Value of the data •The comprehensive set of photographs of sediments and their structures provides a reference for interpretation of depositional settings/environments across the Arctic. •The multi-disciplinary approach, combining a large chronometric database from radiocarbon, OSL, ESR, and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide dating with “classical” palaeontological analyses of flora and fauna sets an example for deciphering the complex succession of glaciations and ice free periods. •Presented data can be used to constrain palaeo-glaciological modelling of the Kara Sea Ice Sheet as part of the Eurasian Ice Sheet for described temporal phases. •The study adds new evidence to ongoing studies of the decisive roles both of this ocean and of the Arctic from a global change perspective.