Über Aufbau und Altersgliederung des Holozäns der Lüneburger Elbmarsch

Abstract. At the beginning of the Holocene the glaciofluvial sands of the Elbe glacial stream valley were traversed by channels of melting waters, through which the old arms of the river Elbe were flowing. The winds accumulated these sands to dunes, on the top of which podzols were formed. During the whole of the Holocene the river Elbe deposited loamy-sandy sediments on the higher zone near the banks, but clayey sediments in the lower zone of the back land. These clayey sediments alternate with peat layers in dead channels of the river Elbe and in the back land. General sedimentation ended through diking during the Middle Ages. Only fan-like sandy layers were deposited locally where dikes were broken. The ages of peat layers and „Humusdwögen" (humic horizons of fossil soils) between clay sediments, and also of charcoal in the dune podzols were determined by the 14C method.