Pleistocene Terraces in the Hochrhein Area – Formation, Age Constraints and Neotectonic Implications
Pleistocene terraces in the Hochrhein area – formation, age constraints and neotectonic implications Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung der Würde eines Doktors der Philosophie Vorgelegt der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät Der Universität Basel von Stéphane Kock aus Coppet VD Basel 2008 I Genehmigt von der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät auf Antrag von Prof. Dr. Andreas Weztel Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Universität Basel PD. Dr. Frank Preusser Institut für Geologie, Universität Bern Basel, 24. Juni 2008 Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Hauri (Dekan der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät) II III Abstract Pleistocene fl uvial gravel terraces appear to be useful to decipher neotectonic movements. To achieve this, however, chronologic and sedimentologic data on the terraces are required. Thus, this thesis represents a multidisciplinary approach. After presenting methodological aspects of U/Th (Uranium-series disequilibrium) dating, compared to OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence), the ages obtained are used, together with sedimentological data, to constrain the formation processes and timing of the Late Pleistocene terraces in the Hochrhein area. Finally, the geometry of these terraces is interpreted in terms of neotectonics. Hitherto, dating coarse-grained sediment has proved often impossible due the lack of datable material, and developing new methods in this domain is thus of crucial importance. U/Th is a well established method, often used for speleothems and coral dating, and it is tested here on pedogenetic crusts growing within the Late Pleistocene gravels of the Hochrhein area. These results are compared to OSL ages from the same sampling sites. Our results show that this method has a development potential, but is highly dependant on a suffi cient and stable Uranium content of the samples, which is partly controlled by bacterial activity.
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