of Mt. Shiroumadake, Hida Range, Central Japan

Abstract

The timing of the maximum glacial advance during the last glacial period has been determined on the basis of stratigraphic relationships between marker tephras and ridges that form the lowest moraine of Mt. Shiroumadake (2,932 m), at the northern part of the Hida Range in central Japan, extending in the north-south direction for approximately 100 km. The glacier attained its maximum advance in early MIS 4 immediately before the fall of Tateyama E tephra (Tt-E, 70 MIS ka) and retreated with repetitive stagnation. When compared to published information on the northwest and southern parts of the range, glacial fluctuations on Mt. Shiroumadake and other high mountains were common around the fall of Tt-E. The glaciers appear to have attained their maximum advances synchronously in early MIS 4 over the Hida Range.