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.

The study of past environmental changes and their effects on cultures provides key information to reconstruct human–environmental interactions and model how climate change affects cultures and possible avenues of future adaptation. The Shiraki Plain is an uninhabited plain largely devoid of water resources. However, traces of extensive Bronze Age civilization with complex social organization were revealed, featuring the typology of settlements, their ages, and spatial planning.

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.

We present ¹⁰Be-based erosion rates for the Harz Mountains. Erosion is slope-dependent, and the Harz topography evolves at rates of a few tens of meters per million years. The 300 m difference in elevation between a planation surface in the Harz and its lower surroundings results from rock uplift, erosion of sediments in adjacent areas, and migration and dissolution of Permian salt. Active reverse faulting along the northern Harz is inconsistent with geological, geophysical, and geodetic data.

Human intervention in the natural drainage system of the Hessische Ried (Germany) resulted in the transformation of a large wetland into a cultural landscape. In this study, we reconstruct the river network that was used by Romans for transportation and security. We found that the Romans collected water from several smaller rivers to establish the river Landgraben as a navigable waterway. Unexpectedly, larger rivers did not contribute any water to the Landgraben system during Roman times.

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.