Research paper Luminescence dating of Weichselian interstadial sediments from the German Baltic Sea coast Michael Kenzler a, b, * , Sumiko Tsukamoto b , Stefan Meng a , Christine Thiel b , Manfred Frechen b , Heiko Hüneke a a University of Greifswald, Institute of Geography and Geology, F.-L. Jahn Str. 17a,17487 Greifswald, Germany b Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Geochronology and Isotope Hydrology, Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany article info Article history: Received 4 November 2014 Received in revised form 11 May 2015 Accepted 13 May 2015 Available online xxx Keywords: Southwestern Baltic Sea Weichselian Fluvial Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) MIS 3 Interstadial abstract A cliff outcrop called Kluckow, in the Baltic Sea area, with a (glacio-) fluvial to (glacio-) lacustrine suc- cession, provides a unique opportunity to resolve uncertainties in the timing and extent of several poorly constrained Weichselian ice advances. Based on a detailed lithofacies analysis, we selected four sampling horizons for luminescence dating to determine a depositional chronology. We measured both coarse- grain quartz and potassium-rich feldspar for age determination using optically stimulated lumines- cence (OSL) and post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR). Furthermore we addressed potential problems such as incomplete bleaching and quartz saturation effects. The resulting luminescence- chronology, supported by one radiocarbon age, illustrates a depositional time interval of the investi- gated sequence between ~62 and ~22 ka. Within this sequence a mussel-bearing fluvial sand indicate interstadial climate conditions at approximately 46 ka. The upper part of the section is composed of a 4 m thick glaciolacustrine silty clay and an overlying glaciofluvial sand; the latter yielded an OSL age of ~22 ka. Shortly after these sequences formed, the subsequent ice advance (indicated by the overlying till sheet) reached the study area. Based on our new chronology and lithofacies analysis, we conclude that the Scandinavian Ice Sheet did not reach the study area between ~62 and ~22 ka. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The southwestern Baltic Sea and its vicinity are key areas for understanding the complex interactions between climate condi- tions and the advance and retreat of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) during the Weichselian Glaciation (115e11.7 ka) (Houmark- Nielsen, 2010). Due to the large climate variability, especially dur- ing Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3, 60e27 ka), various stadial and interstadial phases have been defined in this area (Wolff et al., 2010). The stratigraphy during this time has been well described in Denmark and southern Sweden (e.g., Larsen et al., 2009; Anjar et al., 2012). However, sedimentary records of Early and Middle Weichselian age (MIS 5d e MIS 3, 115e27 ka) are rare in north- eastern Germany and chronological data are also sparse (Ludwig, 2006). Most of the dated deposits in this region are ice marginal sediments connected to the Late Weichselian (MIS 2, 27e11.7 ka) (Lüthgens and B€ ose, 2011). Rügen Island, located at the southwestern border of the Baltic Sea basin (Fig. 1), has several cliff outcrops with deposits correlated to Saalian and Weichselian periods (Panzig, 1995), but aside from a few thermoluminescence (TL) and radiocarbon ages from Weich- selian deposits (Krbetschek, 1995; Steinich, 1992), no numerical chronologies are available for these sediments. Hence the age of most of the different till sheets and intercalated deposits is still under debate (Müller, 2004), resulting in uncertainty in the timing of the events they reflect. Chronological constraint of these sedi- ments will allow for new understanding of the Weichselian sedi- mentary history in northeastern Germany. Further, a comparison with data from Denmark, Sweden and Poland will be made possible; this is an important framework for the reconstruction of former climate and event history. The key aspect of our research is a comparative dating approach for glaciofluvial, fluvial and lacustrine deposits, including a com- parison of quartz and feldspar luminescence dating results, in order to evaluate the bleaching conditions (e.g. Lüthgens et al., 2010). This study represents the first application of optically stimulated lumi- nescence (OSL) dating to sediments from Rügen Island, and one of few applications to northeast German Middle Weichselian deposits (Lüthgens et al., 2011). Based on these dates and detailed * Corresponding author. University of Greifswald, Institute of Geography and Geology, F.-L. Jahn Str. 17a, 17487 Greifswald, Germany. E-mail address: kenzlerm@uni-greifswald.de (M. Kenzler). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Geochronology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quageo http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2015.05.015 1871-1014/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Quaternary Geochronology xxx (2015) 1e6 Please cite this article in press as: Kenzler, M., et al., Luminescence dating of Weichselian interstadial sediments from the German Baltic Sea coast, Quaternary Geochronology (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2015.05.015