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The study of geological archives of dust is of great relevance as they are directly linked to past atmospheric circulation and bear the potential to reconstruct dust provenance and flux relative to climate changes. Among the dust sinks, loess–palaeosol sequences (LPSs) represent the only continental and non-aquatic archives that are predominantly built up by dust deposits close to source areas, providing detailed information on Quaternary climatic and terrestrial environmental changes. Upper Pleistocene LPSs of western central Europe have been investigated in great detail showing their linkage to millennial-scale northern hemispheric climate oscillations, but comprehensive data on dust composition and potential source–sink relationships as well as inferred past atmospheric circulation patterns for this region are still fragmentary. Here, we present an integrative approach that systematically combines sedimentological, rock magnetic, and bulk geochemical data, as well as information on Sr and Nd isotope composition, enabling a synthetic interpretation of LPS formation. We focus on the Schwalbenberg RP1 profile in the Middle Rhine Valley in Germany and integrate our data into a robust age model that has recently been established based on high-resolution radiocarbon dating of earthworm calcite granules. We show that Schwalbenberg RP1 is subdivided into a lower section corresponding to late oxygen isotope stage 3 (OIS; ∼ 40–30 ka) and an upper section dating into the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ∼ 24–22 ka), separated by a major stratigraphic unconformity. Sedimentological proxies of wind dynamics (U ratio) and pedogenesis (finest clay) of the lower section attest to comparable and largely synchronous patterns of northern hemispheric climatic changes supporting the overall synchronicity of climatic changes in and around the North Atlantic region. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) reveals a clear correlation between finer grain size and increasing AMS foliation within interstadials, possibly owing to continuous accumulation of dust during pedogenic phases. Such a clear negative correlation has so far not been described for any LPS on stadial–interstadial scales. Distinct shifts in several proxy data supported by changes in isotope composition (87Sr/86Sr and εNd) within the lower section are interpreted as changes in provenance and decreasing weathering simultaneously with an overall cooling and aridification towards the end of OIS 3 (after ∼ 35 ka) and enhanced wind activity with significant input of coarse-grained material recycled from local sources related to increased landscape instability (after ∼ 31.5 ka). We find that environmental conditions within the upper section, most likely dominated by local to regional environmental signals, significantly differ from those in the lower section. In addition, AMS-based reconstructions of near-surface wind trends may indicate the influence of north-easterly winds beside the overall dominance of westerlies. The integrative approach contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of LPS formation including changes in dust composition and associated circulation patterns during Quaternary climate changes.

The ongoing ecological conversion of mountain forests in central Europe from widespread Picea monocultures to mixed stands conceptually also requires a historical perspective on the very long-term, i.e. Holocene, vegetation and land-use dynamics. Detailed sources of information for this are palynological data. The Erzgebirge in focus here, with a maximum height of 1244 m a.s.l., represents an extreme case of extensive historical deforestation since the Middle Ages due to mining, metallurgy, and other industrial activities, as well as rural and urban colonisation. For this regional review we collected and evaluated 121 pollen diagrams of different stratigraphic, taxonomic, and chronological resolution. This number makes this region an upland area in central Europe with an exceptionally high density of palynological data. Using well-dated diagrams going back to the early Holocene, main regional vegetation phases were derived: the Betula–Pinus phase (ca. 11 600–10 200 cal yr BP), the Corylus phase (ca. 10 200–9000 cal yr BP), the Picea phase (ca. 9000–6000 cal yr BP), the Fagus–Picea phase (ca. 6000–4500 cal yr BP), the Abies–Fagus–Picea phase (ca. 4000–1000 cal yr BP), and the anthropogenic vegetation phase (ca. 1000–0 cal yr BP). Some diagrams show the presence or even continuous curves of potential pasture and meadow indicators from around 2000 cal BCE at the earliest. Even cereal pollen grains occur sporadically already before the High Medieval. These palynological indications of a local prehistoric human impact also in the higher altitudes find parallels in the (geo-)archaeologically proven Bronze Age tin placer mining and in the geochemically proven Iron Age metallurgy in the Erzgebirge. The pollen data show that immediately before the medieval clearing, i.e. beginning at the end of the 12th century CE, forests were mainly dominated by Fagus and Abies and complemented by Picea with increasing share towards the highest altitudes. According to historical data, the minimum of the regional forest cover was reached during the 17th–18th centuries CE. The dominance of Picea in modern pollen spectra is caused by anthropogenic afforestation in the form of monocultures since that time. Future palynological investigations, preferably within the framework of altitudinal transect studies, should aim for chronologically and taxonomically high-resolution and radiometrically well-dated pollen diagrams from the larger peatlands.

Abstract. Erosion during potential future glaciations, especially the incision of deep tunnel valleys, is a major challenge for the long-term safety of a radioactive waste repository. Tunnel valleys are a common feature of formerly glaciated sedimentary basins and were incised by pressurised subglacial meltwater. Besides glaciological conditions, tunnel-valley formation depends strongly on the erodibility and hydraulic conductivity of the substratum. In northern Germany, tunnel valleys formed during the Pleistocene glaciations are widespread and may attain depths of almost 600 m. The Pleistocene record may provide an indication for the potential regional distribution and maximum depth of future glaciogenic erosion. We present a new overview map of the maximum depth of Pleistocene erosion in northern Germany. Depth zones were extracted from the existing data and maps provided by the state geological surveys. Based on the mapped depth zones, the potential for future tunnel-valley formation can be assessed. The map may serve as a base to define a spatially variable additional depth that should be added to the minimum depth of a repository required by legislation.

Valley infills are essential for understanding changes in hydrology and landscape. Anthropogenic activities are proven by prehistoric settlement remains, which mark distinct sediments and soils as usable land during certain time periods. In 2009 and 2018/19, excavations by the Saxonian Archaeological Heritage Office were conducted in the Elbe valley between Meißen and Dresden, preceding the construction of two natural gas pipelines. As a result, two important multicultural prehistoric sites were discovered on the Lower Weichselian Terrace (LWT) in different sediments and on varying stratigraphic levels. During this study sediments and soils at the excavation sites and throughout the pipe trench have been documented. Micromorphological, sedimentological and geochemical investigations and analyses of archaeobotanical and archaeological finds, complemented by 14C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, enabled deciphering the structure of sediments and soils. Two major sites were the focus. At the Clieben site, an early Neolithic settlement and former topsoil, developed in a Weichselian valley loam above gravels and sands, are covered by younger overbank fines. At the Brockwitz site, shallow incision channels in the LWT were filled with clayey overbank fines during the Preboreal. An overprinting humic soil horizon was later anthropogenically overprinted during the early and middle Neolithic period. An omnipresent layer of Subboreal or younger overbank fines, covering the majority of the LWT in combination with the spatially confined Preboreal overbank fines, mirrors the ever-growing risk of flooding in a formerly attractive settlement area.

Quaternary science journal 72(1), 77-94 (2023). doi:10.5194/egqsj-72-77-2023 Published by Copernicus Publications, Göttingen

Die Altersstellung des Stauchmoränenkomplexes Wallsbüll-Böxlund in Schleswig-Holstein ist trotz jahrzehntelanger Untersuchungen noch ungeklärt. Die in einem Aufschluss in Osterbylund (OBL) aufgeschlossenen Sedimente und Torfe sowie Böden wurden zur Klärung dieser Frage und auch zur Korrelation der Böden OBL 1 bis OBL 4 mit den bekannten Interglazialen und Interstadialen mittels optisch stimulierter Lumineszenz und Uran-Thorium sowie Pollenanalysen datiert. Detaillierte sedimentologische Aufnahmen ergänzten die chronologischen Arbeiten. Die Pollenanalysen ordnen den in Depressionen vorkommenden Torf dem Eem zu; der Torf ist mit OBL 1 gleichzusetzen. Die aufliegenden Sande und die übrigen eingeschalteten Böden können alle in das Frühweichsel gestellt werden. Während für OBL 2 die Stellung in das Brörup-Interstadial aufgrund der Daten belegbar ist, gestalten sich die Zuordnungen für OBL 3 und OBL 4 etwas schwieriger, da schlechte Bleichung der umineszenzsignale der Sande insbesondere oberhalb von OBL 4 Unsicherheiten mit sich bringen.Unter Berücksichtigung der Gesamtheit der Daten ist eine Korrelation von OBL 3 mit dem Odderade-Interstadial und von OBL 4 mit dem Keller-Interstadial am wahrscheinlichsten. Aus diesen Daten ergibt sich zudem eine saalezeitliche Entstehung des Stauchmoränenwalls; ein, wie in anderen Studien angenommen, weichselzeitlicher Eisrand noch weiter westlich als der hier untersuchte Standort kann somit ausgeschlossen werden. The age of the push moraine complex Wallsbüll-Böxlund, Schleswig-Holstein, is unclear despite investigations in this area for decades. To address the timing of formation of both the push moraine complex and the peat and soils found in its depressions, an outcrop in Osterbylund (OBL) was investigated. Optically stimulated luminescence and dating, as well as pollen analyses, were undertaken with the aim to correlate the soils OBL 1 to OBL 4 to interglacials and interstadials. The chronological studies were accompanied by detailed sedimentological investigations. The results of the pollen analyses put the peat unambiguously to the Eemian; the peat is equivalent to OBL 1. The overlying sands and the other intercalated soils are to be placed into the early Weichselian. While for OBL 2 the assignment to the Brörup interstadial is clear, it is more difficult to clearly correlate OBL 3 and OBL 4 to an interstadial due to poor luminescence signal resetting of the sands, especially above OBL 4. Considering all data available, it is most likely that OBL 3 formed during the Odderade interstadial and OBL 4 during the Keller interstadial. From the Eemian to early Weichselian ages of the peat and soils it is evident that the push moraine complex is of Saalian age; a Weichselian ice margin further in the west, as assumed in other studies, can therefore be excluded.

Abstract. The sites of Hawelti–Melazo in the Tigray region of the northern Ethiopian Highlands is an archaeological hotspot related to the D'mt kingdom (ca. 800–400 BCE). The existence of several monumental buildings, which have been excavated since the 1950s, underline the importance of this area in the Ethio-Sabaean period. We investigated the geomorphological and geological characteristics of the site and its surroundings and carried out sedimentological analyses, as well as direct (luminescence) and indirect (radiocarbon) sediment dating, to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions, which we integrated into the wider context of Tigray. Luminescence dating of feldspar grains from the May Agazin catchment indicate enhanced fluvial activity in the late Pleistocene, likely connected to the re-occurring monsoon after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The abundance of trap basalt on the Melazo plateau, which provides the basis for the development of fertile soils, and the presumably higher groundwater level during the Ethio-Sabaean Period, provided favourable settlement conditions. The peninsula-like shape of the Melazo plateau was easily accessible only from the east and northeast, while relatively steep scarps enclose the other edges of the plateau. This adds a possible natural protective function to this site.