Early Weichselian interstadial deposits within the drumlins at Skrea and Vinberg, southwestern Sweden

Sections of two drumlins, at Skrea and Vinberg, were exposed during construction of highway E6/E20 east of Falkenberg in central Halland. The drumlins are 4 km apart and separated by the Ätran river valley. They are mainly composed of interstadial sediments, representing one or possibly two interstadials. The lowermost interstadial is TL-dated to about 90,000 years BP and correlated to the Brörup interstadial. It is concluded that the drumlins at Skrea and Vinberg are of erosional origin. The previous proposal of an existing ice movement from the NW on the Swedish west coast during the Weichselian glaciation is based on occurrences of striae and glacial deformations from the NW. The investigation at Skrea provides further proof of a northwesterly ice movement due to the occurrence of Norwegian erratics and a till containing clasts from the Kattegat sea floor. The northwesterly ice movement on the Swedish west coast could be correlated to the Norwegian ice previously demonstrated in Denmark. At Skrea and Vinberg the glaciation from the NW is succeeded by an interstadial phase, followed by a glaciation from the NE. The strata give some information about the shore level displacement during the Early Weichselian. By combining data from other nearby sites, a shore level curve comprising the Late Saalian, Eemian and Early Weichselian is suggested.