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Why are raised beaches found in parts of Arctic Canada and Scandinavia?

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esker: Nunavut — glacial landform Eskers, or narrow ridges of gravel and sand left by a retreating glacier, wind through western Nunavut, Canada, near the Thelon River.

Raised beaches are found in parts of Arctic Canada and Scandinavia primarily due to a process known as glacio-isostatic adjustment.123

During the Pleistocene Epoch, the immense weight of continental ice sheets caused the Earth's crust to be depressed downward. When these glaciers melted at the end of the epoch, the removal of this heavy load allowed the crust to respond buoyantly and begin a slow, gradual recovery toward its former altitude.132

As the land rose, coastal areas that were once submerged were elevated above sea level. This emergence lifted marine sediments and beaches to considerable heights, creating the distinct, stepped strandlines—or raised beaches—that are now visible in these regions. This uplift is an ongoing geological process; in some areas of northern Canada and Sweden, the land continues to rise by several feet per century.123