An isostatic test of the hypothesis of ice-free mountain areas during the last glaciation

There has long been a discussion on whether parts of the highest mountains of Norway were totally ice-covered, or if ice-free areas existed during the Late Weichselian glacial maximum. In this study the hypothesis of a very thin ice sheet was tested by modelling the isostatic response, using an Earth model with layered mantle viscosity overlain by an elastic lithosphere. The theoretical pattern of the present rate of uplift and the tilting history for the western coast of Norway based on a thin ice model show significant deviations from the observations, which seems to rule out the thin ice model as a viable option. However, this is based on the assumption that the present Fennoscandian uplift is caused by glacial isostasy alone. If there really existed large ice-free areas in the highest mountains of Norway in the last glacial maximum, the present Fennoscandian uplift must be ascribed to another mechanism in addition to glacial isostasy.