The reconstruction of a history of the White Sea based on the geological data is possible only for Middle Pleistocene-Holocene time. The oldest deposits here are the Moscow glaciation sediments which occur at the base of the drift mantle along the coast and on the floor of the White Sea and its bottleneck. Marine basins in the White Sea depression probably existed neither in the Middle Pleistocene, nor earlier.

The Moscow till is overlain by interglacial marine sediments. From the available geological and geochronometric data (Korsakova et al, 2004) the interglacial marine regime that existed in the White Sea depression in the Moscow-Valdai time corresponds to the entire marine isotope stage (MIS) 5. The marine sequence consists of two formations. The lower one is represented by the Ponoi Strata, which were formed in the Mikulino (marine isotope substage, MIS 5e) during the extensive Boreal transgression. However, by the available data this transgression was longer lasting (from 130-120 to 100-105 kyr. ago) than usually accepted MISS 5e and survived the beginning of the Early Valdai. The upper formation is represented by structurally complicated Strelna Strata of the Early Valdai age (MIS 5d-5a), that were deposited during the Beloye More (White Sea) transgression. The last one followed the Boreal transgression and started not earlier than 100-80 kyr. ago.

The available evidence indicate that in the end of the Early Valdai (MIS 4) and in the Late Valdai (MIS 2) inland ice covered the coast of the Kola Peninsula and the White Sea depression. In the Late Valdai the White Sea depression was by a lobe of the Scandinavian ice sheet, which left topographically expressive sedimentary complex.

In the Middle Valdai (MIS 3) glacial environment in the Kola region was interrupted by an interglacial one. The datings from the interglacial sediments suggest that с. 60-40 kyr. BP the third Late Pleistocene marine transgression took place in the White Sea depression.

One or several proglacial lakes existed in the White Sea depression during the deglaciation of the Kola region. An influx of sea water into the glacial lake occurred in the Allerod - Younger Dryas (ca. 11 kyr. BP). A normal marine regime in the depression was established in the end of the Younger Dryas - beginning of the Preboreal (ca. 10 kyr. BP). At that time a low amplitude late glacial sea transgression probably took place.

Reference:

Korsakova O.P., Kolka V.V., Molod'kov A.N. Pleistocene marine basins in the White Sea depression, the Kola region. Correlation of Pleistocene Events in the Russian North. International Workshop Abstracts. 4-6 December 2006. Saint-Petersburg, 2006, p. 48.