Latvia's terrain – a vast ice age archive studied by UL scientists
The terrain of Latvia acts as a huge archive preserving evidence of the last ice age. Scientists at the University of Latvia study it to understand the behavior of the Scandinavian ice sheet 15–20 thousand years ago.
While glaciers today retreat mainly in mountains and polar areas, the most dramatic deglaciation in Latvia's territory occurred at the end of the last ice age. According to researchers at the University of Latvia (UL), the present-day relief of Latvia is an immense archive containing traces of how the Scandinavian ice sheet behaved some 15–20 thousand years ago.
The retreat of this ice sheet left behind a diverse range of landforms – from moraines and drumlins to prominent eskers and glacially formed lakes. Each of these features serves as a page in a huge archive, enabling scientists to reconstruct ice dynamics and climatic conditions during the existence of the ice sheet. Such knowledge is important not only for understanding the past but also for predicting modern climate changes.
UL scientists regularly conduct field research in this field, analyzing sediment samples, performing geomorphological mapping, and using modern technologies such as laser scanning. The results help explain how glacial movements have shaped our natural environment and what evidence about them is still hidden in Latvia's landscape.
