Articles | Volume 68, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-243-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-243-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Editorial
| 
16 Jan 2020
Editorial |
| 16 Jan 2020
| 16 Jan 2020
Editorial: E&G Quaternary Science Journal – a community-based open-access journal
Christopher Lüthgens
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Applied Geology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Daniela Sauer
Physical Geography, Institute of Geography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
Michael Zech
Heisenberg Chair of Physical Geography with Focus on Paleoenvironmental Research, Institute of Geography, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Becky Briant
Department of Geography, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
Eleanor Brown
Chief Scientist Directorate, Natural England, Worcestershire, UK
Elisabeth Dietze
Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems Group, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Alfred Wegener Institute, Research Unit Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Markus Fuchs
Physical Geography, Department of Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
Nicole Klasen
Institute of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Sven Lukas
Department of Geology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
Jan-Hendrik May
School of Geography, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia
Julia Meister
Chair of Geography I – Physical Geography, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Tony Reimann
Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating, Soil Geography and Landscape group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Gilles Rixhon
Laboratoire LIVE, Ecole Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger
Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Budapest, Hungary
Bernhard Salcher
Quaternary Geology, Department of Geography and Geology, Salzburg University, Salzburg, Austria
Tobias Sprafke
Institute of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Ingmar Unkel
Environmental History and Environmental Archives, Institute for Ecosystem Research, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Hans von Suchodoletz
Chair of Landscape Ecology, Institute of Geography, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Christian Zeeden
Section 5 – Rock Physics & Borehole Geophysics, Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics, LIAG, Hanover, Germany
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Jacob Hardt, Nadav Nir, Christopher Lüthgens, Thomas M. Menn, and Brigitta Schütt
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 37–55, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-37-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-37-2023, 2023
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We investigated the geomorphological and geological characteristics of the archaeological sites Hawelti–Melazo and the surroundings. We performed sedimentological analyses, as well as direct (luminescence) and indirect (radiocarbon) sediment dating, to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions, which we integrated into the wider context of Tigray.
Christopher Lüthgens and Jacob Hardt
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 4, 29–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-4-29-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-4-29-2022, 2022
Sandra M. Braumann, Joerg M. Schaefer, Stephanie M. Neuhuber, Christopher Lüthgens, Alan J. Hidy, and Markus Fiebig
Clim. Past, 17, 2451–2479, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2451-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2451-2021, 2021
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Glacier reconstructions provide insights into past climatic conditions and elucidate processes and feedbacks that modulate the climate system both in the past and present. We investigate the transition from the last glacial to the current interglacial and generate beryllium-10 moraine chronologies in glaciated catchments of the eastern European Alps. We find that rapid warming was superimposed by centennial-scale cold phases that appear to have influenced large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Juan-Luis García, Christopher Lüthgens, Rodrigo M. Vega, Ángel Rodés, Andrew S. Hein, and Steven A. Binnie
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 105–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-105-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-105-2021, 2021
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The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) about 21 kyr ago is known to have been global in extent. Nonetheless, we have limited knowledge during the pre-LGM time in the southern middle latitudes. If we want to understand the causes of the ice ages, the complete glacial period must be addressed. In this paper, we show that the Patagonian Ice Sheet in southern South America reached its full glacial extent also by 57 kyr ago and defies a climate explanation.
Christopher Lüthgens, Daniela Sauer, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 261–262, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-261-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-261-2021, 2021
Christopher Lüthgens, Jacob Hardt, and Margot Böse
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 201–223, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-201-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-201-2020, 2020
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Our new concept of the Weichselian ice dynamics in the south-western sector of the Baltic Sea depression is based on existing geochronological data from Germany, Denmark and southernmost Sweden, as well as new data from north-east Germany. Previous models are mainly based on the reconstruction of morphologically continuous ice-marginal positions, whereas our model shows a strong lobate and variable character of ice advances. We strongly suggest an age- and process-based approach in the future.
Christopher Lüthgens and Margot Böse
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 67, 85–86, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-85-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-85-2019, 2019
Esther Hintersberger, Kurt Decker, Johanna Lomax, and Christopher Lüthgens
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 531–553, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-531-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-531-2018, 2018
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The Vienna Basin is a low seismicity area, where historical data do not identify all potential earthquake sources. Despite observed Quaternary offset, there are no earthquakes along the Markgrafneusiedl Fault (MF). Results from 3 palaeoseismic trenches show evidence for 5–6 earthquakes with magnitudes up to M = 6.8 during the last 120 kyr. Therefore the MF should be considered as a seismic source, together with similar faults in the Vienna Basin, increasing the seismic potential close to Vienna.
Fernando Leceta, Christoph Binder, Christian Mader, Bertil Mächtle, Erik Marsh, Laura Dietrich, Markus Reindel, Bernhard Eitel, and Julia Meister
SOIL, 10, 727–761, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-727-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-727-2024, 2024
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This study explores pre-Hispanic terrace agriculture in the southern Peruvian Andes, focusing on soil development and agricultural impacts. It examines soil types and properties, as well as agricultural practices, and traces the region's agricultural development over four phases, highlighting the resilience of ancient communities. The abandonment of terraces was not due to soil degradation, emphasizing the sustainability of pre-Hispanic practices and the adaptation to environmental change.
Bernhard Salcher
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 5, 1–2, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-5-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-5-1-2024, 2024
Bernhard Salcher, Reinhard Starnberger, Thomas Pollhammer, and Joachim Götz
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 5, 31–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-5-31-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-5-31-2024, 2024
Tobias Sprafke, Robert Peticzka, Christine Thiel, and Birgit Terhorst
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 5, 41–54, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-5-41-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-5-41-2024, 2024
Jungyu Choi, Roy van Beek, Elizabeth L. Chamberlain, Tony Reimann, Harm Smeenge, Annika van Oorschot, and Jakob Wallinga
SOIL, 10, 567–586, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-567-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-567-2024, 2024
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This research applies luminescence dating methods to a plaggic anthrosol in the eastern Netherlands to understand the formation history of the soil. To achieve this, we combined both quartz and feldspar luminescence dating methods. We developed a new method for feldspar to largely avoid the problem occurring from poorly bleached grains by examining two different signals from a single grain. Through our research, we were able to reconstruct the timing and processes of plaggic anthrosol formation.
Calla N. Gould-Whaley, Russell N. Drysdale, Pauline C. Treble, Jan-Hendrik May, Stacey C. Priestley, John C. Hellstrom, and Clare Buswell
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1959, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1959, 2024
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Climate change is causing enhanced aridity across many regions of the globe, leading to increased reliance on groundwater resources. We need to understand how groundwater recharge behaves in arid regions over long timescales, unfortunately, arid landscapes tend to preserve very little evidence of their climatic past. We present evidence to suggest that carbonate formations that grow in groundwater can be used as archives of past groundwater recharge in Australia's arid zone.
Melanie Bartz, Mathieu Duval, María Jesús Alonso Escarza, and Gilles Rixhon
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 139–144, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-139-2024, 2024
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The chronostratigraphy of the Rhine’s main terrace along the Middle Rhine Valley (MRV) is poorly constrained. This study fills this gap by using electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of quartz grains collected from the famous Kärlich site. Consistent ESR results date this terrace to ~1.5 Ma and have far-reaching implications as they numerically constrain, for the first time, the aggradation time of key terrace deposits along the MRV, providing new insights into the Rhine’s Quaternary evolution.
W. Marijn van der Meij, Svenja Riedesel, and Tony Reimann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1466, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1466, 2024
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Soil mixing (bioturbation) plays a key role in soil functions, but the underlying processes are poorly understood and difficult to quantify. In this study, we use luminescence, a light-sensitive soil mineral property, and numerical models to better understand different types of bioturbation. We provide a conceptual model that helps to determine what type of bioturbation processes occur in a soil and a numerical model that can derive quantitative process rates from luminescence measurements.
Philipp Garbe, Amr Abd El-Raouf, Ashraf Es-Senussi, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 95–99, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-95-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-95-2024, 2024
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Geoarchaeological research in ancient Bubastis has concentrated on the western and central parts of the city. Although the “Temple of Hermes” was investigated and roughly located in eastern Bubastis during exploratory excavations in the 19th century, no traces of the temple can be seen on the surface today. Geomorphological surveys carried out in 2023 to determine the possible location of the temple revealed a central area of elevated sandy deposits, providing a suitable area for the building.
Anna-Maartje de Boer, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Jürgen Mey, Basanta Raj Adhikari, and Tony Reimann
Geochronology, 6, 53–70, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-53-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-53-2024, 2024
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This study tested the application of single-grain feldspar luminescence for dating and reconstructing sediment dynamics of an extreme mass movement event in the Himalayan mountain range. Our analysis revealed that feldspar signals can be used to estimate the age range of the deposits if the youngest subpopulation from a sample is retrieved. The absence of clear spatial relationships with our bleaching proxies suggests that sediments were transported under extremely limited light exposure.
Nora Pfaffner, Annette Kadereit, Volker Karius, Thomas Kolb, Sebastian Kreutzer, and Daniela Sauer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-1-2024, 2024
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We present results of the Baix loess–palaeosol sequence, SE France. Reconstructed intense soil formation under warm, moist conditions before and into the last ice age and less intense soil formations in warm (temporarily moist) phases during the generally cold, dry ice age were validated with laboratory and dating techniques. This is particularly relevant as Baix is located in the temperate–Mediterranean climate transition zone, a sensitive zone that is susceptible to future climate changes.
Alison J. Smith, Emi Ito, Natalie Burls, Leon Clarke, Timme Donders, Robert Hatfield, Stephen Kuehn, Andreas Koutsodendris, Tim Lowenstein, David McGee, Peter Molnar, Alexander Prokopenko, Katie Snell, Blas Valero Garcés, Josef Werne, Christian Zeeden, and the PlioWest Working Consortium
Sci. Dril., 32, 61–72, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-32-61-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-32-61-2023, 2023
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Western North American contains accessible and under-recognized paleolake records that hold the keys to understanding the drivers of wetter conditions in Pliocene Epoch subtropical drylands worldwide. In a 2021 ICDP workshop, we chose five paleolake basins to study that span 7° of latitude in a unique array able to capture a detailed record of hydroclimate during the Early Pliocene warm period and subsequent Pleistocene cooling. We propose new drill cores for three of these basins.
Stephen P. Hesselbo, Aisha Al-Suwaidi, Sarah J. Baker, Giorgia Ballabio, Claire M. Belcher, Andrew Bond, Ian Boomer, Remco Bos, Christian J. Bjerrum, Kara Bogus, Richard Boyle, James V. Browning, Alan R. Butcher, Daniel J. Condon, Philip Copestake, Stuart Daines, Christopher Dalby, Magret Damaschke, Susana E. Damborenea, Jean-Francois Deconinck, Alexander J. Dickson, Isabel M. Fendley, Calum P. Fox, Angela Fraguas, Joost Frieling, Thomas A. Gibson, Tianchen He, Kat Hickey, Linda A. Hinnov, Teuntje P. Hollaar, Chunju Huang, Alexander J. L. Hudson, Hugh C. Jenkyns, Erdem Idiz, Mengjie Jiang, Wout Krijgsman, Christoph Korte, Melanie J. Leng, Timothy M. Lenton, Katharina Leu, Crispin T. S. Little, Conall MacNiocaill, Miguel O. Manceñido, Tamsin A. Mather, Emanuela Mattioli, Kenneth G. Miller, Robert J. Newton, Kevin N. Page, József Pálfy, Gregory Pieńkowski, Richard J. Porter, Simon W. Poulton, Alberto C. Riccardi, James B. Riding, Ailsa Roper, Micha Ruhl, Ricardo L. Silva, Marisa S. Storm, Guillaume Suan, Dominika Szűcs, Nicolas Thibault, Alfred Uchman, James N. Stanley, Clemens V. Ullmann, Bas van de Schootbrugge, Madeleine L. Vickers, Sonja Wadas, Jessica H. Whiteside, Paul B. Wignall, Thomas Wonik, Weimu Xu, Christian Zeeden, and Ke Zhao
Sci. Dril., 32, 1–25, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-32-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-32-1-2023, 2023
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We present initial results from a 650 m long core of Late Triasssic to Early Jurassic (190–202 Myr) sedimentary strata from the Cheshire Basin, UK, which is shown to be an exceptional record of Earth evolution for the time of break-up of the supercontinent Pangaea. Further work will determine periodic changes in depositional environments caused by solar system dynamics and used to reconstruct orbital history.
Jürgen Mey, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Anna-Maartje de Boer, and Tony Reimann
Geochronology, 5, 377–389, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-377-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-377-2023, 2023
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This study presents the results of an outdoor flume experiment to evaluate the effect of turbidity on the bleaching of fluvially transported sediment. Our main conclusions are that even small amounts of sediment lead to a substantial change in the intensity and frequency distribution of light within the suspension and that flow turbulence is an important prerequisite for bleaching grains during transport.
Julia Meister, Hans von Suchodoletz, and Christian Zeeden
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 185–187, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-185-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-185-2023, 2023
Mathias Vinnepand, Peter Fischer, Ulrich Hambach, Olaf Jöris, Carol-Ann Craig, Christian Zeeden, Barry Thornton, Thomas Tütken, Charlotte Prud'homme, Philipp Schulte, Olivier Moine, Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons, Christian Laag, Frank Lehmkuhl, Wolfgang Schirmer, and Andreas Vött
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 163–184, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-163-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-163-2023, 2023
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Loess–palaeosol sequences (LPSs) represent continental and non-aquatic archives providing detailed information on Quaternary environmental and climate changes. We present an integrative approach combining sedimentological, rock magnetic, and bulk geochemical data, as well as information on Sr and Nd isotope composition. The approach adds to a comprehensive understanding of LPS formation including changes in dust composition and associated circulation patterns during Quaternary climate changes.
W. Marijn van der Meij, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme, Steven A. Binnie, and Tony Reimann
Geochronology, 5, 241–261, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-241-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-241-2023, 2023
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We present our model ChronoLorica. We coupled the original Lorica model, which simulates soil and landscape evolution, with a geochronological module that traces cosmogenic nuclide inventories and particle ages through simulations. These properties are often measured in the field to determine rates of landscape change. The coupling enables calibration of the model and the study of how soil, landscapes and geochronometers change under complex boundary conditions such as intensive land management.
Britta Greenshields, Barbara von der Lühe, Felix Schwarz, Harold J. Hughes, Aiyen Tjoa, Martyna Kotowska, Fabian Brambach, and Daniela Sauer
Biogeosciences, 20, 1259–1276, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1259-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1259-2023, 2023
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Silicon (Si) can have multiple beneficial effects on crops such as oil palms. In this study, we quantified Si concentrations in various parts of an oil palm (leaflets, rachises, fruit-bunch parts) to derive Si storage estimates for the total above-ground biomass of an oil palm and 1 ha of an oil-palm plantation. We proposed a Si balance by identifying Si return (via palm fronds) and losses (via harvest) in the system and recommend management measures that enhance Si cycling.
Britta Greenshields, Barbara von der Lühe, Harold J. Hughes, Christian Stiegler, Suria Tarigan, Aiyen Tjoa, and Daniela Sauer
SOIL, 9, 169–188, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-169-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-9-169-2023, 2023
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Silicon (Si) research could provide complementary measures in sustainably cultivating oil-palm monocultures. Our study shows that current oil-palm management practices and topsoil erosion on oil-palm plantations in Indonesia have caused a spatial distribution of essential Si pools in soil. A lack of well-balanced Si levels in topsoil could negatively affect crop yield and soil fertility for future replanting at the same plantation site. Potential measures are suggested to maintain Si cycling.
Jacob Hardt, Nadav Nir, Christopher Lüthgens, Thomas M. Menn, and Brigitta Schütt
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 37–55, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-37-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-37-2023, 2023
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We investigated the geomorphological and geological characteristics of the archaeological sites Hawelti–Melazo and the surroundings. We performed sedimentological analyses, as well as direct (luminescence) and indirect (radiocarbon) sediment dating, to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions, which we integrated into the wider context of Tigray.
Lea Schwahn, Tabea Schulze, Alexander Fülling, Christian Zeeden, Frank Preusser, and Tobias Sprafke
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 1–21, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-1-2023, 2023
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The loess sequence of Köndringen, Upper Rhine Graben, comprises several glacial–interglacial cycles. It has been investigated using a multi-method approach including the measurement of colour, grain size, organic matter, and carbonate content. The analyses reveal that the sequence comprises several fossil soils and layers of reworked soil material. According to luminescence dating, it reaches back more than 500 000 years.
Lucas Bittner, Cindy De Jonge, Graciela Gil-Romera, Henry F. Lamb, James M. Russell, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 19, 5357–5374, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5357-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5357-2022, 2022
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With regard to global warming, an understanding of past temperature changes is becoming increasingly important. Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are membrane lipids used globally to reconstruct lake water temperatures. In the Bale Mountains lakes, we find a unique composition of brGDGT isomers. We present a modified local calibration and a new high-altitude temperature reconstruction from the Horn of Africa spanning the last 12.5 kyr.
Tobias Ullmann, Eric Möller, Roland Baumhauer, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 243–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-243-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-243-2022, 2022
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In this contribution we highlight as an example the application of a freely available tool for the Google Earth Engine. The software allows cloud-free satellite images to be processed. We show processing examples for the Nile Delta (Egypt) and how the remote sensing images are used to find hints of buried landforms, such as former river branches of the Nile.
Zuorui Liu, Amy Prendergast, Russell Drysdale, and Jan-Hendrik May
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 227–241, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-227-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-227-2022, 2022
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Past studies used two sampling strategies, the "bulk" and "sequential" drilling methods, for stable isotopic analysis of mammoth tooth enamel and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This study applied both methods to the same enamel ridges of multiple mammoth teeth and compared their respective δ18O values. Offsets were detected between the bulk and average sequential δ18O values. The potential reasons for the offsets and their impacts on cross-method data comparison were discussed.
Christopher Lüthgens and Jacob Hardt
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 4, 29–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-4-29-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-4-29-2022, 2022
Tabea Schulze, Lea Schwahn, Alexander Fülling, Christian Zeeden, Frank Preusser, and Tobias Sprafke
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 145–162, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-145-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-145-2022, 2022
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A loess sequence in SW Germany was investigated using a high-resolution multi-method approach. It dates to 34–27 ka and comprises layers of initial soil formation. Drier conditions and a different atmospheric circulation pattern during the time of deposition are expected as the soil layers are less strongly developed compared to similar horizons further north. Dust accumulation predates the last advance of Alpine glaciers, and no loess deposition is recorded for the time of maximum ice extent.
André Kirchner, Nico Herrmann, Paul Matras, Iris Müller, Julia Meister, and Thomas G. Schattner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 123–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-123-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-123-2022, 2022
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Our results indicate that the soils around Munigua currently have the potential for at least limited agricultural use in larger areas and would certainly allow the production of basic agricultural goods, not only today but most likely also in Roman times. Multi-layered colluvial deposits. as well as an excavated Roman hortic Anthrosol, indicate a long-term agrarian utilization of the area. Based on these results we can conclude that the city's economy was by no means focused solely on mining.
Ramesh Glückler, Rongwei Geng, Lennart Grimm, Izabella Baisheva, Ulrike Herzschuh, Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring, Stefan Kruse, Andrei Andreev, Luidmila Pestryakova, and Elisabeth Dietze
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-395, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-395, 2022
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Despite rapidly intensifying wildfire seasons in Siberian boreal forests, little is known about long-term relationships between changes in vegetation and shifts in wildfire activity. Using lake sediment proxies, we reconstruct such environmental changes over the past 10,800 years in Central Yakutia. We find that a more open forest may facilitate increased amounts of vegetation burning. The present-day dense larch forest might yet be mediating the current climate-driven wildfire intensification.
Marcel Lerch, Julia Unkelbach, Florian Schneider, Michael Zech, and Michael Klinge
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 91–110, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-91-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-91-2022, 2022
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Charcoals and leaf waxes from vegetation accumulate in the soil and provide information about past vegetation because they are mostly resistant against physical and biological degradation. Analyzing and comparing ratios of both element types helped us to improve the evidence for vegetation reconstruction. We found that the accumulation processes and preservation of these elements depend on different environmental conditions at forest- and steppe-dominated sites in the Mongolian forest–steppe.
Jakob Labahn, Lucas Bittner, Philip Hirschmann, Christopher-Bastian Roettig, Diana Burghardt, Bruno Glaser, Slobodan B. Marković, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 83–90, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-83-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-83-2022, 2022
Marcel Lerch, Tobias Bromm, Clemens Geitner, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, Bruno Glaser, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 19, 1135–1150, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1135-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1135-2022, 2022
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Faecal biomarker analyses present a useful tool in geoarcheological research. For a better understanding of the lives of our ancestors in alpine regions, we investigated modern livestock faeces and Holocene soils at the prehistorical encampment site of Ullafelsen in the Fotsch Valley, Stubai Alps, Austria. Initial results show a high input of livestock faeces and a negligible input of human faeces for this archeological site. Future studies will focus on mire archives in the Fotsch Valley.
Thomas Kolb, Konrad Tudyka, Annette Kadereit, Johanna Lomax, Grzegorz Poręba, Anja Zander, Lars Zipf, and Markus Fuchs
Geochronology, 4, 1–31, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-1-2022, 2022
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The µDose system is an innovative analytical instrument developed for the cost- and time-efficient determination of environmental radionuclide concentrations required for the calculation of sedimentation ages in palaeo-environmental and geo-archaeological research. The results of our study suggest that accuracy and precision of µDose measurements are comparable to those of well-established methods and that the new approach shows the potential to become a standard tool in environmental dosimetry.
Dominik Faust and Markus Fuchs
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 243–246, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-243-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-243-2021, 2021
Tobias Sprafke
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 221–224, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-221-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-221-2021, 2021
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This work is an invited retrospective to the seminal paper of Fink (1956). Fink combined field evidence from geology, geomorphology, and soil science to provide a holistic framework of Quaternary stratigraphy and paleoenvironmental evolution in the Austrian Alpine foreland. This paper is an outstanding example of the relevance of interdisciplinary perspectives to understand landscape evolution. With a few exceptions in detail, the findings of Fink remain largely valid until today.
Frank Preusser, Markus Fuchs, and Christine Thiel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 201–203, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-201-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-201-2021, 2021
Frank Preusser, Markus Fuchs, and Christine Thiel
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 3, 1–3, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-3-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-3-1-2021, 2021
Sandra M. Braumann, Joerg M. Schaefer, Stephanie M. Neuhuber, Christopher Lüthgens, Alan J. Hidy, and Markus Fiebig
Clim. Past, 17, 2451–2479, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2451-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2451-2021, 2021
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Glacier reconstructions provide insights into past climatic conditions and elucidate processes and feedbacks that modulate the climate system both in the past and present. We investigate the transition from the last glacial to the current interglacial and generate beryllium-10 moraine chronologies in glaciated catchments of the eastern European Alps. We find that rapid warming was superimposed by centennial-scale cold phases that appear to have influenced large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Florian Schneider, Michael Klinge, Jannik Brodthuhn, Tino Peplau, and Daniela Sauer
SOIL, 7, 563–584, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-563-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-563-2021, 2021
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The central Mongolian forest steppe underlies a recent decline of forested area. We analysed the site and soil properties in the Khangai Mountains to identify differences between disturbed forest areas with and without regrowth of trees. More silty soils were found under areas with tree regrowth and more sandy soils under areas without tree regrowth. Due to the continental, semi-arid climate, soil properties which increase the amount of available water are decisive for tree regrowth in Mongolia.
Christian Zeeden, Jehangeer Ahmad Mir, Mathias Vinnepand, Christian Laag, Christian Rolf, and Reyaz Ahmad Dar
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 191–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-191-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-191-2021, 2021
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We investigate two loess–palaeosol sequences in Kashmir. Magnetic enhancement of the loess was strong during stadial phases. Besides classical magnetic enhancement, wind vigour suggests partly strong winds. Grain sizes are dominantly in the silt range and comparable to data from central Asia, which do not suggest transport over high mountain ranges as required for non-local sources in Kashmir. Therefore, we suggest that the Kashmir loess is predominantly of local origin.
Julia Meister, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Tobias Ullmann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 187–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-187-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-187-2021, 2021
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This is the preface to the special issue "Geoarchaeology of the Nile Delta: Current Research and Future Prospects", which brings together geoarchaeological case studies from different regions of the Nile Delta.
Ramesh Glückler, Ulrike Herzschuh, Stefan Kruse, Andrei Andreev, Stuart Andrew Vyse, Bettina Winkler, Boris K. Biskaborn, Luidmila Pestryakova, and Elisabeth Dietze
Biogeosciences, 18, 4185–4209, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4185-2021, 2021
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Data about past fire activity are very sparse in Siberia. This study presents a first high-resolution record of charcoal particles from lake sediments in boreal eastern Siberia. It indicates that current levels of charcoal accumulation are not unprecedented. While a recent increase in reconstructed fire frequency coincides with rising temperatures and increasing human activity, vegetation composition does not seem to be a major driver behind changes in the fire regime in the past two millennia.
Michael Zech, Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Tobias Bromm, Fabian Seemann, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, and Clemens Geitner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 171–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, 2021
Sascha Scherer, Benjamin Höpfer, Katleen Deckers, Elske Fischer, Markus Fuchs, Ellen Kandeler, Jutta Lechterbeck, Eva Lehndorff, Johanna Lomax, Sven Marhan, Elena Marinova, Julia Meister, Christian Poll, Humay Rahimova, Manfred Rösch, Kristen Wroth, Julia Zastrow, Thomas Knopf, Thomas Scholten, and Peter Kühn
SOIL, 7, 269–304, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021, 2021
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This paper aims to reconstruct Middle Bronze Age (MBA) land use practices in the northwestern Alpine foreland (SW Germany, Hegau). We used a multi-proxy approach including biogeochemical proxies from colluvial deposits in the surroundings of a MBA settlement, on-site archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data and off-site pollen data. From our data we infer land use practices such as plowing, cereal growth, forest farming and use of fire that marked the beginning of major colluvial deposition.
Azra Khosravichenar, Morteza Fattahi, Alireza Karimi, Hassan Fazeli Nashli, and Hans von Suchodoletz
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 145–150, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-145-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-145-2021, 2021
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This article discusses the first basic framework of Quaternary landscape evolution in a main large river valley of the drylands of northeastern Iran and the first geomorphic frame for human migrations in the important migration corridor of central Asia.
Juan-Luis García, Christopher Lüthgens, Rodrigo M. Vega, Ángel Rodés, Andrew S. Hein, and Steven A. Binnie
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 105–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-105-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-105-2021, 2021
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The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) about 21 kyr ago is known to have been global in extent. Nonetheless, we have limited knowledge during the pre-LGM time in the southern middle latitudes. If we want to understand the causes of the ice ages, the complete glacial period must be addressed. In this paper, we show that the Patagonian Ice Sheet in southern South America reached its full glacial extent also by 57 kyr ago and defies a climate explanation.
Neda Rahimzadeh, Tobias Sprafke, Christine Thiel, Birgit Terhorst, and Manfred Frechen
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 53–71, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-53-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-53-2021, 2021
Moritz Nykamp, Jacob Hardt, Philipp Hoelzmann, Jens May, and Tony Reimann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-1-2021, 2021
Christopher Lüthgens, Daniela Sauer, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 261–262, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-261-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-261-2021, 2021
Hans von Suchodoletz, Christiane Richter, Frank Walther, Marcel Bliedtner, Mariam Eloshvili, Levan Losaberidze, and Bernhard Hausdorf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 247–260, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-247-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-247-2020, 2020
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We studied snails from Holocene river sediments of the upper Alazani River in the southeastern Caucasus. Since no natural floodplain forests existed in the river valley until ca. 4500 years ago, our snail data confirm a formerly suggested regional settlement center from the ca. 8000 years unknown thus far. Furthermore, increasing proportions of water-related snails for ca. 4000 years indicate a shift of the river course possibly linked with the formation of the Greater Caucasus.
Tobias Ullmann, Leon Nill, Robert Schiestl, Julian Trappe, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, Roland Baumhauer, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 225–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-225-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-225-2020, 2020
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The contribution highlights the use of Landsat archive data (1985–2019) for the detection of surface anomalies potentially related to buried near-surface paleogeomorphological deposits in the Nile Delta (Egypt). The analyses of selected spectral-temporal metrics showed several anomalies in the immediate surroundings of Pleistocene sand hills (geziras) and settlement mounds (tells) of the eastern Delta, which allowed mapping of the potential near-surface continuation.
Christopher Lüthgens, Jacob Hardt, and Margot Böse
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 201–223, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-201-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-201-2020, 2020
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Our new concept of the Weichselian ice dynamics in the south-western sector of the Baltic Sea depression is based on existing geochronological data from Germany, Denmark and southernmost Sweden, as well as new data from north-east Germany. Previous models are mainly based on the reconstruction of morphologically continuous ice-marginal positions, whereas our model shows a strong lobate and variable character of ice advances. We strongly suggest an age- and process-based approach in the future.
Joana Seguin, Pavlos Avramidis, Annette Haug, Torben Kessler, Arndt Schimmelmann, and Ingmar Unkel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 165–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-165-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-165-2020, 2020
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We present two new palaeolake archives of Pheneos and Kaisari, Peloponnese, and compare them with records from Stymphalia and Asea by applying the same set of analyses to all sites. We focus on different spatial scales to estimate the validity range of the proxy signals. Geochemical ratios depict hydrological variation and environmental changes over the last 5000 years. They indicate drier phases, but timing and duration vary, which may be explained by site-specific ecosystem responses.
Joana Seguin, Pavlos Avramidis, Walter Dörfler, Alexandros Emmanouilidis, and Ingmar Unkel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 139–160, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-139-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-139-2020, 2020
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This paper reconstructs climatic changes during the last 2600 years in southern Greece based on a sediment core from Lake Trichonida. We provide an age-depth model and continuous geochemical data. Carbonate-rich material is linked to drier/warmer conditions, while terrigenous sediment input was stronger during wetter/colder conditions. Wetter phases coincide with a more negative North Atlantic Oscillation index, suggesting that this is a major driver for precipitation variability in the region.
Timothée Jautzy, Pierre-Alexis Herrault, Valentin Chardon, Laurent Schmitt, and Gilles Rixhon
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 471–484, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-471-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-471-2020, 2020
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Remote sensing is widely used to document historical fluvial dynamics. However, the geometric error affecting the inferred planform changes can result in undesired geomorphological misinterpretation. Here, we present a novel approach to quantify the uncertainty associated with eroded/deposited surfaces. Concluding that this uncertainty depends on the magnitude and the shape of the surficial changes, restoration programs targeting lateral mobility of streams can benefit from our approach.
Ferréol Salomon, Darío Bernal-Casasola, José J. Díaz, Macarena Lara, Salvador Domínguez-Bella, Damien Ertlen, Patrick Wassmer, Pierre Adam, Philippe Schaeffer, Laurent Hardion, Cécile Vittori, Stoil Chapkanski, Hugo Delile, Laurent Schmitt, Frank Preusser, Martine Trautmann, Alessia Masi, Cristiano Vignola, Laura Sadori, Jacob Morales, Paloma Vidal Matutano, Vincent Robin, Benjamin Keller, Ángel Sanchez Bellón, Javier Martínez López, and Gilles Rixhon
Sci. Dril., 27, 35–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-27-35-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-27-35-2020, 2020
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PalaeoCADIX-Z is an interdisciplinary project that studied three cores drilled in a marine palaeochannel that ran through the ancient city of Cádiz (Spain). These cores reveal a ≥ 50 m thick Holocene sedimentary sequence. Importantly, most of the deposits date from the 1st millennium BCE to the 1st millennium CE. Geoarchaeologists, geomorphologists, archaeologists, sedimentologists, palaeoenvironmentalists, geochemists, and geochronologists collaborated within this project.
Lutz Schirrmeister, Elisabeth Dietze, Heidrun Matthes, Guido Grosse, Jens Strauss, Sebastian Laboor, Mathias Ulrich, Frank Kienast, and Sebastian Wetterich
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 33–53, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-33-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-33-2020, 2020
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Late Pleistocene Yedoma deposits of Siberia and Alaska are prone to degradation with warming temperatures.
Multimodal grain-size distributions of >700 samples indicate varieties of sediment production, transport, and deposition.
These processes were disentangled using robust endmember modeling analysis.
Nine robust grain-size endmembers characterize these deposits.
The data set was finally classified using cluster analysis.
The polygenetic Yedoma origin is proved.
Tobias Kluge, Tatjana S. Münster, Norbert Frank, Elisabeth Eiche, Regina Mertz-Kraus, Denis Scholz, Martin Finné, and Ingmar Unkel
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-47, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-47, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
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A stalagmite from Hermes Cave (Greece) provides new insights into the climate evolution from 5.3−0.8 ka. Its close proximity to Mycenae and Corinth allows for a future comparative assessment of societal changes in a climatic context. Proxy data suggest significant centennial scale climate variability (i.e., wet vs. dry) with a long-term trend towards drier conditions from ca 3.7 to ~ 2.0 ka. The largest proxy variation of the whole record is found around the 4.2 ka event.
Elisabeth Dietze, Kai Mangelsdorf, Andrei Andreev, Cornelia Karger, Laura T. Schreuder, Ellen C. Hopmans, Oliver Rach, Dirk Sachse, Volker Wennrich, and Ulrike Herzschuh
Clim. Past, 16, 799–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-799-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-799-2020, 2020
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Long-term climate change impacts on fire, vegetation and permafrost in the Arctic are uncertain. Here, we show the high potential of organic compounds from low-temperature biomass burning to serve as proxies for surface fires in lake deposits. During warm periods of the last 430 000 years, surface fires are closely linked to the larch taiga forest with its moss–lichen ground vegetation that isolates the permafrost. They have reduced in warm–wet, spruce–dominated and cool–dry steppe environments.
Marcel Bliedtner, Hans von Suchodoletz, Imke Schäfer, Caroline Welte, Gary Salazar, Sönke Szidat, Mischa Haas, Nathalie Dubois, and Roland Zech
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2105–2120, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2105-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2105-2020, 2020
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This study investigates the age and origin of leaf wax n-alkanes from a fluvial sediment–paleosol sequence (FSPS) by compound-class 14C dating. Our results show varying age offsets between the formation and sedimentation of leaf wax n-alkanes from well-developed (paleo)soils and fluvial sediments that are mostly due to their complex origin in such sequences. Thus, dating the leaf wax n-alkanes is an important step for more robust leaf-wax-based paleoenvironmental reconstructions in FSPSs.
Denis-Didier Rousseau, Pierre Antoine, Niklas Boers, France Lagroix, Michael Ghil, Johanna Lomax, Markus Fuchs, Maxime Debret, Christine Hatté, Olivier Moine, Caroline Gauthier, Diana Jordanova, and Neli Jordanova
Clim. Past, 16, 713–727, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-713-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-713-2020, 2020
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New investigations of European loess records from MIS 6 reveal the occurrence of paleosols and horizon showing slight pedogenesis similar to those from the last climatic cycle. These units are correlated with interstadials described in various marine, continental, and ice Northern Hemisphere records. Therefore, these MIS 6 interstadials can confidently be interpreted as DO-like events of the penultimate climate cycle.
Angelica Feurdean, Boris Vannière, Walter Finsinger, Dan Warren, Simon C. Connor, Matthew Forrest, Johan Liakka, Andrei Panait, Christian Werner, Maja Andrič, Premysl Bobek, Vachel A. Carter, Basil Davis, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu, Elisabeth Dietze, Ingo Feeser, Gabriela Florescu, Mariusz Gałka, Thomas Giesecke, Susanne Jahns, Eva Jamrichová, Katarzyna Kajukało, Jed Kaplan, Monika Karpińska-Kołaczek, Piotr Kołaczek, Petr Kuneš, Dimitry Kupriyanov, Mariusz Lamentowicz, Carsten Lemmen, Enikö K. Magyari, Katarzyna Marcisz, Elena Marinova, Aidin Niamir, Elena Novenko, Milena Obremska, Anna Pędziszewska, Mirjam Pfeiffer, Anneli Poska, Manfred Rösch, Michal Słowiński, Miglė Stančikaitė, Marta Szal, Joanna Święta-Musznicka, Ioan Tanţău, Martin Theuerkauf, Spassimir Tonkov, Orsolya Valkó, Jüri Vassiljev, Siim Veski, Ildiko Vincze, Agnieszka Wacnik, Julian Wiethold, and Thomas Hickler
Biogeosciences, 17, 1213–1230, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1213-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1213-2020, 2020
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Our study covers the full Holocene (the past 11 500 years) climate variability and vegetation composition and provides a test on how vegetation and climate interact to determine fire hazard. An important implication of this test is that percentage of tree cover can be used as a predictor of the probability of fire occurrence. Biomass burned is highest at ~ 45 % tree cover in temperate forests and at ~ 60–65 % tree cover in needleleaf-dominated forests.
Michael Klinge, Choimaa Dulamsuren, Florian Schneider, Stefan Erasmi, Markus Hauck, Uudus Bayarsaikhan, and Daniela Sauer
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-13, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2020-13, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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The Mongolian forest-steppe suffers from fire and woodcutting. The forest distribution was analysed by tree biomass, remote sensing and climate data. Tree biomass was reduced at forest edges and in small forest, and high in alluvial forests. The actual tree biomass represented 57 % of that in 1986, prior to extensive fires. Relationships between forests and topographic and climatic parameters enable modelling of potential forest, which is about three times the actual forest area.
Johannes Hepp, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Marcel Bliedtner, Kazimierz Rozanski, Bruno Glaser, Michael Zech, Timothy Ian Eglinton, and Roland Zech
Biogeosciences, 17, 741–756, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, 2020
Johanna Lomax, Thomas Kolb, and Markus Fuchs
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 241–242, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-241-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-241-2020, 2020
Hans von Suchodoletz, Stefanie Berg, Eileen Eckmeier, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 237–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, 2020
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In this editorial, we give a short state of the art of geoarchaeology, including recent advancements and challenges, and shortly present the seven contributions to our special issue.
Bruk Lemma, Betelhem Mekonnen, Bruno Glaser, Wolfgang Zech, Sileshi Nemomissa, Tamrat Bekele, Lucas Bittner, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 189–200, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, 2019
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Chemotaxonomic identification of keystone plant species in the Bale Mountains are possible using lignin phenols. However, Erica could not be differentiated chemotaxonomically from all other investigated plants using n-alkanes. Unambiguous characteristic patterns of lignin phenols reflected in the plant samples were not sustained in the organic layers and mineral topsoils. This is due to degradation and organic matter inputs by roots. Therefore, the past extent of Erica is still speculative.
Betelhem Mekonnen, Wolfgang Zech, Bruno Glaser, Bruk Lemma, Tobias Bromm, Sileshi Nemomissa, Tamrat Bekele, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 177–188, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-177-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-177-2019, 2019
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The study evaluates the ability of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and sugar biomarkers to distinguish Erica from the dominant vegetation of the Bale Mountains in order to reconstruct the past extent of Erica on the Sanetti Plateau. No significant differences in stable isotopes are found between the dominant plant species. Although Erica is characterized by quite high (G+M)/(A+X) ratios, it cannot be unambiguously distinguished from other plants due to degradation and soil microbial effects.
Christian Tinapp, Susann Heinrich, Christoph Herbig, Birgit Schneider, Harald Stäuble, Jan Miera, and Hans von Suchodoletz
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 95–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, 2019
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It was possible to define the turning point from extremely clayey and organic- rich sedimentation in the Early and Middle Holocene towards the deposition of coarser-grained and less organic overbank fines in the lower Pleiße valley near Leipzig, NW Saxony. This change occurred between 4000 and 3300 BCE more than 1000 years after the beginning of Early Neolithic settlement and was obviously linked with land clearance by the first farmers.
Jan Johannes Miera, Jessica Henkner, Karsten Schmidt, Markus Fuchs, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kühn, and Thomas Knopf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 75–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, 2019
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This study investigates Neolithic settlement dynamics by combining archaeological source criticism and archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits. It is shown that the distribution of Neolithic sites in the Baar region is distorted by superimposition due to erosion. Furthermore, the preservation conditions for pottery are limited by weathering effects. By complementing archaeological data with phases of colluviation we are able to point out settlement dynamics throughout the Neolithic.
Elisabeth Dietze and Michael Dietze
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 29–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-29-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-29-2019, 2019
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Sedimentary deposits provide insights into past Earth surface dynamics via the size distribution of mineral grains documenting the erosion, transport and deposition history. This study introduces structured procedures to decipher the distinct grain-size distributions of sediment samples that were mixed during/after deposition, using the free statistical tool EMMAgeo. Compared with other algorithms, EMMAgeo is unique as it provides uncertainty estimates and allows expert knowledge to be included.
Clemens von Scheffer, Annika Lange, François De Vleeschouwer, Joachim Schrautzer, and Ingmar Unkel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 13–28, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-13-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-13-2019, 2019
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By using geochemical and pollen data, this study wanted to close knowledge gaps on the interconnection of climate, environment and human impact in the Kleinwalser Valley (Kleinwalsertal, northern central Alps) over the past 6200 years. For a long time, the Walser people were believed to be the first settlers, who cultivated the valley. However, humans have recurrently used and modified the landscape for at least 5500 years by burning or cutting down forests and practicing pasture management.
Johannes Hepp, Lorenz Wüthrich, Tobias Bromm, Marcel Bliedtner, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Bruno Glaser, Kazimierz Rozanski, Frank Sirocko, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Clim. Past, 15, 713–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, 2019
Christopher Lüthgens and Margot Böse
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 67, 85–86, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-85-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-85-2019, 2019
Markus Fuchs
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 1, 1–2, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-1-1-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-1-1-2018, 2018
Johanna Lomax, Raphael Steup, Lyudmila Shumilovskikh, Christian Hoselmann, Daniela Sauer, Veit van Diedenhoven, and Markus Fuchs
DEUQUA Spec. Pub., 1, 15–28, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-1-15-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/deuquasp-1-15-2018, 2018
Marcel Bliedtner, Imke K. Schäfer, Roland Zech, and Hans von Suchodoletz
Biogeosciences, 15, 3927–3936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3927-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3927-2018, 2018
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In this study, we systematically analyze leaf wax derived n-alkane patterns in eastern Georgia to test their potential for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in the semi-humid to semi-arid central southern Caucasus region. We investigated the influence of vegetation types on the leaf wax signal in modern plants and topsoil material. Our results show distinct and systematic differences in the n-alkane patterns between vegetation types and prove their potential for vegetation reconstructions.
Esther Hintersberger, Kurt Decker, Johanna Lomax, and Christopher Lüthgens
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 531–553, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-531-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-531-2018, 2018
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The Vienna Basin is a low seismicity area, where historical data do not identify all potential earthquake sources. Despite observed Quaternary offset, there are no earthquakes along the Markgrafneusiedl Fault (MF). Results from 3 palaeoseismic trenches show evidence for 5–6 earthquakes with magnitudes up to M = 6.8 during the last 120 kyr. Therefore the MF should be considered as a seismic source, together with similar faults in the Vienna Basin, increasing the seismic potential close to Vienna.
Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Christopher-Bastian Roettig, Jan-Uwe Schmidt, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Arno Kleber, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 103–108, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-103-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-103-2018, 2018
Kees Nooren, Wim Z. Hoek, Tim Winkels, Annika Huizinga, Hans Van der Plicht, Remke L. Van Dam, Sytze Van Heteren, Manfred J. Van Bergen, Maarten A. Prins, Tony Reimann, Jakob Wallinga, Kim M. Cohen, Philip Minderhoud, and Hans Middelkoop
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 529–556, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-529-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-529-2017, 2017
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We demonstrate that the world's largest beach-ridge plain in southern Mexico was formed under an ample long-term fluvial sediment supply. The beach-ridge elevation is strongly influenced by aeolian accretion during the time when the ridge is located next to the beach. The beach-ridge elevation is negatively correlated with the progradation rate, which we relate to the variability in sediment supply to the coastal zone, reflecting decadal-scale precipitation changes within the river catchment.
Lutz Schirrmeister, Georg Schwamborn, Pier Paul Overduin, Jens Strauss, Margret C. Fuchs, Mikhail Grigoriev, Irina Yakshina, Janet Rethemeyer, Elisabeth Dietze, and Sebastian Wetterich
Biogeosciences, 14, 1261–1283, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1261-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1261-2017, 2017
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We investigate late Pleistocene permafrost at the Buor Khaya Peninsula (Laptev Sea, Siberia) for cryolithological, geochemical, and geochronological parameters. The sequences were composed of ice-oversaturated silts and fine-grained sands with 0.2 to 24 wt% of organic matter. The deposition was between 54.1 and 9.7 kyr BP. Due to coastal erosion, the biogeochemical signature of the deposits represents the terrestrial end-member, and is related to organic matter deposited in the marine realm.
Imke K. Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Timothy I. Eglinton, Michael Zech, Barbora Vysloužilová, and Roland Zech
SOIL, 2, 551–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-551-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-551-2016, 2016
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For this study we systematically investigated the molecular pattern of leaf waxes in litter and topsoils along a European transect to assess their potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Our results show that leaf wax patterns depend on the type of vegetation. The vegetation signal is not only found in the litter; it can also be preserved to some degree in the topsoil.
W. Marijn van der Meij, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme, Christian M. F. J. J. de Kleijn, Tony Reimann, Gerard B. M. Heuvelink, Zbigniew Zwoliński, Grzegorz Rachlewicz, Krzysztof Rymer, and Michael Sommer
SOIL, 2, 221–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-221-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-221-2016, 2016
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This study combined fieldwork, geochronology and modelling to get a better understanding of Arctic soil development on a landscape scale. Main processes are aeolian deposition, physical and chemical weathering and silt translocation. Discrepancies between model results and field observations showed that soil and landscape development is not as straightforward as we hypothesized. Interactions between landscape processes and soil processes have resulted in a complex soil pattern in the landscape.
M. Tuthorn, R. Zech, M. Ruppenthal, Y. Oelmann, A. Kahmen, H. F. del Valle, T. Eglinton, K. Rozanski, and M. Zech
Biogeosciences, 12, 3913–3924, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3913-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3913-2015, 2015
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Stable water isotopes (18O/16O and 2H/1H) are invaluable proxies for paleoclimate research. Here we use a coupled 18O/16O and 2H/1H biomarker approach based on plant-derived sugars and n-alkanes. Applying this innovative approach to a topsoil transect allows for (i) calculating the deuterium-excess of leaf water as a proxy for relative humidity and (ii) calculating the plant source water isotopic composition (~precipitation). The approach is validated by the presented climate transect results.
M. Zech, R. Zech, K. Rozanski, A. Hemp, G. Gleixner, and W. Zech
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-7823-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-7823-2014, 2014
Preprint withdrawn
N. J. de Winter, C. Zeeden, and F. J. Hilgen
Clim. Past, 10, 1001–1015, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1001-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1001-2014, 2014
E. Dietze, F. Maussion, M. Ahlborn, B. Diekmann, K. Hartmann, K. Henkel, T. Kasper, G. Lockot, S. Opitz, and T. Haberzettl
Clim. Past, 10, 91–106, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-91-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-91-2014, 2014
D.-D. Rousseau, M. Ghil, G. Kukla, A. Sima, P. Antoine, M. Fuchs, C. Hatté, F. Lagroix, M. Debret, and O. Moine
Clim. Past, 9, 2213–2230, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2213-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2213-2013, 2013
C. Hatté, C. Gauthier, D.-D. Rousseau, P. Antoine, M. Fuchs, F. Lagroix, S. B. Marković, O. Moine, and A. Sima
Clim. Past, 9, 1001–1014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1001-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1001-2013, 2013
