the timing of last glacial periglacial and aeolian events twente eastern netherlands sequences of last glacial age contain valuable palaeoclimatic information but are often difficult to date because the environment has been unfavourable for deposition of datable organic material this paper presents age estimates determined by optically stimulated luminescence for sediments from the type site of the so called coversands periglacial aeolian deposits in the netherlands these improve the chronology of this type site considerably allowing age limits 22 17 kyr bp to be set for the first time for the important phase of widespread permafrost degradation and aeolian deflation recorded in these deposits aeolian deposition occurred intermittently for most of the last glacial maximum and the late glacial phases based on luminescence dating sand sheet deposition was concentrated between ca 17 14 kyr ago and dune formation was dominant during the younger dryas the younger dryas was sufficiently cold to allow the first stages of ice wedge cast development in the netherlands copyright 1999 john wiley sons ltd

the morphology of the top tertiary erosion surface in the belgian sector of the north sea abstract the detailed analysis of more than 12 000 km of high resolution reflection seismic profiles has shed some new light on the morphology of the erosion surface at the top of the tertiary substratum in the belgian and northern french sectors of the north sea this morphology seems to be slightly controlled by the lithology and structure of the tertiary substratum some remarkable planation surfaces paleovalleys and other morphological features have been identified the main planation surfaces are well defined and subject to later chronostratigraphical control might yield a clue to the record of late pleistocene postglacial sea level rises in the southern north sea basin the paleovalleys seem to represent the hitherto missing link between onshore paleovalley systems and the axial paleochannel in the southern bight

the history of the major rivers of southern britain during the tertiary the evolution of the drainage system of lowland britain is discussed on the basis of available geological evidence including that from terrestrial sites and that which has more recently become available from offshore exploration of the north sea the english and bristol channels and the irish sea tertiary stratigraphy throws considerable light on landform and river development paleocene destruction of a chalk cover which seems to have been incomplete in western britain was accompanied by basin sedimentation under a tropical climate the major elements the thames solent hampshire proto avon river irish sea river and possibly an early trent river existed almost throughout the cenozoic the influence of atlantic rifting and thermal doming in nw britain appears to have been stronger and more temporally focused than the persistent flexuring that determined and maintained tertiary drainage lines in the se here also the folded mesozoic terrains on the surface contrast with the more dominant block faulted relief of the palaeozoic oldlands the rivers of the se can be shown to have extended or reduced their lengths in response to relative sea level change and gentle warping drainage antecedence the destruction of the solent system and the breaching of the english channel are also evident by contrast the major river systems of the west are now entirely submerged long term stability of the drainage pattern reflects a persistent tectonic regime in the south with a subdued low relief landscape having a weathered regolith and dense vegetation cover meandering river channels and alluvial styles predominated although channel forms varied according to sediment load slope and discharge variability coarse gravel dominated accumulations are rare and localized chemically stable lithologies dominate the clastic component throughout it is apparent that the deeply incised river valleys seen today are related to high predominantly coarse sediment yields encouraged by substantial rapid climate changes in the pleistocene this emphasizes the significance of mechanical compared with chemical weathering for the rate and nature of landscape dissection and the modifications that have arisen as a result of glaciation frost climate weathering rapidly changing climates and sea levels the stratigraphical evidence here reviewed is at variance with older largely geomorphologically based landform evolution models denudational chronology but gives considerable support to the recent proposals emphasizing the significance of paleocene erosion and enduring low relief landscapes and drainage systems evolving alongside fold development during the paleogene given the depobasin evidence now available postulated fluvially active episodes can and must be linked to contemporaneous deposition some at least of the many controversies involving the identity of erosion surfaces the dating of them using only residual deposits and weathering mantles and the selection of particular tertiary episodes as ones of landscape development can now be resolved

the schneeberg normal fault zone normal faulting associated with cretaceous se directed extrusion in the eastern alps italy austria abstract the cretaceous eo alpine collisional event in the european eastern alps is generally accepted to induce w nw directed thrusting both in basement and in sedimentary cover units this study presents the first evidence of eo alpine w nw directed normal kinematics along the schneeberg normal fault zone which separates eo alpine high pressure rocks in a footwall position from pre alpine basement rocks in a hanging wall position new garnet sm nd data indicate that exhumation of the high pressure rocks along the normal fault zone started around 95 ma ago and continued up to low greenschist brittle conditions at 76 ma as indicated by a rb sr age from a low temperature mylonite the occurrence of pre alpine basement rocks both in the hanging wall and the footwall of eo alpine high pressure rocks suggests exhumation by extrusion processes despite the displacement or removal of parts of the lower portion of the high pressure unit by tertiary strike slip faults eo alpine top to ese thrusting as expected for the structurally lower part of an extruding wedge was found at and below the base of the eo alpine high pressure rocks a rb sr age of 77 ma from a greenschist facies mylonite in this thrust shear zone shows the contemporaneity of deformation at the base and the top of the wedge the tectonic transport direction within the extruding wedge was e se opposite to the w nw direction so far reported for the eo alpine event in the eastern alps the contemporaneity of opposite tectonic transport directions during continental subduction may be explained by a double vergent wedge model with a narrow zone of ductile flow where the high pressure rocks were exhumed

plio pleistocene palaeogeography of the southern north sea basin 3 75 0 60 ma abstract palaeogeographical maps are presented for the southern north sea basin from approximately 1 w to 7 e and 51 55 n for the period from approximately 3 75 0 60 ma reconstructions centre on 3 75 ma coralline cragbrunssumian 2 55 ma red crag brielle ground reuverian 2 40 ma red crag westkapelle ground praetiglian early tiglian 2 00 ma norwich crag smith s knoll and ijmuiden ground middle tiglian 1 75 1 70 ma cromer forest bed paston winterton shoal late tiglian eburonian 1 40 ma kesgrave yarmouth roads waalian 1 15 ma kesgrave yarmouth roads menapian and 0 60 ma cromer forest bed west runton yarmouth roads cromerian complex from 3 75 2 40 ma the basin is mainly a marine area fringed to the east and south by fluviatile deposition and broadly open via the southwest to the atlantic following marked marine regression and cooling at around 2 40 ma the period from 2 00 1 70 ma is mainly one of renewed marine transgression and warmer conditions during which a great european delta built out fed mainly from the east and south into the southern north sea from 1 40 0 60 ma marine waters were almost entirely excluded from the area and temperate intervals alternated with increasingly glacial episodes whilst the great european delta continued to expand northwards into the northern north sea

a catastrophic origin for the palaeovalley system of the eastern english channel abstract the partially infilled valley system found in the floor of the eastern english channel is not typical of a normal river system and a catastrophic flood which modified a former fluvial system is invoked the breaching of a permafrost sealed chalk barrier at the site of the present dover strait in late quaternary times permitted the scouring of the exposed channel floor modification of the palaeovalley system and the creation of the hurd deep the flood waters involved in this short lived event were released from a lake developed between an ice front in the central north sea and the northern limb of the weald artois anticlinorium a number of related consequences are described including complexities in the late quaternary successions bordering the north sea and sea floor features in the north sea and western english channel

the pliocene and quaternary fluvial archives of the rhine system abstract the river rhine is one of the few major fluvial systems that connect the areas of the alpine glaciers and scandinavian ice sheet and so provides a key for correlating the two glacial areas in northern and middle europe the fluvial sequences of the rhine valley include at least 11 pleistocene terraces in the lower rhine area 2 pliocene and 12 pleistocene terraces in the middle rhine area resulting in 15 different pliocene and pleistocene terraces based on the correlation between lower and middle rhine the formation of fluvial terraces is significantly influenced by climatic and tectonic processes the terrace staircases are a result of uplift in the middle rhine area and the southern part of the lower rhine area whereas subsidence in the northern part of the lower rhine area resulted in buried stacked sequences magnetostratigraphic data provide chronological constraints for the terrace deposits in the lower rhine embayment and middle rhine region the matuyama brunhes boundary is a reliable marker horizon for the upper terrace fluvial deposits exposed in the karlich clay pit in the middle rhine area the first appearance of volcanic heavy mineral grains in the terrace sediments in loess and soils can be correlated from the middle rhine area through the lower rhine embayment to the netherlands the first occurrence of nordic components in terrace sediments of the lower rhine area is known from gravel on top of the kempen krefeld beds and so are younger than the holsteinian but older than the penultimate glaciation in the lower middle rhine area 40ar 39ar dating of tephra layers intercalated in the aeolian and fluvial sediments provide age constraints the upper pleistocene aeolian sediments overlying the terrace deposits have been dated by luminescence methods and the tephra from the laacher see eruption 12 860 bp is present in the younger lower terrace deposits

accelerated uplift resulting from anglian glacioisostatic rebound in the middle thames valley uk evidence from the river terrace record abstract a relatively simple analysis of the terraces of the middle thames valley reveals a complex sequence of responses to late anglian late middle pleistocene drainage disruption a decrease in the amounts of vertical incision separating the later post anglian terraces strongly suggests a major change in the rate of incision in the middle thames area in the post anglian a late anglian and early post anglian incision rate of 1 45 m ka 1 was quickly replaced by incision at a rate of 0 089 m ka 1 in the later post anglian period the lower incision rate of the later post anglian compares favourably with previous estimates of regional uplift two plausible explanations for the enhanced incision in the late anglian and early post anglian are recognized one related to ponding of the river by anglian ice and the other to glacio isostatic rebound in the latter case the mismatch between expected and actual heights of late anglian deposits would suggest glacio isostatic uplift of the order of 22 25 m

the british lower palaeolithic of the early middle pleistocene the archaeology of britain during the early middle pleistocene mis 19 12 is represented by a number of key sites across eastern and southern england these sites include pakefield happisburgh 1 high lodge warren hill waverley wood boxgrove kent s cavern and westbury sub mendip alongside a background scatter lithic record associated with the principal river systems bytham pre diversion thames and solent and raised beaches westbourne arundel hominin behaviour can be characterised in terms of preferences for temperate or cool temperate climates and open woodland mosaic habitats indicated by mammalian fauna mollusca insects and sediments a biface dominated material culture characterised by technological diversity although with accompanying evidence for distinctive core and flake pakefield and flake tool high lodge assemblages probable direct hunting based subsistence strategies with a focus upon large mammal fauna and generally locally focused spatial and landscape behaviours principally indicated by raw material sources data although with some evidence of dynamic mobile and structured technological systems the british data continues to support a modified short chronology to the north of the alps and the pyrenees with highly sporadic evidence for a hominin presence prior to 500 600 ka although the ages of key assemblages are subject to ongoing debates regarding the chronology of the bytham river terraces and the early middle pleistocene glaciations of east anglia

geophysics a moving fluid pulse in a fault zone evidence from the south eugene island block 330 oil and gas field in the gulf of mexico off louisiana suggests that the fault zones there have acted as conduits for fluids rising from deep in the earth s crust and now one of these fault burps has been observed directly seismic reflection imaging revealed the rapid ascent of a pulse of fluid rising vertically up the fault by 1 km between 1985 and 1992 burps like this may be important factors in subsurface hydrocarbon migration in the gulf of mexico fault zones are linked with a complex and dynamic system of plumbing in the earth s subsurface here we use time lapse seismic reflection imaging to reveal a pulse of fluid ascending rapidly inside one of these fault zones such intermittent fault burping is likely to be an important factor in the migration of subsurface hydrocarbons

environmental response to climatic and volcanic events in central europe during the weichselian lateglacial this paper reviews major results of the recent german research priority program changes of the geo biosphere during the last 15 000 years a contribution to pages focussing on changes of the geo biosphere during the weichselian lateglacial different continental archives such as annually laminated lacustrine sediments floodplain sediments and speleothems were used to reconstruct environmental response to climatic changes and the laacher see eruption event at ca 12 900 cal bp special emphasis is paid to establish a reliable time control using varve counting high precision radiocarbon dating of tree ring series and ams radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant macrofossils recovered from lacustrine sediments to correlate and synchronize large scale environmental changes and events in central europe

biostratigraphic and aminostratigraphic constraints on the age of the middle pleistocene glacial succession in north norfolk uk considerable debate surrounds the age of the middle pleistocene glacial succession in east anglia following some recent stratigraphical reinterpretations resolution of the stratigraphy here is important since it not only concerns the glacial history of the region but also has a bearing on our understanding of the earliest human occupation of north western europe the orthodox consensus that all the tills were emplaced during the anglian marine isotope stage mis 12 has recently been challenged by a view assigning each major till to a different glacial stage before during and after mis 12 between trimingham and sidestrand on the north norfolk coast datable organic sediments occur immediately below and above the glacial succession the oldest glacial deposit happisburgh till directly overlies the sidestrand unio bed here defined as the sidestrand hall member of the cromer forest bed formation dating of these sediments therefore has a bearing on the maximum age of the glacial sequence this paper reviews the palaeobotany and describes the faunal assemblages recovered from the sidestrand unio bed which accumulated in a fluvial environment in a fully temperate climate with regional deciduous woodland there are indications from the ostracods for weakly brackish conditions significant differences are apparent between the sidestrand assemblages and those from west runton the type site of the cromerian stage these differences do not result from contrasting facies or taphonomy but reflect warmer palaeotemperatures at sidestrand and a much younger age this conclusion is suggested by the higher proportion of thermophiles at sidestrand and the occurrence of a water vole with unrooted molars arvicola rather than its ancestor mimomyssavini with rooted molars amino acid racemisation data also indicate that sidestrand is significantly younger than west runton these data further highlight the stratigraphical complexity of the cromerian complex and support the conventional view that the happisburgh till was emplaced during the anglian rather than the recently advanced view that it dates from mis 16 moreover new evidence from the trimingham lake bed sidestrand cliff formation above the youngest glacial outwash sediments briton s lane formation indicates that they also accumulated during a middle pleistocene interglacial probably mis 11 all of this evidence is consistent with a short chronology placing the glacial deposits within mis 12 rather than invoking multiple episodes of glaciation envisaged in the new glacial stratigraphy during mis 16 12 10 and 6 copyright 2009 john wiley sons ltd

pleistocene fluvial terraces from northern france seine yonne somme synthesis and new results from interglacial deposits the seine yonne and somme are the main rivers draining northwestern france and flowing into the channel during pleistocene cold stages they were tributaries of the fleuve manche they are characterised by well developed stepped terrace systems showing up to 10 incision steps for the last 1 ma after 15 years of research and the synthesis of stratigraphical sedimentological bioclimatical data and numerical dating these terrace systems are interpreted as the response of the fluvial environments to climatic cyclicity superimposed on a background of slow tectonic uplift the comparison of these three terrace systems shows that the incision budget is similar within the studied area about 55 65 m 1 ma implying relative homogeneity of uplift in the main part of the area beyond marine influence the analysis of each stepped alluvial formation shows regular sediment balance generally composed of coarse periglacial gravels pleniglacial covered by fine grained sediments locally overlain by calcareous tufa interglacial however in the lower seine valley close to the present coast the low terrace includes two estuarine interglacial units interbedded within periglacial gravel units nevertheless until recently evidence of full interglacial conditions remained elusive in fluvial contexts especially in the somme to address these issues a new research programme has been launched on tufa deposits that are the best candidate to register the climatic optimum initial results from la celle seine saint acheul and caours somme allow palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of mis 11 and 5e and thus confirm the importance of calcareous tufa to define a reference record of pleistocene interglacials for northern france moreover it has been previously demonstrated that the main incision leading to terrace formation can be attributed to the transition between interglacial and glacial during early glacial phases the new results from interglacial records have important implications concerning the precise occurrence of the major incision phases within the climatic cycle as they provide the starting point immediately preceding downcutting

pre anglian fluvial and coastal deposits in eastern england lithostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments abstract clast lithology and derived microflora are used to provide a basis for correlating pre anglian fluvial and coastal deposits in eastern england and to provide a lithostratigraphic framework for these early and early middle pleistocene sediments three fluvial systems are recognised i the thames which drained an area from wales through midland england to the thames basin and southern east anglia the catchment was truncated over the period concerned and the western headwaters diverted to other river systems ii the bytham river which drained midland england and the southern pennines and reached the southern north sea delta in the region of north central east anglia this river extended its catchment over the period concerned iii the ancaster river which drained the southern pennines and received sediment from northeast england each of these catchments contributed sediment to the southern north sea delta estuary and contributed to the lithologies of the red norwich and wroxham crag formations the lithostratigraphic subdivisions are based on the fact that i the pliocene and early pleistocene rivers and the equivalent red and norwich crags are characterised by far travelled microflora which was transported in suspension and a locally derived clast assemblage transported as bedload and ii the later early and early middle pleistocene rivers and the equivalent wroxham crag are characterised by a far travelled microflora and a far travelled clast assemblage variations in the amount and composition of far travelled materials is determined by the relative importance of the three river systems this provides a basis for identifying different formations of the thames river sediments older sudbury formation and younger colchester formation and different members of the wroxham formation dobb s plantation member local material with minor components of thames and ancaster river sediments how hill member local material with major components of thames and ancaster river sediments mundesley member with major components of bytham river sediments these lithostratigraphic units are related to established north european biostratigraphy and oxygen isotope stratigraphy the factors forcing the changes in river energetics are explained in terms of the relative importance of geomorphic processes operating within the river catchments determined by the patterns of milankovitch orbital forcing

middle pleistocene interglacial thames medway deposits at clacton on sea england reconsideration of the biostratigraphical and environmental context of the type clactonian palaeolithic industry abstract in 1987 an archaeological investigation was undertaken during redevelopment of the erstwhile butlin s holiday camp at clacton on sea on the grounds that the middle pleistocene clacton channel deposits containing the type clactonian palaeolithic industry were known to extend beneath the site excavations for a storm drain allowed sampling at points along a longitudinal traverse of the main clacton channel analysis of these samples has provided new palaeontological information including data pertaining to the rise in relative sea level during the interglacial represented systematic studies of molluscs and ostracods the latter undertaken at clacton for the first time have been particularly valuable information from the butlin s site supplements evidence previously gathered from the west cliff section and from other localities at clacton the calcareous clay marl that underlies the clacton golf course extends beneath butlin s where it was found to be part of the freshwater beds not the estuarine beds as hitherto supposed the clacton estuarine beds restricted to the eastern end of the site have their base just below 2 m o d implying that their superposition upon the clacton freshwater beds occurred when relative sea level in this area was close to present ordnance datum correlation of the clacton channel deposits with the interglacial immediately following the anglian elsterian stage appears secure equivalence with oxygen isotope stage 11 of the oceanic sequence is most probable a borehole survey and subsequent excavation revealed a holocene sequence of unlithified tufa and organic sediments beneath part of the site

pleistocene rhine thames landscapes geological background for hominin occupation of the southern north sea region this paper links research questions in quaternary geology with those in palaeolithic archaeology a detailed geological reconstruction of the netherlands south west offshore area provides a stratigraphical context for archaeological and palaeontological finds progressive environmental developments have left a strong imprint on the area s palaeolithic record we highlight aspects of landscape evolution and related taphonomical changes visualized in maps for critical periods of the pleistocene in the wider southern north sea region the middle pleistocene record is divided into two palaeogeographical stages the pre anglian elsterian stage during which a wide land bridge existed between england and belgium even during marine highstands and the anglian elsterian to saalian interglacial with a narrower land bridge lowered by proglacial erosion but not yet fully eroded the late pleistocene landscape was very different with the land bridge fully dissected by an axial rhine thames valley eroded deep enough to fully connect the english channel and the north sea during periods of highstand this tripartite staging implies great differences in i possible migration routes of herds of herbivores as well as hominins preying upon them ii the erosion base of axial and tributary rivers causing an increase in the availability of flint raw materials and iii conditions for loess accumulation in northern france and belgium and the resulting preservation of middle palaeolithic sites 2011 john wiley sons ltd

timing and magnitude of the sea level jump preluding the 8200 yr event evidence from terrestrial glacial and global climate model reconstructions suggests that a sea level jump caused by meltwater release was associated with the triggering of the 8 2 ka cooling event however there has been no direct measurement of this jump using precise sea level data in addition the chronology of the meltwater pulse is based on marine data with limited dating accuracy the most plausible mechanism for triggering the cooling event is the sudden possibly multistaged drainage of the laurentide proglacial lakes agassiz and ojibway through the hudson strait into the north atlantic ca 8470 300 yr ago here we show with detailed sea level data from rotterdam netherlands that the sea level rise commenced 8450 44 yr ago our timing considerably narrows the existing age of this drainage event and provides support for the hypothesis of a double staged lake drainage the jump in sea level reached a local magnitude of 2 11 0 89 m within 200 yr in addition to the ongoing background relative sea level rise 1 95 0 74 m this magnitude observed at considerable distance from the release site points to a global averaged eustatic sea level jump that is double the size of previous estimates 3 0 1 2 m versus 0 4 1 4 m the discrepancy suggests either a coeval antarctic contribution or more likely a previous underestimate of the total american lake drainage

sedimentation and iithostratigraphy of the north sea drift and lowestoft till formations in the coastal cliffs of northeast norfolk england the most complete terrestrial sequence of anglian elsterian glacial sediments in western europe was investigated in northeast norfolk england in order to reconstruct the evolution of the contemporary palaeoenvironments lithostratigraphically the glacial sediments in the northeast norfolk coastal cliffs can be divided into the northn sea drift and lowestoft till formations three of the diamicton members of the north sea drift formation happisburgh walcott and cromer diamictons were deposited as lodgement and or subglacial deformation till by grounded ice but one the mundesley diamicton is waterlain and was deposited in an extensive glacial lake sands and fine sediments interbedded between the diamictons represent deltaic sands and glaciolacustrine sediments derived not solely from the melting ice in the north but also from extra marginal rivers in the south the lowestoft till formation is not well preserved in the cliffs but includes lodgement till marly drift till and most probably associated meltwater deposits extensive glaciotectonism in the northern part of the area is shown to relate to oscillating ice that deposited the cromer diamicton and also partially to the ice sheet that deposited the marly drift till it is suggested that during the anglian stage the present day northeast norfolk coast was situated on the northwestern margin of an extensive glaciolacustrine basin this basin was dammed by the scandinavian ice sheet in the north and northeast because the grounding line of this ice sheet oscillated in space and time part of the north sea drift diamictons were deposited directly by this ice however during ice retreat phases glaciolacustrine deposition comprised waterlain diamicton sands and fines when the scandinavian ice sheet was situated in northernmost norfolk the british ice sheet responsible for depositing the marly drift facies entered the area from the west this ice sheet partially deformed the north sea drift formation sediments in the northern part of the area but not in the south where the british ice sheet apparently terminated in water the interplay of these two ice sheets on the northern and western margins of the glacial lake is thought to be the major determining factor for the accumulation of thick glacial deposits in this area during the anglian glaciation

a formal mammalian biostratigraphy for the late pleistocene of britain abstract a series of distinctive mammalian assemblages spanning much of the british late pleistocene is defined on the basis of type localities and a formal biozonation proposed the joint mitnor cave mammal assemblage zone includes the famous hippopotamus fauna of the early part of the last interglacial complex oxygen isotope substage 5e this is succeeded by the bacon hole mammal assemblage zone in which hippopotamus is no longer present and species like mammoth roe deer and northern vole re enter the british region this assemblage zone appears to represent the later substages of ois 5 a faunal grouping dominated by bison and reindeer is named the banwell bone cave mammal assemblage zone and is believed to correlate closely with the early devensian ois 4 the pin hole mammal assemblage zone includes the familiar mammoth steppe faunas of the middle devensian ois 3 dominated by horse woolly rhinoceros and mammoth the lateglacial interstadial is characterized by the gough s cave mammal assemblage zone in which horse red deer and humans are well represented part of ois 2 no definitive evidence for human activity can be found for a period spanning the last interglacial complex ois 5 and the early devensian ois 4 human populations return to britain with the pin hole mammal assemblage zone fauna during the middle devensian ois 3 and reappear after the dimlington stadial during the late devensian ois 2 but in a different faunal association

catastrophic flooding origin of shelf valley systems in the english channel britain became geographically isolated from continental europe when high interglacial seas flooded the shallow english channel and north sea shelf areas but a tenuous link remained the weald artois chalk ridge between southeast england and northwest france just how this isthmus was breached making britain an island has been a matter of conjecture a new bathymetric map of the sea floor may solve the mystery it reveals a large bedrock floored valley containing landforms including grooves and streamlined islands consistent with a megaflood event caused when a rock dam at the dover strait breached draining a large pro glacial lake in the north sea basin a hypothesis for the permanent isolation of britain from mainland europe during interglacial high sea levels has been confirmed gupta et al analysed a new regional bathymetric map of part of the area finding a valley with landforms indicating large scale subaerial erosion by high magnitude water discharges they suggest breaching of a rock dam at the dover strait instigated drainage of a large lake in the north sea basin megaflood events involving sudden discharges of exceptionally large volumes of water are rare but can significantly affect landscape evolution continental scale drainage patterns and climate change1 it has been proposed that a significant flood event eroded a network of large ancient valleys on the floor of the english channel the narrow seaway between england and france2 3 4 this hypothesis has remained untested through lack of direct evidence and alternative non catastrophist ideas have been entertained for valley formation5 6 here we analyse a new regional bathymetric map of part of the english channel derived from high resolution sonar data which shows the morphology of the valley in unprecedented detail we observe a large bedrock floored valley that contains a distinct assemblage of landforms including streamlined islands and longitudinal erosional grooves which are indicative of large scale subaerial erosion by high magnitude water discharges our observations support the megaflood model in which breaching of a rock dam at the dover strait instigated catastrophic drainage of a large pro glacial lake in the southern north sea basin2 we suggest that megaflooding provides an explanation for the permanent isolation of britain from mainland europe during interglacial high sea level stands7 and consequently for patterns of early human colonisation of britain together with the large scale reorganization of palaeodrainage in northwest europe4

the pleistocene reindeer of the north sea initial palaeontological data and archaeological remarks abstract the interdisciplinary north sea project aims at investigating the biotic history of the pleistocene in the southern bight of the north sea humans were part of these biotopes too as palaeolithic flint artefacts prove based on a large fossil record and radiocarbon dating it becomes clear that reindeer was part of the late pleistocene mammoth fauna upper palaeolithic hunters often are described as reindeer hunters despite a large fossil reindeer record and collection of palaeolithic flint artefacts no evidence was found for co existence of humans and reindeer or for reindeer hunting

fluvial deposition on periodically emergent shelves in the quaternary example records from the shelf around britain abstract this paper explores the record of fluvial sedimentation on continental shelves during the quaternary in areas that are shallow seas in the present day during episodes of higher global ice volume than the present which account for a large proportion of quaternary time large parts of the shelf were dry land drained by rivers the latter included extensions of still existing rivers as well as complete systems that are now lost beneath holocene interglacial seas in areas where extensive epi continental seas have formed during interglacials there is considerable potential for large areas of submerged fluvial sediments to survive on the shelf providing evidence of former river courses and for the evolution of these rivers during the late cenozoic examples of now submerged fluvial systems from the shelf to the south and east of britain are examined submerged terraces of the extended river thames have been mapped beneath the southern north sea in the area offshore from the thames estuary further offshore however all evidence of former sub aerial drainage during the last glacial has been removed by erosion and it is uncertain whether the thames and rhine which would have joined in this area flowed northwards to the north sea or southwards to the english channel although the latter is regarded as more likely the rhine thames is just one example of the very large system that would have existed only during low stands their concentrated freshwater output having a potentially significant effect on ocean systems

laminated sediments preceding heinrich event 1 in the northern north sea and southern norwegian sea origin processes and regional linkage abstract rapidly deposited laminated sediments dated between 18 and 21 cal ka bp have been observed at several core locations in the northern north sea and the southern norwegian sea sedimentation rates range from 20 cm ka up to 2000 cm ka compared to a normal background sedimentation rate in the area of 5 10 cm ka dropstones in situ paired bivalves and grain size distribution indicate a hemipelagic origin for the laminae in core md99 2291 from the upper continental slope of southern norway ams radiocarbon dating and cyclic changes in the number of planktonic foraminifera and lithological parameters suggest that the laminations in the core are annual varves the laminated sediments are interpreted to be suspension plume deposits and two phases of plume deposition have been dated to 21 5 and 18 6 cal ka bp large fluxes of meltwater were generated during this period as reflected in oxygen and carbon isotopes records from cores in the area the meltwater and the laminated plume deposits are interpreted to be associated with the presence and disintegration of the norwegian channel ice stream observations from other regions demonstrate that laminated high rate deposition is very widespread on glaciated continental margins around 18 6 cal ka bp increases in sediment fluxes also occurred on the barra fan the north sea fan the lofoten contourite drift and the svalbard margin preceding increased sediment and meltwater fluxes on the greenland margin and the labrador sea associated with heinrich event 1 warm water inflow to the norwegian sea together with rising sea level probably triggered the destabilisation of the ice streams of the fennoscandian ice sheet while a similar response of the laurentide ice sheet was delayed by 500 1000 yr