Late Pleistocene foraminiferal stratigraphy on the Vøring Plateau, Norwegian Sea

Quantitative studies of foraminiferal faunas and isotope ratios have been done in two gravity cores from the Vøring Plateau. Core 23199 from about 2000 m water depth included sediments younger than oxygen Stage 7. Core 23205 from about 1400 m ended in sediments from Stage 5. According to the transfer temperatures, the onset of abundances of Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi and the δ13C values of Neogloboquadrinapachyderma, the Vøring Plateau was covered by pack‐ice during Stages 6,4,2 and, to some extent, also during Stage 3. Ice‐free sea‐surface conditions prevailed from late Substage 5e throughout Stage 5 and during stage 1. The transition from Stage 6 to Stage 5 (Termination II) took place in two steps: Ila is defined by the δ18O signal of N. pachyderma (reduced global ice volume) and lib by the increased occurrence of C. wuellerstorfi (melting of local pack‐ice). A contemporaneous development of an interglacial deep‐water circulation system is indicated.