Abstract
Although there has been some discussion of paleoclimate during the Last Glacial Age in Japan, there are still unclear points. This paper discusses the Last Glacial paleoclimate in Central Japan (Fig. 1), considering mainly the vertical changes of morphogenetic zones at two maximal phases of glaciation (i.e., 50, 000y.B.P. and 20, 000y.B.P.: Fig. 2). The results are summarized as follows:
(1) Temperatures at 50, 000y.B.P. were much colder than those at 20, 000y.B.P. in the Hida Mountain Range (Mt. Shirouma and Mts. Yari-Hotaka). In the Kiso Mountain Range (Mt. Kisokoma), however, temperatures at 20, 000y.B.P. were much colder than those at 50, 000y.B.P. Temperatures at 50, 000y.B.P. and 20, 000y.B.P. in the Chichibu Mountains (Mt. Kinpu) are regarded as approximately the same range (Table 1).
(2) The snowfall at 50, 000y.B.P. was nearly equal to that at 20, 000y.B.P. in the Hida Mountain Range. In the Kiso Mountain Range, however, snowfall at 50, 000y.B.P. was much greater than that at 20, 000y.B.P.
(3) It seems that the location of the climatic boundary between the Japan Sea Coast type climate and the Pacific Coast type was nearly the same at 50, 000y.B.P. as it was at 20, 000y.B.P. (Figs. 2 and 3).
