Abstract The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies and feeds eight major glaciers that drain to three different oceans. Previous glacier studies have focused on Athabasca and Saskatchewan Glaciers, primarily due to their easy access. This paper reviews evidence of the Holocene history from all eight glaciers. Maximum Holocene glacier extent was during the Little Ice Age (LIA) with dating based mainly on minimum tree-ring estimates from trees growing on the moraines or from trees scarred, tilted or killed by the glaciers. The LIA maximum advance was during the 19th century at Athabasca (1843/4), Dome (1846), Saskatchewan (1862) and Castleguard ( 1271) and detrital wood from lateral moraines at Columbia (ca. 0.8-0.7ka). Two overridden stumps at Columbia Glacier indicate a previously unidentified advance ca 1500 A.D. These four phases of LIA coincide with major reductions in summer temperatures reconstructed at the Icefield. There are also undated (pre-1600, possibly pre LIA) moraines at Kitchener Glacier. Less extensive Neoglacial glacier events are documented by an in-situ forest bed buried by the Saskatchewan Glacier (ca 2.90–3.4 ka., equivalent to the “Peyto advance”) and stumps buried by till ca. 4.2ka at Boundary Glacier. Detrital wood recovered from till at Columbia Glacier indicates at least one glacier advance ca 2.0-2.2ka. Till exposed between the Bridge River and Mazama tephras at Stutfield Glacier includes detrital wood dating 2.22–2.70 ka that possibly indicates a glacier advance immediately prior to the Bridge River tephra. Regional paleoenvironmental data indicate warmer conditions and higher treelines in the early Holocene. Detrital wood washed out of Dome and Athabasca Glaciers indicates trees were present in these valleys ca 6, 7 and 9ka upvalley of present glacier snouts. Evidence from Castleguard cave indicates upstream entrances below the present Icefield were probably ice free ca 9.5ka indicating the icefield was much reduced in extent at that time. The detrital wood may represent wood killed and reworked by limited glacier advances from the Icefield, far upstream of present glacier fronts, at these times.

中文翻译：

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加拿大哥伦比亚冰原的全新世历史

摘要 哥伦比亚冰原是加拿大落基山脉最大的冰原，为流向三个不同海洋的八个主要冰川提供养料。以前的冰川研究主要集中在阿萨巴斯卡和萨斯喀彻温冰川，主要是因为它们易于进入。本文回顾了所有八个冰川的全新世历史证据。全新世冰川的最大范围是在小冰河时代 (LIA) 期间，其测年主要基于对生长在冰碛上的树木或被冰川留下疤痕、倾斜或死亡的树木的最小树轮估计。LIA 的最大推进发生在 19 世纪的阿萨巴斯卡 (1843/4)、圆顶 (1846)、萨斯喀彻温 (1862) 和 Castleguard (1271) 以及哥伦比亚侧碛的碎屑木 (ca. 0.8-0.7ka)。哥伦比亚冰川的两个被覆盖的树桩表明在公元 1500 年以前未知的前进 LIA 的这四个阶段与冰原重建的夏季温度的大幅降低相吻合。基奇纳冰川也有未注明日期（1600 年之前，可能是 LIA 之前）的冰碛。由萨斯喀彻温冰川（约 2.90-3.4 ka.，相当于“Peyto Advance”）掩埋的原位林床和直到约 边界冰川 4.2ka。从哥伦比亚冰川回收的碎屑木材表明至少有一处冰川推进约 2.0-2.2ka。直到在 Stutfield 冰川的 Bridge 河和 Mazama tephras 之间暴露，包括年代为 2.22-2.70 ka 的碎屑木，这可能表明在 Bridge 河 tephra 之前有冰川推进。区域古环境数据表明，全新世早期气候温暖，林木线更高。从圆顶冰川和阿萨巴斯卡冰川冲刷出来的碎屑表明树木存在于这些山谷中，大约在现在冰川口的 6、7 和 9ka 上谷。来自 Castleguard 洞穴的证据表明，目前冰原下方的上游入口可能无冰约 9.5ka，表明当时冰原的面积大大减少。碎屑木材可能代表了在这些时候，由于冰原的有限冰川推进而杀死和重新加工的木材，冰原远在目前的冰川前沿上游。