ISSN 0424-7116 | DOI 10.3285/eg.62.2 Edited by the German Quaternary Association Editor-in-Chief: Holger Freund & EEiszeitalter und GegenwartG Quaternary Science Journal Vol. 62 No 2 ENVIRONMENT – MAN – GEOHAZARDS 2013 IN THE QUATERNARY GUEST EDITORS Ludwig Zöller, Holger Freund GEOZON & EEiszeitalter und GegenwartG Quaternary Science Journal Volume 62 / Number 2 / 2013 / DOI: 10.3285/eg.62.2 / ISSN 0424-7116 / www.quaternary-science.net / Founded in 1951 EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD DEUQUA PIERRE ANtoINE, Laboratoire de Géographie FLavIO ANSELMETTI, Department of Surface Deutsche Quartärvereinigung e.V. Physique, Université Paris i Panthéon- Waters, Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Office Sorbonne, France Aquatic Science & Technology), Dübendorf, Stilleweg 2 Switzerland JÜRGEN EHLERS, Witzeeze, Germany D-30655 Hannover KaRL-ERNst BEHRE, Lower Saxonian Institute Germany MARKUS FUCHS, Department of Geography, of Historical Coastal Research, Wilhelmshaven, Tel: +49 (0)511-643 36 13 Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany Germany E-Mail: info (at) deuqua.de RALF-DIETRICH KahLKE, Senckenberg www.deuqua.org PHILIP GIBBARD, Department of Geography, Research Institute, Research Station of University of Cambridge, Great Britain PRODUCTION EDITOR Quaternary Palaeontology Weimar, Germany VOLLI E. KaLM, Institute of Ecology and Earth Thomas LITT, Steinmann-Institute of Geology, SABINE HELMS Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia Geozon Science Media Mineralogy and Paleontology, University of Postfach 3245 Bonn, Germany CESARE RavaZZI, Institute for the Dynamics of Environmental Processes, National Research D-17462 Greifswald LESZEK MARKS, Institute of Geology, University Council of Italy, Italy Germany of Warsaw, Poland Tel. +49 (0)3834-80 14 60 JAMES ROSE, Department of Geography, Royal HENK J. T. 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Thanks to generous support The relevance of Quaternary researchers dealing with from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) substan- present and near future geohazards in an Alpine environ- tial contributions by external scientists were made possible. ment is demonstrated in the article by Damm & Felderer. The program included 45 oral and 53 poster presentations, Based on intensive studies in the spatial distribution of de- a minor part of which are being published for the first time bris flows since the Little Ice Age, the authors attempt to in the present volume. Nevertheless, the publications pre- project their results into the middle of the 21st century for a sented here reflect the broad scope of the scientific program scenario of 1 to 2 K atmospheric warming. The retrospective under the principal theme “Umwelt – Mensch – Georisiken study by Jaeger et al. investigates a landslide from 1957 AD im Quartär” (Environment – Man – Geohazards in the Qua- in the average mountain area built up from slightly dipping ternary). This included geoarchaeologic research as well as Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in Northern Bavaria, Germany. studies in the sedimentary heritage of Quaternary processes The area is very prone to landslides. The contribution is able influencing present-day and future geohazards. to further differentiate some elements and processes of the landslide compared to earlier studies. With respect to ongo- The first article by Solis-Castillo et al. investigates the prov- ing climate change and possible change of precipitation pat- enance of Holocene sediments in the Mayan Lowlands in terns an endangered susceptible slope area is indicated in Central America, their degree of weathering, palaeosols and the future. pedostratigraphy, and their chronology. The last article by Diedrich deals with a famous cave in The second article by Tillmann et al. deals with the his- the northern Franconian Alb, Germany. The intermittent use torical processes and landscape evolution of the western of the cave by Pleistocene animals and humans is discussed coast of the island of Amrum in the German tidelands of the with respect to the geomorphologic evolution of river terrac- North Sea. The results are obtained by careful multidiscipli- es. The contribution boldly raises the question of a limited nary work including historical maps and documents as well valley glaciation in the area during the Last Glacial Maxi- as geophysical and sedimentological methods. mum at altitudes of around 5 00 m a.s.l., sedimentary rem- The third and the fourth articles report on the state of nants of which may only have been protected in caves from the art in deciphering the Palaeolithic record at the Lower later erosion. Gravettian open air site of Grub-Kranawetberg, Lower Aus- tria. The contribution byAntl highlights recent and ongoing The editors are much obliged to the authors for submitting archaeological research, thereby focussing on Archaeological their manuscripts and hope for a comparatively wide range Horizons 4 and 3, which point to different groups of humans of contributions in future. occupying the site within a short time under changing envi- ronmental conditions. The article by Zöller et al. (edited by Bayreuth, 1st December 2013 E&G / Vol. 62 / No. 2 / 2013 / 83 / DOI 10.3285/eg.62.2.00 / © Authors / Creative Commons Attribution License 83 Quaternary Science Journal GEOZON SCIENCE MEDIA Volume 62 / Number 2 / 2013 / 84–97 / DOI 10.3285/eg.62.2.01 ISSN 0424-7116 E&G www.quaternary-science.net Holocene sequences in the Mayan Lowlands – A provenance study using heavy mineral distributions Berenice Solís-Castillo, Christine Thiel, Héctor Cabadas Baez, Elizabeth Solleiro Rebolledo, Sergey Sedov, Birgit Terhorst, Bodo Damm, Manfred Frechen, Sumiko Tsukamoto How to cite: Solís-Castillo, B., Thiel C., Cabadas Baez, H., Solleiro Rebolledo, E., Sedov, S., Terhorst, B., Damm, B., Frechen, M., Tsu- kamoto, S. (2013): Holocene sequences in the Mayan Lowlands – A provenance study using heavy mineral distributions. – E&G Quaternary Science Journal, 62 (2): 84–97. DOI: 10.3285/eg.62.2.01 Abstract: Heavy mineral analysis of alluvial sediments and paleosols on Holocene terraces of the Usumacinta River provided an effective tool to reconstruct sediment provenance in the Mayan Lowlands. Furthermore, the mineralogical data are useful for pedostrati- graphic correlations in the region. Based on our observations from the Tierra Blanca