Recurrent outburst floods and explosive volcanism during the Younger Dryas–Early Holocene deglaciation in south Iceland: evidence from a lacustrine record

Lake sediment records give valuable insight into the dynamic events that characterized last deglaciation in Iceland. Here, we focus on well-dated record from Hestvatn, a low-elevation lake south Iceland, features six graded bedding deposited by outburst floods glacial lakes dammed decaying Iceland Ice Sheet (IIS) time period of Vedde Ash and G10ka Series tephra. Using climate proxies preserved cores, conjunction with regional geomorphology, reconstruct retreat IIS marine-based glacier during Younger Dryas to land-based Preboreal. As ice sheet margin withdrew central highlands, ice-dammed formed along margins. The ice-dams were occasionally breached, generating large-scale jökulhlaups (catastrophic floods) thick turbidite sequences Hestvatn. high concentration volcanic material incorporated within deglacial sediments indicates retreat, subglacial activity may have helped initiate some jökulhlaups. Onset more stable Holocene conditions was reached after final at ~10 ka bp, when had withdrawn most highlands