Where: Svalbard and Jan Mayen (78.4° N, 11.8° E: paleocoordinates 78.4° N, 11.8° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

• The two OSL ages from unit A1 (118 13, 105 10 ka; Table 2) are on the young side of the Eemian (c. 130–115 ka), but underestimation of quartz OSL ages from Eemian deposits has been described from other sites (e.g. Murray & Funder 2003; Murray et al. 2007; Lowick et al. 2010). The age underestima- tion may be of the order of 10%, or more, and is believed to be at least partly caused by sensitivity changes during measurement. An interglacial origin for the deposit is also supported by its relatively warm foraminiferal fauna (Bergsten et al. 1998). Our age estimation for unit A1 suggests an Eemian age for the subfossil polar bear mandible retrieved from the lower part of unit A (Ingólfsson & Wiig 2009), now unit A1.

Environment/lithology: marine; sandstone

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: Ó Ingólfsson and Ø Wiig. 2009. Late Pleistocene fossil find in Svalbard: the oldest remains of a polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1744) ever discovered. Polar Research 28(3):455-462 [M. Uhen/C. Peredo/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 162543: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Carlos Peredo on 29.09.2014

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)