WEICHSEL GLACIAL STAGE

also called Vistula Glacial Stage, major division of late Pleistocene deposits and time in western Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Weichsel Glacial Stage followed the Eemian Interglacial Stage and marks the last major incursion of Pleistocene continental ice sheets. The Weichsel is correlated with the Wrm Glacial Stage of Alpine Europe and is broadly equivalent to the Wisconsin Glacial Stage of North America. The Weichsel Glacial Stage has been divided into at least two main phases, separated by an interstadial period of more moderate climatic conditions. The late Weichsel expansion of the Scandinavian continental ice sheet began about 25,000 years ago; most of the Weichselian sediments present over a wide area of northern Europe are part of this late Weichselian cold period. Earlier periods of glacial expansion are obliterated or hidden by the late Weichselian deposits and features. Interstadial deposits are known from parts of Sweden and Finland and are older than 40,000 years. The beginning of the Weichsel has been placed at about 70,000 years ago. The Weichselian record is perhaps best studied in The Netherlands-Denmark region of northern Europe. The employment of radiometric dating techniques and pollen analyses in this region has provided an excellent chronology of Weichselian events.