Palaeoglaciations in the Polar and Subpolar Ural Mountains

The Ural Mountains form a major physiographic boundary between the East European Plain and West Siberia, both repeatedly glaciated during the Pleistocene by the Barents–Kara ice sheet. Although the present‐day topography reflects significant glacial modification, the extent, chronology and interaction of mountain glaciers with the Barents–Kara ice sheet remain poorly constrained. Correlation of glacial and interglacial deposits across the range is hindered by incomplete sedimentary records, contrasting palaeoclimatic conditions and limited chronological control, which collectively obscure regional glacial reconstructions. This study presents an extensive mapping exercise of hundreds of moraines in the northern Urals. These landforms are then used to reconstruct palaeoglacier equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) to assess glacier distribution and synchroneity of moraine formation. ELA trends along the Urals are analysed to evaluate whether, and where, montane ice caps developed during the last major glaciation. Furthermore, palaeo‐ELA data are used to link former ice margins to dated moraines in the Polar Urals, providing new insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of montane glaciations south of the Arctic Circle. The findings indicate that the E–W asymmetry in the hypsometry of the Urals exerted the primary control on the development of the piedmont glaciers on the lowlands. Furthermore, glacier reconstructions combined with geomorphological evidence favour the existence of extensive montane ice caps over the Urals with moisture sourced from extensive ice‐dammed lakes located on both sides of the mountain range.