bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Provenance of coarse ice-rafted detritus near the SE Greenland margin
Authors: Linthout K. , Troelstra S.R. , Kuijpers A.
Published: April 2016

The provenance of coarse-grained ice-rafted detritus has been studied, based on material collected from the SE Greenland margin. The sediment was sampled by a 1.5 m3 video-grab from 1256 m water depth. The fraction > 1cm was macroscopically investigated and a thin-section analysis was made. The results clearly show that East Greenland north of the Denmark Strait is the source region of the material sampled. The main provenance is from areas adjoining Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord, Blosseville Kyst, Scoresby Sund, Kong Oskar Fjord, and Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord. It can thus be demonstrated that significant ice-stream activity and iceberg calving occurred there. Present-day iceberg production is mainly concentrated to the Scoresby Sund, but the other areas apparently represent locations of larger ice-stream activity during periods prior to the Holocene.

More generally, it can be concluded that southerly surface-water flow similar to the present East Greenland Current must also have occurred prior to the Holocene. Although either North America (Canada) or Scandinavia - or both - are generally referred to as important regions for the provenance of ice-rafted detritus, we conclude that (East) Greenland may have been an important source for (late) glacial North Atlantic ice-rafted detritus production as well.
The Eemian - local sequences, global perspectives: introduction
Authors: van Kolfschoten Thijs , Gibbard Philip L.
Published: April 2016

The history of this volume goes back to a 1973 INQUA congress in New Zealand,
where an INQUA Commission of Stratigraphy working group on major subdivisions of
the Pleistocene was established. The Pleistocene series/epoch was hitherto
generally subdivided into the Lower/Early, Middle and Upper/Late Pleistocene (see,
among others, Zeuner, 1935, 1959) but the boundaries between these
subseries/subepochs were not formally defined. The boundary between the Early and
Middle Pleistocene was, in the European literature, put at the base of the
Cromerian Complex (Zagwijn, 1963) or at the Brunhes/Matuyama magnetic boundary
(Richmond, 1996).
The Eemian stage in the Netherlands: history, character and new
research
Authors: Bosch J.H.A. , Cleveringa P. , Meijer T.
Published: April 2016

A historical outline of the Eemian research in the Netherlands is presented
as an introduction to recent research in the type area. At the end of the 19th and
during the first part of the 20th century, Eemian sediments were recognized
because of the presence of lusitanian and mediterranean mollusc species. From 1930
onwards, pollen analysis made it possible to identify also non-shell-bearing
deposits and to equate them with the Eemian. At the same time this technique
proved a valuable tool for understanding the vegetation development during this
interglacial. Pollen zonation offered a unique possibility for the correlation of
terrestrial sequences in North-West Europe.

The type area of the Eemian, near Amersfoort, was described by Harting in
1874 and was comprehensively restudied by Zagwijn (1961). A pollen zonation was
introduced as a standard for the Netherlands, allowing the correlation of pollen
records from both marine and non-marine depositional environments. This enabled a
more detailed temporal resolution, resulting in a better understanding of the
distribution of the various environments in the type area.

In the northern and central parts of the Netherlands, the identification of
the marine sequence was, apart from the occurrence of the specific mollusc fauna,
facilitated by the presence of a till of Saalian age underlying the Eemian
deposits. The presence of deep glacial basins in these areas enabled the
deposition and preservation of a complete Eemian record in a marine setting.
Sediment accumulation in the basins began immediately following deglaciation at
the end of the Saalian. The Eemian type sections at Amersfoort are situated near
the margin of one of these basins.

Recent research of the Eemian focused on the integration of
lithostratigraphic evidence and information on the sedimentary environment as
derived from diatoms, dinoflagellates, foraminifers, molluscs and pollen.
Late Saalian and Eemian deposits in the Amsterdam glacial basin
Authors: de Gans Wim , Beets Dirk J. , Centineo Maria Carla
Published: April 2016

During its maximum extension, the Saalian ice cap reached into the central
Netherlands, where glacier tongues excavated over 100 m deep basins in the
unconsolidated Middle and Early Pleistocene sediments. The basins are filled by
relatively thick successions of Late Saalian, Eemian and Weichselian sediments.
The fill of the Amsterdam glacial basin is among the best known and studied in the
Netherlands. The Late Saalian sediments consist mainly of warves and ill-bedded
clays and silts with, along its southern margin, influxes of sands from the
surrounding ice-pushed ridges. During deposition of these sediments, the Amsterdam
basin formed part of a large lake extending into the present North Sea. Draining
of this lake at the end of the Late Saalian left small, shallow pools at the site
of the glacial basins.

Late Saalian and Eemian sediments are probably separated by a short break,
although sedimentation may have been continuous in the deepest part of the basin.
The Eemian deposits consist in main lines of a thin, diatom-rich sapropel at the
base, overlain by an up to 30 m thick clay-rich sequence covered by a wedge of
sand that measures more than 20 m in the northern part of the basin and that
peters out southwards. As appears from the fauna, most of the clays were deposited
in a lagoonal setting shielded behind a threshold and/or barrier. The rate of
sediment supply was low so that lagoonal conditions were maintained over a long
timespan. Sands derived from the surrounding ice-pushed ridges and transported by
longshore drift and tidal currents formed a spit at the northern margin of the
basin, which moved southward after eustatic sea-level rise stabilized and the
lagoon was filled by clay. Loading of this clay-rich sequence by the spit and its
washover fans induced subsidence, however, because of compaction, so that marine
conditions were maintained until after the Eemian highstand. Fluvial and eolian
sediments of Weichselian age, locally reaching a thickness of almost 10 m,
eventually levelled the Amsterdam glacial basin.
The relevance of the Eemian for the study of the Palaeolithic occupation of
Europe
Authors: Speleers Barbara
Published: April 2016

The relevance of a study of the Eemian occupation of Europe lies largely in
the discussion on the environmental tolerances of early humans and in the limits
encountered during the reconstruction of Palaeolithic habitats. The traditional
vision is reviewed; then follows a discussion of Gamble’s studies (1986, 1987) in
which he postulated an absence of human occupation in North-Western Europe during
the Eemian. Gamble’s explanatory models and the reactions to his work are
presented. Finally, the relation is considered between the distribution pattern of
sites, the former dispersal of early humans across the European landscape, and the
implications of this evidence for hypotheses of environmental tolerances of
Palaeolithic humans.
The Mikulino (= Eemian) mammal faunas of the Russian Plain and Crimea
Authors: Markova A.K.
Published: April 2016

During the last decades a considerable amount of data on mammals from
Mikulino (=Eemian) deposits of the central and southern parts of the Russian Plain
has been produced. Mammuthus primigenius (the early
type), Palaeoloxodon antiquus (the advanced form),
Arvicola ex gr. terrestris,
Eolagurus cf. luteus and
Lagurus cf. lagurus
characterize this period. The so-called ‘Shkurlatian mammal assemblage’ was
distinguished on the basis of a number of Eemian faunas.

The age of the mammal localities was established by using various geological
and palaeontological evidence, together with the results of palaeomagnetic studies
and absolute dating. The evolutionary level of the diagnostic species allows
correlations between localities from different parts of the Russian Plain that
have varying taphonomical conditions. The mammal- and malacofauna of the Mikulino
Interglacial can also be used as a basis for correlations between the Karangat
marine strata of the Black Sea and the continental deposits (alluvial sediments of
the second terrace of the Sudost’ River and the Salyn phase of the Mezin fossil
pedocomplex (see Dodonov et al., this volume). Forest, forest-steppe and steppe
zone landscapes have been reconstructed for the central and southern parts of the
Russian Plain on the basis of the Eemian faunas.
Pedosedimentary evolution of the last interglacial and early glacial sequence
in the European loess belt from Belgium to central Russia
Authors: Haesaerts Paul , Mestdagh Hans
Published: April 2016

For more than one century, the textural B-horizon of the last interglacial
soil and its cover deposits have been standing out in Europe as an important
pedostratigraphic marker. The complexity of this horizon was well illustrated
since the seventies, though its pedological and stratigraphic significance
remained doubtful. Macro-, meso- and micromorphological data gathered by the
authors at various key-sites in Europe and the sequential correlation principle
have resulted in a better understanding of the high complexity of the
pedosedimentary and stratigraphical evolution of the last interglacial and early
glacial loess succession. The present study identifies four megacyclic
pedosedimentary intervals that show a general trend towards dry and continental
climatic conditions.

A consistent correlation exists between pedosedimentary evolution and
vegetation, as recorded in the Grande Pile pollen record. The picture obtained in
the present study is similar for both the Western and the Eastern European loess
palaeosol successions. The so-called ‘last interglacial soil’, with three major
soil-forming processes, belongs to the Eemian and Saint-Germain I (MIS substages
5e and 5c), whereas the humiferous sediments and soils on top are linked to
Melisey II, Saint-Germain II and Ognon I (MIS substages 5b and 5a).The overlying
loess, colluvial sediments and humiferous soils that end the palaeosol succession
belong to the Ognon II and III interstadials; they record the onset of the early
Pleniglacial (MIS stage 4) characterized by a significant increase in aeolian
sedimentation.
Geochemical mapping in the Kingdom of the Netherlands: introduction
Authors: van Gaans Pauline F.M. , Vriend Simon P.
Published: April 2016

In the beginning of the 1990’s, the Department of Geochemistry of Utrecht University started a series of geochemical surveys of the Leeward Islands of the Antilles that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Apart from seeking a nice, warm fieldwork environment, the undertaking was motivated by the deficits in infrastructure and financial resources of these islands, which precluded the authorities to undertake such a survey on their own. By then, the International Geological Correlations Programme (IGCP; Darnley et al., 1995) had just been established to address the need for standardised geochemical databases worldwide; the then Geological Survey of the Netherlands (RGD) - now the TNO-Institute of Applied Geosciences (TNO-NITG) - participated in this programme from the start.
Spatial prediction of the variability of Early Pleistocene subsurface sediments in the Netherlands - Part 1: Heavy minerals
Authors: Huisman D.J. , Weijers J.P. , Dijkshoorn L. , Veldkamp A.
Published: April 2016

We investigated the spatial variability of the heavy-mineral composition in the Early Pleistocene fluviatile Kedichem Formation in the Netherlands in order to meet the demand for more information about subsurface sediment composition. We first determined the spatial extension and thickness of the sediment body, then used Fuzzy clustering techniques on a database containing approx. 2000 heavy-mineral counts from the Kedichem Formation to map the spatial extension of the various sediment provenances within the formation. Three clusters could be discerned, one representing a combined Meuse-Scheldt source, the other two representing a mixed Rhine-Baltic source. We made slice maps at several depths through the formation, and plotted the cluster memberships.

The maps show an overall dominance of the Meuse-Scheldt source in the south of the Netherlands, whereas the Rhine-Baltic source occurs mainly in the central Netherlands. The methods employed show that it is possible to map and study the 3-D variation in heavy-mineral composition and hence sediment provenance in the Dutch subsurface with the use of simple statistical and visualization techniques.
Spatial prediction of the variability of Early Pleistocene subsurface sediments in the Netherlands - Part 2: Geochemistry
Authors: Huisman D.J. , Weijers J.P. , Dijkshoorn L. , Veldkamp A.
Published: April 2016

We started a geochemical mapping campaign in the Early Pleistocene fluviatile Kedichem Formation in the Netherlands in order to meet the demand for more information about subsurface sediment compositions. Geochemical data were collected during a sampling campaign, and about 600 samples from the Kedichem Formation were analyzed. By linking the geochemical data with lithological classifications from the TNO-NITG borehole database, we established a geochemical prediction model.

Elements were divided into classes according to their geochemical behaviour in relation to lithological parameters. For each of the classes, we combined lithological groups in to groups with relevant geochemical differences. By calculating for each element the average composition in each of these groups, we were able to predict the geochemical composition of subsurface sediments by ‘translating’ the spatial lithological data from the TNO-NITG borehole database into geochemical data. We visualized this model by calculating and interpolating the average composition of horizontal slices of the Kedichem Formation. The model performance is fairly good, although it has a tendency to underestimate extreme values.
Designing efficient sampling schemes for reconnaissance surveys of contaminated bed sediments in water courses
Authors: Brus D.J. , Jansen M.J.W. , de Haan W.F.
Published: April 2016

A method for designing efficient sampling schemes for reconnaissance surveys of contaminated bed sediments in water courses is presented. The method can be used in networks of water courses, for instance to estimate the total volume of bed sediment of a defined quality class. The water courses must be digitised as arcs in a Geographical Information System.

The method comprises six steps: (1) stratifying the water courses; (2) choosing a variogram; (3) calculating the parameters of the variance model; (4) choosing a compositing scheme; (5) choosing the values for the cost-model parameters; and (6) optimising the sampling scheme. The method is demonstrated with a survey of the main water courses in the reclaimed areas of Oostelijk Flevoland and Zuidelijk Flevoland.
Construction of maps for soil recycling in regional infrastructural works integrating soil-quality laws
Authors: van Lienen F. , Frapporti G. , Stein A.
Published: April 2016

A soil-quality map is at present an important tool to integrate laws on soil quality with regional infrastructural works. Basic data are commonly available, but soil quality is an indicator that has to be derived from these data, including site-specific environmental standards. We propose three geostatistics-based methods for the comparison of interpolated contaminant concentrations and standards.

The study is illustrated by data from a part of the Betuwe railroad transect, which extends over 12 km in the western Netherlands. As it turns out, a useful procedure is to combine interpolated contaminant concentrations with interpolated threshold values.
Pleistocene to Recent tectonics in the Rhenish Massif (Germany)
Authors: Meyer W. , Stets J.
Published: April 2016

Uplift of the Rhenish Massif can be demonstrated by means of the stream-made river terrace system that accompanies the Rhine river and its tributaries along their way through or within this part of the Variscan fold and thrust belt. The height difference between a former valley floor, especially that of the Younger ‘Hauptterrasse’ (Main Terrace), and the recent one allows to quantify the uplift by the amount of downcutting erosion. The uplift velocity increased just after theBRUNHES / MATUYAMAboundary, i.e. about 0.8 Ma B.R Since that time, a domal uplift of more than 250 m is documented in the eastern Hunsriick and in the south-eastern Eifel. The area of this maximum height anomaly is situated just between the East-and West-Eifel Quaternary volcanic districts. Thus, causal connections are supposed. The domai uplift is affected by normal faulting partly inherited since Tertiary rifting.
Spatial and Temporal Database Support for Geologists - An Example from the Lower Rhine Basin
Authors: Breunig M. , Balovnev O. , Cremers A.B. , Shumilov S.
Published: April 2016

Within the collaborative research centre SFB350 at the University of Bonn a component software called GeoToolKit has been developed, which is intended to facilitate the design and implementation of 3D/4D geological applications. It provides a range of geo-oriented software building blocks for application developers involving database management system based spatial and temporal data maintenance, support for efficient spatial and temporal retrieval, communication, visualization and graphical interfaces which the user could assemble in a ready-to-use application. As such, GeoToolKit is not a GIS-in-a-box package - rather it is a library of C++ classes that allows the incorporation of spatial functionality within an application under development. It is primarily oriented towards software engineers with the C++ experience involved in the development of specialpurpose geological applications, which can hardly be modelled within standard GISs. We present applications using GeoToolKit, which have been developed to support the geological reconstruction of the Lower Rhine Basin.
Long-term river terrace sequences: Evidence for global increases in surface uplift rates in the Late Pliocene and early Middle Pleistocene caused by flow in the lower continental crust induced by surface processes
Authors: Westaway R.
Published: April 2016

Long-term river terrace sequences reveal that many regions have uplifted by several hundred metres since the Middle Pliocene. They indeed provide evidence of a global increase in uplift rates in die Late Pliocene, followed by a calm period then a renewed increase around the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary. It is suggested that this uplift pattern has resulted from thickening of the continental crust caused by flow in the lower crust which has been induced by cyclic surface loading caused by growth and decay of ice sheets and the associated global sea-level fluctuations. Observed uplift histories are modelled using a technique which incorporates increases in the strength of forcing of this process caused by step changes in the intensity of glaciations starting at~3.1,~2.5,~1.2, and~0.9 Ma.
Fluvial deposits as a record for Late Quaternary neotectonic activity in the Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands
Authors: Cohen K.M. , Stouthamer E. , Berendsen H.J.A.
Published: April 2016

Neotectonic movements have caused differential subsidence in the Lower Rhine Embayment during the Quaternary. The Late Weichselian and Holocene Rhine-Meuse fluvial archive in the central Netherlands was used to quantify neotectonic movements in a setting that was primarily controlled by sea-level rise and climate change. Evidence for neotectonic activity in the central Netherlands is reviewed. Sedimentary evidence shows that fluvial deposits of Late Weichselian and Holocene Rhine and Meuse (Maas) distributaries are vertically displaced along the northern shoulder of the Roer Valley Graben system. Elevation differences in the longitudinal profiles of Late Weichselian terrace deposits were used to quantify tectonic displacements. New results for the southeastern Rhine-Meuse delta (Maaskant area) show that displacements in the top of the Pleniglacial terrace along the Peel Boundary Fault are up to 1.4 m. The maximum displacement between the Peel Horst and the Roer Valley Graben is 2.3 m. This is equivalent to relative tectonic movement rates of 0.09-0.15 mm/yr, averaged over the last 15,000 years.
The evolution of river valleys in Lithuania from deglaciation to recent changes and data from the sediment infill of oxbow lakes
Authors: Gaigalas A. , Dvareckas V.
Published: April 2016

Generalized analysis of geological-geomorphological structures of river valleys in Lithuania has been carried-out. Lithuania’s fluvial topography results from the retreat of the Scandinavian Nemunas (= Vistulian and/or Valdaian) Glaciation, as is shown by the study of geomorphological structures in the recent river valleys (representing the last 15,000 years), which were formed as the ice sheets progressively retreated and ice-barrier lakes were drained. Oxbows in the river valleys are most often located on the floodplain itself and on the first terrace above the floodplain. The oxbow lakes are subdivided into two groups: (1) formed in the near-river stage and (2) formed in the lake-bog stage. Separate development phases can be recognized within both groups of oxbow lakes. The more organic components of oxbow deposits provide specific information for palaeoecological reconstructions.

Anthropogenic changes to the natural landscapes of Lithuania have resulted in considerable geological transformation of rivers. Increased sediment volume, shallowing, silting and overgrowing of channels, lateral erosion of floodplains and the spread of ravine erosion on valley-side slopes are all phenomena characteristic of all the valleys in Lithuania. At present the natural components of river valleys and their ecosystems are being changed, mainly with negative consequences for humans.
Reactive-Transport modeling as a technique for understanding coupled biogeochemical processes in surface and subsurface environments
Authors: Regnier P. , Jourabchi P. , Slomp C.P.
Published: April 2016

Reactive-transport models contribute significantly to the field of modern geosciences. A general mathematical approach to solving models of complex biogeochemical systems is introduced. It is argued that even though mathematical models for reactive-transport simulations can be developed at various levels of approximation, the approach for their construction and application to the various compartments of the hydrosphere is fundamentally the same. The workings of coupled transport-reaction systems are described in more detail by means of examples, which demonstrate the similarities in the approach. Three models of the carbon dynamics in redox-stratified environments are compared: porous media flow problems in a coastal sediment and in a contaminated groundwater system; and a surface flow problem in a eutrophic estuary. Considering the interdisciplinary nature of such models, a Knowledge Base System for biogeochemical processes is proposed. Incorporation of the proposed knowledge base in an appropriate modeling framework, such as the Biogeochemical Reaction Network Simulator, proves an effective approach to the modeling of complex natural systems. This methodology allows for construction of multi-component reactive-transport models applicable to a wide range of problems of interest to the geoscientist.
Radionuclide transport in clay during climate change
Authors: Wildenborg A.F.B. , Orlic B. , Thimus J.F. , de Lange G. , de Cock S. , de Leeuw C.S. , Veling E.J.M.
Published: April 2016

The Dutch national research programme into the feasibility of retrievable storage of radioactive waste (CORA Programme Phase I; CORA: Comité Opslag Radioactief Afval = Committee on Radioactive Waste Disposal) examined the suitability of Tertiary clay deposits for such storage. Long-term isolation – up to 1 million years – of high-level radioactive waste under varying conditions is essential. A key concern is the hydro-mechanical response of the clay deposits in which radioactive waste might possibly be stored, in particular during glacial climate conditions as has happened repeatedly in the Netherlands during the Pleistocene. To evaluate this possibility hydro-mechanical computer simulations and mechanical laboratory experiments have been performed to analyse the effects of glacial loading by a thousand-metre-thick ice sheet on the permeability characteristics, fluid flow rates and the associated migration of radio-nuclides both within and out of Tertiary clays.

Glacial loading causes the expulsion of pore water from deeply buried clay deposits into adjoining aquifers. The rates and duration of the consolidation-driven outflow of water from the clay deposit, are very sensitive to the permeability of the clay and the dynamics of the advancing ice sheet. The maximum outflow rate of pore water is 1 mm per year. This rate is approximately three times faster than the flow rate of water in clay prior to ice loading. These preliminary simulation studies also indicate that cyclic loading can result in more rapid migration of radio-nuclides in clays. In clay deposits that are covered by a thick ice sheet, the contribution of dispersed transport relative to the total transport by diffusion amounts to 14%, assuming that there is no absorption of radio-nuclides by the clays and a longitudinal dispersivity of 50 m.
History of petroleum systems in the southern part of the Broad Fourteens Basin
Authors: Verweij J.M. , Simmelink H.J. , Van Balen R.T. , David P.
Published: April 2016

2D Basin modelling was used to evaluate the response of source rock maturation, and of petroleum expulsion, migration, accumulation and preservation to the evolution of the southern part of the inverted Broad Fourteens Basin. Modelling results show that the temperature, maturation and petroleum generation history as well as migration characteristics of both the Jurassic oil systems and the Carboniferous gas systems vary over short distances relative to the differences in burial history of the basin. Model results indicate that no major gas accumulations are preserved in the Slochteren Formation along the cross-section at present-day. Gas accumulations are predicted in sandstone-dominated Triassic units in the southern part of the section. Present-day oil accumulations predicted in the Vlieland Sandstone Formation sealed by the Vlieland Claystone Formation (in P9 and Q1 crestal structures) are in accordance with known oil accumulations. Additional oil accumulations are predicted in the sandstone-dominated Middle Werkendam Member, and in sandstones of the Delfland Subgroup.

The modelling offers an explanation for the different geochemical compositions of the accumulated oils in the P9 and Q1 areas. Modelling implies, that the oils in the Q1 oil field were sourced by remigrated oils expelled over time, from early mature to mature source rocks of the Posidonia Shale Formation. The biodegraded and water-washed nature of the Q1 oil is explained by the concentrated topography-induced groundwater flow through the Vlieland Sandstone Formation during the Late Cretaceous inversion of the basin. The oils accumulated in the P9 area were sourced from an early mature part of the Posidonia Shale Formation and were probably not affected by water washing and biodegradation because of post-inversion charging of the reservoir.
A provisional Quaternary and Neogene lithostratigraphical framework for Great Britain
Authors: McMillan A.A.
Published: April 2016

This paper presents an overview of a provisional lithostratigraphical framework for the Quaternary and Neogene deposits of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) (onshore). The objective is to provide a workable framework to aid future Quaternary mapping and research, and a stratigraphical scheme capable of use in a wide variety of applications. Using the full hierarchy, a supergroup, group and subgroup lithostratigraphy, based upon the primary mapping unit, the formation, is proposed. It is recommended that some classes of lithogenetically-defined deposits which, at present cannot be accorded formational status, should be assigned informally to one of the proposed groups or subgroups. The framework distinguishes one superficial deposits supergroup within which seven groups are defined: i) Crag Group, marine deposits (Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene); ii), Dunwich Group, fluvial deposits (pre-Anglian/pre-Elsterian); iii) Residual Deposits Group; iv) British Coastal Deposits Group, coastal and marine deposits (Anglian to Holocene); v) Britannia Catchments Group, fluvial, organic and mass movement deposits (Anglian to Holocene) within broadly defined catchment areas related to Late Devensian to present-day physiography; vi) Albion Glacigenic Group, glacigenic deposits (pre-Devensian/pre-Weichselian), and vii) Caledonia Glacigenic Group, glacigenic deposits (Devensian/Weichselian). North of the Devensian (Weichselian) ice-sheet limit, a series of glacigenic subgroups are defined geographically for the two glacigenic groups on the basis of mappable formations of till. The subgroups include associated formations of glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits. Consequently some of the glacigenic water-lain units may extend beyond the Devensian limit. Catchment subgroups of the Britannia Catchments Group are proposed for formations and lithogenetic units defined within broad present-day physiographic regions by major river drainage systems that have developed since Middle Pleistocene time. Lithostratigraphical description and correlation of formations will aid the refinement of the proposed framework and enable the development of lithostratigraphical maps and three-dimensional models. As well as offering a unified framework for onshore Quaternary and Neogene deposits the proposed supergroup, group and subgroup structure may prove useful for a wide range of regional applications (e.g. hydrological, hydrogeological, engineering).
Geological characteristics and geotechnical properties of Eocene and Quaternary deposits on the Belgian continental shelf: synthesis in the context of offshore wind farming
Authors: Bot S. Le , Van Lancker V. , Deleu S. , De Batist M. , Henriet J.P. , Haegeman W.
Published: April 2016

The present study consists of a synthesis of the lithostratigraphy, geotechnical properties, geometry and distribution of Eocene and Quaternary deposits of the Belgian continental shelf. It is based on available large datasets (seismics, cores, cone penetration tests) and their interpretations synthesised from numerous studies from the last 20 years. A significant effort has been focused on data digitisation and integration into appropriate GIS software packages in order to compare the data in a much more dynamic and flexible way. New insights have been proposed on the lithostratigraphy and geotechnical properties of offshore and onland deposits.

An application is presented for the selection of wind farm implantation sites. Geological and geotechnical aspects of direct interest for wind farm implantation site selection have been focused on, such as the stability of the offshore wind turbine structures and the minimization of environmental impacts on the seabed. Sites suitable for wind turbines using monopile structures on the Belgian continental shelf are proposed.
Comparing different shallow geophysical methods in a tidal estuary, Verdronken Land van Saeftinge, Western Scheldt, the Netherlands
Authors: Missiaen T. , Slob E. , Donselaar M.E.
Published: April 2016

In order to validate existing models of sedimentation in active sedimentary environments, detailed stratigraphic information is indispensable. Near-surface geophysical methods provide a means to acquire high-resolution images of the stratigraphic succession in the shallow subsurface. Land-based and marine methods have been tested in the Verdronken Land van Saeftinge. This intertidal flat area is cut by numerous tidal gullies, and high tidal amplitudes enable the application of different techniques at various water levels. Data acquisition focused on the upper 10 – 20 m of the active sediment bodies. Applied techniques include high-resolution seismic acquisition, geo-electrical methods (DC resistivity), electromagnetic techniques, CPT, and manual drilling. In general the acoustic methods allowed more reliable and detailed interpretation of the sedimentary structures than the electric/electromagnetic methods. The latter suffered from the effect of tidal action and salt-water intrusion, and their application on land proved very strenuous. CPT and shallow cores provided valuable ground-truth information. The results clearly indicate that no single technique can provide all the answers. Only an integrated use of (complementary) methods will allow getting a better grip on the sedimentary architecture and preservation potential in active estuarine sedimentary environments.
Geo(Im)pulse | River Meuse suspended sediment yield: a new estimate and past estimates revisited
Authors: Ward P.J.
Published: April 2016

Despite increasing research into changes in the discharge of the River Meuse, estimates of the river’s sediment yield are less forthcoming. Three published studies (in 1883, 1982, and 1987) have estimated suspended sediment yield at the Belgian-Dutch border; the latter two studies surmise that this increased substantially between the late 19th and 20th Centuries. In this paper a more recent and longer time-series of observed discharge and suspended sediment data (1995 – 2005) is used to estimate mean annual suspended sediment yield (ca. 386,000 Mg.a−1), and the results of the previous studies are revisited. New insights suggest that those studies do not in themselves provide evidence of increased sediment yield: the higher estimates in the late 20th Century could equally be due to interannual variability or methodological differences. Furthermore, there has been no significant increase in rainfall erosivity between the late 19th and 20th Centuries, and the effect of land use change over that time would have been to cause a decrease in suspended sediment yield, rather than an increase.
Rapid carbon injection and transient global warming during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum
Authors: Stuijs A. , Brinkhuis H.
Published: April 2016

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), ~55.5 Myr ago, was a geologically brief (~170 kyr) episode of globally elevated temperatures, which occurred superimposed on the long-term late Paleocene and early Eocene warming trend (Fig. 1). It was marked by a 5 – 8° C warming in both low and high-latitude regions, a perturbation of the hydrological cycle and major biotic response on land and in the oceans, including radiations, extinctions and migrations (see overviews in Bowen et al., 2006; Sluijs et al., 2007a).
Effects of ice-melt induced gravity changes and solid earth deformation in the Netherlands
Authors: Vermeersen B.
Published: April 2016

Determining sea-level change caused by continental ice mass variations is a far more complicated matter than one might think. Even if effects like induced changes in ocean currents or thermal expansion of ocean water are neglected, melt water does not redistribute uniformly and homogeneously over the world’s oceans. If land ice melts, the gravity field of the earth changes due to the redistribution of the ice and melt water masses.
Can you step twice into the same river? Climate change through time: Abridged text of the inaugural address as professor in Climate Modelling and Analysis at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University held on 29 February 2008
Authors: Weber S.L.
Published: April 2016

Is it possible to step twice into the same river? That is the question I would like to put to you. At first glance, there is no reason to assume that a river will not look exactly the same tomorrow as it does today. And we tend to forget whether it was different yesterday or the day before. ‘Will the weather ever get any better?’ we tend to say to each other after a couple of rainy days. Will we ever see a cold winter again with an Elfstedentocht? Fortunately, some people keep records of the weather, or keep track of rivers flooding or falling dry. That makes it possible to know for sure what stays the same and what changes.
Revision of the late Carboniferous megaflora from the De Lutte-06 well (Twente, the Netherlands), and its stratigraphical implications
Authors: van Waveren I.M. , Abbink O.A. , van Hoof T.B. , van Konijnenburg - van Cittert J.H.A.
Published: April 2016

Biostratigraphical re-analysis of palaeobotanical data from the De Lutte-06 well clarifies an earlier controversy regarding the stratigraphical interpretation of this well based on palaeobotanical and palynological analysis. Previous biostratigraphical studies suggested an early Westphalian D age for the major part of the De Lutte formation, with only at the topmost part of the well remnants of presumable but unconfirmed Stephanian deposits. New identifications of palaeobotanical samples illustrate the presence of plant macrofossil assemblages in the De Lutte Formation characteristic for the latest Westphalian D to the Stephanian B-C. These new palaeobotanical insights, therefore, confirm a younger age for the De Lutte Formation and are more in line with the earlier palynological observations from the De Lutte-06 well that suggested that the recovered palynofloras resembled typical Stephanian associations.
Earliest Jurassic (Hettangian) psiloceratoid ammonites from a subrosion pipe at Winterswijk, the eastern Netherlands
Authors: Klompmaker A.A. , Berkmortel B.J.H.M. van den
Published: April 2016

A small faunule of fragmentary Hettangian (earliest Jurassic) psiloceratoid ammonites collected from dark-coloured, clay-rich sediments in a subrosion pipe at Quarry III of the Winterswijk quarry complex is described. The genera Alsatites, Saxoceras and Schlotheimia are determined by comparison to extensive literature on coeval, north German faunas. Taphonomic features are apparent indicating condensation and reworking. Despite this, the portion of the subrosion pipe sediment fill which yielded this material can be dated as middle to late Hettangian.
Stratigraphy and integrated facies analysis of the Saalian and Eemian
sediments in the Amsterdam-Terminal borehole, the Netherlands
Authors: van Leeuwen Robert J. W. , Beets Dirk J. , Bosch J.H. Aleid , Burger Adri W. , Cleveringa Piet , van Harten Dick , Herngreen G.F. Waldemar , Kruk Rink W. , Langereis Cor G. , Meijer Tom , Pouwer Ronald , de Wolf Hein
Published: April 2016

The Amsterdam glacial basin was a major sedimentary sink from late Saalian
until late Eemian (Picea zone, E6) times. The basin’s
exemplary record makes it a potential reference area for the last interglacial
stage. The cored Amsterdam-Terminal borehole was drilled in 1997 to provide a
record throughout the Eemian interglacial. Integrated facies analysis has resulted
in a detailed reconstruction of the sedimentary history.

After the Saalian ice mass had disappeared from the area, a large, deep lake
had come into being, fed by the Rhine river. At the end of the glacial, the lake
became smaller because it was cut off from the river-water supply, and eventually
only a number of shallow pools remained in the Amsterdam basin. During the early
Eemian (Betula zone, El), a seepage lake existed at the
site. The lake deepened under the influence of a steadily rising sea level and
finally evolved into a silled lagoon (late Quercus
zone, E3). Initially, the lagoon water had fairly stable stratification, but as
the sea level continued to rise the sill lost its significance, the lagoon
becoming well mixed by the middle of the Corylus/Taxus
zone (E4b). The phase of free exchange with the open sea ended in the early
Carpinus zone (E5), when barriers developed in the
sill area causing the lagoon to become stratified again. During the Late Eemian
(late E5), a more dynamic system developed. The sandy barriers that had obstructed
exchange with the open sea were no longer effective, and a tidally-influenced
coastal lagoon formed.

The Eemian sedimentary history shown in the Amsterdam-Terminal borehole is
intimately connected with the sea-level history. Because the site includes both a
high-resolution pollen signal and a record of sea-level change, it has potential
for correlation on various scales. Palaeomagnetic results show that the sediments
predate the Blake Event, which confirms that this reversal excursion is relatively
young. The U/Th age of the uppermost part of the Eemian sequence is 118.2±6.3
ka.
The Eemian stratotype locality at Amersfoort in the central Netherlands: a
re-evaluation of old and new data
Authors: Cleveringa P. , Meijer T. , van Leeuwen R.J.W. , de Wolf H. , Pouwer R. , Lissenberg T. , Burger A.W.
Published: April 2016

In order to obtain a better understanding of the infilling of the Saalian
glacial basins during the Eemian, particularly following the recent research in
the Amsterdam Basin (Terminal borehole), it was necessary to re-investigate the
type locality of the Eemian at Amersfoort. Both published and unpublished data
from various biota (diatoms, foraminifers, molluscs, ostracods, pollen) provide
new information on the changing sedimentary environments during the Eemian.
Although the organic and clastic sediments of the infilling represent nearly all
the pollen zones, the sedimentary sequence at Amersfoort is discontinuous: four
breaks at least are recognised at the type locality.

The successive sedimentary environments and the breaks in the record are
linked with the transgression of the Eemian sea, the topographic position at the
margin of an ice-pushed ridge, and the changes in hydrodynamic conditions. Local
conditions, such as a sandy sea bed, shallow water and a reduced water exchange
near the North Sea margin, influenced the salinity of the basin. Rib counts of
Cerastoderma edule shells indicate a higher salinity
at the end of the Taxus (E4b) and the beginning of the
Carpinus (E5) zones than that present in the modern
North Sea. Local conditions were responsible for the higher salinity following the
climate optimum.

During the Abies phase (the later part of regional
pollen zone E5), the sea level had already fallen. The change from eu-trophic peat
growth (with Alnus and
Salix) to an oligotrophic
Ericaceae/Sphagnum community at the end of the
Eemian resulted from the change from a marine to a fresh-water environment,
probably coherent with a deterioration of the climate.
The Riss-Würm interglacial from West to East in the Alps: an overview of the vegetational succession and climatic development
Authors: Drescher-Schneider Ruth
Published: April 2016

The vegetational and climatic developments during the Riss-Würm interglacial in the area on the northern flank of the Alps are reviewed. Reforestation seems to have begun over the whole region with a dwarf-shrub and ensuing shrub phase, leading to birch and/or pine woodland. The rise in summer temperatures, which δ180 values suggest to have been a two-stage event, permitted the immigration and expansion of more demanding trees (elm, oak, lime, ash, ivy, hazel, yew, etc.). Following the thermal maximum, which took place during the hazel and yew biozones, hornbeam dominated the forests in the alpine foreland, whilst fir/spruce forests formed the dominant vegetation at sites closer to the Alps or at a higher altitude. A marked climatic deterioration can only be recognised towards the end of the interglacial, which led to extensive spruce/pine and, finally, almost pure pine forests.
Marine late Saalian to Eemian environments and climatic variability in the Danish shelf area
Authors: Seidenkrantz Marit-Solveig , Knudsen Karen Luise , Kristensen Peter
Published: April 2016

The marine Eemian (marine oxygen-isotope substage 5e: MIS 5e) is represented by shallow-water deposits in southern and western Denmark, while relatively deep-water environments occurred to the north and north-east, where complete interglacial successions seem to be present. We present an overview of the marine Eemian deposits in Denmark, and discuss in more detail indications of climate variability, both for the late Saalian and within the Eemian.
Vegetation variability in Greece during the last interglacial
Authors: Tzedakis P.C.
Published: April 2016

The extent of regional variability in vegetation development in mainland
Greece during the last interglacial is considered. Three pollen sequences –
Ioannina (northwest Greece),Tenaghi Philippon (northeast Greece) and Kopais
(central Greece) – all located in different environmental settings, extend into
the last interglacial. Examination of the vegetation histories of the three sites
during the last interglacial reveals the influence of local climatic conditions
with closed mixed forests in the northwest, becoming progressively more open and
less diverse farther to the east and south. All three sequences contain a number
of similar trends, however, in the expansion of certain taxa. In addition, they
also show the presence of a two-step late glacial interval, a short episode of
forest reduction in the second part of the interglacial and a final small
expansion of tree populations at the very end of the interglacial. Comparison with
other European records shows a number of common features, but also suggests
differences consistent with the particular environmental setting of the Greek
sites.
Rock and palaeomagnetic evidence for the Plio-Pleistocene palaeoclimatic change recorded in Upper Rhine Graben sediments (Core Ludwigshafen-Parkinsel)
Authors: Rolf C. , Hambach U. , Weidenfeller M.
Published: April 2016

This paper summarizes results of magnetostratigraphic and rock magnetic investigations performed on fluvial sediments from the Ludwigshafen-Parkinsel drilling project (Upper Rhine Graben (URG) Germany). The drilling penetrated into Pleistocene gravel, sand, silt and clay, and unconsolidated Pliocene deposits. Its primary objective was the exploration of groundwater resources in the area of Ludwigshafen. Our rock magnetic investigations together with results of heavy mineral analyses (see Hagedorn & Boenigk, 2008) show a clearly structured sediment profile. It was possible to identify the change from mainly locally controlled sedimentation from the Graben margins to a more distinct Alpine controlled sedimentation at a depth of 177 m by magnetic data. Based on lithostratigraphic correlation with other sedimentary records from the URG and also based on palynological evidence, this event happened at the end of Late Pliocene during a time of normal polarity of the Earth's magnetic field (Gauss Chron?). The well-documented characteristic change in magneto-mineralogy from goethite to greigite almost at the same stratigraphic level, we interpret solely as a climatic signal which can be correlated with the global climate change at ∼2.5 Ma that is well documented in a wide range of sedimentary environments (e.g. deep-sea sediments, loess).