Articles | Volume 75, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-75-33-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-75-33-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Feb 2026
Research article |
| 16 Feb 2026
| 16 Feb 2026
Historical clay extraction from paleo-channel deposits of the late-glacial Bergstraßenneckar in the Upper Rhine Graben, southwestern Germany
Felix Henselowsky
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-Joachim-Becher-Weg 21, 55099 Mainz, Germany
Annette Kadereit
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 348, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Manuel Herzog
Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 348, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Barbara Tuczek
Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt, Hessisches Landesarchiv, Karolinenplatz 3, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
Heinrich Thiemeyer
Institute for Physical Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Olaf Bubenzer
Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 348, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 348, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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The historical Lake Lorsch in the Upper Rhine Graben (Germany) is a good example of how humans have changed the fluvial and hydrological systems in the area for at least 500 years. Interdisciplinary research from geomorphology and historical sciences have reconstructed the history based on old maps, digital elevation models and drillings. The results show a sophisticated system of artificial in- and outflows, which partly still exist today, and represent long-term changes in the Weschnitz floodplain.
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The late-glacial Bergstraßenneckar is a former course of the Neckar River in the Upper Rhine Graben of southwest Germany at a time when the confluence with the Rhine river was 50 km further to the north. The former river bends are still visible in topographic maps and satellite imagery. Sediment cores and geophysical measurements from the former river channels let us reconstruct the shift from a running river to silting-up meanders and permit us to date this to ca. 11 000 to 10 500 years ago.
Felix Henselowsky, Peter Fischer, Elena Appel, Barbara Jäger, Nicolai Hillmus, Helen Sandbrink, Thomas Becker, Roland Prien, Gerrit Jasper Schenk, Bertil Mächtle, Udo Recker, Olaf Bubenzer, and Andreas Vött
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The historical Lake Lorsch in the Upper Rhine Graben (Germany) is a good example of how humans have changed the fluvial and hydrological systems in the area for at least 500 years. Interdisciplinary research from geomorphology and historical sciences have reconstructed the history based on old maps, digital elevation models and drillings. The results show a sophisticated system of artificial in- and outflows, which partly still exist today, and represent long-term changes in the Weschnitz floodplain.
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Rónadh Cox, Mary C. Bourke, Max Engel, Andrew B. Kennedy, Annie Lau, Serge Suanez, Sarah J. Boulton, Maria Alexandra Oliveira, Raphaël Paris, Dimitra Salmanidou, Michaela Spiske, Wayne Stephenson, Storm Roberts, Adam D. Switzer, Nadia Mhammdi, Niamh D. Cullen, and Masashi Watanabe
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Coastal boulder deposits record extreme wave events, both storm and tsunami. Fully understanding hazards as recorded in these deposits requires high-quality data for comparison among sites and over time. We analysed methodologies and constructed a comprehensive set of field measurements to improve data consistency and reproducibility. We aim to help geomorphologists produce of data that can be widely shared and used to build extensive analytic understanding of coastal boulder deposits.
Elena Appel, Thomas Becker, Dennis Wilken, Peter Fischer, Timo Willershäuser, Lea Obrocki, Henrik Schäfer, Markus Scholz, Olaf Bubenzer, Bertil Mächtle, and Andreas Vött
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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.
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.
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E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 213–226, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-213-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-213-2022, 2022
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The late-glacial Bergstraßenneckar is a former course of the Neckar River in the Upper Rhine Graben of southwest Germany at a time when the confluence with the Rhine river was 50 km further to the north. The former river bends are still visible in topographic maps and satellite imagery. Sediment cores and geophysical measurements from the former river channels let us reconstruct the shift from a running river to silting-up meanders and permit us to date this to ca. 11 000 to 10 500 years ago.
Thomas Kolb, Konrad Tudyka, Annette Kadereit, Johanna Lomax, Grzegorz Poręba, Anja Zander, Lars Zipf, and Markus Fuchs
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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.
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Short summary
The marshy, silted-up channel of the Late Glacial Bergstraßenneckar near Mannheim provided a rare source of clay in the sand- and gravel-dominated environment of the Rhine river. Based on satellite images, sedimentological, geophysical, and historical data, as well as optical dating, we identify a plot of sand-filled trenches where clay was mined around 1865 CE, which was only possible after groundwater lowering resulting from large-scale river regulation starting in the early 19th century.
The marshy, silted-up channel of the Late Glacial Bergstraßenneckar near Mannheim provided a...
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