Articles | Volume 74, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-169-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-74-169-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Oct 2025
Research article |
| 17 Oct 2025
| 17 Oct 2025
Luminescence dating of alluvial sediments from the Quaternary fan–terrace sequence of the lower Bruche valley, Upper Rhine Graben, France
Madhurima Marik
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 23b, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
Elena Serra
Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 23b, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
Gilles Rixhon
University of Strasbourg, UMR LIVE 7362-CNRS-UNISTRA-ENGEES, 67083 Strasbourg, France
Frank Preusser
Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 23b, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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Gilles Rixhon, Julia Meister, and Ingmar Unkel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 74, 147–149, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-147-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-147-2025, 2025
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This article is the preface of the special issue "Quaternary research in times of change – inspired by INQUA Roma 2023". It is a result of the XXI INQUA Congress held in Rome in July 2023. It briefly presents the nine contributions published in this volume.
Hélène Tissoux, Magali Rizza, Claire Aupart, Gilles Rixhon, Pierre G. Valla, Manon Boulay, Philippe Lach, and Pierre Voinchet
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-182, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-182, 2025
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This study, using ESR, OSL, and LA-ICPMS trace element analyses, reveals significant relationships between quartz OSL/ESR sensitivities and bedrock characteristics. Trace element compositions appear to influence the OSL and ESR-Ti sensitivities, the last being weak in quartz extracted from metamorphic or deformed rocks. Pressure may take a part in OSL/ESR-Ti sensitivities variability while ESR Al intensities could be linked to initial fluid composition and crystallization conditions
Felix Martin Hofmann and Frank Preusser
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 74, 1–35, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-1-2025, 2025
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Previous reconstructions conclude that the southern Black Forest, south-west Germany, temporarily hosted four ice caps during the Late Pleistocene (129 000–11 700 years before present). This work reviews existing studies on glacial landforms north-east of its highest summit, Feldberg (1493 m above sea level), in the light of new observations. Whilst this study largely confirms previous work, we reject and newly describe several glacial landforms.
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.
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.
Bennet Schuster, Lukas Gegg, Sebastian Schaller, Marius W. Buechi, David C. Tanner, Ulrike Wielandt-Schuster, Flavio S. Anselmetti, and Frank Preusser
Sci. Dril., 33, 191–206, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-191-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-191-2024, 2024
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The Tannwald Basin, explored by drilling and formed by repeated advances of the Rhine Glacier, reveals key geological insights. Ice-contact sediments and evidence of deformation highlight gravitational and glaciotectonic processes. ICDP DOVE 5068_1_C core data define lithofacies associations, reflecting basin infill cycles, marking at least three distinct glacial advances. Integrating these findings aids understanding the broader glacial evolution of the Lake Constance amphitheater.
Felix Martin Hofmann, Claire Rambeau, Lukas Gegg, Melanie Schulz, Martin Steiner, Alexander Fülling, Laëtitia Léanni, Frank Preusser, and ASTER Team
Geochronology, 6, 147–174, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-147-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-147-2024, 2024
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We determined 10Be concentrations in moraine boulder surfaces in the southern Black Forest, SW Germany. We applied three independent dating methods to younger lake sediments. With the aid of independent age datasets, we calculated the growth of 10Be concentrations in moraine boulder surfaces.
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.
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.
Flavio S. Anselmetti, Milos Bavec, Christian Crouzet, Markus Fiebig, Gerald Gabriel, Frank Preusser, Cesare Ravazzi, and DOVE scientific team
Sci. Dril., 31, 51–70, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-31-51-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-31-51-2022, 2022
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Previous glaciations eroded below the ice deep valleys in the Alpine foreland, which, with their sedimentary fillings, witness the timing and extent of these glacial advance–retreat cycles. Drilling such sedimentary sequences will thus provide well-needed evidence in order to reconstruct the (a)synchronicity of past ice advances in a trans-Alpine perspective. Eventually these data will document how the Alpine foreland was shaped and how the paleoclimate patterns varied along and across the Alps.
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.
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.
Elena Serra, Pierre G. Valla, Romain Delunel, Natacha Gribenski, Marcus Christl, and Naki Akçar
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 493–512, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-493-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-493-2022, 2022
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Alpine landscapes are transformed by several erosion processes. 10Be concentrations measured in river sediments at the outlet of a basin represent a powerful tool to quantify how fast the catchment erodes. We measured erosion rates within the Dora Baltea catchments (western Italian Alps). Our results show that erosion is governed by topography, bedrock resistance and glacial imprint. The Mont Blanc massif has the highest erosion and therefore dominates the sediment flux of the Dora Baltea river.
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
Felicia Linke, Oliver Olsson, Frank Preusser, Klaus Kümmerer, Lena Schnarr, Marcus Bork, and Jens Lange
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4495–4512, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4495-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4495-2021, 2021
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We used a two-step approach with limited sampling effort in existing storm water infrastructure to illustrate the risk of biocide emission in a 2 ha urban area 13 years after construction had ended. First samples at a swale confirmed the overall relevance of biocide pollution. Then we identified sources where biocides were used for film protection and pathways where transformation products were formed. Our results suggest that biocide pollution is a also continuous risk in aging urban areas.
Daniela Mueller, Frank Preusser, Marius W. Buechi, Lukas Gegg, and Gaudenz Deplazes
Geochronology, 2, 305–323, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2-305-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2-305-2020, 2020
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Luminescence properties of samples from the Rinikerfeld, northern Switzerland, are assessed. Reader-specific low preheat temperatures are invesigated to ensure suitable measurement conditions. While quartz is found to be dominated by stable fast components, signal loss is observed for feldspar and polymineral. In general, the ages of the fading corrected feldspar and the fine-grained polymineral fractions are in agreement with coarse-grained quartz, and ages indicate sedimentation during MIS6.
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Short summary
This study examines the evolution of the lower Bruche River valley in north-eastern France through its fluvial terraces, reflecting past river dynamics and environmental changes. Terrace formations are dated using luminescence to ~ 12–14 ka, ~ 27–35 ka, and at least 200 ka. Methodological improvements over conventional luminescence dating techniques are also discussed and refined in this study.
This study examines the evolution of the lower Bruche River valley in north-eastern France...
