Changes in lakes and fluvial circulationlinked to climate warming in Late Pleistocene - Early Holocene in Patagonia and 25 de Mayo Island, Shetland del Sur Islands, Antarctica.

Abstract

The climate warming that affected Patagonia region during late Pleistocene-early Holocene times produced changes in landscape morphology, including the formation, development, breakdown and disintegration of big lakes at the eastern side of Andes. Before these times, glaciers and their moraines formed natural dams that maintained a high water level in large paleolakes. The subsequent southward migration of climate amelioration produced the melting of the regional ice field, and moraines were cut by fluvial erosion, when climate warming strongly impacted in the region. The process occurred in the region from north to south at different times: 1) in the northern part c. 13,200 years ago, 2) in the central part during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and 3) finally, in Tierra del Fuego c. 7,800 years ago. With the rapid retreat of glaciers from the Andean valleys during prominent regional deglaciation, outflow from the eastern side of Andes to the Pacific Ocean was formed. As a result, the water level in glacial paleolakes fell down rapidly in stages. A similar process occurred in South Shetland Islands (Antarctica) c. 6,000 years ago.