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Published on: October 26, 2019
A continental-scale Eurasian ice sheet 2.4 million years ago
Kaleb Wagner1,2, Lotta Ylä-Mella3,4, Martin Margold4
1GFÚ Institute of Geophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Boční II 1401, Prague, Czechia. kaleb.wagner@ig.cas.cz.
Nature Communications
|June 19, 2026
Summary
The first Eurasian Ice Sheet (EIS) expanded into the Netherlands around 2.41 million years ago, resolving a timing mismatch with marine records. This early Northern Hemisphere ice growth predates the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.
Area of Science:
- Paleoclimatology
- Quaternary Geology
- Ice Sheet Dynamics
Background:
- Accurate dating of early ice sheet expansion is crucial for reconciling terrestrial and marine records of global sea-level change.
- A long-standing discrepancy exists between marine and terrestrial data regarding the initial expansion of the Eurasian Ice Sheet (EIS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To resolve the terrestrial-marine timing mismatch for the first Eurasian Ice Sheet (EIS) expansion.
- To precisely date the earliest glaciogenic deposits in northwest Europe, specifically the Hattem Bed Complex (HBC).
Main Methods:
- Paired cosmogenic 26Al-10Be burial dating of the Hattem Bed Complex (HBC).
- Detrital zircon fingerprinting to trace sediment provenance.
- Stratigraphic analysis of the Appelscha Formation.
Main Results:
- Glacially-derived Fennoscandian gravels reached the Netherlands at 2.41 Ma, indicating the first EIS advance.
- A second EIS advance, dated at 1.72 Ma, caused the shutdown of the Baltic River System.
- The initial EIS expansion coincided with the Laurentide Ice Sheet maximum, suggesting significant Northern Hemisphere ice growth.
Conclusions:
- The study resolves the timing of the first EIS expansion, dating it to 2.41 Ma.
- Cyclic stratification in the HBC may indicate freshwater discharge impacting North Atlantic circulation.
- Substantial Northern Hemisphere ice growth occurred over a million years before the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.
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