There is an ongoing dispute between those who believe that the bluestones at Stonehenge were (a) transported by humans or (b) glacially transported erratics. An igneous boulder found at Stonehenge in 1924 and then lost for over 90 years has been found in Salisbury Museum. Its shape and surface characteristics suggest that it was carried from West Wales by the Irish Sea Ice Stream. The author proposes that most if not all of the 43 bluestone monoliths are glacial erratics.

With our open-source toolbox, MiGIS for QGIS 3, we intend to advance digital micromorphological analysis. This approach focuses on the classification of micromorphological constituents based on their distinct colour values (multi-RGB signatures), acquired using flatbed scanning of thin sections in different modes (transmitted, cross-polarised, and reflected light). The resulting thin section maps enable feature quantification, visualisation of spatial patterns, and reproducibility.

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.

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 .

In reconstructing the living conditions of the late ice age and the early warm periods, archaeologists rely on palaeobotany. Since the 1940s, there has been the common image of a treeless tundra, which changes to a light birch forest within only a few years at the transition between the periods. By using environmental data, it is demonstrated that this image must be refined, and examples are given for a better understanding of palaeobotanical data and their use in archaeological reconstructions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.