Comprehensive glacial Quaternary studies involving geochronological methods, modelling of ice topography with the support of field geomorphological and geological data in the Balkan Peninsula are relatively scarce, although there is evidence of past glaciations in several mountain ranges. Here, we present research on the extent and timing of past glaciations on the northern Velebit Mt. in coastal Croatia and inferences of the climate during that time. Based on geomorphological and sedimentological evidence and using cosmogenic ³⁶Cl surface exposure dating of moraine boulders, we provide an empirical reconstruction of past glaciers and compare this with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) simulations under different palaeoclimate forcings. The dating results show that the northern Velebit glaciers reached their maximum extent during the last glacial cycle before the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Maximum ice extent likely correlates with Marine Isotope Stage 5–4, although the exact timing cannot be determined at this point due to poorly known site- and time-specific denudation rates. Empirical reconstruction of the maximum extent suggests that the area covered by glaciers was ~116 km². The-best fit PISM simulation indicates that the most likely palaeoclimate scenario for the glaciers of this size to form is a cooling of ~8 °C and a 10% reduction in precipitation from present-day levels. However, the best-fit simulation does not correctly model all mapped ice margins when changes in climatological parameters are applied uniformly across the model domain, potentially reflecting a different palaeoprecipitation pattern to today.

尽管有几个山脉过去冰川作用的证据，但涉及地质年代学方法、在野外地貌和地质数据支持下对冰地貌建模的综合冰川第四纪研究相对较少。在这里，我们介绍了对克罗地亚沿海 Velebit 山北部过去冰川作用的范围和时间的研究，以及对当时气候的推断。基于地貌学和沉积学证据并使用宇宙成因³⁶冰碛巨石的 Cl 表面暴露年代，我们提供了过去冰川的经验重建，并将其与不同古气候强迫下的平行冰盖模型 (PISM) 模拟进行比较。测年结果表明，北韦莱比特冰川在全球末次盛冰期（LGM）之前的末次冰期达到其最大范围。最大冰范围可能与海洋同位素第 5-4 阶段相关，但由于对特定地点和时间的剥蚀率知之甚少，目前无法确定确切时间。最大范围的经验重建表明冰川覆盖的面积为~116 km ². 最佳拟合 PISM 模拟表明，形成这种规模的冰川最有可能的古气候情景是约 8 °C 的降温和 10% 的降水量比当前水平减少。然而，当气候参数的变化在整个模型域中均匀应用时，最佳拟合模拟无法正确模拟所有映射的冰边缘，这可能反映了与今天不同的古降水模式。