The Peribaltic Group
Field Symposium on Glacial Processes and Quaternary Environment in Latvia
May 25-31, 1998, Latvia

Organiser: V. Zelcs

At this fourth intercongress symposium of the Peribaltic Group, the participants met in Latvia to study Quaternary geology and palaeoecology of another part of the Peribalticum. Keeping fresh memories from the meeting in northern Germany last fall, it was an exciting to compare these two environments at the fringe of the Baltic Sea about 1000 km apart. We were happy to be in a fully international company there, which stimulated exchange of ideas and discussions. Most participants came from the central and eastern European countries, and the party was coronated by the presence of two Past Presidents of the INQUA Commission on Glaciation, Alexis Dreimanis and Jan Lundqvist. Professor Dreimanis not only introduced several sites himself, but also showed us his old house located immediately at the magnificent exposures of the Daugava River bluffs (no wonder he ended up doing glacial geology!).

Papers and poster presentation took one full day in the modern building of Stockholm Economic School in Riga. 18 papers and 12 posters were given, all documented in a 70 page abstract book. Presentations involved both compilation of older data and original studies, always followed by vigorous discussions. We welcomed new and controversial ideas which yielded topics for comments also long after the presentations.

As during the previous meetings of the Group, the emphasis was on spending as much time as possible in the field, where participants could confront their textbook knowledge with real geology. We spent most time in the vicinity of Riga and east of the Riga Bay. At day 1 we looked into internal structure and morphology of glaciotectonic landforms at Daugmale, ancient shorelines of the Baltic Ice Lake and sub-recent to modern coastal environment of the Riga Bay. Day 2 with heavy strom was devoted to the plenary session. Next morning the sunhas come out right in time to accompany us to the Daugava River channel and its buried, over 80-m-deep canyon-like valley filled with glacial deposits, whose genesis was vehemently discussed. Then we took a long walk through the Teicu Purvs Mires, a unique 19,000 hectar large undisturbed ecosystem complex of mires, bogs and swamp forests. We were introduced to the well documented Late Glacial and Holocene history of the mire, but after getting stuck up to the hip in muck, I was happy to deal with consolidated sediments on a daily basis; still, it was fun! Days 4 and 5 were devoted to the Vidzeme Upland with its glaciotectonic composite hills, plateaus, subglacial valleys, kames, ice marginal formations and holocene freshwater limestones. On day 6 we visited the famous Burtnieks Drumlin Field (excellent sections there!), drumlinoid landscapes around it, some interlobate formations and cupola-like hummocks. On the last day we visited the the spectacular Gauja River gorge at Sigulda. All these sites are discribed in detail in the 120-page-long, nicely edited and printed excursion guide. One should not forget the accompanying cultural programme which culminated at the Dravinas Farmhouse party where we had a chance to get to know the hospitality of the Latvian farmers and enjoy their tastefull dishes (and drinks...).

Vitalijs Zelcs and Co. managed to organize a very interesting field meeting, which brought us closer to the problems of late Quaternary history of this part of the Peribalticum. Bumpy roads, overheated bus and periodical lack of water in the hotel did not bother us at all, keeping in mind the value of past environments we were introduced to. We thank the organizers for providing all their inspiration and enthusiasm that secured the overwhelming success of this Symposium. We look forward to visiting Latvia again!

Jan A. Piotrowski
July 1998

Papers and poster given at the symposium:

Isolated Pleistocene elevations in the area of Last Scandinavian glaciation between Finnish Bay and Odra mouth
Jozef Edward Mojski

Origin of a subglacial meltwater channel from the Welzow-Sued open-cast lignite mine, Lower Lusatia, SE Germany and its consequences for ice sheet stability
Jan A. Piotrowski, Jorn Geletneky & Ralf Vater

Deposits and Landforms of the Peipsi Depression
Anto Raukas & Reet Karukapp

Fluvial system of the Eemian interglacial in Central Poland
Leszek Marks & Katarzyna Pochocka

The pecularities of distribution and structure of eskers and kames within the territory of Belarus
Alexander K.Karabanov

Influence of bedrock topography on the formation of eskers on the example of Estonia
Elvi Tavast

Morphogenesis of the landscape of the northeastern Poland
Andrzej Ber

Glacially dislocated Portlandia arctica shells and their enclosing sediments in Central Latvia, ESR dated 86-105 ka
Aleksis Dreimanis, Ojars Aboltinsh, Anatoly Molodkov & Anto Raukas

Preliminary classification and areal distribution of glaciotectonic features in Estonia
Maris Rattas & Volli Kalm

Glaciotectonic drumlin types in Latvia
Vitalijs Zelcs

Buried end-moraine ridges of Pandivere stage (Late-Weichselian) on Hiiumaa Island, Western Estonia
Ene Kadastik

The stadial limits and maximum extent of the Weishselian glaciation in north-eastern Lithuania and north-western Belarus
Rimante Guobyte & Irina Pavlovskaya

Petrographical bases of the stratigraphy of the Vistulian till in NE Poland
Krystyna Kenig

Quaternary geology of Lithuanian maritime region
Albertas Bitinas & Aldona Damusyte

Stratigraphy and sedimentology in the Late Quaternary in Belarus
Yadviga Yelovicheva

Recognition of the fault kinematic types using Quaternary structural, geological and geomorphological features
Vladimir F.Nalivaiko

Exotic plants from the Pleistocene floras of Latvia
Aija Tserina

Raunis Interstadial deposits in Latvia
Aija Tserina, Irina Jakubovska, Aleksandr Savvaitov & Vilnis Stelle

Cosmogenic 36 Cl dating of glacial deposits in Poland
Jan Dzierzek, Marek Zreda & Grazyna Zreda- Gostynska

Subglacial deformation in till - microscopic observations
Urszula Jarosinska

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope records in lake carbonate sediments
Tonu Martma

Sedimentogenesis in the Middle Dnieper area at the end of the Dnieper Glacial age
Andrei Matoshko

Glacial deposits in the northwestern Baltic Proper
Riko Noormets & Tom Floden

The features of deglaciation of the last ice-sheet in Latvia
Aleksandr Savvaitov & Ints Veinbergs

Late Quaternary stratigraphy of the Western Yamal Peninsula, Russia: New constraints of the last glaciation in western Siberia
Valery Gataullin, Steven Forman, Olafur Ingolfsson & William Manley

Harbours and coastal processes in Latvia
Guntis Eberhards

Felicianova (Eemian) interglacial deposits in Latvia
Laimdota Kalnina, Valdis Jushkevichs

Maps of Quaternary sediments and geomorphology of Sankt-Petersburg in scale 1:200 000
Elena Zarrina