Articles | Volume 72, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-113-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-72-113-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 May 2023
Research article |
| 17 May 2023
| 17 May 2023
The past is the key to the future – considering Pleistocene subglacial erosion for the minimum depth of a radioactive waste repository
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR),
Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hanover, Germany
Anke Bebiolka
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR),
Wilhelmstr. 25–30, 13593 Berlin, Germany
Vera Noack
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR),
Wilhelmstr. 25–30, 13593 Berlin, Germany
Jörg Lang
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR),
Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hanover, Germany
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Jörg Lang, Anke Bebiolka, Sonja Breuer, and Maximilian Pfaff
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 159–160, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-159-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-159-2024, 2024
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The formation of tunnel valleys and other subglacial erosional landforms is among the deepest-reaching erosional processes. Such deep erosion during potential future ice ages could seriously affect the integrity of the geological barrier of a radioactive waste repository. This special issue aims to collect studies on all aspects of subglacial erosion and its treatment with regard to site selection and the long-term safety of radioactive waste repositories.
Jörg Lang, Anke Bebiolka, Sonja Breuer, and Maximilian Pfaff
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 159–160, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-159-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-159-2024, 2024
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The formation of tunnel valleys and other subglacial erosional landforms is among the deepest-reaching erosional processes. Such deep erosion during potential future ice ages could seriously affect the integrity of the geological barrier of a radioactive waste repository. This special issue aims to collect studies on all aspects of subglacial erosion and its treatment with regard to site selection and the long-term safety of radioactive waste repositories.
Dirk Scheer, Wilfried Konrad, Holger Class, Alexander Kissinger, Stefan Knopf, and Vera Noack
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2739–2750, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2739-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2739-2017, 2017
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Stakeholder participation in numerical modeling of brine migration due to injection of CO2 into deep saline aquifers is tested in this work. Part 1 reports the process of participatory modeling in the development of a numerical model and Part 2 discusses essential technical findings obtained through this model, showing that notable increases in salt concentrations are confined to regions where they were already high a priori and where barrier layers are discontinuous.
Alexander Kissinger, Vera Noack, Stefan Knopf, Wilfried Konrad, Dirk Scheer, and Holger Class
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2751–2775, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2751-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2751-2017, 2017
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Stakeholder participation in numerical modeling of brine migration due to injection of CO2 into deep saline aquifers is tested in this work. Part 1 reports the process of participatory modeling on the development of a numerical model and Part 2 discusses essential technical findings obtained through this model showing that notable increases in salt concentrations are confined to regions where they were already high a priori and where barrier layers are discontinuous.
Alexander Kissinger, Vera Noack, Stefan Knopf, Wilfried Konrad, Dirk Scheer, and Holger Class
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-281, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-281, 2016
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Stakeholder participation in numerical modeling of brine migration due to injection of CO2 into deep saline aquifers has proven a valuable approach to identifying and quantifying the potential hazard of groundwater contamination with salt. This paper (i) reports the process of participatory modeling and (ii) discusses essential findings showing that notable increases in salt concentrations are confined to regions where they were already high a priori and where barrier layers are discontinuous.
Related subject area
Quaternary geology
Towards a quantitative lithostratigraphy of Pleistocene glaciofluvial deposits in the southern Upper Rhine Graben
The Eemian Stage interglacial marine transgression in the south-western Baltic region
Age and formation of the presumed Late Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene Mühlbach formation, High Rhine Valley, southwest Germany
Subglacial deformation and till formation in a stratigraphic complex Late Pleistocene sequence (Einödgraben/Aurach, Kitzbühel Alps, Austria)
Loess formation and chronology at the Palaeolithic key site Rheindahlen, Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany
Subglacial hydrology from high-resolution ice-flow simulations of the Rhine Glacier during the Last Glacial Maximum: a proxy for glacial erosion
Comparison of overdeepened structures in formerly glaciated areas of the northern Alpine foreland and northern central Europe
Tunnel valleys in the southeastern North Sea: more data, more complexity
The lithostratigraphic formations of the coastal Holocene in NE Germany – a synthesis
Morpho-sedimentary characteristics of Holocene paleochannels in the Upper Rhine alluvial plain, France
Two glaciers and one sedimentary sink: the competing role of the Aare and the Valais glaciers in filling an overdeepened trough inferred from provenance analysis
A tribute to Narr (1952): On the stratigraphy of Upper Palaeolithic types and type groups
A tribute to Fink (1956): On the correlation of terraces and loesses in Austria
A tribute to Schwarzbach (1968): Recent ice age hypotheses
A tribute to Boenigk (1978): The fluvial development of the Lower Rhine Basin during the late Tertiary and early Quaternary
A composite 10Be, IR-50 and 14C chronology of the pre-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) full ice extent of the western Patagonian Ice Sheet on the Isla de Chiloé, south Chile (42° S)
Der späteiszeitliche Tüttensee-Komplex als Ergebnis der Abschmelzgeschichte am Ostrand des Chiemsee-Gletschers und sein Bezug zum „Chiemgau Impakt“ (Landkreis Traunstein, Oberbayern)
The multistage structural development of the Upper Weichselian Jasmund Glacitectonic Complex (Rügen, NE Germany)
The formation of Middle and Upper Pleistocene terraces (Übergangsterrassen and Hochterrassen) in the Bavarian Alpine Foreland – new numeric dating results (ESR, OSL, 14C) and gastropod fauna analysis
Lukas Gegg, Felicitas A. Griebling, Nicole Jentz, and Ulrike Wielandt-Schuster
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 239–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-239-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-239-2024, 2024
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The subdivision and distinction of gravel units is an important tool in terrestrial Quaternary stratigraphy but can be challenging. Here, we investigate the glaciofluvial infill of the Upper Rhine Graben as an archive of recurring Alpine glaciations. With the help of statistical approaches, we identify differences in petrographic compositions, thereby differentiating two units that are likely representative of the last and penultimate glaciation, which have previously been difficult to pinpoint.
Philip Leonard Gibbard and Karen Luise Knudsen
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 217–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-217-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-217-2024, 2024
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This article presents an investigation of three sequences of marine and associated deposits in the south-west Baltic area. Pollen, foraminiferal and ostracod analyses indicate sea-level change. Chronology is based on the Bispingen lake deposits in Germany. Freshwater lakes occurred first in the basin followed by marine inundation. Linking the German sequences to those in the Baltic shows that the Eemian transgression passed through Germany and the Kattegat by connections to the North Sea.
Alexander Fülling, Hans Rudolf Graf, Felix Martin Hofmann, Daniela Mueller, and Frank Preusser
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 203–216, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-203-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-203-2024, 2024
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The Mühlbach series has been given as evidence for a Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene Aare–Rhine fluvial system in northern Switzerland and southwest Germany. We show that these deposits represent a variety of different units. At the type location, luminescence dating indicates an age of 55 ka, and we interpret the deposits as slope reworking. Beside methodological implications, our studies recommend caution regarding the interpretation of stratigraphic units for which limited data are available.
Jürgen M. Reitner and John Menzies
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 101–116, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-101-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-101-2024, 2024
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Knowledge of subglacial conditions is of great relevance for understanding glacier dynamics. A combination of micro- and macrosedimentological analysis of diamictons and deformation structures can form the basis for the reconstruction of past subglacial conditions. We present the results of such a study on subglacial tills in the Kitzbühel Alps (Tyrol, Austria). Our study demonstrates the need for a reinvestigation of deposits in respect of genesis and importance for the glacial record.
Martin Kehl, Katharina Seeger, Stephan Pötter, Philipp Schulte, Nicole Klasen, Mirijam Zickel, Andreas Pastoors, and Erich Claßen
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 41–67, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-41-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-41-2024, 2024
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The loess–palaeosol sequence (LPS) at Rheindahlen provides a detailed sedimentary archive of past climate change. Furthermore, it contains Palaeolithic find horizons indicating repeated occupations by Neanderthals. The age of loess layers and the timing of human occupation are a matter of strong scientific debate. We present new data to shed light on formation processes and deposition ages. Previous chronostratigraphic estimates are revised providing a reliable chronostratigraphic framework .
Denis Cohen, Guillaume Jouvet, Thomas Zwinger, Angela Landgraf, and Urs H. Fischer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 189–201, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-189-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-189-2023, 2023
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During glacial times in Switzerland, glaciers of the Alps excavated valleys in low-lying regions that were later filled with sediment or water. How glaciers eroded these valleys is not well understood because erosion occurred near ice margins where ice moved slowly and was present for short times. Erosion is linked to the speed of ice and to water flowing under it. Here we present a model that estimates the location of water channels beneath the ice and links these locations to zones of erosion.
Lukas Gegg and Frank Preusser
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 23–36, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-23-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-23-2023, 2023
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Erosion processes below glacier ice have carved large and deep basins in the landscapes surrounding mountain ranges as well as polar regions. With our comparison, we show that these two groups of basins are very similar in their shapes and sizes. However, open questions still remain especially regarding the sediments that later fill up these basins. We aim to stimulate future research and promote exchange between researchers working around the Alps and the northern central European lowlands.
Arne Lohrberg, Jens Schneider von Deimling, Henrik Grob, Kai-Frederik Lenz, and Sebastian Krastel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 267–274, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-267-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-267-2022, 2022
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We present an update on the distribution of tunnel valleys in the southeastern North Sea between Amrum and Heligoland based on active seismic data. Our results demonstrate that very dense grids of seismic profiles are needed to understand the distribution and the formation of tunnel valleys in a given region. We also demonstrate that acquiring offshore active seismic data is time- and cost-effective to learn more about the formation and filling of tunnel valleys in different geological settings.
Reinhard Lampe
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 249–265, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-249-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-249-2022, 2022
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The depositional sequences of all types of coastal sediments which accumulated during the Holocene sea-level rise along the NE German coast and in the inner coastal waters are comprehensively described and classified into four formations and two subformations. Their detailed characterisation and chronostratigraphic correlation are an important addition to the only brief definition given in the LithoLex database of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).
Mubarak Abdulkarim, Stoil Chapkanski, Damien Ertlen, Haider Mahmood, Edward Obioha, Frank Preusser, Claire Rambeau, Ferréol Salomon, Marco Schiemann, and Laurent Schmitt
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 191–212, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-191-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-191-2022, 2022
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We used a combination of remote sensing, field investigations, and laboratory analysis to map and characterize abandoned river channels within the French Upper Rhine alluvial plain. Our results show five major paleochannel groups with significant differences in their pattern, morphological characteristics, and sediment filling. The formation of these paleochannel groups is attributed to significant changes in environmental processes in the area during the last ~ 11 700 years.
Michael A. Schwenk, Laura Stutenbecker, Patrick Schläfli, Dimitri Bandou, and Fritz Schlunegger
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 163–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-163-2022, 2022
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We investigated the origin of glacial sediments in the Bern area to determine their route of transport either with the Aare Glacier or the Valais Glacier. These two ice streams are known to have joined in the Bern area during the last major glaciation (ca. 20 000 years ago). However, little is known about the ice streams prior to this last glaciation. Here we collected evidence that during a glaciation about 250 000 years ago the Aare Glacier dominated the area as documented in the deposits.
Nicholas J. Conard
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 213–216, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-213-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-213-2021, 2021
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Karl J. Narr's paper on the stratigraphy of Upper Palaeolithic artefact types and cultural groups from 1952 synthesized the state of research in the early 1950s. Narr's singular focus on cultural history is instructive in terms of both the history of research and as a reflection of what the goals of Palaeolithic archaeology could and should be today.
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.
Jürgen Ehlers
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 235–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-235-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-235-2021, 2021
Philip L. Gibbard
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 251–255, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-251-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-251-2021, 2021
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This is an appraisal of the article by Wolfgang Boenigk published in Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart in 1978.
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.
Robert Huber, Robert Darga, and Hans Lauterbach
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 93–120, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-93-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-93-2020, 2020
Anna Gehrmann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 59–60, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-59-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-59-2020, 2020
Gerhard Schellmann, Patrick Schielein, Wolfgang Rähle, and Christoph Burow
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 141–164, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-141-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-141-2019, 2019
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This study presents ESR, OSL and C-14 data from Upper and Middle Pleistocene fluvial terraces (Übergangsterrassen, Hochterrassen) and its loess cover in the Bavarian Alpine Foreland. It will be illustrated that the ESR dating of embedded land-snail shells offers a new dating approach with an upper dating limit most probably much older than the penultimate interglacial (MIS 7). Furthermore, it shows that in some areas Hochterrassen gravels are underlain by older interglacial gravel deposits.
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Short summary
Our work presented here deals with the impact of deep glacial erosion forms and their effect on the safety of a possible repository for highly radioactive waste. In past ice ages, glaciers have formed deep tunnel valleys. We assume that similar depths of erosion can be reached in future ice ages. This must be taken into account in the safety assessment of radioactive waste repositories. We have calculated a new depth zone map from maps and data based on records from the Pleistocene.
Our work presented here deals with the impact of deep glacial erosion forms and their effect on...
