475

INQUA 1995

Quaternary field trips in Central Europe

Wolfgang Schirmer (ed.)

9 Rhein Traverse Wolfgang Schirmer

with contributions by

H. Berendsen, R. Bersezio, A. Bini, F. Bittmann, G. Crosta, W. de Gans, T. de Groot, D. Ellwanger, H. Graf, A. Ikinger, O. Keller, U. Schirmer, M. W. van den Berg, G. Waldmann, L. Wick

9. Rhein Traverse, W. Schirmer. — In: W. Schirmer (ed.): Quaternary field trips hl Central Europe, vo1.1, p. 475-558 ©1995 by Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munchen, ISBN 3-923871-91-0 (complete edition) —ISBN 3-923871-92-9 (volume 1) 476

external border of maximum glaciation

Fig.1 All Stops (1 61) of excursion 9. Larger setting in Fig. 2. Detailed maps Figs. 8 and 48 marked as insets 477 Contents

Foreword 479 The headwaters of the Rhein 497

Introductory survey to the Rhein traverse Stop 9: Via Mala 498 (W. ScI-~uvtER) 480 Stop 10: Zillis. Romanesque church 1. Brief earth history of the excursion area 480 of St. Martin 499 2. History of the Rhein catchment 485 The Flims- rockslide area 3. History of valley-shaping in the uplands 486 (W. SCHIItMER) 499 4. Alpine and Northern glaciation 486 Stop 11: Domat/Ems. Panoramic view of the rockslide area 500 5. Shape of the Rhein course 486 Stop 12: Gravel pit of the `Kieswerk plain and Southern Alps Reichenau, Calanda Beton AG' 500 (R. BERSEZIO) 488 Stop 13: Ruinaulta, the gorge The Po plain subsurface 488 piercing the Flims rockslide 501 The Southern Alps 488 Retreat Stades of the Würmian glaciation The Periadriatic Lineament (O. KELLER) 501 (Linea Insubrica) 488 Stop 14: Schwarzenegg, 4 km SE of Appenzell 502 Glacial deposits and morphology in the pre-Alps of Lombardia Stop 15: Haggen, (A. BINi) 489 3 km SW of the City of St. Gallen 503 Verbano (Lago Maggiore) Stop 16: Walzenpausen, end-moraine system 489 100 m abovethe village 503

Adda end-moraine system 489 Rhein foreland glacier The last glacial expansion 490 (D. ELLWANGER) 506 The glacier basin (South Alps) 490 Stop 17: moraine ridge of the Würmian maximum near Herlatzhofen 507 Stop 1: Cologna 491 Stop 18: Cross section Grönenbach 507 Stop 2: Villa Vergano 491 Stop 19: Viewpoint near Eichbühl 507 —Pollen sequences of Lago di Annone and Lago del Segrino (L. WICK) 491 Stop 20: Glacial basin of Füramoös 508 491 Stop 21: Würm Supermaximum at Ingoldingen, gravel pit a&b 508 Trip from to Barzio 492 Stop 22: Gravel pit of Bittelschieß 508 Stop 3: Fucine 493 Stop 23: Gravel pit Meichle &Mohr, Origin of the Prealpine valleys and 493 Radolfzell-Markelfingen 508 Stop 4: The 1987 Val Pola rock avalanche (G. CROSTA) 493 Hochrhein 509 Stop 24: Rhein falls near Central Alps (W. SCHIItMER) 509 (W. SCHn2MER) 494 Irchel Gravel series Stop 5: Bernina Pass (2323 m a. s. 1.) 495 (H. GRAF) 510 Stop 6: Montebello 496 Stop 25: Gravel pit `Irchel Ebni' Stop 7: Morteratsch glacier 496 SW Gräslikon 510 Stop 8: Julierpaß (2284 m a. s. 1.) 497 Stop 26: Hasli, N Dättlikon 510 478

The Oberrhein graben and its borders Stop 42: Gravel pit Klee, (NT 3) .535 (W. SCI-E12MER) 511 Stop 43: Gravel pit east of Torney The /Vogesen 512 (W. SCHIl2MER & A. 1KINGER) 535 Stop 27: Crest of the Vosges/Vogesen Stop 44: Prehistoric Museum Monrepos 535 near Rainkopf Mountain 513 Stop 45: Eppelsberg volcanic scoria Stop 28: Strassburger Münster /Cathedral 515 and lapilli cone 535 Stop 29: Gravel pit Gambsheim-Steinwald 515 Stop 46: Gravel pit Ariendorf 536 Stop 30: Gravel pit Gambsheim-Gräbelstücke 517 Stop 47: Erpeler Ley 537

Stop 31: Gravel pit Offendorf 517 Niederrhein Bay Stop 32: Port d'Offendorf 517 (W. SCHIRMER) 537 Stop 33: meander of Mauer 517 Stop 4S: Neandertal —locus typicus of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis 537 Stop 34: Sand pit Grafenrain — type locality of Homo erectus heidelbergensis 518 Stop 49: Kölner Dom/Cathedral of Cologne 539

Mittelrhein and Niederrhein Bay Stop 50: Gravel pit Holzweiler 540 (W. SCHIRMER) 520 Stop 51: Brickyard Erkelenz 541

Upper Mittelrhein Stop 52: Clay pit Brüggen-Öbel 542 (W. SCHIl2MER) 523 Stop 53: Schaephuysen Ridge 543 Stop 35: Loreley, Patersberg-Rheinblick 523 The Maas valley Mittelrhein Basin and lower Mittelrhein (M. W. VAN DEN BERG) 545 (W. SCHIILMER) 524 Stop 54: Panheel —Late Pleniglacial 545 Stop 36': Dreitonnenkuppe, Stop 55: Bosscherheide —Late Glacial 545 Kieseloolith-Terrasse (Siliceous Oolite Terrace) The Rijn-Maas delta in The Netherlands (uppermost Miocene to Pliocene) 524 during the Holocene Stop 37: Clay pit of Kärlich 525 (H. J. A. BERENDSEN) 547 — The Kärlich interglacial: Stop 56: Heerewarden 547 palaeobotanical investigations (F. BITTMANN) 526 Stop 57: Noordeloos (Alblasserwaard polder) 547 Quaternary volcanism of the Eifel 527 Stop 58: Montfoort 549 Stop 38: Laacher See volcano 528 Stop 39: Laacher See tephra pit The lower Rijn delta of Wingertsberg 529 (W. DE GANs & T. DE GROOT) 552 'The `Goldene Meile' (Golden Mile) 530 Stop 59: Oude Leede (Pleistocene and early Holocene fluvial Stop 40: Schwalbenberg/. systems) 553 Middle Würmian. 530 Stop 60: Storm-surge barrier The Niederterrassen (Low terraces) 532 in the Nieuwe Waterweg 554 Stop 41: Gravel pit Schmickler, Stop 61: Hook of Holland (NT 2) 532 (reworked Pleistocene marine deposits) 554 — Tephrobiology: The Breisig flora and fauna Stop 62: Stompwijk windmills 555 (G. WALDMANN) 532 Stop 63: Katwijk (Oude Rijn system) 555 — Early Late Glacial pollen record Stop 64: Noordwijk (coastal system) 555 of Miesenheim (LT. SCIIIRMER) 533 Addresses 557 479 Foreword The Rhein traverse gives a survey of the Alpine slides and delta environment. It presents glimpses glaciation, from its recent glaciers to the foreland of the primeval Rheinländer, the Homo erectus.hei- glaciation, as well as of the joining periglacial area delbergensis and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, of bounded by the Alpine glaciation and the south- some highlights of the landscape, as the Loreley western border of the Northern glaciation. It fol- and the volcanic Eifel, as well as some cultural lows the Rhein course with its history since Terti- highlights. It passes all the seven European coun- ary shaped by tectonics, climate and Alpine and tries belonging to the Rhein catchment, (I), Northern glaciation. It presents view into the ori- (CIS, Liechtenstein (FL), (A), gin of the valleys, the various valley forming proc- Germany (D), (F) and The Netherlands esses, which created different terrace styles, view (~)• into the problems of subdividing loess piles alter- Each Stop is headed by the international abbre- nating with tephra beds and fossil soils, into rock- viation of these countries followed by the respec-

` volcano .

/.::i= `;• ~ West European — :".i:;~+:•!•S 0 >— — I•::;: •~t rift system a 0 —_~ .::,rn ~ o a ` — ~~ •.~:c'~ Rhein o _ :• delta '` ~ _ !~°~ k''••~ f . o ch ~ ~ ~_ ~ —••: y~, •~ ~ ~

'wCl

= o — ~; ':C ~ ;;: •':'i:. _a }:.::... :..., ~ •: _ ~.~ O ~ ~~~V .~ ~ i .. ~~ ~~ ~ ~_ ~~ ~ -- ~--~ ~ ~►~::~ ' ~ ~::~~ - '~•:z- o Berlin msterdam ~~~ o' a, ~ ~ i ~ S~ n Rhein_—~' ~r~1/'. ~i~~• `~a __ _ Rhen~s S0 0 i ~~^ ~ '•~..® ~ e~ G ~a .= ~ h ~ o. r n s ~ar p m o~QSSe ~.~ p,\ P• h. : ~ 5 . ~ P / Milano Q o basin

0 km 500

Fig. 2 Excursion route 9 in a larger geological setting 480 tive topographical map (TM), coordinates and ele- English of this text. Thanks for much help to my vation. student workers PETRA HORNUNG, GUENOLA KAH- Thanks to all contributors for keeping compa- LERT, EvA IIQNGER M. A. (drawings), ANNE HOR- ny during field trips and preparing the contribu- NES, ROLF ZEDOW, to Dr. WULF HÜSKEN M. A. (typ- tions. Thanks to Ass. Prof. Dr. CHARLES ~VIARTIN, ing and layout) and to my wife URSULA. Kansas State University, for reviewing parts of the

Introductory survey to the Rhein traverse ~W. $CHIRMER~ 1. Brief earth history of the excursion area For the names of the different Rhein river sections see Fig. 3. The excursion passes the following eight tectonic, This eight units reflect the geological history of lithologic and morphologic units (Figs. 1 and 2): Europe since the Precambrian. 8. Rhein delta 7. Niederrhein graben Pre-Variscan time 6. Rhenish Shield 5. Oberrhein graben In places there are socles of the Variscan fold belt 4. French-South German scarpland exhibiting pre-Variscan metamorphosis. These so- 3. Northern Alpine molasse basin cles are attributed to the late Proterozoic Cadomic 2. Alps (= Assyntic) resp. to the late Caledonian orogeny 1. Southern Alpine molasse basin (Po basin) (Silurian-Lower Devonian). The Caledonian orog- eny was effected by closing the Iapetus ocean be- P tween North America and Europe. It resulted in a ® large north European-north American continent, ~ the Old Red continent (Laurussia). Part of it is the ® v Brabantian Massif, which forms the core of the . Amsterdam northwestern Rhenish Shield. Vecht ~j~~e, . O d Kromme Rijn w ~de m N~ Rii n ~%//ijJj;j /~ Variscan era %,,~+~ ni; e p ~..,..~~...,.-~~///i•.i,: /"~,/r~,!~~ ji..iii,. The Old Red continent extended from the north ,Wao~~ , P~ ; into the including the Rhein delta. ; ; Millingen s ( ; A~nhem ~ Southward a geosyncline was joining from the j Wijk Niederrhein through the Po basin (Devonian- Utrecht Lower Carboniferous). Carboniferous collision between Gondwana and Laurussia created the

ai. P~ ~

Bingen

.mac

c c d ~ 0

Bode P ,C 2 Basel Hochrhein ~ a~c a Q tn vor~ecch Rei~henau

0 100 200km ~nte~~re,~ N Fig. 3 Names of the different Rhein river sections 481

supracrustal nappes, partly with gravitational displacements

predominantly gravitational nappes ~~~~ and resedimented blocs Pre-Variscan stable blocs thrust front of nappes with occurrences `~i of granulites (black dots ) mtracrustal nappes I~~~'~~~~I~ with inversion of metamorphic grade O presumed plate boundaries

Fig. 4 Variscan belt of Central Europe. ItII —1Zhenohercynian Zone; ST — Saxothuringian Zone; MO — Moldanubian Zone; L.B.M. —London/Brabant Massif (Caledonian); D.M. — Domnoneo-Mancellian (Cadomian) and Icariien (Lower Proterozoic); T.B. — Tepla/Barrandean (Cadomian); M.S. — Moravo-Silesian (Cadomian) (modified from BEHR et al. 1984: 16) ►~!

Variscan fold belt (Fig. 4). Since Upper Carboni- _ versant, ferousthe fold belt became terrestric with molasse Penninic trough: eugeosynclinal deep sea with a stade. The northern, extern molasse basin develops mid ocean ridge, to a continuously subsiding trough (Saxonian Austroalpine trough: southern miogeosyncline, basin), which is nowadays the north-central Euro- South Alpine trough: southern miogeosyncline at pean lowland including the southern North Sea. the African versant. Variscan remnants are visible in the Alpine socle, The succeeding crustal shortening (Fig. 6) between Schwarzwald, Vosges, Odenwald, Spessart, Africa and Europe summits in three climax stades: Haardt, Rhenish Shield and Harz (Fig. 1). 1. Around boundary Lower/Upper Cretaceous (eo-Alpine phase) Alpidic era 2. Eocene -Lower Oligocene (meso-Alpine From Permian on, two basins, the Saxonian basin phase) and the Tethysian Alpine basin are growing and 3. Oligocene -early Pliocene (neo-Alpine phase) enlarging in extent and depth. In between, the Simultaneously with the meso-Alpine phase the German uplands vary from islands within an epi- WER cut from the southern North Sea through the continentalsea to land masses. Since Permian/Tri- central European upland, thus creating the Nied- assic, the West European rift system (WER) (Fig. 2) errhein graben, the small Mittelrhein basin (in the starts to open between Scotland and Norway to midst of the Rhenish Shield) and the Oberrhein procede like a zipper towards south. graben (Figs. 2 and 7). During the Middle Oli- By Middle Triassic, rifting and opening of the gocene this graben rift system became to a far ex- Tethysian ocean starts reaching its climax during tent marine connecting the Alpine with the north- Jurassic. It' exhibits the following zonation (Fig. 5): ern lowland sea. Helvetic trough: miogeosyncline at the European From the Upper Oligocene on uplift starts both 482

Vogesen• Mid-ocean ridges Schwarzwäld oceanic crust transform P faults ~~~ ~ Q c,~e~i S normal faults E~~~°oa ,, h e C ~te ~. M~ a ~ 2 OSS~v ~ tn 2 Po< ~ ~ ~°tamo55`V ~ ~ e ~ \ ~ 0 .~o~~%i/1, ~' ~ ~ p S mo~° 0 c~ ~`~ \ P~~~9°~~ ~~.0

Q ` .~0~•~~ \ •`co O ~\Q ~~F° O e~o O~'\ 5~, +~ ~~<0 5 ~ A ♦ ~ ~ en ~ a ~,•.ad~P o~.m ~ ~ ; J ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ Fig. 5 Trough pattern of Q' v O Ö j ~n C~ the Jurassic Alpine Tethys ~ ca. ~~0 100 km a (modified from LABHART •~y CiÖ_ V y 1992: 153)

~~ na es N A ~stro a~pi n e S Err geprnina Periadriatic line s;i ::~;;!~~V~~• ,;:;:_s:::~:'r~~ i .iiiin►_:' . _. ::t ~~-~ic~ South Alps km 0

_ ~Pper Grus - , ~"'"il ''''i~~l!III~~~~II ~ho 50 ~ °we~ ~..""~nl~ /n q n t! P i00km

~:".•/'::~•:~ Tertiary deposits (molasse) +++++++++++~" Berget[ granite 100 Suture between Europe and Africa black: oceanic crust (Platta nappe) Europe Africa Mesozoic deposits Fig. 6 N—S cross section of the Alps along the excursion crust and mantle route (modified after LABHART 1992: 158) 483

;~;~: ;.::;:,,;;: maximum ice extent

.'°'`; uplifted nreas previous drainage ~` of the Rhein

~` major faults

j////. Rhein delta

MB Mittelrhein basin

Fig. 7 Course of the Rhein controlled by the Western European rift system (WER) and the Alpine and Northern glaciation (modified from ScrlaztvlER 1994: 187) 484

- •, ~~ ~~~,.-;: ~___ ~- ~ pll~ ~~~ • • II,,;,y~,:- ;A::~_ ::- .~:::' a . _~----.,.:. __..::~s,;:; -~~:-~: .t.. ------~ .. . .:;;: i ._,~_...::~~;.~r::x~:::•;,.~-;~:.:-~..:~------...... ,.,.------. I~i / ~~illl~llllll._"~' 3: » ::;.~.~------Illp : ~i~~------I II ~ i:-I ~ ti. 'S`Y.?~'•i <ü::;i------••— II I ~~pII~dII~~,Msc, Y_~,~r4.».=~~., •...:~~..;" •. ~------_ II Ys'~'^"`;:'cö:;";;+.`i IIIIII ~---- ~ -- ~- ~ 1 .,. I,~`II ~ ~xj:;üw`4'r.;.~,~r:y,_~~~~;~.,m::..:;:~V;::~.,~~<,,x._F'_------.. :~.,~;;,c ::."'':------_ ~ ----- :._. r;.?;<;.:?+,,Ji------~ _ ~ ~-- ,~~--.i~"~------.~ `i~ ` ~--~--~_+------~ ~~;—~~--~ ~------^~ Q N IIII II ~/---- ~_J------~ I ~------~ i---~'~-- ~ ---C , a ~ T ~MI`~~_----_. I 'I /~. ~ =-~~ d ~~~ F n i s n.~-_ ;~~ ~~ Ir ':~ ;\ a . ";~.,~:;r<.:<~s:~_:•:~.:~.,.////~i %~;~'" ~ ~~ i ~, :~;r..:~..c~;i' \`..(:.:r~ti~\\',y\~ ;;*~}^::.5~,ti:,`.~ ~ i ,/ ~~;. ::;: i ~s'Ci w~~;' ~;;~~ T,;~~i~:::. ~'•~ 1I \\~ r,;,c2':il;l,,~ ~ /, ~,.~rr`~ \,:~="'o `'';c~i ' _ ~ r~ .,+'~'~Q j+ ~' / ,;,~:Y, II% \\ ~5 .~=z7~ ~r, I ~ \,.:~,rQ •.,~,,~~'`'4.:::,~:~D Ji11 ~~ ~, ~~ I ~ ~ i • C h uyr~~- `~ ~ ~~' jllll`Ilglll~~~ ~~~~®_. ~ =~ ~ ~~~`, ~ ..;;;;;5~r~ _ ~ ~ I~,,,~ ®\ ..~~ %/r ~ e I eC \\ "{'''K';~~~i ~r Q ~~.~~~\\.~;;~`h.''~i°~;:~ ~~ ~~~~ O I ~ ~r cThusis 5

+_i i:':.~ ~ - ~~~ ._~—~+.r — ~ i t ic l ine ~^ _ ~~u~ b a s e m e n t ~~r ~~ii~ ' n e ~~ :::'' oa g t p i _ ~ . —~~.rr , ! e~~ h ~on~►~ , ~ ~ .i~~s~~~~/K~~r~ e '( ~ii~~1~~' ~.~ ~~ A~~!{7=1t~~r~~~ J ~j~f ~►1~~~ Ö -~n~~ ~ ~~~~~~ = O ~~~~ ~~~~ l~~ ~ /~~~\~~~~~~~!•~ S ~~J~'~ ti i~l•~t" I~ls~~ d ~ t•tlV~~!•~~!• ri ~ ~ä,\~!•I ~~~ 7 ~ ~~~~~~~~a "' ~ L<~r~ 1~t ~~\ l~l~K©Jl•~ ~~l•t•~~/ ~ ~~~ ~ ~i~t•► ~~~ ~~~~~~~ q t•~t•~~~ ~~ ~~~t. .~~~~'•~`1■r►~~~~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~ 1~~~~~~~__~~_~~~~~'~,i.~~~~. ~~ .~r ~ ,o ~~~ s.~r•w ~ Profile Fig.12 ~_ g _-- `— ~!•~~tT.oe.r/I~~ ' : \ ~~t•~~~ ~~ ~~~~~_ ~:~:~e. ~~ y©;, s ~~~~~~~• .i'~.i~~ ~~ ~~► _'_ f n l i t e _~t~~, s. U r~ _ ~A~t•t•~ ~~\_;.I!! 485 in the Alps and in central Europe. As consequence, since lower Pleist — the WER became terrestric between Upper Oli- Plioc./ Pleist. U.Mioc./ Plioc. gocene and Lower Miocene, the northern Alpine L./U.Mioc. molasse basin after Lower Miocene. The southern Olig./L.Mioc. Alpine molasse basin fell shortly dry during the recent Rhein "; catchment Messimman salinity crisis (end-Miocene) when the Mediterrranean was isolated from the Atlantic ocean and evaporated highly. At that time the south Alpine rivers created deep valley incisions, Broh[—Rhein ; the predecessors of the recent valleys. Thus, a suc- G~• . . . _ , . ceeding early Pliocene transgression pierced even ~ai~ into the exits of the south Alpine valleys. During the later Pliocene the Po plain became terrestric. :z The Niederrhein graben was gradually filled by y• . ~'ä the Rhein delta. The coast line started in the Upper ;_ y • ' Oligocene at Bonn and entered, migrating gradu- . • ;L ' allynorthward, the recent Rhein delta (Figs.1-3) at .~ the beginning of the Quaternary. This Rhein delta . depositional stack encompasses a highly complete ~~ . : ----: Neogene and Quaternary sequence (Fig. 8~. ' ,Q.`~~ ~ Lr S The tectonic action was. accompanied by rich volcanic activity. The Jurassic central Alpine (Pen- ¢ Pj v ninic) rifting devised a thick ophiolite complex _ P formed to the later Platta nappe (Figs. 5 and 8). ?~ From Upper Cretaceous up to modern times the European platform north of the Alps was effected Fig. 9 Expansion of the Rhein course. AFR =Alpine fore- by strong volcanism creating large volcanic land- land Rhein scapes as the Hegau and Kaiserstuhl (Figs. 2 and Lower/Middle Miocene they joined to one Rhein 3~ effected by an Upper mantle pillow below the system (Kaiserstuhl-Rhein). Promoted by uplift of southern Oberrhein graben, or the Westerwald, the Western Alps and by vaulting of the southern Siebengebirge and Eifel (Figs. 2 and 55) caused by Oberrhein graben, the Rhein enlarged its catch- a crustal thinning below the Mittelrhein. ment towards south. Its head area lay since mid- Miocene around the Kaiserstuhl, since Plio-Pleis- 2. History of the Rhein catchment tocene in the Alpine foreland, since early Lower With the uplift of the WER an oldest Rhein was Pleistocene in the Alps via river system. Since born in the Rhenish Shield draining to the north late Lower Pleistocene it encroached the Alpen- (BrohlRhein) (Fig. 9). Another one drained the rhein system that was draining to the Donau be- Oberrhein graben from south to north. During the fore.

Q Fig. 8 Tectonical units North-Helvetic Flysch Flysch (Upper Cret.-Eoc.) of the Alps between Mesozoic to Middle Eocene Infra- Mesozoic Bodensee and Lago di helvetic covering the Al- x x Basement of Aar massif Basement Penninic pine Rhein catchment nappes (drawn on the basis of Permian to Eocene ~ , Falknis,Sulzfluh Helvetic ~~~ and Tasna nappes the Tektonische Karte ...... Basement of nappes der Schweiz 1:500,000; ...... ~ Tavefsch massiv Platta pappe 2. ed.,1980) South-Helvetic strip sheets Mesozoic ~ ~':. . . . (Upper Cretaceous-Eocene) Lower Austroalpine i i ~ i ~ Basement nappes Mesozoic 1 Ultrahelvetic- Mesozoic Basement Jj Infrapenninic Upper Austroalpine Basement nappes 486

trough vafley terr. l slope terraces valley bottom terr. Trogtalterrassen `I Hangterrassen Talgrundterrassen slope toe Low terc floodplain terr. terc Niederterr. Auenterrassen Hangfuß- terr.

terrare amount of stack o,,,_~_. cover beds Fig. 10 Scheme of ter- gladal Terrassen- stapel ~ - _ __ = o.m~=~o race texture of some upland rivers

3. History of valley-shaping in the uplands In Lombardia there are hints for a late Pliocene glaciation (cf. contrib. Brz~). Likewise plateau It can roughly be outlined by aseven-membered gravel in the northern Alpine foreland interpreted story: as Biberian glaciation may root in the Pliocene (cf. 1. During the Tertiary, evident since the Eocene/ contrib. ELLWANGER). The Biber and Donau glaci- Oligocene, an enormous valley incision took ations are represented only by plateau gravels, the place. In places the Tertiary share of valley in- so-called `Deckschotter' complex. The Günz and cisioncan belargerthanthat ofthe Quaternary. Mindel glaciation complex comprises at least five The result is atrough-like valley deepened into glacial periods, that are represented by glacigenic the land surface; it is wider than that of the deposits as well as the fluvioglacial plateau gravel Quaternary (trough valley terraces) (Figs. 10, complex, the `Deckenschotter' (cf. contrib. ELL- 46 and 47). WANGER and GRAF). According to magnetostraii- 2. During Pliocene/early Lower Pleistocene, riv- graphical evidences this complex is of Matuyama ers formed large meanders within this trough age. valley. A strong morphotectonic event separates the 3. During the course of the Lower Pleistocene in Mindelian from the Rissian complex. The latter larger upland areas strong tectonical uplift encompasses three glacigenic sequences (Older, forced these meanders to incise, in places down Middle and Younger Rissian) separated by inter- about to the recent river level (entrenched me- glacials, the following Würmian two glacigenic anders). sequences (Lower and Upper Wiirmian) (cf. con- 4. Late Lower Pleistocene to early Middle Pleis- trib. ELLWANGER). tocene: Due to prevailing tectonic subsidence Undoubtly the Weichselian glaciation in the rivers pile up thick aggradations of some ten north corresponds to the Upper Würmian in the meters in height equalising the preceding inci- south. The Saalian glaciation complex in the north sion to a certain rate (terrace stack). corresponds to the Middle and Younger Rissian in 5. Mid-Middle Pleistocene: Rivers dissect their the south. The Elsterian glaciation (of normal mag- depositional stack indicating new widespread netic polarity) may correspond to the Older Ris- tectonical uplift. Thereby they form a terrace sian; both are overlain by the typical Holstein staircase as result of alternating erosion and interglacial in the north and the Samerberg-II- aggradation (valley slope terraces). `Holstein' type in the south (Fig. 87). On the other 6. Late Middle Pleistocene: Since the antepenulti- hand in Thüringen and Niedersachsen MANL4 mate glacial period rivers form a gentle stair- (1994:56) describes the Elster and Saale glaciation case in the lower part of the valley (slope toe as being separated by three interglacial and two terraces). glacial periods. 7. Upper Pleistocene to Holocene: Rhythmical fluvial deposition, since the Late Würmian pre- vailing lateral accretion in the valley bottom 5. Shape of the Rhein course (valley bottom terraces) (see Stop 29). The Rhein course is generally determined by the West 2). 4. Alpine and Northern glaciation Eurpoean rift system (WER) (Fig. The Rhein s'carted being a river within this system, Although the Rhein is the only river touching both drained at first within this system into the North the Alpine and the Northern glaciation (Figs. 1, 7 Sea and encroached the Alps by means of this rift. and 11), up to now it did not succeed to connect Thus, the Rhein is a rift river. both. However, its recent head area is positioned 487

maximum Würmian glaciation

Fig. 11 The Alps during the maximum Würmian glaciation (modified from EIILERS 1994: 10) outside this rift, and its delta bends westward off Themse und Seine as tributaries (Fig. 2). With the this rift (Fig. 7). These deviations were effected by Saalian glaciation this new course has been consol- both the Alpine and the northern glaciations. idated. Asucceeding southward trend of the delta When the Alpenrhein glacier, draining to the Don- is still ongoing affected by the tidal activity that is au so far, entered the former Rhein-Donau divide controlled by the Channel (cf. SCHIRMER 1994:187). in the Randen area between the Bodensee and Ba- BEHR, H:J., ENGEL, W., FRANKE, W., GIESE, P. & WEBER, K. sel (Figs. 31 and 33) the meltwater spilled over to (1984): The Variscan Belt in Central Europe: main the Rhein. As the Rhein level is much deeper there structures, geodynamic implications, open ques- (250 m) than that of the Donau (400 m), by the tions. - Tectonophysics, 109: 15-40; Amsterdam. glacier retreat the whole Bodensee glacier basin FREERS, J. (1994): Allgemeine und historische Quartärge- and its feeder, the Alpenrhein, used this new ologie. - 358 p.; Stuttgart (Enke). drainage way. Hence, the Alpenrhein glacier LABIIART, T. P. (1992): Geologie der Schweiz. - 211 p.; drained during the very climax of later glaciations Thun (Ott). MANIA, D. (1994): Die Terrassen-Travertin-Sequenz von for a short while to the Donau when it climbed the Bilzingsleben. - Ethnogr.-Archäol. Z., 34: 554-575. Rhein-Donau divide in the northern and eastern SCHIIZMER, W. (1994): Der Mittelrhein im Blickpunkt der part of the Bodensee basin. Rheingeschichte. -In: KOENIGSWALD, W. V. &MEYER, In the north the first big glaciation (?Elster) W. [eds.]: Erdgeschichte im Rheinland. Fossilien und formed an ice barrier across the North Sea by con- Gesteine aus 400 Millionen Jahren:- 179-188; Mün- necting the Scottish and Scandinavian ice shields. chen (Pfeil). Thus, the Rhein was forced to bend westward in Schweizerische Geologische Kommission [ed.]: Geology front of the ice barrier and to drain through the of Switzerland - a guide-book, A: 104 p., 1 encl., B: 334 p.; Basel (Wepf). English Channel into the Atlantic ocean getting the 488 Po plain and Southern Alps (l~t. BERSEZIO~ The Po Plain subsurface the southernmost relieves at the border of the Po plain. The Flessura Pedealpina tectonic step lowers On the basis of the geophysical interpretation a the Rhaethian-Lower Cretaceous successions of magnetic basement (crystalline rocks and Permo- about 2 km southwards (SCHONBORN 1992). The Scythian ), Mesozoic carbonates and a youngest and more external foothill area of the Cenozoic-Quaternary foredeep basin fill can be chain is buried beneath the Po plain basin fill (P]ERI separated. The foredeep successions developed & GROPPI 1981; CASSANO et a1.1986), and has been in the common Alpine-Apenninic foreland area, called Milano belt by LAUBSCHER (1985) (Fig. 12). building two huge clastic wedges, up to 10 km thick, whose deposition was controlled by the The Periadriatic Lineament (Linea Insubrica) emplacement of the South Alpine and Apeiuiinic thrusts. The succession of the South Alpine margin It is a steeply north-dipping and east-west trend- represents the South Alpine molasse (MENARD ing fault zone (Figs. 8 and 12) that in pre-Alpine 1988). to neo-Alpine times accomodated large dextral The structural framework of this area is charac- strike-slip movements (60 km since the early Mio- terized to the north by the south-verging thrusts of cene) (LAusscl-~R 1971). Considerable dip-slip Southern Alps, sealed by the uppermost Miocene- displacements (SCHIv1ID et al. 1989) resulted in Pliocenesediments, and to the south by the north- southward upthrusting and backfolding of the verging Apenninic thrusts. These two thrust sys- north-alpine greenschist to amphibolitic grade tems face a common foreland, along the axis of the metamorphic nappes over the southalpine units. Po plain. Subsidence patterns of the Po plain fore- The latter underwent only very low-grade meta- deep were therefore determined by the emplace- morphism during the Alpine deformation. ment of the two opposite thrust belts. The tectonic CASSANO, E., ANELLI, L. & FICI3ERA, R. (1986): Pianura load of the Apenninic thrusts is responsible for the Padana, interpretazione integrata di dati geofisici e latest subsidence/uplift history of the Po plain geologici. - 73° Congresso Soc. Geol. Italiana: 23 pp. area, postdating the Alpine evolution and influ- CTTA, M. B., GELATI, R. & GREGNANIIV, A. [eds.] (1991): encing the drainage patterns. Guide Geologiche Regionali, 1. Alpi e Prealpi Lom- barde. - 292 pp.; Roma. The Southern Alps DESIO, A. (1929): Studi geologici sulla regione dell'Al- benza (Prealpi Bergamasche). - Mem. Soc. It. Sci. The central part of Southern Alps in Lombardia, Nat., 10: 1-156. consists of a fold and thrust belt comprising a LAUBSCHER, H. P. (1971): Das Alpen-Dinariden-Problem northern E W trending strip of basement rocks and die Palinspastik der südlichen Tethys. - Geol. and sedimentary successions generally younging Rundschau, 60: 813-833; Stuttgart. southwards (Fig. 8). Ixt outcrops, the Variscan — (1985): Large scale thin-slänned thrusting in South- ernAlps: kinematic models. - basement d Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., an the Triassic units form the Orobian 96: 710-718. Alps and the Prealpine belt, while the Jurassic-Ter- MENARD, G. (1988): Structure et cinematique dune tiary units belong to the border chain correspond- chaine de collision. Les Alpes Occidentale et Central- ing to the Flessura Pedealpina (DESIO 1929) and to es. -These Univ. J. Fourier, Grenoble.

(\J Penninic belt Southern Atps F[essura Po ptain S Pedeatpina M.LEGNONE SETT. RESEGONE M. ALBENZA [NIAVENNA I I ca I co l Malossa I VALiASSlNA I TREYIGL70 (pazzoAGIP) I I ~ D . f.l.• (~n/~j~~~, -Z~ ~ ~ ~ !~ ~/%/ ~~~)1 rr ~~ ~~~~~~ ~ .--- -~aao X ~_ ~ ~ ~~~~f to ~• F~gli. d.l Tonal. Line. Inaubriu ALPI MERIDIONALI

7 ~:.':.':' ~ne G••~-• 2 3 4 ® 5 ~ 6 7 ~. B 9 M= Mesozoic Fig. 12 Interpretative geological cross section of the Lombazdian Southern Alps between the Adda and Brembo Rivers (location of the geological cross-section in Fig. 8). After CTTA et al. [eds.] 1991: 51, morlifed. l) South Alpine basement; 2) Variscan intrusives; 3) Permian elastics; 4) Lower-Middle Triassic cazbonates; 5) Upper Triassic carbonates; 6) Jurassic syn- to post -rift succession; ~ Cretaceous succession; 8) Terfiary sediments; 9) Quaternary deposits 489

PIERI, M. & GROPPI, G. (1981): Subsurface geological Lion of the Alps. — In: COWARD et al. [eds.]: Alpine structure of the Po Plain, Italy. — C. N. R.-Frog. final. Tectonics: 153-171. Geodinamica, Sottoprog. "Modello Strutturale", SCHONBORN, G. (1992): Alpine tectonics and kinematic Publ. 414: 13 p., 10 fig., 7 tay. models of the Central Southern Alps. — Mem. Sci. SCHMID, S., AEBLI, H. R., HELLER, F. & ZINNG, A. (1989): Geol., 44: 230-393. The role of the Periadriatic Line in the tectonic evolu-

Glacial deposits and morphology in the pre-Alps of Lombardia . ~A. BIND

Verbano (Lago Maggiore) end-moraine system Adda end-moraine system The first evidences of glacial expansion occur in The Adda glacier splits into several tongues (Fig. Valle della Fornace SW of Varese and have been 14) which caused the Faloppio, Como, Lambro and ascribed to the Late Pliocene (isotope stages 96- Lecco end-moraine systems. This end-moraine 100?) bymeans of paleomagnetism and palynolog- system consists of fewer glacial units than the Ver- ical dating (UGGERI et a1.1994). The areal extension bano one. This difference maybe ascribed to a dif- reached by this glacier is unknown. The glacial ferent degree of isostatic uplifting and neotectonic inventory of the Lago Maggiore area reveals seven deformation. The Verbano area was subject to in- different geologic units within the end-moraine tense neotectonic deformation from the Late Plio- system. These units can be related to seven glacia- cene up to the present. This phenomenon caused tions, separated by interglacials (DA RoLn et al. the uplifting of the piedmont sector, which acted 1994). The youngest one belongs to isotope stage 2 as a major barrier for each subsequent glaciation (Fig. 13). The other units range in age from Early (BIIVI et a1. 1993). Because of the tectonic evolution, Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene (> 30,000 yr BP). the ancient bodies were not completely buried by

• .,.:.• MASSIMA ESIENSIONC OCI OHIACCIAI •~\i\\~

PIZZO a~ti~~ GNIACCIAI ATiHALI TAMBO• PIZZO BERNINA

Fig. 13 Schematic map showing the maximum glacial extension in Lombardia (from OROMBELLI, in CrrA et al. 1991: 55, modified) 490

low the glacier (SACCHI 1993). This model is con- Val Chiavenna trary to the sudden and catastrophic drainage glacier event hypothesized by previous authors (BINI 1987).

Bl[VI, A. (1987): L'apparato glaciale Wiirmiano di Como. - Tesi di Dottorato di Ricerca, Dipartimento di Sci- Valtellina glacier enze della Terra, Universitä di Milano. BB~ri, A., RIGANTONTI, I. & UGGERI, A. (1993): Evidenze di tettonica recente nell'area Monte Campo dei Fiori - Lago di Varese. - Il Quaternario, 6 (1): 3-14. l/arro~P CITA, M. B., GELATI, R. & GREGNANTIV, A. [eds.] (1991): Val Guide Geologiche Regionali, 1. Alpi e Prealpi Lom- tongue Val Valsassina barde. - 292 pp.; Roma. tongue DA BOLD, O., BIAII, A., UGGERI, A., BUSSOLINI, C., ZUCCO- A LI, L., BARBIERI, L., BELLI, A., BERTI, P., CARBONARA, S., CUCCHI, C., KOlvTnv, A., JANSZF.N, H., ROGATE, P., ö VALENTI, D. & ZANINI, M. (1994): Rilevamento dell' P Faloppio apparato glaciale del Lago Maggiore. - I depositi tongue Plio-Quaternari a 1'evoluzione del territorio varesino: 6-61; Milano (Dip. Sc. Terra della Univ.). SACCHI, L. (1993): Rilevamento dei depositi quaternari nell'area settentrionale del Triangolo Lariano e ricos- Lambro and Lecco tongue truzioni paleogeografiche delle fasi di ritiro glaciate. - Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitä di Milano, Tesi di Laurea inedita. UGGERI, A., FELBER, M., BINI, A., BIGNASCA, C. & RAVAZ- zI, C. (1994): La successione della Val Pornace. - depositi Plio-Quaternari e 1'evoluzione del territorio Fig. 14 Schematic map showing the Adda glacier in the varesino: 63-92; Milano. central sector of Lago di Como (from GAETANI & BINI, in CITA et al. 1991: 210, modified) The Adda glacier basin (South Alps) the more recent sediments, as it was the case for the Turning at the end of the freeway (Usmate) to the Adda end-moraine system. state road towards Lecco there is a cliff which lim- All the end-moraine systems exhibit cemented its aterrace consisting of fluvial conglomerates gravels (so-called ceppo) of Late Pliocene -Early (ceppo) and strongly weathered, ancient glacial Pleistocene age. deposits. Passing a high plain, which consists of ancient fluvioglacial deposits exhibiting loess cov- The last glacial expansion er, we will reach the first rocky hillocks and mo- Its sediments are named the Alloformazione di raines of the Lecco end-moraine system near Mer- Cantü in the end-moraine systems of the Adda ate. From Calco in western direction the road runs glacier. It corresponds only in part to the Würm along the valley of Rovagnate. This valley joins the auct. Consequently, the areal extension of the last Lambro end-moraine system area to the Lecco glacial expansion is not as large as it was believed end-moraine zone. During the last glacial expan- to be in the past (Fig. 13). sion, alateral branch of both the glaciers trans- In the Como end-moraine system it is possible flowed into the valley, but did not reach the anas- to recognize two minor phases of glacial advance tomotic stage. which occurred during the general glacial retreat. Entering Rovagnate we pass a huge moraine In the course of the deglaciation phase, wide belonging to the Lambro end-moraine system. It and shallow (5 to 10 m deep) marginoglacial encloses a broad lacustrine plain with the follow- and proglacial lakes formed in the Lambro and ing depositional sequence: Como end-moraine systems. When the glacier re- - laminated clay and silt lacking organic matter treatedbehind Bellagio, these marginoglacial (top) waters gradually flowed into the Lecco branch - fossiliferous marls bearing molluscs marginoglacial lake, located 58 m below. Part of - peat (14C ages range from 10,620 ± 60 yr BP the waters crossed a fluvioglacial plain which through 4,780 ± 80 yr BP) stretched between the glacier to the N and the - laminated sand and silt mountain slope to the S. Another part flowed be- - gravel and sand (bottom) a ~},~~''~p ~~ ~" ä~~fit S}} -%_~c''T ^. p ~''A. V'1rN~~A^l-~1 -~4 . ,t~xy~!{-l.µ `%.x-,~. ~*.~~^' . .~ ~i.; 6 }L, .N~.n*((f- ~~rr Y'+-?~^S"yrl .UA t ~+-~r~'~"~~ pp~~ ~~., d,~q~ ^ .I~r ~/1Jt"'- • ~~`yaGN. ..i "~+~ Co.a,...ßr,~~Q~`y,. ~l..n,..~.A~ PT~^~C.~, cF'~~! ' V 1Ce,~l'K~ 491 ~~ l( C ffu~'' ` QSL- di,.~,~-~! :N ~`'~ ~t~0w, ~,

R9 w~ °i'.,-E,r~r~.~,

Fig. 15 View of the del- ta-moraine of Insiraga- Cologna dd = foresets; dg =till. Black asterisks =logs (after GNACCOLI f & OROMBELLI, 1976)

Stop 1: Cologna region, an area characterized by relatively warm I — TM 50: sheet 097 Vimercate, temperatures and high precipitation. R 52687, H 506655, 300 m a. s. I. The pollen diagram (Fig. 16) shows a steppe During the retreat from the maximum position, at vegetation dominated byArtemisia and Gramineae Rovagnate, a lake was fed by meltwater of the during the early Late Glacial, followed by an initial delta (dd in Fig.15). The overlying till (dg) is relat- stade of reforestation with Juniperus, Salix, and ed to alittle readvance of the glacier (OROMBELLI & Hippophae. The expansion of Betula dated to 13,690 GNACCOLIIVI 1978). yr BP and the development of an open birch forest correspond with a change from silt to Stop 2: Villa Vergano lake marl. At about 12,300 yr BP Pinus sylvestris I — TM 50: sheet 097 Vimercate, expanded, and the forests became denser. Due to R 52934, H 507010, 666 m a. s. I. the situation of the investigation area close to the glacial refuges Quercus, Tilia, and Litmus immigrat- Location on top of the terminal moraine of the last ed during the Allermd. At the beginning of the glacial maximum advance (Alloformazione di Younger Dryas the thermophilous trees disap- Cantu). The glacier came from the Lecco branch of peared, and Betula, Artemisia, and other heliophil- Lago di Como, splitted into two parts at Monte ousherbs became more frequent. Mixed oak forest Barro forming the two end-moraine systems of and hazel expanded very quickly at the beginning Lambro (west) and Lecco (east). The two tongues of the Holocene; somewhat later Abies and Alnus anastomosed at the col of Galbiate, which can be became important, too. There is very little human seen to the north. Some of the hills to the west impact recorded in the pollen diagram before ca. consist partly of bedrock (flysch), others are true 2,000 yr BP. Major vegetation changes happened moraines. Between these hills there is a broad during the Roman settlement and the Middle plain which bounds the lakes of Annone, Pusiano Ages. At this time the cultivation of Castanea sativa and Alserio. The maximum last glacial expansion and Secale became important, and great parts of the plain stopped at these hills. The with the lakes of oak forests below 800-1000 m a. s. 1. were cleared. Pusiano (258 m) and Alserio (260 m) is the result of glacial retreat that stopped a little above the rocky cliff at Annone. After the complete drainage of this Valsassina lake the lake of Annone (226 m) developed only in The sedimentary succession between Lecco and a subsequent stade of glacial retreat. Thus, the has been deposited from the Permian to lakes of Brianza formed as a consequence of both the Triassic. The most characteristic features of the the characteristics of the substrate and, to a lesser landscape in Valsassina are carved in Ladinian extent, glacial deposition. Consequently, these carbonate platform fades. Today, Valsassina is lakes should not be considered as intermoraine hanging over both to the N (Bellano) lakes. and to the S (Lecco). • The evolution of the valley can be described as Pollen sequences of Lago di Annone follows: Iri Valsassina the , which now and Lago del Segrino flows northwards, used to flow to the south (L. WICK through the Canyon di Balisio down to Lecco. The Lago di Annone (226 m a. s. 1.) and Lago del Seg- fluvial deposits of this evoluiionary stage are iden- rino (374 m a. s. 1.) are situated in the Insubrian tified by the conglomerates of Ponte Bella Folla, 492 \o'`. oy ym~ ~ o .\yti•~`~ ,°t o , e~~} oyF r y 5~° °Q°ä~°~°~~°~~~`~0 coa•oec\Q ec~y Jy 0~~0~\oyoy Q,~r ryaQ°~+ ~~+~oyo y~a 'J y J y 0y 0~ JyJ~Jy 0l°J ~e~\ °°~`° c~`~ o~~'Oe .oJ~'~J~~ Q`°F°~~`c oo, P~ ~ ~ Q-J '~r ~ Zone Oy ~Q~`Q5o JJ QcE" G° ;T~Q°~J~` P~r P~O~ -280- E... F-- k-- M -300-

-320- AT -340-

-360-

-380-

-400- BO -420-

-440- ..-PB- -460-

-480-

-500- DR3

-520-

-540-

-560-

-580- AL -soo- -szo- -640- ~-- -660-

-680-

-700- ;13'690 ä i' IOS -720- DR1

_740_ ~ . ~ ~ 100 20 20 20 . 4 2~ ~ EO ~ 40 20,...... ,40 V.~^~80~..~.._90 ~ Trees Shrubs Herbs Grasses

Fig. 16 Pollen diagram of Lago di Annone: Late Glacial and early Holocene (Anal. L. WICK 1994)

which predate the glacial expansions. 'This phase glomerates and tillites. These deposits are overlain was followed by several glacial expansions, during by till and marginoglacial lacustrine sediments, which the glacial stream drained the waters to the which record several episodes of glacial expan- south. Glacial and fluvioglacial deposits filled the sion. Just before entering fluvial conglom- Balisio canyon and the valley below. On top of the erates of the south orientated paleo-Pioverna are deposition of the now cemented alluvial fan in the quarried. Overlying fluvioglacial deposits present Basilio pass region occurred. During the Lower structures indicating a reversal flow direction. The and Middle Pleistocene, tectonic dislocations topping till pertains to the Alloformazione di Can- caused the deviation of the Pioverna flow direction tiz. The moraine at Ballabio belongs to the Last from south to north. The drainage•Balisio to Lecco Glacial. became a fossil valley. During the glacial expan- The area of Canyon di Balisio (Dolomia Princi- sions two tongues of the Adda glacier entered pale) and Colle di Balisio is a fossil valley. The Valsassina both from Bellano and from Lecco, latEer is the highest elevation reached by an ancient leaving a small sector ice-free in between. alluvial fan formed by the Pioverna. Before enter- ing the Conca di Barzio the conglomerate of Ponte Trip from Lecco to Barzio Bella Folla is visible. Lecco is located on alluvial fans. The Gerenzone valley exhibits fluvial conglomerates, slope con- 493

Stca 3: Fucine ALLA MOTTA LOI BOSCHEAINA ~ sheet ~ 350 m a.s.l. ~ I - TM 50: 076 Lecco, ~ R 53517, H 508938, 620 m a. s. I. 00 0 Quaternary deposits Along the dirt road lateral to the bridge, massive 0.1 140 dolomites of the Ladinian Formazione di Esino, `'`~=Pl'iocene many day_=r= _=='~ the dark grey, bioturbated limestones of the Car- man Calcare Metallifero Bergamasco, and the red and green sandstones, siltites and shales of the ~.Messinian: sea level Carman Arenarie di Val Sabbia are exposed. In the •••'deposits abandoned quarry, the Quaternary Fucine unit 0.3 — ~ — a2o crops out. bedrock ~ — The Quaternary succession begins with hori- 04 560 zontalbeds composed of sands and gravels, which sec 0 m 200 m were deposited in a fluvial plain by N-S trending TWT depth braided streams. Most of the clasts are of local Fig.17 Geology of the seismic profile of Valle della Motta provenance, however, part of them were trans- (modified after FELBER 1993) ported from Valtellina. Consequently, the gravels were deposited after one or more glacial expan- sions. Note that the conglomerates of Conglorner- Origin of the Prealpine valleys and lakes ati di Ponte della Folla, which were also deposited Seismic profiles carried out in the lakes (FrlvCxx by N-S trending currents, are exclusively com- 1978) and through the valleys demonstrated that posed of clasts of Valsassina provenance and, the Prealpine valleys and lakes are deep, buried therefore, predate the glacial expansions. valleys (886 m below sea level for Lago di Como at The gravels are overlain by the proximal sedi- and 500 m below sea level for Verbano at ments of a proglacial delta, consisting of SW-dip- Piano Magadino) which were subsequently filled pingmassive banks of conglomerates and gravels, by sediments and shaped by glacier erosion. This which exhibit weathered clasts and intercalated sedimentary fill consists of basal continental con- yellow sands. The gravels are predominant in the glornerates,Early Pliocene marine sediments, Plio- lower part of the bank, whereas the sands are more quaternary glacial and fluvioglacial deposits on common towards the top. Distal deltaic deposits top (BIrIt 1994; FELBER et al.) (Fig. 1~. h1 the major and clays outcrop in other quarries. valleys which had been only partially glacialized The Fucine unit identifies deltaic sedimenta- (as Valseriana and Valbrembana), there are wedg- tion in alake which developed in front of a glacier es of Pliocene marine deposits along a several kil- terminus. The palynologic analysis of lacustrine ometer-long belt located at the margin of the plain deposits yielded a Lower Pleistocene age. The gla- (BRAMBILLA & LUALDI 1986; Rlzzlivl & DONnI cier was located to the north and its meltwater 1978). flowed to the south. The northward deviation of It derives that the Prealpine valleys have not the Pioverna current had to occur at a later time. been formed by the erosive action of glaciers. BIIVI Northwards we cross tha Valtorta Fault, where et al. (1978) correlated the development of these Permian red conglomerates (Verrucano) join the valleys with the Mediterranean desiccation event, Ladinian, massive, grey Calcare di Esino. which took place in the Messimman (Hsü et a1.1977). Beyond Introbio, to the left, the Pizzo della In this perspective, the major morphologic features Pieve cliffs are formed by the Calcare di Esino. To of the Prealpine landscape would be inherited the right you will see the metamorphic and igne- from the Tertiary (BII~I et al. 1994; FELBER et al.). ous rocks of the basement, as well as the Troggia waterfalls, which had been described by the great Stop 4: The 1987 Val Pola rock avalanche Leonardo da Vinci. (G. CROSTA) The Valsassina bottom, up to Ponte di Tarta- I - TM 50: sheet 041 Ponte di Legno, R 6043, H 51376 valle, consists of eroded alluvial and proglacial la- custrine deposits. From the bridge, the road goes The Val Pola rock avalanche, occurred on July 28, down along the canyon cliffs, which are cut into 1987 in Valtellina (2500 kmz drainage area) and the `Gneiss chiari' up to Bellano. From Bellano caused 27 casualties. The area presents the typical onwards, along the Lago di Como shore, only the features of a glacial valley, with steep flanks and `Gneiss chiari', Scisti dei Laghi and pegmatites of with more recent fluvial morphology and depos- the crystalline basement crop out. its. It is placed within the Austroalpine nappe, 494

formed by igneous and metamorphic rocks. In ing four villages. At the same time, the material particular, gabbros and diorites (Gabbro di Sonda- mounted on the opposite valley flank moved later- lo) outcrop mainly in the lower part of the slope ally, in part generating two vortex-like structures, while paragneiss and amphibolite (Cristallino del and in part falling downhill as large debris flows Tonale) are found in the upper part, close to the and avalanches. Almost 40 seconds took to com- landslide crown area. The structural settings are plete the whole event, according to witnesses and mainly influenced, on a regional scale, by the over- seismic recordings. thrust of the Grosina Unit on the Tonale unit and BIIVI, A. (1994): Rapports entre la karstification perimedi- by a well developed set of N-S discontinuity set, terraneenne et la crise de salinity du Messinien. parallel to the main valley axis. Along the slope, L'exemple du karst Lombard (Italie). - Karstologia, two E-W faults (Val Pola and M. Zandila fault) 23: 33-54. were in correspondence of the main creeks limiting BEVI, A., BREVIGLIERI, P., FELBER, M., FERLIGA, C., GHE7ZI, the landslide area to the North, while minor faults E., TABACCO, I. & UGGERI, A. (1994): Il problema strike NW-SE and NNE-SSW. Geomechanical dell'origine delle valli. - I depositi Plio-Quaternari e field surveyings revealed a higly fractured rock 1'evoluzione del temtorio varesino: 99-149; Milano (Dip. Sc. Terra della Univ.). mass and joint sets with dip direction N-S, E-W, BIIVI, A., CTTA, M. B. & GAETANI, M. (1978): Southern ENE-WSW, NNW-SSE (post glacial rebound). An alpine lakes -hypothesis of an erosional origin relat- old quiescent landslide was already recognizable. ed to the Messimman entrenchment. -Marine Geolo- The 1987 catastrophic event, occurred between gy, 27: 271-288. July 15 and 20, was characterised by abundant BRAMBILLA, G. & LUALDI, A. (1986): Il Pliocene della Pro- rainfalls (on average 200-300 mm, with peak val- vincia di Bergamo (Italia settentrionale). Analisi fau- ues of 600 mm in the Orobic area) that induced nistica e inquadramento cronologico e paleoambien- flooding (estimated discharge at Sondrio:1600 m3, tale. -Boll. Soc. Paleont. Ital., 25: 237-266. FELBER, M. (1993): La storia geologica del tardo Terziario 1200 ha were flooded and 3460 people evacuated) e del Quaternario nel Mendrisiotto (Ticino meridio- and landsliding (soil slips, debris avalanches, large nale, Svizzera). - Diss. ETH no.10125:1-617; Zürich. rotational and planar sliding, etc.) all over the FELBER, M., BIIVI, A., HETTZMANN, P. & FREI, W.: Evidenze Valtellina and alpine areas. In 24 hours 130 mm felt sismiche di valli sepolte nel Mendrisiotto e nel Piano in Upper Valtellina and 190 mm between July 17 di Magadino (Ticino, Svizzera). [in press] and 19, with the freezing point stable at more than FEVCxx, P. G. (1978): Are southern alpine lakes former 4000 m of altitude for all the antecedent period and Messimman canyons? Geophysical evidence for pre- during the entire event. Sediment yield and mass glacial erosion in the southern alpine lakes. -Marine 27: transport within the Val Pola caused the growth of Geology, 289-302. GNACCOLIIVI, M. & OROMBELLI, G. (1976): Il lago progla- a huge fan and the damming of the valley bottom ciale di Rovagnate in Brianza (Como). Studio geolog- on July 18. The impounded water of the Adda river ico e sedimentologico. - Riv. Ital. Paleont., 82 (3): covered a 266,000 m2 in about one day before to 579-618. overtop the fan and then reducing almost to an half HSÜ, K. J., MONTADERT, L., BERNOULLI, D., CrrA, M. B., the impounded area. The general slope failure took ERICKSON, A., GARRISSON, R. E., KIDD, R. B., ME- place on July 28 at 7:23 a. m., involving about 34 LIEREs, F., HULLER, C. & WRIGH'T, R. (1977): History of Mm3. The rock avalanche spread in three possible the Mediterranean salinity crisis. -Nature, 267: 399- 403. directions, upslope on the opposite valley side (270 OROMBELLI, G. & GNACCOLII~TI, M. (1978): Sedimentation m), downhill (1550 m) and uphill (2200 m) along in proglacial lakes: a Würmian example from the Ital- the valley bottom. In particular, the material that ian Alps. - Z. Geomorph. N. F., 22 (4): 417-425; Ber- moved upstream mixed itself with the impounded lin, Stuttgart. water and precede by a large muddy wave, oscil- RIZZINI, A. & DONDI, L. (1978): Erosional surface of lating between the valley flanks, splashing them Messinian age in the subsurface of the Lombardian up to 100 m above the valley bottom and destroy- Plain (Italy). -Marine Geology, 27: 303-325.

Central Alps ~. SCHIRMER~

Four km after the border Italy/Switzerland the (BLTRGA 1987: 20). By blocking the Poschiavino route passes the rockslide of `Hotta di Meschino' valley, the rockslide formed Lago di Poschiavo. As near Miralago. A rock mass of 0.15 km3 (HEIM 1932: the rockslide glided 270 m upslope the opposite 116) from the western valley flank, named Giüme- valley flank, the recent river cut a new gorge at the lin,mostly consisting of granite, is dated to the late slide side (HEIM 1932: 137). Würmian between the Bühl and Steinach stades Leaving the Poschiavino valley towards the 495

fa .L, dellcr • f-ii; d~Pf -. `~ ~ 211J> x 'O~ ~+~/ r~ l 5 ! 23 ~... 17th and 18th ~;: .- r ~~~ , j;:; ; century _ ctin.zn; Q 3 J~ ~ \ r 23~~P7'~~~~ ~ 1850 ~~© e ~~~,>:~i ~~yc`*~;~ `:r~ ,i 0000 1890 ~,s = :~`-= ~ ~L' 1920 ~ ~~?~ .~., ., ;v., :i 14?_

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Bernina Pass after La Rösa, the Gessi hill with its tween two crystalline lobes of the Bernina nappe, striking light colours is visible to the north. Its the Stretta lobe in the east and the Bernina lobe in name and colours come from Triassic rocks includ- the west. ing dolomite and gypsum (gypsum =Italian: ges- The scenic view to the southwest presents Piz so).• It is part of the Mesozoic cover of the Lower Cambrena (3603 m) crowning the large Cambrena Austroalpine Bernina nappe dipping to east below cirque and glacier (Fig. 18). In front of the glacier the overthrusting Upper Austroalpine crystalline snout the well fo~~ued and fresh terminal moraine Languard nappe. of 1780 and 1850 is visible (BEELER 1977:162,176). Below the Cambrena summit, northwards through Stop 5: Bernina Pass (2323 m a. s. I.) Piz d'Arlas, a light alkali granite stands out against darker metamorphic shists of the summit and CH — TM 50: sheet 269 Berninapass, darker rhyolite of the deeper northern flank. R 799.06, H 143.25 BEELER, F. N. (1977): Geomorphologische Untersuchun- Divide between the Po and the Donau () gen am Spät- und Postglazial im Schweizerischen catchment area. Roche moutonnee landscape. Tec- Nationalpark und im Berninapassgebiet (Südräti- tonically the area lies within the Lower Austro- sche Alpen). — Inaug.-Diss.: 276 p., Fig. 16, 20, 2729 alpine crystalline basement of the Bernina nappe als Beil.; Zürich. which is overthrusted in the east by the basement BURGA, C. A. (1987): Gletscher- und Vegetationsgeschich- of the Upper Austroalpine nappes (Fig. 8). A strip te der Südrätischen Alpen seit der Späteiszeit (Pusch- Denkschr. schweiz. natur- of Mesozoic cover of the Bernina nappe (Piz Alv lav, Livigno, Bormiese). — forsch. Ges., 101: 164 p., Taf. 1-10 als Beil.; Basel. west light rock colours series) is visible to the by its HEIM, A. (1932): Bergsturz und Menschenleben. — Viertel- (Alv from Latin: albus =white) that are effected jahresschr. naturforsch. Ges. Zürich, 77, Beiblatt 20: mostly by Triassic dolomite. It represents a recum- 218 p., 5 Taf.; Zürich. bent syncline opening to the west, preserved be- 496

Stop 7: Morteratsch glacier CH — TM 50: sheet 268 Julierpass, R 792.25, H 147.1, 1920 m a. s. I. The trail reaches upvalley (at sign 3 of the glacier trail) a humble, forested ridge, the terminal mo- raine of the Little Ice Age glacier stades. A borrow pit at its inner flank exhibits a section with four superimposed podsol soils (Fig. 20). The first three podsols under the surface are very small developed sometimes incompletely preserved. The fourth podsol from top (f 3) is the strongest one. Its humus yielded a 14C age of 1,150 ± 50 yr BP (MALSCH et a1.1993: 14), that is 860-980 cal AD (using STUIVER & BECKER 1993). After this first podsolization the morainal ridge was affected by three further glacier advance events of similar extent during which the external slope of the ridge was supplied by a thin depositional mantle. The three depositional phases are separated each by a period of podsol formation. The 1857 glacier stade is represented by a track of boulders joining the internal side of the morainal ridge. Since 1857 the glacier retreated from this place 2 km towards the recent snout exposing an area of scree-covered 2.9 kmz (MAISCH et al. 1993: 131). This. young gla- glacier cier foreland exhibits a well developed glacier in- till and debris ventory that can be studied along the trail to the glacier snout: E. g. pioneer vegetation; sheep-back Fig. 19 Morteratsch and Pers glacier in the northern formed roches moutonnee (around sign 8) with Bernina area striae, crag-and-tail forms and chatter marks; en- largement of the lateral moraines where on the Downvalley Val Bernina on the left hand good eastern slope a ravine feeds the glacier with debris. prospect of the Cambrena glacier and its foreland, Among the glacial and fluvioglacial pebbles on the right hand of the Mesozoic Alv series. and boulders occur striking petrographic types: 1. Plutonites: biofite granite with green or Stop 6: Montebello white feldspar, amphibole-biotite granite with blue feldspar (typical Bernina granite), chlorite CH — TM 50: Sheet 268 Julierpass, granite with red feldspar (compare the reddish R 792.35, H 148.15, 1950 m a. s. I. Alvier granite massif in the north), amphibole Scenic view to the Bernina massif and the Morte- quartzdiorite, rarely gabbro and dunite. ratsch glacier. The glacier basin is framed at its 2. Metamorphites: biofite gneiss, biotite-am- western flank by (4049 m), at the east- phibole augengneiss, chlorite gneiss with porphy- ern by the Bellavista crest (3922 m). 'The whole ric quartz phenocrysts. massif surrounding the glacier basin consists of Approaching the glacier snout its morphology predominantly acid plutonic rocks, representing Ah the Variscan crystalline basement of fine Bernina ~ ~ ~ Ae nappe. ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ The steep walls seaming the glacier tongue, ~ ` ~ Ah which are free of vegetation, are the lateral mo- Äe raines of the ~~~~~~~~~~~ 8s 1850 glacier stade. The dark, debris- ~ ` ` f2 Ae rich lateral parts of the glacier result from lateral f3 Ah moraines and merging medial moraines of the gla- l,l,l,l,l,l,l,i,l,l,l,l~l~l cier hinterland (Fig. 19). ~ ` ~ Ae One km after Stop 6 junction to Morteratsch. Fig. 20 Podsol profile on top From the parking area a 1 km walk to Stop 7 and of a terminal moraine in the further 2 km to the glacier snout along a glacier Morteratsch glacier forefield trail with the signs no.1-15 (cf. MaISCH et x1.1993). (not to scale) 497

Fig. 21 Cross section of Mor- teratsch glacier snout flanked by the 1850 terminal moraine exhibits three ridges (Fig. 21). The middle one is summit of Piz dellas Colonnas in the south. The the most active part of the ice with less debris; rocks represent the Variscan crystalline basement amongst its ablation till there are good glacier ta- of the Err-Bernina nappe. Because of its green feld- bles. The lateral ridges represent upglacier lateral spar that is unique in the Rhein catchment, the and medial moraines (see Fig. 19). As the ice has Julier granite serves well as indicator of the ice been protected from melting by a thick scree man- movement. Two Roman columns beside the street tlethey foiiulongitudinal ridges. The glacier snout witness the old history of this pass. often exhibits good inclined share planes. At the end of the lowermost hair-pin bend the route descends through the Lower Austroalpine MArsCH, M., BURGA, C. A. & FrTZE, P. (1993): Lebendiges Gletschervorfeld. Fiihrer and Begleitbuch zum Glet nappes into the Penninic nappe area, here the Plat scherlehrpfad Morteratsch. -138 p.; Zürich (Geogr. to nappe (rich in ophiolite). The valley is called Inst. UnivJ. (Rhaetian =above the crag). It is passed by SCI-IIItMEx: unpublished field observations 1994 the Julia River. Down to pure ophiolite STUIVER, M. & BECKER, B. (1993): High-precision decadal landscape. Near at the eastern side on calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, AD 1950- top Lower Australpine nappe, with a klippe (Piz 6000 BC. -Radiocarbon, 35 (1): 35-65; Tucson. Toissa) on the western valley side, at Crap Ses (Tri- The route joins the ( valley) and upval- assic dolomite crag) crossing the Julia in a local leypasses St. Moritz. Between St. Moritz and Silva- synclinal structure. plana the craggy Bergell granite massif is visible in At the Surses valley is rectangular- the upvalley'background. It is one of the rare Al- ly cut by the gorge of the River, but it con- pidic plutons, whereas the plutonites passed on tinues to north in the valley, which this route originate from the Variscan era. runs straight towards the Alpenrhein, thus repre- In towards . 5 km west of senting avert' old and high Rhein valley. Follow- Silvaplana, in the Alp Julia (R 777.5, H 149.3), on ,,, ing the Albula gorge (called Schyn) the route pass- the south side a well developed meadow-covered e„ es the Schams nappes into the Adula nappe with moraine of the Egesen stade (Younger Dryas) em- ,the deep-sea deposit of the Bündnerschiefer that braces the recent brook that drains the Lagrev gla- äre cut in many places by deep gorges. cier, which cannot be seen from the street. The headwaters of the Rhein Stop 8: Julierpaß (2284 m) The headwaters of the Rhein lie within western CH - TM 50: sheet 268 Julierpass, R 775.8, H 149.3. Grisona (Graubünden) (Fig. 22). Among twelve Divide between the Donau and Rhein catchment area. This notch is situated in the so-called Julier granite, a biotite granite with green feldspar. Some blocks of biofite-amphibole diorite come from the

Fig. 22 Headwaters of the Rhein 0 km 25 in Grisona (Graubunden) 498

bigger feeders the Vorderrhein and are the main sources merging at Reichenau to form the Alpenrhein. Both Vorderrhein and upper Hin- terrheinrun parallel to the Alpidic foldbelt, i. e. in tectonical b direction. An exception is the lower Hinterrhein. It follows the tectonical c direction making way for the High Penninic and Ausfro- alpine nappe stack. The western rim of this nappe stack forms asouth-north running line, thus sepa- rating the Western from the Eastern Alps. This is the very line which controls the south-north run- ning course of the lower Hinterrhein and the downsfream succeeding Alpenrhein (Fig. 1). In its lower course the Hinterrhein valley is subdivided into three gorges (Rofla, Via Mala, Ju- valta) and two basins in between (Fig. 22).

Stop 9: Via Mala CH - TM 50: sheet 257 Safiental, R 753.7, H 169.9 Offering the main connection between the Boden- see area and Milano, the Hinterrhein as an old frade-route has as its worst obstacle the Via Mala (`bad way'). In a narrow gorge of 5 km length and up to 600 m depth are exposed nothing but grey, steep walls sometimes leaving a horizontal clearence of only a few meters (Fig. 23). The gulch is cut into Biindnerschiefer (schistes lusfres), slates to phyllites that are interbedded at this place by more solid silici-carbonaceous layers. Belonging tectonically to the infra-Penninic nappes they are of Cenomanian age. By contrast the joining Schams and basins lie in more argillic slates. At Stop 9 the walls of the gorge exhibit the Biindner- schiefer with excellent buckled folds and white calcite and quartz veins. Close to the southern end of the scale that leads down to the gorge, a former gorge of the Rhein is visible, few meters wide and now refilled by grav- el. It demonstrates that the Rhein at a former stade could not find again its own gorge. This could happen during a glaciation period when subgla- cial sfreams filled up the gulch. Thus, the former gorge might have been active during an intergla- cial period. The Via Mala exposes roads and bridges of different ages from 1473 up to modern times. At its northern exit the ruin of Hohenrätien (12~'-14~' century) crowns the gorge.

JÄCKLI, H. (1967): Reichenau-Domleschg-Thusis-Via MalaZillis. - In: Schweizer. Geol. Gesellschaft [ed.]: Geologischer Fiihrer der Schweiz, 8: 786-789; Basel.

Fig. 23 Vision of Via Mala gorge (4V. SCHIIZMER 1994) 499

Stop 10: Zillis. Romanesque church of St. Martin. CH - TM 50: sheet 257 Safiental, R 753.4, H 166.75 South of the Via mala gorge within the Bündner Schiefer is a small basin called the Schams. It is the first basin on the Hinterrhein at well habitable al- titude (ca. 950 m) and is bracketed by narrow gorg- es of the river (Fig. 22). Here in Zillis we find the old and beautifully painted church of St. Martin. It is the uppermost of a long chain of St. Martin churches along the Rhein and one of the most ex- citing. The church was founded upon Roman ruins dating from about 500 AD. The modern building dates to 1140 AD and is in the Romanesque style. The main attraction is the painted wooden ceiling which dates about to the 12~' century and is the only and oldest work of this style preserved today. The 153 pictograms narrate the life of Christ, of St. Fig. 24 Apocalyptic figure of St. Martin in Zillis (1140 AD) Martin and the story of the Apocalypse. The wild and grotesque animals, symbols of the evil, refer to book illuminations. Post-Romanesque renovations the latter (Fig. 24). This style of painting resembles include the Gothic choir built in 1509. -

The Flims-Tamins rockslide area ~W. SCHIRMER~ The largest rockslide area of the Alps (70 km2; near Bonaduz (STAUB 1910:14; JoRDI 1986: 71). The ABELE 1970: 345) lies in the Vorderrhein/Alpen- whole mass is topped by an even surface with an rhein valley along a tectonic line where Penninic elevation of 50 m above the modern Rhein and Bündnerschiefer are overthrusting the Aar Massif thus called Bonaduz Terrace (GSELL 1918:186). The with its Helvetic autochthonous sediment cover Bonaduz gravel extends (Fig. 25) from the junction (Permian to Cretaceous). The bulls of the rockslides of Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein upvalley both riv- roots at the northern margin of the valley (Fig. 25). ers, 14 km at the Vorderrhein and 13 km at the It consists of the Flims rockslide (9 km3; ABELE in Hinterrhein. press), the Tamins rockslide (1.5 km3; PAVONI 1968: PAVONI (1968: 497) uses the term `Gesteinsbrei' 500) as well as the smaller Domat and rock- for the Bonaduz gravel. ABELE (in press) describes slides. Their background is aslope-parallel dip- this new sediment to be a debris flow. As it lacks a ping of Mahnian limestone beds towards the val- flow direction and related features of a gravity ley. The south dipping limestone (10-40°) was flow I suggested the term impact slurry (Erschüt- undercut by the Vorderrhein glacier and river, terungsbrei) (SCHIIZMER 1994: 14). For other opin- thus triggering the rockslides. Additionally, on the ions concerning the origin of the Bonaduz gravel southern versant of the Vorderrhein valley three see ABELE (1970) and SCIIIRMER (1994: 14). smaller landslides from the Bündnerschiefer area A point of discussion is that of the event se- and the Mesozoic of the Gotthard Massif have slid- quence of the different rockslides. Concerning the den upon the Flims rockslide. The two big rock- Flims rockslide, HEIM (1883: 300) at first ascribed slides, Flims and Tamins, slid into agroundwater- the whole rock mass to one single event. However, saturated valley fill. This fill consisted of gravel already HARTUNG (1884: 185) infers a composite and floodplain deposits, the latter with cryoturba- rockslide mass. Recent drillings exhibiting fossil tions as well as rannen (remnants of trees, see Stop soils and morainal material within the rockmass 12). By this sudden impact the valley fill was mo- indicate a composite rockslide mass (NABHOLZ bili~ed and turned into a slurry. Consequently its 1987: 28). corpus became completely reorganized: By perfect Age of the rockslide: Beginning with HE1M destruction of the primary bedding and gravel (1883: 307) till deposits and erratics have been orientation coarse components sank into the deep- found topping both the rockslides and the Bon- er part, -finer components were positioned in the aduz gravel (Fig. 25). This glacier advance is as- upper part. Its maximum thickness attains 60 m signed tothe so-called Chur stade (STAUB 1938:69), 500

n 2694 m 2947 m n 2390 m

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Ilanz o Sevgein 1~ local .moraines l•+I Chur glacier advance with crystalline erratics ~ Lake Manz deposits ~ Banaduz gravel 6ssl) Domleschg landslides Rodels ~2ß younger landslide generation lo• I Tomas of Domat and Chur ~~ displaced masses of the Tamins landslide Tamins landslide I~ Flims landslide ~I landslide heads > > ~ l Thusis ® bedrock in the landslide area J l ) > >

Fig. 25 Flims-Tanvns rockslide area (SCHII2MER 1994: 15) which is a late Würmian retreat Slade between these hills were regarded as being old barrows. Bühl and Steinach, prior to 13,000 yr BP (JORDI Therefore the Grisonic name Domat was given for 1986: 65, 67). Thus concerning the age of the Flims the town. The toma are rockslide masses originat- and Tamins rockslides, during the last decades all ingfromthe Calanda mountain that can be seen to authors agree on a late Würmian age starting with the northeast. the maximum Würmian glacier retreat and fol- To the north and northwest the head scarp of lowed by succeeding minor rockslides up to mod- the Tamins rockslide is well visible. Upstream, to ern times. But, if the nature of the fossil soils, as the west, its debris masses block the valley forming mentioned by NABHOLZ (1987), is true, the main a forested dam across the valley named Ils Aults Flims rockslide should be ofpre-maximum Würm- (lat. altos =high). Beyond Ils Aults the Hinterrhein ian age (SCIIII2NIER 1994: 14). As consequence the and the Vorderrhein merge to the Alpenrhein, role of the Chur Slade has to be considered anew. which cuts Ils Aults in a small gorge. In the west- ern background the area of the Flims rockslide is . Stop i1: Domat/Ems. Panoramic view visible. of the rockslide area CH — TM 50: sheet 247 Sardona, Stop 12: Gravel pit of the `Kieswerk R 752.0, H 188.4, 598 m a. s. 1. Reichenau, Calanda Beton AG' Downvalley in the east there rises a couple of small CH — TM 50: sheet 247 Sardona, R 750.9, H 187.6, 660 m a. s. I. hills within the valley plain partly habitated by the town Domat/Ems. The hills have the local name In the gravel pit the Bonaduz gravel is exposed. In Toma (lat. tlamulus =grave hill). In former -times former times huge Mahnian limestone boulders 501 were found at the base of the gravel (ZIMMEIZMANN ABELE, G. (1970): Bergstürze und Flutablagerungen im 1971:168). It is an unsorted gravel in a sandy, silty, Rheintal westlich Chur. Versuch einer Chronologie slightly loamy matrix. Bedding is absent. Clods of der Bergstürze von Flims, Reichenau/Rhäzuns und Ems. -Der Aufschluß, 21 (11): 345-359; Heidelberg. flood sediment up to several meters large are float- — (in press): Rockslide movement supported by the ingwithinthe gravel; their original bedding is well mobilization of groundwater-saturated valley flour preserved but indicates a complete disorientation sediments. - Z. Geomorph. of the clods up to vertical turn. In places flood loam GSELL, R. (1918): Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Schuil~nassen clods exhibit intercalations of cryoturbated beds. im Vorderrheintal. - Jber. naturforsch. Ges. Grau- About 20 mbelow the surface an external mould of bünden, N. F., 58 (1917/18):127-202, Taf. l-3; Chur. a ranne surrounded by adherent flood loam was HARTUNG, G. (1884): Das alte Bergsturzgebietwn Flims. found embedded in the gravel (SCHIRMER 1994: - Z. Ges. Erdkunde zu Berlin, 19: 161-194, Taf. 4; Berlin. 15). HEIM, A. (1883): Der alte Bergsturz von Flims (Grau- Crossing Tamins and Reichenau the bridge to bündner Oberland). - Jb. schweizer. Alpenclub, 18: Bönaduz passes the Vorderrhein just at the junc- 295-309; Bern. tion with the Hinterrhein. Climbing up the Bon- JoRDI, U. (1986): Glazialmorphologische und gletscher- aduz Terrace the way to Versam and Ilanz follows geschichtliche Untersuchungen im Taminatal und the top of this even terrace towards west till im Rheingletscherabschnitt zwischen Flims und Feldkirch (Ostschweiz/Vorarlberg). - Geographica Stop 13: Ruinaulta, the Vorderrhein gorge Bernensia, G 27: 168 p., 2 Beil.; Bern. NABHOLZ, Beitrag von piercing the Flims rockslide W. K. (1987), mit einem B. AM- MANN: Der späteiszeitliche Untergrund von Flims. - CH - TM 50: sheet 247 Sardona, Mitt. naturforsch. Ges. Luzern, 29: 273-289; Luzern. R 745.3-5, H 185.5- 186, 780 m a. s. I. PAVONI, N. (1968): LTber die Entstehung der Kiesmassen im Bergsturzgebiet von Bonaduz-Reichenau (Grau- It is difficult to stop along this scenic but narrow bünden). - Eclogae geol. Helv., 61: 494-500; Basel. route. Park carefully! SCIIIRMER, W. (1994): Flims rockslide area and Bonaduz To the north the head scarp of the Flims rock- gravel. - In: SCHIItMER, W. [ed.]: Glacier and debris slide is visible. From there the whole area down to flow activity in the Alps -excursion guide: 13-16; the river is rockslide mass that mostly consists of Düsseldorf (Dept. of Geology Univ.). debris of white Malmian limestone. The walls STAUB, R. (1938): Altes und Neues vom Flimser Berg- along our scenic route show Liassic slates (autoch- sturz. - Verhandl. schweizer. naturforsch. Ges., 119: 60-85; Chur. thonouscover ofthe Gotthard Massif) in the north- STAUB, W. (1910): Die Tomalandschaften im 12heintalvon ern part and rockslide debris towards the south, Reichenau bis Chur. -Jber. geogr. Ges. Bern, 22:1-28, most conspicuously visible at a jut tunnelled by the Taf. 1-4; Bern. street. ZIMMERMANN, H. W. (1971): Zur spätglazialen Morpho- Turn in front of the bridge to take the geneseder Emser Tomalandschaft. - Geogr. Helv., 26 way back downvalley the Alpenrhein. (3): 163-171; Bern.

Retreat stades of the Würmian glaciation (O. KELLER~ The Würmian Rhein-Linth glacier system has been shows a lot of valley types: isoclinal, transverse, reconstructed in different retreat stades (Figs. 26 longitudinal, cross, rift valley. It is filled by glaciol- and 27) defined as ice-marginal complexes. The acustrine and fluvial sediments up to 600 m. Dur- reconstruction is based on moraine ramparts, lev- ing ashort period of the Late Glacial the Bodensee els of outwash plains, ice-marginal drainage and occupied the whole Rhein valley as far as Chur. glacial morphological horizons. The local glaciers The Stoss pass (950 m a. s. 1.; Fig. 28) is a valley- of the Alpine front mountains have been correlat- floor divide. The high-lying valley of Gais is cut at ed with the foreland glaciation by using ice con- the pass. Already prior to the Würm maximum, tacts, ice-dammed lakes, drainage paths and inter- the Rhein glacier overflowed the Stoss pass from mediate outwash plains. the E. During the maximum stade, the ice surface During the maximum position, the ice of the had risen to an altitude of 1200 m a. s. 1. Due to Rhein-Linth system covered an area of 16,400 kmz pollen analyses it is known that the Stoss pass has and comprised a volume of 6,150 km3. been free of ice since the oldest Dryas. Trip Chur-Bodensee: The course of the Alpen- The ice-marginal deposits of the Sitter glacier rhein valley follows the general direction S N. in the stade of (W/S) are pre- Exactly observed, it is built very complicated and served 150-200 m above the valley bottom of Ap- 502

:::: :~ e,r'riri,((~li~irigen: 'i~; ~;~

.`::~:fä~':'~ ': t:ö c ~^~~:,: ~P.•

~~Ä \ C~~ ~ L/i~ 1 11 / r ! ^ /7 complexes r~;L.` ~~ 964 ' sEadial arg `' —~`.~ ~ Würm-Maximum 4viM Y ~~l' ~ J ~ .~ FeuerEhalen ,~F c i , ~~ \`. ;L/r/ Stein am Rhein 4 ~`` / ~\ KonsEan~ ~K `.~ i 33>2 Weissbad-Kohlach .W/W DavQs i ~ base position Domal•-Ems % ~ ~,~ ' `~Ji I ~ ~~ \ ' / rr\~ ~34~/8 ~~~~ ~ ~ ~i _/ ~ ~ /Ninterrhei~ r ~~~~~ _~-_ ~~ -~/n ~ _ I ~~i V— r ~ t ~~` ( 3402~~ .,i 1 Rhei~ua/dho ,I 1r~ 11 i Fig. 26 Ice marginal com- l i --~ 4049 plexes of the Würmian Ke/Kr 91 Biasca ; /~~ Rhein-Linth glacier penzell. This glacier received ice supply from the This place is lying directly on the tectonic bor- Rhein glacier of the Alpenrhein valley over the der of the Alps. The view into the fold bundle of Stoss and Eggerstanden passes. Therefore it could the Alpstein (Säntis Mountains) is very impressive. advance to the region of St. Gallen, where it met The three main valleys of the accumulation area of the Bodensee-Rhein glacier (St. Gallen tongue). the High Wiirmian Sitter glacier join just below During the stade of (W/K), the Sitter Schwarzenegg. After the Konstanz stade the gla- glacier built up a lot of moraine ramparts. It was ciers melted back into the interior valleys of the now independant as it is shown by an intermediate Alpstein. The overdeepened basin of Schwende ice-dammed lake near Eggerstanden. filled with a finger lake. As till-covered lacustrine deposits prove, the following first late glacial ad- Stop 14: Schwarzenegg, 4 km SE of Appenzell vance of the local Schwendi glacier reached CH — TM 50: sheet 227 Appenzell, Weissbad, what means an increase of length R 751.9, H 241.5, 960 m a. s. I. of 50 % (Weissbad stade W/W). This advance of local glaciers is indicated in all Alpine front moun- High Wiirmian glaciation on the border of the Alps tains of the Rhein-Linth-area between Mythen (Kt. and the first Late Wiirmian advance of local gla- Schwyz) and Hochgrat (Allgäu). ciers in the Weissbad Stade (Fig. 29): Towards St. Gallen, in the region of Stein, the 503 route several times crosses moraine ramparts and melt-water channels of the Stein am Rhein Slade of Geological Glacial Blades, Intersladial the Sitter glacier. S of St. Gallen the road follows a aqe Ice-marginal complexes ky BP complexes wide melt water valley of the Bodensee-Rhein gla- Holocene/ cier (Fig. 28). Postglacial is Preboreal Egesen Stop 15: Haggen, 3 km SW of the City of St. Gallen n Alleröd Daun ? — 42 a CH - TM 50: sheet 227 Appenzell, Glacial Böllinq

R 743.8, H 252.2, 760 m a. s. I. i Daun ?

LaFe Gschnitz~ Steinach

The detachment of local glaciers from the Boden- m Bargans ? — ~~ Weissbad-Kob(ach (Bühl) W/W see-Rhein foreland glacier after the Würmian max-

r Konstans (Hurden) W/K imum (Fig. 28): — 48 At this point, the ice stream network of the ü Stein am Rhein (;`ürich} W/S Bodensee-Rhein foreland and the Appenzell Pre- Glacial — — Lascaux ? alps reached an altitude of 1000 m a. s. 1. Then, W Feuerthalers (Schlieren) W/F during the younger High Glacial, the mountain High - aa- Scha[lhausen (Killwangen} W/M region became successively ice-free. The tongues =Würm-Maximum — — of the Sitter and the Urnäsch glacier separated r Supermaximum from the Bodensee-Rhein glacier in the Stein am -Zo-. e Rhein Slade in this area (Fig. 28). A series of ice- marginal ramparts, melt-water channels and out- p wash terraces allows to reconstruct the processes Glacial —22— Ravensburg- p Interstadiai ? of separation. Nigh Obersee (area o[ Konstane) W/0

Trip St. Gallen -Bodensee. The high-lying val- U Pre ley of St. Gallen is filled with deposits of the retreat —24— stages of the Bodensee-Rhein glacier. Fan terraces of the Goldach sit on the slopes above the Boden- Domat-Ems (above Chur) i3 ~ Baumkirchen- see. They have been induced by the melting gla- -2s - Inlerstadial S 3 cier. The molasse mountains in the region of Hei- Ke/Kr 8~ den, the so-called Appenzeller Sporn, are charac- Fig. 27 Chronology of the Upper Wiarmian (Rhein-Linth) terized byforms of glacial polishing because of the narrow outlet channel of the Rhein glacier. glaciation at 10,000 yr BP the front of the Rhein delta situated between Altstätten and Dorn- Stop 16: Walzenhausers, was 100 m above the village birn. Coast lines of the Bodensee and the growth of the Rhein delta since the Roman age are marked in CH - TM 50: sheet 218 Bregenz, Fig. 30. R 763.2, H 257.7, 720 m a. s. I. KELLER, O. (1988): Ältere spätwürmzeitliche Gletscher- Geological history of the Bodensee; the Rhein delta vorstösse und Zerfall des Eisstromnetzes in den during the last 2000 years (Fig. 30): nördlichen Rhein-Alpen (Weissbad-Stadium/Bühl- The basin of the Bodensee is remarkably deep- Stadium). - Phys. Geogr., 27 A: 241 p., B: 291 p., 2 enedinto awide upland at about 700 m a. s. 1. In the Krt.; Zurich. older Quaternary, the Rhein still flowed over this (1988): Der stadiale Eisrandkomplex Weissbad, ein spätwürmzeitlicher Leithorizont im randalpinen high-lying region to the N as a tributary of the Rheingletschergebiet. - Z. Geomorph., Suppl.-Bd., Donau. The early foreland glaciations (Donau?, 70: 13-32; Berlin, Stuttgart. Günz, Mindel) caused an overflow of melt water to (1994): Entstehung und Entwicklung des Bodensees, the deep-lying Aare system. This event was the ein geologischer Lebenslauf. - In: MAURER, H. [ed.]: begmning of the fluvial and glacial excavation of Umweltwandel am Bodensee: 33-92; UVK, St. Gal- the Bodensee basin. Today the bedrock floor of the len. lower Alpenrhein valley lies 200 m b. s. 1. KELLER, O. & KRAYSS, E. (1993): The Rhein-Linth-Glacier The postglacial Bodensee was born at about in the Upper Wurm: A model of the last alpine glaci- ation. -Quaternary International, l8: 15-27; Oxford. Rhein foreland glacier 16,000 yr BP, when the KRAYSS, E. &KELLER, O. (1989): Die eiszeitliche Reliefent- melted back from the ice margin of the Stein am wicklung im Bodenseeraum. -Vermessung, Photo- Rhein Slade. The lower Alpenrhein valley became grammetrie, Kulturtechnik, 89 (1): 8-12, 5 fig.; Baden- ice-free 14,500 years ago. At the end of the Würm Dättwil. 504

Herden

1A00 . ~ : ~i~:.~~.Y.,?~, :~; r:1~ I'~{j+i7 RlfstäEfen , ~;t: ~~ bS/ ,t;,l.~. ,~.4 ~

X 9so

:~~ ~`;~~ 885~ ~'"r~7=.».; , ~°.~~ ~;~^,•~~ ~i.},; ~'~ EygersEana!en r,:n~~~s'av'-•`,'~.':~ }~ ~ s . - ~~' .~~';~,~5`~ so. ~',~.`vi '~T

,K. 1V~: oher lfasf~rt 1 ;s'Ss—_,~. ~rs~o legend

~y:t~i i~L'J ice-Free area ~^ °_ isohypses of icesurFace ^—' moraine ramparts ''~"~'r ice-marginal terraces oo.o .. glacial gravels ~;~ glacial Fans ~~ mam~„ilated rocks ~~o r ~a. ° ~~ ~_'' -:~., ~-- ice-marginal drainage .~' _ 60ms~.• , -Wila'haus--~ ~ ice-dammed IakeS / y3po ' Krayss~Heller, 90

Fig. 28 Wiirmian glaciation of the Appenzell region. Ice-marginal complex of Stein am Rhein

SCHLÜCHTER, C. (1988): The deglaciation of the Swiss Alps: A paleoclimatic event with chronological prob- lems. —Bull. Assoc. Fran. etude Quaternaire, 88 (2/3): 141-145; Paris_ 505

GlaciaEion oF Ehe R[psEein (SänEis MounEains) LaEe Würmian sEade oF Weissbad

/ Legend '~?~~ ice-covercd area `,~+% isohypses of ice surFace `~~~, ice-Free area /rock area ~~ ice-marginal rampart mTtr ice-marginal terrace outwash plain ` `,l~(~ slope apron

Fig. 29 Weissbad Stade

~Bregen~ ~-~-~ ~ ..~y,. F~ ~~ /F-~. ~ `~~Fussach .i~rt~ ~ ` 1? ~.. 't~ i ~— i~'S i~~\ ,.i~ ~'--'~~F~~\-- ~~ Rh~i~ecf t ~ ~ 1 ~ ;~i ~r'hein` ~'i- Legend —aoo—isohypsis of khe lake Floor about1920 ''St. MargreFh n ~ I I I ~~~~~,sEenau .} ~ ~ subaquatic canyons ~i~~rr ~iKdlcry 93 1 =x_x-lake shore and Rhein mouth oFRoman age y~~~~i delta and beach plate until the get century 2--- ` - Rhein mouth until the 9kh century 's ~ '` Dornbirner flch and lake shore until 4900 _"`-•:~ delta and beach plate until 4900 ~, — cut of Fussach 4900 (correction op the Rhein, 3==== Rhein mouth in the 9~ century ~` lake shore and accumulation plain until 4920 4=~== Rhein mouth until 4900 s new Rhein delta unEil 195} 5=:=== episodic Rhein courses until 1900 niIT1TR new deltas op Ehe Rhein and Ehe Breg. Ach unti11991

Fig. 30 Eastern Bodensee and Rhein mouth system since the Roman age 506 Rhein foreland glacier (D. ELLWANGER~ The most significant elements of this area are gla- Within the basins, glacial and glacio-lacustrine cialbasins of various size (Fig. 31). Main element is deposits are of considerable thickness. In the Bod- the depression of the Bodensee basin s.1. Its north- enseebasin s. s., they reach down below sea level. ern edge acts as watershed between the rivers Even in minor branch basins, deposits often exceed Rhein and Donau. It appears further subdivided 100 m. by more or less deeply incised branch basins. They The various morainal and meltwater land- are often but not always elongated parallel to the formsbetweenthe basins are positioned according former ice flow direction and illustrate the general to the general morphological framework given by spreading of the foreland ice mass. In addition, the basin structures: there are two directions where basin structures Within the Bodensee basin s. 1., the bedrock appear even more concentrated: the Bodensee ba- surface is generally dipping towards the Alps, thus sin s. s. towards NW, and the basin com- slowing down the advancing glacier. The moraine plex towards NNE. They both reflect regional tec- landscape embraces radially orientated drumlin tonic directions. fields in the more proximal part of the depression,

% Quaternary_

Pre- Quaternary flood dep. ~°~ terrace gravel~Riss- . ~, ~~~~~~ Tertiary loess ~,j{~deep basins Würm Jurassic ~l~', " ~ eolian sand ~ maximaofglaciations ~.~. 1~ i / 1 4 i . Triassic ~~~'~I~l. / ~'i ~. Deckenschotterf6,M) basement ~I~~',I~il~ / / ~ / / / —'_` Decksthotter ( B,D ) ~~~~~I~~~.: / / ~ ~ ~ / ~ .::;:::~-.~-:::•''::.... / / .~. :~~:~~::::;::::.::~: ~i / / / / / / ~ / ~ / ;~,~_ . . . ~.~:.•~//~~ ~i ~i, „ /i / :ii/~~i /~..~ , / ~ / / / ~ ~ '~%'~'~:':: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ';~~~~~ _h~~~~~~"`.;._'.' ~'~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ `~'•'•~•`'''~•OOOi•p- .~;:~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~,.e•~•i•~••'~ ~~~~~~~~~~~, ~~ - .~~~~~~~~~~

~~~♦~~~~~~~i`,~ ~ ~,~~.,!~~;~ iQ'+d'r!~~~~~♦~~~~~ ,~ql ~I' \ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ \ / / ~ ~ ~ \ ♦ .

Thickness of Quaternary Fig. 31 Geological map of in the Oberrhein graben the Oberrhein-Bodensee area with Rhein foreland glaciation: W =Würm, R = Riss, M = Mindel, G = Günz, D =Donau, B =Biber. Ad = Mountain 507

Le rch enbe~ " _6nn r Ober•Noiz~Onz Heime~tin • en r / _boo w ~/ sso

O Z 3 6 Z 6 v tö ICm

Fig. 32 Cross section at Grönenbach (PENCK & BRÜCKNER 1901: 31).Hatched = Miocene. g = Günz, m = Mindel, r = Riss, w = Wiirm and transverse moraine ridges in more distal posi- Würmian age (`Meinminger Feld') (w in Fig. 32) tion (terminal moraines). The basin and its sur- which is subdivided by late glacial terraces. Irt the roundings implicate the following preliminary west, the `Zeller Feld' (r) is partly only somewhat stratigraphy: higher than the Würmian level and illustrates the • Riss-Würm complex: 5-6 glacial periods sepa- Rissian unit. On a higher level, the `Grönenbacher rated by 5 warm periods (Middle and Late Feld' (m) represents the Mindelian glaciation. Iri Pleistocene, Brunhes epoch) the east the uppermost terrace, called `Böhener — Main hiatus, morphologic (tectonic?) event Feld', represents the Günzian unit (g in Fig 32). • Deckenschotter complex = Günz, Mindel: > 5 The situation illustrates that. the Alpine straü- glacial periods, (early Pleistocene, Matuyama graphic system was originally based on a strictly epoch) morphostratigraphic definition. Later investiga- — Main hiatus, morphologic (tectonic?) event tions of various methods are often discussed in the • Deckschotter complex = Biber, Donau (?Plio- context of this classical framework. cene-eo-Pleistocene, ?Gauss-Matuyama ep- PENCK, A. & BRÜCKNER, E. (1901/09): Die Alpen im Eis- och) zeitalter. - 3 Bde., 1199 p.; Leipzig (Tauschnitz). — Main hiatus, morphologic (tectonic?) event Miocene molasse Stop 19: Viewpoint near Eichbühl

Stop 17: Main moraine ridge of the Würmian D - TM 25: sheet 7925 Ochsenhausen, maximum near Herlatzhofen R 35728, H 5324, 650 m a. s. I. D - TM 25: sheet 8226 Leutkirch West, This Stop illustrates the terrace with the highest R 35753, H 52957, 746 m a. s. I. elevation attributed to the Donau glaciation. There Overview from the top of the main moraine ridge axe no permanent sections where the deposits (`Äußere Jungendmoräne') which embraces the could be shown. The sequence as known from large Bodensee-Rhein glacial basin. drillings consists of three main layers: The ridge consists of a complex of moraine (3) Gravel dominated by dolomite pebbles of the walls, also push moraines. It is up to 2 km wide (Donau glaciation) and can be followed, with little interrupfions, in (2) Fine-grained layers containing a mollusc fauna the order of 10 km, oblique to the former ice flow which is considered to be of Tiglian age (det. direction as derived from subglacial streamlined MüivziNG); landforms. (1) Gravel containing up to 30 %crystalline peb- The ridge often acts as or lies close to the water- bles (Biberian). Its composition is similar to the shed between the rivers Rhein and Donau. The uppermost Alpine molasse gravel of the near- Rhein glacier basin and also part of the ridges con- by Adelegg mountain. tain deposits from older glacial advances. This has It is stressed that up to now no Biberian and Dan- been proved for the basin sequences by palynolo- ubian glacial deposits are known. In contrast the gy and for the ridges by fossil soil intercalations. It younger deposits this Deckschotter deposits are follows that the ridge acting as watershed is of tectonically uplifted and tilted. polyglacial origin. Stratigraphically, the Donau gravel nearby is covered by interglacial deposits of Tiglian age Stop 18: Cross section Grönenbach (1.8 m yr). The material of all gravel units is de- rived from different catchment areas (see Fig. 31). D - TM 25: sheet 8127 Grönenbach, R 3590-3600, H 5306, 700-775 m a. s. I. ELLWANGER, D., FEJFAR, O., KOENIGSWALD, W. VON (1994): Die biostratigraphische Aussage der Arvicoli- Cross section of the four gravel terraces serving as denfauna vom Uhlenberg bei Dinkelscherben and type region of the classical Alpine glacial system: ihre morpho- and lithostratigraphischen Konse- Günz, Mindel, Riss, Würm (PENCK & BRÜCKNER quenzen. - Münchner geowiss. Abh., A 26: 173-191; 1901/09). Central element is the valley bottom of München. 508

Stop 20: Glacial basin of Füramoos better sorted and finer but still fluvial material and topped by a fossil soil. It is followed by further 1- D - TM 25: sheet 7923 Saulgau Ost, R 35658, H 53174, 680 m a. s. I. 2meters ofwell sorted gravel, and then by 4 meters of laminated fines that contain the `Samerberg-]I' The basin of Fiiramoos is situated ir: the distal part (`Holstein') interglacial pollen spectrum (det. BLU- of the `Kiss' moraine landscape. The sequence DAU). starts with `Deckenschotter' deposits followed by The base of the sequence documents the de- various glacial deposits, which are considered to creasing meltwater activity of an early advance of represent Riss advances. In the basin of Fiiramoos, the Riss complex (Older Rissian). The weathering they are followed by lacustrine deposits contain- horizon and the pollen sequence both indicate ing three different interglacial periods. interglacial conditions. Thus, within the early Ris- The upper two interglacial periods represent siancomplex one or two warm periods (`Holstein') palynologically the St. Germain period and the occur. Eemian. The lowermost resembles to the `Pfeffer- bichl' period (perhaps redeposited, disturbed), Middle Rissian = Doppelwall-Kiss which is supposed to be intercalated between the SenSU SCHREINER 1989 Middle Rissian and the Younger Rissian glaciation. The sequence continues with up to 12 m fluvial Together with drillings in neighbouring basins gravel (proximal meltwater deposit). It is followed within the Rhein foreland glacier, the following by 1-3 m diamicton, and may have been deposited sequence of basin fill has been evidenced: as subglacial till. The sequence ends with up to * Upper Wiirmian glacial advance 25 m of unsorted gravelly and boulder-rich depos- Stadial & interstadial phases its,sometimes topped by another diamicton (=sub- Fagus warm period (St. Germain) glacial till) of various thickness. It indicates that * Older Wiirmian glacial advance proglacial meltwater activity was followed by Eemian interglacial period deposition in an subglacial and finally supraglacial * Younger Rissian glacial advance environment. It represents the middle part of the Warm period (Pfefferbichl type?) Rissian complex (`Doppelwall-Riss'). This unit is * Middle Rissian glacial advance (= Doppelwall- topped by a fossil soil with a decalification up to Riss) 20 m. Warm period, complex? (Samerberg-II-`Holstein' Towards the northern part of the pit, large type) parts of the Middle Rissian sequence are glaciotec- * Older Rissian (complex?) glacial advance tonically disturbed and deformed to ridges and depressions, thus indicating the final Middle Ris- Stop 21: Würm supermaximum at Ingoldingen, sian glacial readvance. A loess soil sequence of the gravel pit a&b interridge depressions show that after termination D - TM 25: sheet 7924 Biberach Nord, of the Middle Rissian, at least another 2-3 climatic R 3554, H 53205, 570 m a. s. I. cycles occurred. The site is situated just outside the maximum SCHREINER, A. (1989): Zur Stratigraphie der Rißeiszeit Wiirmian morainal ridge. There are more or less im östlichen IZheingletschergebiet (Baden-Wurttem- proximal meltwater deposits with a diamicton lay- berg). - jh. geol. Landesamt Baden-Wiirtt., 31: 183- 196; Freiburg i. Br. er intercalated. The latter was micromorphologi- cally analysed and has been identified as subgla- Stop 23: Gravel pit Meichle &Mohr, cial till (det. VAN DER MEsit). This indicates that at Radolfzel I-Markelfi ngen least this Wiirmian advance went beyond the max- imum Wiirmian morainal ridge. D - TM 25: sheet 8219 Singen, R 34997, H 52905, 445 m a. s. I. Stop 22: Gravel pit of Bittelschieß The pit lies in a kame terrace position. The se- D - TM 25: sheet 7921 Sigmaringen, quence starts with lacustrine deposits (fines and R 35173, H 53184, 650 m a. s. I. waterlain till) known from drillings. They are fol- lowed by gravels and intercalations of diamiction The pit exposes a typical sequence of the classical and few fines and sands. On top, there are various Rissian glacial complex. layers of diamiction. The surface exhibits a weak drumlin morphology. Older Rissian sensu SCHREINER 1989 Various dikes and veins cut the gravel. They The sequence starts with up to 8 m massive, hori- consist of the underlying lacustrine material. The zontallybedded fluvial gravel, followed by 2-3 m intrusion happened when the gravel was perma- 509 frozen, probably during a readvance phase. There foreland). -Geomorphology, 6: 79-88; Amsterdam. are also sill and dike intrusions from above consist- — (1994): Observations on drumlinized till in the Rhine ing of fine grained material of small subglacial glacier area (South German Alpine foreland). - )n: pools. They intruded when frozen blocks of the WAxREN, W. P. & CRooT, D. G. [eds.]: Formation and deformation of glacial deposits: 115-125; Rotterdam gravel were pushed down in flow direction of the (Ballcema). ice. HABBE, K. A. (1989): On the origin of the drumlins of the ELLWANGER, D. (1992): Lithology and stratigraphy of South German Alpine foreland. -Sediment. Geol., some Rhine glacier drumlins (South German Alpine 62: 357-379; Amsterdam.

Hochrhein Stop 24: Rhein Falls near Schaffhausen anon this furrow has been filled by a 130 m thick (W. SCHIRMER~ gravel stack. During the Middle Rissian glaciation the entrance, of the Klettgau furrow was debris- CH - TM 50: sheet 205, Schaffhausen, R 688.1, H 281.5, 360 m a. s. I. blocked. Hence the Rhein changed roughly to its modern course (Rhein Falls furrow). Here it had to In this area the Rhein has to cut the southeast dip- carve its channel through weak marls of molasse ping Malmian limestone platform in obsequent beds down into Malmian limestone. During the direction (Fig. 33). Moreover, the northwest facing maximum Wiirmian glaciation this steep-walled limestone scarp, the Randen, was a rampart for the channel was filled again. By the early deglaciation western lobes of the Rhein foreland glaciers. They the Rhine was meandering on top of the glacial never succeeded in passing it (Figs. 31 and 33). aggradation. Smoothly cutting down, at the level After the Mindel glaciation, due to strong tec- of the contact molasse marl above Malmian lime- tonic uplift, the deep Singen-Klettgau furrow was stone it met its former channel that crossed its way formed as the oldest deeply incised Rhein valley of rectangularly at Neuhausen. By removing the soft this area. gravel fill of the old furrow the Rhein Falls started Consequently, during the following Riss glaci- to form. Thus, the Rhein Falls mould the former ation periods this furrow functioned as spillway old left channel rim. The falls have a width of 150 for the meltwaters of the Rhein foreland glacier m and a height of 20 m. The exposed rocks are reef (Fig. 33). During the Old and Middle Rissian glaci- limestone (ICünrneridgian, Upper Jurassic).

...'7 ~: ~:• F Malmian »~i s~=3=:•:?s:', F scarp c _ ä s {~~ s': m a J m Singen ~tr _~`S'~.,•::~'~ ;6: .:s: ' Schaffhausen _~.~ ~:4 Rhei

Rhein Fafls

~~

.. .. NO~ J'

G ~_i .. y rn meltwater channel ~:. ,_ .:•.•« t .., ~tl::.. ;.K. o , ~ km 10 yam:; ~:. .sa'~~•• .:~:: Winterthur Fig. 33 Terminal moraines along the Hochrhein (compiled from various sources) 510

HOFMANN, P. (1989): Geologie des Rheinfalls (Exkursion NW SE 700 m B, Teil 1, am 28. März 1989). - Jber. Mitt. Oberrhein., Ä~-~~".~.e - o:. geol. Ver., N. F., 71: 27-33; Stuttgart. 650 m .e. KELLER, O. & KRAYSS, E. (1993): The Rhine-Linth glacier .. .e. . `ü.; - ...:...... ' alpine glaci- in the Upper Wurm: a model of the last Ikm 600 m ation. - Quatemary Intemational,l8: 15-27; Oxford. SCHREINER, A. (1992): Einfiihrungin die Quartärgeologie. U pper Irchel G ravel - 257 p.; Stuttgart (Schweizerbart). Flootlplain deposits Irchel Gravel series Irchel D olomite Gravel (H. GRAF Intermediate Irchel Gravel The early Pleistocene of Switzerland is represented Lower Irchel Gravel by sequences of sandur deposits. Perhaps even the Upper Freshwater Molasse (Miocene) Upper Pliocene is included. These sequences of mainly gravelly sediments define in morphostrati- Fig. 34 Section of the early Pleistocene deposits of the graphic terms the `Ältere Deckenschotter' (Older Irchel Plateau Gravel), which used to be correlated with the `Giinz' glaciation. Recent investigations (GRAF `Walensee-Rhein-Glacier' was responsible for the 1993) have shown that the Ältere Deckenschotter formation of the Irchel Gravels. Since no glacigenic comprises at least four stacked cold-warm cycles. deposits are known, the glacier might not have It is followed by a Middle Deckenschotter and reached the Irchel itself. Paleoflow of the meltwa- three series of Younger Deckenschotter. The latter ter streams was mainly directed to the north-west. evidenced by revers magnetic polarity to be of Only the Irchel Dolomite Gravel reflects a paleo- Matuyama age (FORSTER & SCHLÜCHT'ER, unpubl.). flow direction to the north. These Ältere Deckenschotter deposits are pre- In certain places the glaciofluvial sediments are served as rather small relics. Correlation between topped by overbank deposits. Some of them yield- them is still not well established due to two rea- edmollusc shells which reflect a mainly warm cli- sons: First, several glacier systems, different in mate. petrography, were involved in the formation of the deposits. Second, neotectonic events lifted the rel- Stop 25: Gravel pit `Irchel Ebni' SW Gräslikon ics differentially. According to the classical scheme the sandur CH - TM 50: sheet Baden, deposits of the Deckenschotter are developed as R 687.025, H 267.575, 640 m a. s. I. staircase. Here, however, superimposed sandur A small gravel pit exhibits the contact between the sediments of different glaciations form the mor- Lower and Intermediate Irchel Gravel (Fig. 35). phostratigraphic unit of the Ältere Deckenschot- The base of the Quaternary deposits lies just a few ter. This means that during the Pleistocene, times meters below the bottom of the pit. The basal part of minor tectonic activity caused sediment stack- of the Lower Irchel Gravel contains boulders of ing. Periods with intensified crustal uplift caused considerable size. Therefore the presence of a gla- strong erosion and the formation of gravel-terrace cier in the vicinity of the site is probable. The sed- configurations fitting to the classical morphostrati- iments represent a fining upward sequence, which graphic scheme. terminates in afire-grained channel fill. The chan- The Irchel hill is situated 15 km south of the nel fill deposits and in some parts the gravel un- Rhein Falls (Fig. 33). The bottom part of the Irchel derneath are affected by multiphase pedogenic is composed of generally sandy molasse deposits alterations. The most important features for the of Upper Miocene age topped by a stack of Ältere reconstruction of the paleoclimate of the time in Deckenschotter of mainly gravelly sediments (Fig. question are pedogenic calcite precipitates, which 34). Their pebble spectra differ significantly in the are indentifled as mature caliche. This implies that amount of crystalline rocks, quarzite and dolo- the Lower and Intermediate Irchel Gravels are sep- mite. The oldest unit, the `Lower Irchel Gravel', is arated by an interglacial period. overlain by the `Intermediate Irchel Gravel'. In the east a channel was eroded into the Intermediate Stop 26: Hasli, N Dättlikon Irchel Gravel and filled with the `Irchel Dolomite Gravel'. Its pebble spectrum is characterized by a CH - TM 50: sheet Baden, R 688.950, H 265.550, 670 m a. s. I. very high content of dolomite pebbles. The `Upper Irchel Gravel' tops the succession as well as the Irchel Dolomite Gravel is overlain by a complex Irchel hill. According to the pebble spectra the succession of floodplain deposits and mostly grav- 511

S N ` ~,~gp ,. . ~/:i'r:~~:,!.z~. i:=~=s: ~~~:5=/- ~ __ ~?i~i~ j~ ` i ~-3~f.`~ r :. ti .. ~' :•=. 'c'ssa'22 _a' ~w^=t~ _ _-~ c'-?~ % t.: ` / "-. ~~'.~~~:, tii ;- _ 'Tl7A ~ ~~_.-_ - _ __i _~{. i /'~!- /•-~1T~-'~1 _:L y~ c ~ ~ ~~~'~~~~~~ ^ ~ r~~ - a~~~~S --- - ~- -~~y'ä' ~~ ' ~ ~ ~"i- t, ~~äe1`aö::-..__ - - - - ...... _ . ö o ~ ~` $.~~ 1m Fig. 35 Gravel pit east of Intermediate Irchel Gravel reddish-yellow silty sand `Irchel Ebni' (bottom yellow silty clay calcrete crust and pedodes part): deformed channel r==-=-_=:- ~' fill sediments with ma- ~ grey silty clay with calcrete nodulae ~~ strong induration ture caliche atthe bound- ~ yellow silty Gay with calcrete nodulae coarse sand ary Lower to Intermedi- ~ !t: ate Irchel Gravel ~ grey silty day =~T'E~ Lower Irchel Gravel

W E 680 m

670 m

660 m Fig. 36 Section `Hasli': ~~ layerwiüi mammal remnants finegrained gravel Floodplain deposits and silty clay to silty sand %;~1 Irchel Dolomite Gravel channel fills above the Irchel Dolomite Gravel consolidated sand ~ Upper Freshwater Molasse (Miocene] elly channel fillings (Fig. 36). In the upper part of a chance to approach an age of the Ältere Decken- the section the overbank deposits yielded mammal schotter of Switzerland. remnants, especially tooth fragments. Research on GRAF, H. (1993): Die Deckenschotter der zentralen Nord- the mammal teeth and of paleomagnetic investiga- schweiz. — 187 p., 135 Abb., 16 Tab.; Diss. ETH tions is going on. For the first time there might be Zürich; Zurich.

The Oberrhein graben and its borders ~W. $CHIRMER~ The Oberrhein graben is part of a West European time when Central Europe was dissected by the continental rift (Figs. 1 and 2). A mantle diapir sea from north to south. In the Upper Oligocene intruding since the Upper Cretaceous below the the southern part of the graben rose from the sea. southern part of the Oberrhein graben (Fig. 37) The northern part became terrestric during the with culmhlation in the Kaiserstuhl area is respon- Lower or Middle Miocene. During the Pliocene the sible for the extreme uplift of the graben shoulders main uplift of the graben and its shoulders started. of this area (Schwarzwald 1492 m and Vosges The consequence is a recent elevation of the graben 1423 m), responsible for the graben itself (since bottom of 400 m a. s. 1. in the south (Sundgau) and Eocene) and for the Kaiserstuhl volcanism (Lower 100 m a. s. 1. in the north. Thus, the graben is drain- Miocene). The opening of the graben started in the ing to"the north. The northern inclination of the Middle Eocene in the south and proceeded to- Oberrhein graben may be due to the rise of the wards the north. In the Middle Oligocene the Western Alps. 'The northward graben tilting start- whole graben acted as a small marine furrow com- ed by the Middle Oligocene, the time of the first biningthe sea of the northern Alpine molasse basin uplift of the Alps from the sea. The Pliocene. was and the northwest European sea. It was the last the next time of enormous uplift of the Western 512

O~ The Oberrhein graben fill consists of up to Mannheim) d ~ 3000 m of Tertiary deposits (near an up to 300 m of Quaternary deposits (near Hei- delberg) (Fig. 31). According to drillings, the Qua- ternary encompasses a stacked Pleistocene. Close to Strassburg its lower quarter are sands and silts of local provenance (Kaiserstuhl Rhein) of palyno- logically Lower Quaternary age. The upper three quarters are gravel of Alpine provenance (Alpine Rhein) (BROST & ELLWANGER 1991). The Holocene, on the other hand, is filled into the Würmian as it is the case on all rivers,outside the graben area. As the Holocene is an example of an interglacial it can be concluded that likewise during the general stacking trend of the Pleistocene, erosional periods were intercalated causing stratigraphical gaps within the vertical stack of the Oberrhein graben. BROST, E. & ELLWANGER, D. (1991), mit Beitr. von BLU- DaU, W. & ROLF, C.: Einige Ergebnisse neuerer geo- elektrischer and stratigraphischer Untersuchungen im Gebiet zwischen Kaiserstuhl and Kehl. - Geol. Jb., E 48: 71-81; Hannover. GEYER, O. F. & GwINNER, M. P. (1991): Geologie von Baden-Württemberg. - 482 p.; Stuttgart (Schwei- ~' ~16Z zerbart). t~ ~~ --©2000>2000m uplift i~ Kaiserstuhl The VosgesNogesen Vogesen Oberrhein graben Schwarzwald The Vosges are the western part of the vaulting Schwarzwald-Vosges dome that was uplifted by W 1 f E Kaiserstuhl Hegau the Oberrhein mantle diapir and dissected by 18-13 m y 14-9 my the Oberrhein rift valley (Figs. 7 and 37). They CfUSt are part of the Variscan fold belt (Fig. 4). They con- sist predominantly of eugeosynclinal deposits as litho- shales and basic volcanites (young Proterozoic to ;. sphere Lower Carboniferous). Towards the middle Car- + + + + + boniferous folding activity, deposition of grey- + ,. + + f t asteno- sphere wacke and flysch facies prevail. During the later Carboniferous, late-orogenic acid plutonism in- Fig. 37 Mantle diapirism below the southern Oberrhein elevation graben. Top: Contour lines of the mantle-crust boundary r 4000 m and uplift rates of the graben shoulders. Bottom: Mantle molasse diapir and volcanism during Miocene (modified from basins GEYER & GWINNER 1991: 215, 260)

Alps. Hence the Western Alps exhibit the maxi- mum elevation of the Alps (Fig. 38). Coincidental with this Alpine uplift, the Jura Mountains were folded during the Pliocene. Consequently, it is not accidental that the Rhein catclunent is the only one amongst all Alpine drainage basins draining to the ~S North Sea. All other parts drain along the molasse basin axes parallel to the Alpine mountain belt. In km 200 ~;s case of the Rhine catchment an extreme uplift of the Western Alps together with the West European Fig. 38 Drainage pattern of the Alps. The Rhein solely rift zone caused the unique draining rectangularly drains radially, the other rivers axially to the fold belts off the Alps (Fig. 38). and molasse basins 513

Pollen (%) 100 I I 1 1 I 1 I ! I trees \herbs

Holocene 2-

Younger Dryas ~ Cory f%1 ~ 5- r I In I.n In I9 O O e -s -NN (TI O Ö ÖÖ ÖÖ O L Q ° 90 Upper 7- ° °° Würmian

Grand 3 ,~ ~ 9i~QSli 2 ~= Middle i~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0 Würmian4 1 in '" ------Bois------1 Middle Würm.3 9 —~ --- Charbon----_ Kripp stadial r 85 S t~ ~~ 4 ~m 3 rn~ Middle ~ Pile a •- Würmian 2 E ~ 7 ',~® ~ m ~ 2 Goulotte ~ . ~ Middle 80 Würmian 1

73 - Saint Germain 2 :Y hiatus Odderade ~ Rission 76 '% m Saint Germain 1 a.s.l. 15 - Brarup

Eemian 17-

_ ~ Fig. 3~ Grande Pile section: total tree +shrub pollen versus herb pollen 19- ~ (WotLLARD & MOOK 1982:159), correlated with the Schwalbenberg section m (SCIIIRIvLER) trades, mostly as granite. Denudation gives rise to Stop 27: Crest of the VosgesNogesen thick clastic fill of the Permian molasse basins at near Rainkopf Mountain the northern and southern Vosges rims. From the F — TM Mesozoic on, the whole Variscan complex was 50: sheet XXXVI/19 Munster, R 946.4, H 344.7, 1304 m a. s. I. buried under a thick epicontinental mantle of Tri- assic and Jurassic beds. Cretaceous mantle diapir- The crest of the Vosges is composed prevailingly of ism vaulted up the big Schwarzwald-Vosges dome Carboniferous greywacke and granite. Asa conse- (Fig. 37). Simultaneous denudation uncovered the quence of the graben subsidence the mountain dome down to the deeper Variscan socle. The sub- range is asymmetric, steeply descending to the siding Oberrhein graben dissected the dome into graben, gently declining to Lothringen/. the Schwarzwald and Vosges massifs. Quaternary Its higher parts were glaciated leaving imposing erosion and repeated glaciation (Fig. 11) moulded cirques filled by more or less boggy lakes. the mountains to its recent forma The Rainkopf (biotite granite) is surrounded by 514

radiocarhon years 25 kr BP , , 20, , te, 77 16 15 tL 73 12 11 10 „~..9 ,.8I.. 7 b „I.m5 4 3 , , 2 kr . ~1500 . . , 1000 500 400 300 200 100 0 dendro years 900o e000 700o baoo saao 4000 300o z000 l000 Bc o Ao soo l000 tsoo lsoa 7700 1Boo 1900 19so terraces MAXIWURM SCHÖNBRUNN EBING LICHTENFELS EBENSFELa OBERBRONN ZETTLITZ UNTER- STAFFELBACH VIERETH oFMiddle Renndorf T. BRUNN Europe

u MAIN

tMrW —~— ' _ (_ ~

glacier-0I II U[ phase iv./"~ NT2 NT3 H1 H2 H3 H4 HS H 6 H7 AMPER MITTEL- , _-~-~-1~~~, _ ___, —NT1— _ wc~~~_ = f~`" ~``'~-~-` ~ ~-t--~---

NT1 NT 2 NT3 H7 H2 H3 H4 HS H6 H7 UNTER- gp ~ ISAR -----J.~ ~~ ~~~-- ~~~'/~•'~'~i ~ ~-- ~,n'~---~--

N T7 NT2 NT3 H1 H2 H3 H4 HS H6 H7

~" ä YN B2 DONAU .~ A l . t~, ~~ ~~ ~ • ~'~' `

Higher Middle Lower Ried Zone Motten Zone Felder Z o n e Wörth Zone Auwald Zone a OBER- , RNEIN ~~ ~. ti 6~~' om o - ~ o

NT7 NT2 NT3 Laach eruption MITTEL- ~~' a.NIEDER- a RHEIN ' W.~ --- W - .. `" ~_ "1 \

NT7 NT2 NT3 H1 H2 H3 H4 HS H6 H7 WESER

31F YN BA ~_~__~`-~ __----`~~„ ~- I' ~-- - v ■ • ~

Minima of rannen records Z

Rannen records oP south middle European rivers

Glacier advance record of the Alps

U P P E R W Ü R M I A N Pleniwürmian ILateWürm. owerHofocene Middle Holocene I U p p e r H o I o c e n e wu1 wu2 wu 3 ht hm1 hm2 but hug hui hu4 ACCüMU- CATION MAXIWÜRM SCHÖNBRUNN EBING LICH TEN FELS EBENSFELO OBERBRONN ZETTLITZ UNTER- STAFFELBACH VIERETH BRUN N PHASES 25 k~BP 20 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 17 ..,, ....,9/ .,,.,...BI,.~ .,..,,7 .,. r6.... ,..,5 ,.,. y ...4 ...... 3...... 2 ky . . .1500. . . . 7000 ~ . 500 400 300 200 100 0 ..' 1 1 dendro years 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 BC 0 AO 500 1000 1500 7600 1700 1800 1900 1950

Fig. 40 Phases of in¢eased deposition on Middle European rivers since the Pleniwürmian compared with rannen records from river deposits and glacier advance phases in the Alps (SCHIRMEIZ 1994) 515 three imposic cirques, the east-draining Altenwei- 1870 The Germans reconquer Elsass; 1918 again her and the west-draining Lac de Blanchemer and French, 1940 German, 1944 French Etang de Mackey. The names of the cirques evi- 1949 Strassburg becomes center of the European dence the boundary between the German and Union French language following the crest. Old bench marks are preserved with D and F as well as con- Holocene river development spicuousbattle trenches that are-being overgrown of the Oberrhein graben both by vegetation and the European idea. The Oberrhein graben presents the Holocene river The Etang de Mackey revealed a Preboreal to activity in the same manner as it is found all over Boreal pollen sequence after WoILLARD (1975: 32). central Europe. The central Europe terrace system Ixi the southwestern part of the Vosges a peat bog of the valleybottom consists of three Wiirmian and filling a glacier depression of pre-Eemian age be- seven Holocene terraces (SCHIRMER 1991a: 153; came famous, the Grande Pile -famous for its 1991b;1993;1994) (Fig. 40). Seven terraces of them continuous pollen record of the last 140,000 years are exposed in the Lower Elsaß/ north of (Fig. 39) (WOILLARD 1978, BEAULIEU & REILLE Straßburg/Strasbourg (SCHIRMER & STRIEDTER 1992). 1985; STRIEDTER 1988; SCHIRMER 1988; 1994). As Remarkable therein are two interglacial-like Figs. 41 and 42 demonstrate the river shifted from periods, called St. Germain 1 and 2, succeeding the the western rim of the valley bottom towards the Eemian and being separated by short cold events center, thus depositing rhythmically one terrace (Melisey I and II). It is still in dispute whether these body besides the other: so-called row terraces warm periods correlate with the northern Brrarup (SCHIRMER 1983: 28). Each terrace body of the ter- and Odderade interstadials (as realized in Fig. 39) racerow consists of channel deposits, flood depos- or precede them. Another conspicuous feature is its and a typical soil formation. Due to the deposi- the coincidence of the Middle Wiirmian warm tion of the terrace bodies from the Late Wiirmian peaks not only with the ocean records (WoILLARD up to the last century, their soils are decreasing in & Moox 1982) but also with the loess-soil sequence weathering intensity from luvisol to calcaric re- of the Schwalbenberg section (Stop 40) (Fig. 39). gosol (pararendzina) (Fig. 42). Thus, they are indi- BEAULIEU, J:L. de & REILLE, M. (1992): The last climatic cator soils for their terrace deposits below. cycle at La Grande Pile (Vosges, France). A new pol- len profile. - Quat. Sc. Rev., 11: 4311 138; Oxford. Stop 29: Gravel pit Gambsheim-Steinwald WOILLARD, G. M. (1975): Recherches palynologique sur le F — TM 25: sheet 3815 est, Bischwiller, Pleistocene daps Pest de la Belgique et daps les Vos- R 1006.5, H 127, 128 m a. s. I. ges Lorraines. - Acta Geographica Lovaniensia, 14: 118 p., 7 fig., 40 diagr.; Louvain-la-neuve. This pit is the type locality for the Matten zone — (1978): Grande Pile peat bog: A continuous pollen (Ebensfeld Terrace of the central Europe terrace record for the last 140,000 years. -Quaternary Res., 9: system) (Figs. 41 and 42). Matten means meadow 1-21. (note the same root!). Topographic maps of some WOILLARD, G. M. & Moox, W. G. (1982): Caxbon-14 dates decades ago indicate pure meadow farming in this at Grande Pile: Correlation of land and sea chronol- floodplain zone. ogies. -Science, 215: 159-161; Washington, D.C. The gravel excavated from below the ground- water table contains numerous rannen 16 of which Stop 28: Strassburger Münster/ Cathedral dating dendrochronologically from 5,150 BC to of Strasbourg 5,000 BC. An oak ranne from the gravel top or the Brief history of Strassburg base of the flood deposit has a 14C age of 4,430 ± 65 yr BP. Consequently the deposition of the flood 16 AD at the place of a Celtic settlement founda- sediment starts in the Subboreal period. The flood tion of the Roman castrum Argentoratum deposit mantle, 1.3 m thick, contains two flood 355-498 AD the German speaking Franconians sediment units separated by a floodplain soil. The conquer Elsass/Alsace and give the town the lower unit (0.75 m) is topped by a black fluvic new name Stradiburc (later Strassburg) phaeozem (pseudochernozem), the upper one 1180 foundation of the Munster, finished 1439 (late (0.55 m) by a luvisol that continued developing Romanesque to Gothic) under steadily forested conditions up to modern 1210 GOTTFRIED vorr STRASSBURG writes his epos times. Its Bt horizon permeates the fossil A of the `Tristan and Isolde' pseudochernozem. This soil type, luvisol with fos- 1621 Foundation of the University sil phaeozem, is a reliable indicator soil for the 1681 Lovls XIV conquers Strasburg and adds it to Matten zone, that represents the Ebensfeld Ter- France with the name Strasbourg race. 516

Sauer

Elsass/ i Strassburg Alsace i

~' Eberbach

O • Auwald • zone(hu4 Wörth zone (hui)

Lower Felder zone (hut)

~jj~ Middle Feld er zonefhu1) oo ~ ~Ö~ Upper Felder zone (hm2) Matten zone (hm1) 0 km I i ori , r. Ried zone (wu3/?hl) oz

Fig. 41 Late Glacial and Holocene floodplain terraces north of Strassburg (mapped by W. SCI$ZMII2 and K. STRIEDTER)

Riedzone Mottenzone Felderzone Wörthzone Auwaldzone upper middle lower gleyic mmbisol cambisol luvisol lime-free cambisol weakly calcmmhisol mlcic cnmhisol mlcoric regosol- cafcnric regosol gleybrownearfh brownearth pprabrawnearth cambisol Rhein humic gleysol Wvisol fWvic phaeazem brownearth pararendzina- skong(ybraunif. slighF[y decalcified parnrendzina ~ Nassg[ey parabrownearfh pseudachernozem brownearth pararendzina parnrendzina ~ e.:. . I 113G 129 ~ -128 ~129 ~126 )~I~~ 125 II ~I~II~I.i~~~I e ii G 2 \ C` //%

i ~~ \~\ ~+t~\\1~\ GcCI G O C' \~~k\\~~l Go I ..o .a .. I ' '~ ~~.ö Gor ~~~~~~~ ~ ~ Gro

' \ o 0

age o! the gravel: Late Würm A7/anlic Subbareal Roman period early Middle Ages (ate Middle Ages 79fh century

luvisol/ Br horizon I~;I~ humus A. hariznn parabrawnear(h Br horizon o! a g(eyso[ portly deco(cifietl S„ horizon stagnicgleysol! grove[ i ~;:', brown horizon n n Sd horizon pseudog[ey camblsof! spoL/ed ) e horizon anthropagene brnwnearlh banded J of a 9feysa[ linds

Fig. 42 Soil sequence of the floodplain terraces in the Oberrhein plain north of Strasburg. FAO soil system: normal letters; German soil nomenclature: italics 517

Stop 30: Gravel pit Gambsheim-Gräbelstücke branching Rhein with densely forested islands F - TM 25: sheet 3815 est Bischwiller, (Köpfe =heads) in between and often flooded. R 1009.1, H 128.5, 128 m a. s. I. Nowadays it is used as riverine forest and some- times even for farming. This pit is the type locality for the Upper Felder A small pit (easy to excavate at any higher zone (Oberbrunn Terrace). Felder zone means field place within the forest) exhibits an A horizon of zone (note the same root!), arable land. The Felder 10 crn thickness above fresh fine sandy flood sed- zone is the strip of land situated highest within the iment. Shallow augering displays this flood sedi- Oberrhein valley bottom. Consequently, it was ment of some two meters above the gravel. Farther settled first (villages with the suffix -heim). Even to the north the gravel contains brickstone of the nowadays it bears the highest concentration of vil- 19~' century. lages and traffic veins. The lime content of the C horizon is 19-23 %. In The gravel below the groundwater bears three the A horizon it diminishes from base to top to levels of rannen: 14 % ~- evidence for a slight decalcification of the • 8 m below the surface 3,030 ± 55 yr BP calcaric regosol. • 12 m below the surface • 17 m below the surface 3,600 ± 55 yr BP SCHIItMER, W. (1983): Die Talentwicklun~ an Main and Regnitz seit dem Hochwürm. - Geol. ]b., A 71:11-43; Thus, the gravel is of Subboreal age. Besides a cer- Hannover. tain stacläng trend there is hint of depositional (1988): Holocene valley development on the Upper rhythmicity even within the Oberbronn reworking Rhine and Main. - In: LAtvG, G. & SCHLÜCHTER, C. phase. Its flood-sediment mantle of 0.7 m thickness [eds.]: Lake, mire and river environments during the bears a strong cambisol with a decalcification last 15,000 years: 153-160; Rotterdam (Ballcema). depth of 0.7 m. Also this soil functions as indicator (1991a): Bodensequenz der Auenterrassen des Main- soil for the Upper Felder zone. All younger zones tals. - Bayreuther bodenkundl. Ber., 17: 153-186; adjoining riverward bear calcaric regosols of river- Bayreuth. (1991b): Breaks within the Late Quaternary river de- ward diminishing grades. velopment of Middle Europe. - Aardkundige Med- edelingen, 6: 115-120; Leuven. Stop 31: Gravel pit Offendorf — (1993): Der menschliche Eingriff in den Talhaushalt. F - TM 25: sheet 3815 est, Bischwiller, - Kölner Jb., 26: 577-584; Berlin. R 1010, H 126, 126 m a. s. I. (1994): Valley bottoms in the late Quaternary. - Z. Geomorph., Suppl.-Bd. [in press] This pit is the type locality for the Wörth zone SCHIIztvIER, W. & STRIEDTER, K. (1985): Alter and Bau der (Staffelbach Terrace). Wörth means island. It Rheinebene nördlich von Straßburg. — hi: HEUBER- presents places of land surrounded by abandoned GER, H. [ed.]: Exkursionsfiihrer II: Unterelsaß (Rhein- river channels with stagnant or slowly running ebene N Straßburg), Lothringische Vogesen: 3-14; Hannover (Deutsche Quartärvereinigung). water. The whole zone is often completely flooded S'PRIEDl'blt, K. (1988): Holozäne Talgeschichte im Unterel- and consequently used for seasonal meadow farm- saß. - Inaug:Diss. Universität Düsseldorf: 235 p., ing. By rectification and dyking of the Rhein (1825- 4 Krt.; Düsseldorf. [Maschinenschr.] 1879) the Wörth zone was cultivated and even used for arable farming. Stop 33: Neckar meander of Mauer The gravel below and above the ground water contains numerous medieval ceramics, a mill stone D - TM 25: sheet 6618 Heidelberg Süd, R 348597, H 546784, ca. 195 m a. s. I. and rannen with chop marks traces at the base of the trunk. The 1 m thick flood sediment on top As explained more extensively in the `Introduc- bears a calcaric regosol slightly decalcified (A hor- tional' survey, item 3, during the Tertiary an essen- izont 12 %, C horizont 18 % CaCO3) -again an tial valley forming process took place. Irt the case indicator soil for the Wörth zone. of the lower Neckar about two-thirds of the valley incision is of pre-Quaternary age, one-third of Stop 32: Port d'OffendorF Pleistocene age. During the early Lower Pleis- tocene some upland rivers formed large meanders Bischwiller, F - TM 25: sheet 3815 est, in a wider valley, here to be found at the level of R 1013, H 128.5, 125 m a. s. I. roughly 100 m above the modern valley bottom. The place of the recent boat harbour was in the Our place is the external point of such a meander eighties a gravel pit serving as the type locality of 6 km amplitude, the so-called Mauer loop (Fig. for the Auwald zone (Viereth Terrace). Auwald 43). Due to following strong tectonic uplift these means riverine forest. In the 19~' centurybefore the meanders incised - in case of the Mauer loop into rectification of the Rhein, this zone was part of the the Middle Triassic Muschellcallc and Lower Trias- 518

~l

Fig. 43 Deposition of the Mauer sands by d ~ a Neckar loop (modified after SCIIWEI- zER 1982: 150)

sic Buntsandstein —down to the recent river level. ly 50 m of Quaternary deposits composed of 35 m From late Lower Pleistocene to early Middle Pleis- of Neckar river sediments topped by 15 m of loess. tocene, due to general subsidence of a large upland The fluviatile stack displays three fluvial rhythms area, this incision was partly filled by a fluviatile each starting with channel deposit and ending aggradation of some ten meters. In the case of the with flood deposit. The three flood deposits are Mauer loop a presumably 50 m thick stack has decalcified from above each to different degree. been preserved. Within this fluviatile pile the low- The lower channel sediment exhibits gravel, the er jaw of Homo erectus heidelbergensis has been two upper ones gravely sand (lower Mauer sands found. During the mid-Middle Pleistocene the riv- and upper Mauer sands). The flood sediment of ers dissected this stack again indicating a new the third rhythm is followed by four loess layers widespread tendency of tectonical uplift. During each ending with a Bt horizon. this dissection the Neckar cut off the Mauer loop The middle fluviatile rhythm with the lower promoting the small Hollrnut spur from aright- Mauer sands contains scattered, mostly isolated bank to a left-bank hill (Fig. 43). faunal remnants, amongst them the lower jaw (Fig. 45) of Homo erectus heidelbergensis —proof of fluvial SCHWEIZER, V. (1982), unt. Mitarb. von ICRAATZ, R.: Kraichgau and südlicher Odenwald. — Sammlung reworking of the material. Main mammals are geol. Fizhrer, 72: 203 p.; Berlin, Stuttgazt (Born- (V. KOENIGSWALD in BRTT~TFTAUER & WAGNER): traeger). lnsectivora: Talpa minor, Talpa europaea Primates: Homo erectus heidelbergensis Stop 34: Sand pit Grafenrain —type locality Rodentia: Apodemus sp., Microtus arvalis-agrestis, of Homo erectus heidelbergensis Arvicola cantiana, Pliomys episcopalis, Castor fi- ber, Trogontherium cuvieri D — TM 25: sheet 6618 Heidelberg Süd, Carnivora: Canis lupus mosbachensis, Ursus stehlini, R 34 85 61, H 54 67 98, ca. 145 m a. s. I. Ursus deningeri, Hyaena arvernensis, Panthera The sand pit abandoned in 1962 has been investi- pardus sickenbergi, Panthera leo fossilis, Felis gated recenfly by diggings and drillings for re- (Lynx) issidorensis, Felis cf. silvestris, Homo- search purposes (BEINHAUER & WAGNER 1992). therium sp. The general section (Fig. 44) presents above Mid- Proboscidea: Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) antiquus dle Triassic carbonate rocks (Muschelkakc) rough- Perissodactyla: Equus mosbachensis, Stephanorhinus 519

i,:;r ky • recent luvisol BP N TL age ~ (ky) loess c ~ a ~ 55 4

100 - ~dd L luvisol .e- 14 N 7~ i 166 ± luvi sol O ~ 168 ~ 19 E c O o ~y loess x~ 10 200 - • luvisol 0 j~~j/~j~j~~ 187 s 17 loess ?• flood deposit 300 - / upper Mauer ~ sands ~ (channel dep. ) a 20 400 - 0 ?o drift boulders ,~ flood deposit a 'o „Lettenbank" ä 500 - a lower Mauer v sands ? 1 (channel ~ dep.l ~ 30• with 600 - 7/ < Homo erectus heideibergensis x and interglncial fauna ®ooeö~e 700 - ® i~`:'` stagnosol • p — II O 1 — — II oxbow lake dep. 40 1— p 9 II g— _.+.` with 2 boreal 800 - c za u wood forest periods 1 — 11 II •s- ~:::, • w a r m — U — flood deposit o cold

900 channel deposit m 50 Muschelkalk (Triassicy

Fig. 44 Grafenrain section (compiled after BEINHAUER & WAGNER 1992). + =carbonaceous, - = non-carbonaceous

hundsheimensis All in all, the lower Mauer sands can be attrib- Artiodactyla: Sus scrofa priscus, Hippopotamus am- uteri to the earlier Middle Pleistocene. Thus, Homo phibius antiquus, Alces latifrons, Cervus elaphus erectus heidelbergensis is still the oldest human fossil acoronatus, Capreolus suessenbornensis, Bison of Central Europe. schoetensacki. Ecologically, this fauna indicates interglacial con- ditions. A tusk of Elephas has been dated by U/Th at a minimum age of 300 ka. The fauna itself points to an older Middle Pleistocene interglacial period. The whole profile is paleomagnetically normal (Brunhes epoch). With respect to comparable lo- calities (Main river) the loess mantle is incomplete. Additionally, the nature of the smallest fossil soil, whether it represents an independent interglacial or not, is open. Moreover, the fluvial stack may be incomplete. Dissecting the Middle Pleistocene flu- vial stack the river left a staircase as a result of alternating erosion and aggradation. Each of these aggradational terraces is underlaid by a socle of the fluviatile stack. Thus, the top rhythm of the Fig. 45 Mandible of Homo erectus heidelbergensis (SCHOE- fluviatile Grafenrain stack may be one of the ter- TENSACK 1908) found ixi 1907. Interrupted line: Lower jaw races cut into the stack. of recent man (modified after STEINMANN 1917: 83) 520

BEINHAiJII2, K. W. &WAGNER, G. A. [ads.] (1992): Schich- STEIIVMANN, G. (1917): Die Eiszeit und der vorgeschichtli- tenvon Mauer — 85 JahreHomo erectus heidelbergensis. che Mensch. —Aus Natur und Geisteswelt, 302, 2. —192 p.; Mannheim (Braus). Aufl.: 105 p.; Leipzig.

Mittelrhein and Niederrhein Bay ~W. SCHIRMER~ The style of both valley reaches is predominately boniferous /Permian, mostly functioning as in- formed by their tectonic history: uplift of the Mit- land, island or coastal area. The Mittelrhein valley telrhein area and both subsidence alternating with is antecedent: During the existing Rhein coarse the uplift of the Niederrhein Say. Rhenish Shield arose. Consequently, the Rhein had 'The Mittelrhein is the valley reach where the to cut in, forming the terrace staircase with the Rhein pierces the Rhenish Shield, the so-called famous romantic gorge (Figs. 46 and 47). Rheinisches Schiefergebirge (Figs. 1, 2 and 7). This The Mittelrhein Basin (Fig. 48) separates the Rhenish Shield has been rising since Upper Car- Mittelrhein into an upper and lower Mittelrhein

T r o u g h v a l t e y m a.s.l. entrenched valley E W Pliocene 400 Pleistocene valley 6ottomt tR0 tR1 ~~ 350 tR2 tR2 tR3 tR4 tR5 300- Loreley 250- post ti an

200•

~- -15 0- ~ 100-

50

Fig. 46 Schematic cross section of the upper Mittelrhein valley in the Loreley area (based on the terrace record of SE1vIMEL 1977; 1989); exaggeration 5 x

Eifel Trough valley terraces Devonian Peleogene through eady Middle Pleistocene

~

~~ (FiT4) g m ~ ~t'S Valley slope terraces later Middle Pleistocene bella ~ ~~ ~ ~n=g ~'ä`m of.1FiT E a~ etap Valley bottom terraces mx m~ m2Q mg'ä 300 3~ wer 300 Idesebolllh >W Q? SF= .a~il >~~ Nletlertertassen Floodplain terraces UpperWGrmian Holccena

250 250

G 200 200 g ' gffi 8 ~ e_ s m ~u e ~$ ~ ~~ ~~ 150 150 N~ Jm fI~IN S^

100 cover beds 100

50 50

Fig. 47 Schematic cross section of the lower Mittekhein valley and adjacent azeas (modified from SCHII2MER 1994:185) 521

Nlederterrass e n and Holocene

Mittelterrassen

Terminal push moraine 0 0 Hauptterrasse n

Tertiary trough terraces •o Ven/o Pre -Tertiary \\ basement ::~ (v B Niederrhein Bay üs eldorf.~ LM lower Mittelrhein M ö Mittelrhein Basin

O O ~ o ~ o ~~ Qi ~ Bergheim ~, Irch O OO OO

Düren ~ Aachen ~ 0 0 0 o ~, ®Zü/pich O ~

Remagen

B ~.\~ ( ndar Fig. 48 Mittelrhein Ba- Koben; sin, lower Mittelrhein , -'~'~ ~" l~i° >~~ ~®~`G~d' and Niederrhein. Riv- iw ~~~~~~~\ er terraces and Stops 0 l0 20 30 40 50km 36-53 and 55 (based on 1 /` ` ~'►~_j Qurrzow 1959: Beil. 1) ~~y¢. \ \ section (Fig. 3). This subsiding tectonic basin ex- place where the WER pierces from the north into hibits adepositional stack ranging from an Lower the Rhenish Shield (Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 68). Subsidence Oligocene marine basis through terrestric Pliocene of the Niederrhein graben is documented by a sed- with hiatuses. Hence follows a terrace stair case of imentary stack starting with an Middle/Upper the Rhein and Mosel displaying minor vertical dis- Oligocene marine fill passing over abrackish Mio- tances than that outside the basin. Rich volcanic cene with 100 m thick brown coal beds into ter- activity accompanied the tectonic movements restric delta deposits of the Rhein and Maas of (Figs. 49 and 55). Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene age (Fig. 69). Since The Niederrhein Bay, as a graben, marks the early Middle Pleistocene due to prevailing uplift, 522

~ ii E~~ ~~ chrono- ad stratigraphy E~ ä= Niederrhein Mittelrhein Rhein environs BP HOLOCENE ~ 1 up to seven floodplain terraces ,n ~ 10000 Young.Dry~ Niederterrasse 3 (Ebing Terrace) d m Aueröd L Lascher See tephra 11100 E MiddleDryas ~ ~ = 3 Bölling 2 '`- Older Oryas e ä Mefendorf o 12 600 Niederterrasse 2 lSchönbrunn T.) loess+3gelic gleysols ~ Pleniwürm Eltvitle tephra Niederterrasset lMaxiwürm T.) a loess+gelicgjgysols 35inzig soils+ loess PLEISTOCENE 3 Wümian ~; ä SRemagensoils+loess a 4 0 ~ loess LowerWürmia ~ ~ > Mosbach humus zones

UPPER m Eemian 5 Weeze-1Moers II interglac. ~~ "~~ 128000 6 Mittelterrasse 5 N MT 5 ~ u, N p 7 ¢ 7 Kempen beds ~ Hüttenberg tephra. ~ 215000

Erft twin soils ^ ~ x m

"O 8 Mittelterrasse 4 M T 4 ä,

f0. ~ 7 ~ ö_ 9 Krefeld interglacial ? Niers twin soils ~ ö. 0

0 y. m . N !D ~ O ~ 10 Mittelterrasse 3 ~ MT 3 ?Kärlichinterglacial ö T 400000 ~ O -~ N p ~ 11 Frimmersdorf igl. o _~ H ? Ariendorf interglac?~ 12 Mittelterrasse 2 ~ MT2 ö a

0 m ' ? 13 '

PLEISTOCENE G Mittelterrasse 1 '" MT 1 tR6 Gl O~ n C .- n 14 BRUNHES Hauptterrasse 4 H T 4 ~ O m ? ~ ~ 15 ,~ F E Hauptterrasse 3 Jüngere ~ Ll O n G ~ 16

MIDDLE m Hauptterrasse 2 -Hauptterras_se5:_ — ~zä ' i 0 m Cy 17

.n. Hönningensands P n P 11P Hauptterrasse 1 uBb s 783000 n O ~ ' O 19 — ~ + a o d Ältere ?tR4 ~ p o _ G N_ 20 ..-

F~ ~ Hauptterrasse —YAMA ~ r N O. ~ ~ 21 ? Ba '

0 r 7 22 Lower d 23 Frechen interglac.III ~.. 990000

3 N~ Ö<~. G 7~ gravel d Alpine Rhein ?tR3 A ~_~ J°~°~'« Frechen interglac.II Cd ~ Pleistocene a O ~ P O Ö gravel c d L interglacial I —TU— ] ö S m ' C ~ G 7 PLEISTOCENE gravel b2n terraces7tR2"

1 ~Y - 1,66 Mio _{ 7 ~ ~ Fortuna interglacial o. d LOWER = ~~ ._ ~ ~ ~ gravel b1 ~ ?tR1 ' MA—otd_~° Alpine foreland Rhein-- 2,2Mio Reuverian I Reuver clay .c ~o - 2,4Mio Kieseloolith gravel a

GAUSS tR0 ~' beds ` -0/ - 3,3Mio Brunssumian Red clay series ' v ä

PLIOCENE Lothringian ~ 3 Principal gravel series _ ~ ~ - SMio

w Upper GILBERT ~ a, ,~- brown coal `" ü Middle t w ~ — -- ~~~~ Kaiserstuhl Rhein ~ Lower ~ ? I1111 I ~ - 22,5Mio z Upper ~ IIII~~~III~' Brohl Rhein z ~ ----- ~~~~~ll ~iIII~~~I ~ Middle_ _ m Vallendar 7 ö hiatus ö Lower ~Illi~ ,~lmä~~nellll > EOCENE beds - 37,5Mio

Fig. 49 Stratigraphical table of the Mittelrhein/Niederrhein azea 523 the Rhein cuts its depositional stack forming a ter- QUITzoW, H. W. (1959): Hebung und Senkung am Mit- race stair case. Towards northwest the Quater- tel-ond Niederrhein während des Jungtertiärs und narydepositional stack piles up to 500 m thickness Quartärs. - Fortschr. Gaol. Rheinl. u. Westf., 4: 389- 400, Taf. 1--4, Beil. 1; Krefeld. close to Amsterdam (ZAGWIJN & DOPPERT 1978: SCHIItMER, W. (1994): Der Mittelrhein im Blickpunkt der 584). Thus, the Niederrhein graben area encom- Rheingeschichte. - In: KOENIGSWALD, W.V. &MEYER, passesone of the most complete terrestric Neogene W. [ads.]: Erdgeschichte im 12heinland. Fossilien und and Quaternary sequences of Europe (Fig. 49) (cf. Gesteine aus 400 Millionen Jahren: 179-188; Mün- ZAGWIJN 1985;1992). chen (Pfeil). To Fig. 47: Within the entrenched valley of the ZAGW1IN, W. H. (1985): An outline of the Quaternary Mittehhein as well as the Niederrhein Bay, up to stratigraphy of the Netherlands. -Geologie en Mijn- now four Mittelterrassenhas been known. Howev- bouw, 64: 17-24. ZAGWIJN, W. H. (1992): The beginning of the ice age in er, inthe area of Köln the lowest one can be split up Europe and its major subdivisions. -Quaternary Sci- into the MT 4 with two fossil luvisols on top and ence Reviews, 11: 583-591; Oxford. the MT 5 with one fossil luvisol on top. Likewise on ZAGwIJN, W. H. & DOPPERT, J. W. CHit. (1978): Upper the river Main the same terrace configuration as Cenozoic of the southern North Sea Basin: palaeocli- the MT4/MT5 of the Rhein has been found recent- maticand palaeogeographicevolution. - Geologie en ly (SCHIRMER, unpubl.). Mijnbouw, 57: 577-588; Den Haag.

Upper Mittelrhein (W. SCHIRMER~ Stop 35: Loreley, Patersberg-Rheinblick through valley up to 6 km wide and 100 m deep cut into the peneplain of the Schiefergebirge, anarrow D - TM 25: sheet 5812 St. Goarshausen, R 340868, H 555848, 230 m a. s. I. entrenched valley up to 1 km clearance and a very small valley bottom. The trough valley houses a Along the Mittelrhein (Fig. 3) the Rheinisches terrace staircase up to seven steps (tR0-tR6; in Fig. Schiefergebirge is composed of solely Lower De- 46 only six) that dates from the Pliocene (tR0) vonianbeds: slates, sandstone and some quartzite through the early Middle Pleistocene (SEMMEL intercalations. An alternation of anticlinoria and 1977). The terrace forming the platform of the synclinoria molds this Variscan socle (Fig. 50). The Loreley rock is the tR5 terrace, the so-called Jün- Loreley rock consists of south dipping sandy gere Hauptterrasse (Younger Principal Terrace) shales and quartzites of the Lower Emsian that (Cromerian Complex) (Fig. 49). The entrenched crossed also the Rhein as riffles offering danger for valley, formed during the later Middle Pleistocene, shipping. Later the riffles were removed by blast- contains the Mittelterrassen that are rarely pre- ing. served. The valley bottom embraces the Niederter- The cross-section of this upper Mittelrhein val- rassen and Holocene floodplain terraces. ley presents athree-membered shape (Fig. 46): a The ancient `Lureley' rock got its name from its

SOONWALD ANTIKLINORIUM SYNCLINE LORELEY • ST. GOAR Kaub Bacharach BINGEN ~~ 1~ ~~ ~~ ~\t~~ ~\ Tertiary ~ y~~ ~`~`~'t?rtd ; L .`~ i~ . '~~ ~ ~~,~~`~''_'i~!'Z s ,~*'S?~':r 0 ~t ! ~~='\~~~~: ~ ~~~\ \~~~\ a .-~~ ~_ ' .~ ~. it .>~ ~ ~ ~~~~"~~\~ `aV ~$.~_~\~. LewerEmsshale`` ~~ \~~\~~~.~c~;.~,'~,~ ~ Hunsn7ck shale ~ ~~. ~~~~~ Q ~`i \ ~~ \\\. ,.{.~~\ ~~~ ~\~~ Taunus~_ quarta .-. Hermeskeil sandstone 5

~ I ~ ~ I _s c ystalllne basement I I I I I I 'I I 1 1

0 km 10 10

Fig. 50 Longitudinal section of the upper Mittelrhein valley. Lower Devonian: Lower Ems shale - Hunsrück shale - Hermeskeil sandstone - Gedinne shale (MEYER &STETS 1975: tab. 1, modified) 524 excellent echo (echo rock). In 1801 the grand Ro- MEYER, W. &STETS, J. (1975): Das Rheinprofil zwischen mantic poet CLEMENS VON BRENTANO created the Bonn und Bingen. - Z: deutsch. geol. Ges.,126: 1529, famous Loreley, a female being who changed - in Taf.l2; Hannover. the eyes of different poets -from nixie to a girl SEMMEL, A. (1977) in: BIBUS, E. &SEMMEL, A.: Über die Auswirkung quartärer Tektonik auf die altpleisto- enticing the shippers by her singing thus endan- zänen Mittelrhein-Terrassen. - Catena, 4: 386-396; gering them to collide with the riffles. Gießen. — (1989): Field Trip G3: Geomorphology of the upper valley. - geoöko-forum, 1: 317-318; Darmstadt.

Mittelrhein Basin and lower Mittelrhein ~W. SCHIRMER) Stop 36: Dreitonnenkuppe, Kieseloolith-Terrasse (Siliceous Oolite Terrace) Kieseloolith Schichten siliceous oolite beds (uppermost Miocene to Pliocene) Pliocene i D - TM 25: sheet 5610 Bassenheim, Düsseldorf R 25998, H 55774, 315 m a. s. I. In the western part of the Mittelrhein Basin the morphologically highest position besides the Qua- ternary volcanoes is formed by the Kieseloolith ~ Terrace. It is the oldest well-tracable gravel bed of / Aachen the Rhein system. The gravel up to 10 m in thickness consists of small well-rounded pebbles (medium-sized in a sandy matrix). The pebbles represent mostly quartz, some quartzite and silicified rocks. Amongst the latter occurs the siliceous oolite fades (Fig. 51). Moreover, small crinoid fossils can be

Fig. 52 The Lothringian Rhein (Upper Miocene-Pliocene) within the Rhenish Shield (modified from BOENIGK 1981: 251)

found. The heavy mineral spectrum shows tour- maline, zircone, ruble and staurolite for a total of more than 50 %. This characteristic indicates a strong selection by weathering before and during the deposition. Succeeding the deposition the gravel was weathered by a deep red soil. The parent material of the siliceous oolite and the fossils come from Middle Triassic and Jurassic beds that occur upstream in the Mosel area of Lothringen. As the gravel fades of this river sys- tem differs between the Upper Mittelrhein and the Mosel, and as on the Niecerrhein prevails that of the Mosel (BOENIGK 1981: 242) it follows that a primeval Rhein came from Lothringen via Mosel and may have received the virtual Rhein as a trib- utary in the Mittelrhein Basin (Lothringian Rhein) Fig. 51 Kieseloolith (siliceous oolite) pebble from the (Fig. 52). upper Miocene-Pliocene Kieseloolith beds. Lateral Below the gravelly Kieseloolith beds in places width: 20 mm there follow Vallendar gravel and Lower Oli- 525

N a gocene clay, marl and sandstone (Maifeld beds) 9 ä w ä preserved in the tectonical basin position. The N O ~N ü~ ' - 'vo. a ä N d p N d C M v C N C C1 L a gravel is topped by a periglacial surficial mantle m Ö v v i~ Ö ö. Q 9 H äoE X +d- with ice wedges. .°1 ~ _ FJ - hiostratigraphy Lascher See-tephra .,~::.:. BIBUS, E. (1990): Pliozäne Kieseloolithterrassen südwest ...Z... lieh vom Karmelenberg (Lonniger Höhe). -In: SCI-IIR- MER, W.: Rheingeschichtezwischen Mosel und Maas, deuqua-Führer, 1: 38-41; Hannover. ::?.:: BOENIGK, W. (1981): Die Gliederung der tertiären Braun- kohlendeckschich#en in der Ville (Niederrheinische )a Bucht). - Fortschr. Geol. Rheinl. u. Westf., 29: 193- 263, 2 Beil.; Krefeld. 1s2 10 ,~ Stop 37: Clay pit of Kärlich flara: D - TM 25: sheet 5610 Bassenheim, Cromerian Y R 25045, H 55842, 200 m a. s. I. w BT4 396± 9 20 1s0 :ä „Kärl. Brockentuff" The Kärlich section (survey in SCHII2MER 1990) is 8 Y 7 227 6 +, . ~* , ~+ ~ the most exciting one of the Rheinland with a re- T2< 4s3± B s BT3 search history ongoing since 1913. The rough ver- 4 303 12 tical sequence is the following: BT2oT1 480 ca. 22 m loess mantle with tephra layers small mammals~~~~ ~•• ca. 10-14 m Pleistocene fluvial gravel complex ~ii~i~r~i~i%lili~i1111111 . Cromerian 8 (Hauptterrassen/Principal Terrace BT 1 complex) Ga major unconformity 2 m brown Lower Miocene clay F 2 m green and grey trachytic pyroclastic bed (22.8 ± 0.6 m yr, Upper Oli- gocene) E early Cromerian -~---~-- 6-13 m Upper Oligocene dark blue clay, D which is exploited C ca. 50 m Lower Oligocene green Maifeld 'i17.ä beds Bb Concerning the Pleistocene strata (Fig. 53), the BRUNHES gravel complex presented within the last 30 years %/////I/////////~///,' a stack of three fluviatile series: A, Ba and Bb, each MATÜYAMA Ba o $ starting with gravel at the base and ending with 0 o ~ o flood deposits on top. Each series is topped by a . fossil soil which is more or less preserved. The loess/tephra mantle exhibited seven loess p' ~~_ a':r ~ ~ . units (C/E, F, Ga, Gb, H, Ja, Jb) each ending with `_~___~_ a Bt horizon of a luvisol. This soil is regarded as a ~TERTIu1Rlf soil of interglacial Type. Additionally, unit G yield- ed an interglacial fauna, and soils and sediments I: ~:+1 tephra with pumice topping the loess unit H are accompanied by an ~ basaltic tephra interglacial flora and fauna (Kärlich interglacial). ® redeposited basalt. tephra In 1995 not all of this strata, observed during ~~~~ humus horizon the course of thirty years, will be exposed. %///////// B horizon Important data for the section are: loess sediments ~~ gravel /sand D • find ensemble /single find Fig. 53 Loess-tephra mantle of the clay pit Kärlich (not to 0 revers/normal magnetized scale) with stratigraphical data. Bold numbers of oxygen warm/cold stade isotope stades are based on the given data, normal num- 1:.tf~121 bers are suggestions (modified from SCHIRMER 1990: 61) peat 526

The Matuyama/Brunhes boundary is bracket- — (1990): Kärlich -Forschungsstand 1990. - ht: SCI-IIR- edbetween gravel unit Ba and Bb. Thus, eight gla- MER, W. [ed.]: Rheingeschichte zwischen Mosel und cial periods pile in the section above the Ma- Maas. - deuqua-Führer, 1: 60 7; Hannover (Deut- tuyama/Brunhes boundary. This seemed to be a sche Quartärvereinigung). continuous sequence of the Middle and Upper The Kärlich interglacial: Pleistocene that normally consists of eight glacial palaeobotanical investigations periods. However, some datings and stratigraphi- (F. BITTMANN~ cal evidences disagree with it. The flora of the Kärlich interglacial (see contrib. BIIMANN) points palaeobotanical investigations of the `Kärlich In- to a young Cromerian interglacial, and a40Ar/39Ar terglacial' (Unit H 11-12 in Fig. 53) revealed six age of the Kärlicher Brockentuff fits to the O-stage periods with 14 PAZ (pollen assemblage zones) in 11 (a continuous profile would attribute the inter- the pollen diagrams (BITTMANN 1992 and in press) glacial of unit H to stage 7, that is of Holstein age (Fig. 54): or obviously younger). Consequently, between the 1. period of QM (Quercetum mixtum, PAZ 1-3): Matuyama/Brunhes boundary and unit H there This period was characterised by mixed oak are too many interglacial periods, and above H forests under optimal climatic conditions. two interglacial periods are missing. Taking into 2. period of Carpinus and QM (PAZ 4-7): At the consideration the evidence of twin soils which are beginning of the period representing the late two Bt horizons running tightly parallel a (buried) phase of the interglacial the hornbeam became surface and are attributed to one interglacial peri- the dominant tree. Irt the course of PAZ 6 the od, the mere counting of Bt horizons must be cooling of the climate began. Boreal forests and dropped (for the Rheinland see SCHII2NIER 1974: fen vegetation spread out. 39). To identify twin soils needs a long reach of 3. period of Pinus (PAZ 8) observation, at least some hundred meters. How- 4. Mülheim I Stadial (PAZ 9-10): tundra vegeta- ever, in Kärlich most of the soils are wedging out tion dominated the landscape. after a distance of some decameters due to an un- 5. Kettig Interstadial (PAZ 11): climatic condi- dulated surface, as it may be compared in my tions improved, so Quercus and Corylus could drawing of the main wall of the pit in BRUNNACKER expand a little. et al. 1969. (Concealing the problem of twin soils 6. The Mülheim II Stadial (PAZ 12-14): tundra compare Stop 51). vegetation existed in the surrounding area. The Remarkable features of the Kärlich section: boundary between PAZ 13 and 14 is marked by Unit A exposed the oldest artefacts (choppers) an abrupt change in the sediment (loess) and of the Rhein area. In unit Esmall-mammal bones climate (cold steppe conditions). point to early Cromerian. Irt unit Gb Arvicola terres- tris cantiana together with Pliomys points to the Stratigraphic position Cromerian interglacial IV (v. KOLFSCHOTEN 1988: The pollen sequence is typical for the warm stages 137). Unit H bears besides the flora and fauna ar- of the Cromerian Complex. Consequently, an tefacts of probably Homo erectus (KRÖGER et al. Eemian or Holsteinian age can be excluded. 1991). Among the Cromerian sites known so far, the Kär- BRUNNACKER, K., STRETT, R. & SCHII22MEIZ, W. (1969): Der lich sequence shows a good agreement only with Aufbau des Quartär-Profils von Kärlich/Neuwieder the second part of the Cromerian interglacial from Becken (Mittelrhein). - Mainzer natures. Arch., 8: Bilshausen, Lower Saxony (MÜLLER 1992), but pal- 102-133,1 Mainz. Beil.; aeontological investigations in the Kärlich clay-pit KOLFSCHOTEN, T. VAN (1988): The evolution of the mam- mal fauna in the Netherlands and the Middle Rhine (VAN KOLFSCHOTEN 1990) support an age younger area (Western Germany) during the late Middle than the Cromerian N Interglacial of Dutch chro- Pleistocene. - Diss. Rijksuniv. Utrecht: 157 p.; Ut- nology (the hitherto youngest Cromerian intergla- recht. cial; ZAGwIJN 1985). Thus, the Kärlich Interglacial KRÖGER, K., BOGAARD, P. VAN DEN, BITTMANN, F. & is regarded to be younger than'the Cromerian N T`CrRNER, E. (1991): Der Fundplatz Kärlich-Seeufer. and older than the Holsteinian and may be named Neue Untersuchungen zum Altpaläolithikum im Cromerian V Interglacial. Rheinland. - Jb. röm.-germ. Zenirahnuseum Mainz, 35 (1988): 111-135, Taf. 14-17; Mainz. BITTMANN, F. (1992): The Kärlich Interglacial, Middle SCHIlZMER, W. (1974): Mid-Pleistocene gravel aggrada- Rhine region, Germany: vegetation history and stra- tions and their cover-loesses in the southern Lower tigraphicposition. - Veget. Hist. Archaeobot.,1: 243- Rhine Basin. - IGCP project 73/1/24: Quaternary 258; Berlin. glaciations in the northern hemisphere, report no. 1: — (in press): Vegetationsgeschichtliche Untersuchun- 34-42; Prague (R~TQUA). gen an mittel- and jungpleistozänen Ablagerungen 527

~ .~

N m m

L N E H E -] W J 6 ~ LL LL G F- Q 6 C.1 Ü Ü N ~. m S~~ LL ä f!] 1

14

13

12

116

la

t°b I0a 8

76

7a

6

5 4 3 26 3a

1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Fig. 54 Percentage pollen diagram (Profile D/E in unit H) from the Kärlich clay pit. A total terrestrial pollen sum less Corylus is used. Only the more important pollen curves are shown

des Neuwieder Beckens (Mittelrhein). - Jb. röm.- germ. Zentralmuseum Mainz. KOLESCHOTEN, T. VAN (1990): The evolution of the mam- mal fauna in the Netherlands and the Middle Rhine pittefrhein~ ~::.:::~~ .~~~~~~\\ Area (Western Germany) during the Late Middle ~ <;:;;:;;: Siehengehirge Pleistocene. -Meded. Rijks Geol. Dienst, 43: 3-69;'s- \\\ Q1eld Gravenhage. ~O ic°nic MÜLLER, H. (1992): Climate changes during and at the 6 end of the interglacials of the Cromerian Complex. - In: KuxI.A, G. J. &WENT, E. [eds.]: Start of a Glacial. - NATO ASI Series, 13: 51-69. ZAGW1IN, W. H. (1985): An outline of the Quaternary stratigraphy of the Netherlands. - Geol. en Mijn- bouw, 64: 17-24. a Quaternary volcanism of the Eifel The Eifel volcanism is part of a volcanic activity spread largely in tectonically uplifted blocks of Mos el central Europe. The volcanic activity of the Rhen- ish Shield started in the late Eocene simultaneous- lywithincreasing uplift of the shield. Due to uplift thinning of the lithosphere together with partial melting of mantle material is postulated as causing Fig. 55 Volcanic fields of the Eifel/Mittelrhein area (mod- the volcanism (RAu~S & BON7Elz 1983: 315). Eo- ified after VIETEN 1994: 146) 528

~ Remagen

Ariendorf •

Bad Breisig

~ Bausenberg ® a Andet•nach Wehr •"~ ,®Laacher See ~ Neuwied Eppe(sberg ~~ Rieden :esenheim ®~ Kärlich n a

Koblen r~ ® Karme(enberg • Mayen 0 2 4 6 8 10 km i ~ i t i i Fig. 56 East Eifel volcano field cene, Oligocene and Quaternary are climax stages K., GEHLIN, K. VON, MÄLZER, H., MUI2AWSIQ, H. & of the Eifel volcanism (Fig. 49). SEIYIlVIEL, A. [eds.]: Plateau uplift. The Rhenish Shield The volcanic fields of the Eifel show a rough — a case history: 315-331; Berlin (Springer). Quartär. NW-SE orientation fitting to the NW-SE compres- NIETEN, K. (1994): Vullcanismus im Tertiär und — 1T1: KOENIGSwALD, W. V. & MEYEit, W. [edS.]: Erd- sion of the recent stress field (Fig. 55). The Osteifel geschichte im Rheinland: 137-148; München (Pfeil). volcanic field of about 120 volcanic centers started its activity towards the end of the Lower Pleis- Stop 313: Laacher See volcano tocene (Fig. 49) and is still going on. Its most spec- tacular devises are: D — TM 25: sheet 5609 Mayen, R 258995, H 558642, 300 m a. s. I. 1. Tephra beds intercalated in Quaternary depos- its of central Europe and serving as tephro- The Laacher See is a crater lake of barely 2.5 km chronological marker horizons (see Stops 37, diameter. Its level is at 224 m, its base at -50 m a. s. 1. 41, 42, 45 and 51). The eruption happened around 11,000 yr BP, dur- 2. Volcanic scoria cones representing unique ingthe AllerBdian interstadial, inmidst of acouple landmarks in the East Eifel volcanic area (Fig. of young Pleistocene scoria cones the relics of 56) (see Stop 44). which are surrounding the present lake basin. The 3. Its youngest and best preserved eruption, that eruption obviously used the place of an older cra- of the Allerradian Laacher See volcano (Stops 38 ter belonging to the framing young Pleistocene and 39), plombing an extended area in the vi- volcanism. The form of the lake of two intermittent cinity, and spreading an ash layer over large circles (Fig. 5~ indicates a change of the vent. The areas of Europe (Fig. 5~ (Stop 41). southern crater was used during the Lower Laach- 4. An impregnation of eolian and fluviatile de- erSee tephra, the northern since the Middle Laach- posits by the respective volcanic mineral spec- er See tephra (see Stop 39). Recent activity is re- trum. stricted toweak gas production close to the eastern bank of the lake (COZ derivable from the earth BOGAARD, P. VAN DEN & ScI-RbIINCKE, H.-U. (1985): Laa- mantle due to high3He/4He ratio; SClIMIIVCICE et al. cher Tephra: See A widespread isochronous late 1990:155). Unfit 1152 the lake was larger. In the 12'~ Quaternary tephra layer in central and northern Eu- rope. — Geol. Soc. of America Bull., 96: 1554-1571. and 19"` century monks of the cloister Maria Laach RAIICES, S. & BoNjER, K:P. (1983): l arge-scale heterogene- lowered the lake level by more then 6 m, draining ity beneath the Rhenish Massif and its vicinity from it by a tunnel at its southern bank in order to yield teleseismic P-residuals measurements. — In: Fucxs, more arable land (FRECHEN 1976: 154). 529

FRECHEN, J. (1976): Siebengebirge am Rhein —Laacher Vulkangebiet — Maargebiet der Westeifel. Vulkano- logisch-pefrographische Exkursionen. —Sammlung geol. Führer, 56: 209 p., 5 Beil., 3. Aufl.; Berlin, Stutt- gart (Borntraeger). SCHNIINCKE, H.-U. (1994): Vulkanismus im Laacher See Gebiet. Exkursion der Geologischen Vereinigung und Deutschen Vulkanologischen Gesellschaft 10. — 12. 6. 1994. — GV Exkursionsführer, 1: 59 p.; Kiel. SCHMINCxE, H:U., BOGAARD, P. V. D. & FREUNDT, A. (1990): Quaternary Eifel volcanism. Excursion 1AI. Workshop on explosive volcanism, August 27 to Sep- tember 2. —188 p.; Mainz.

Stop 39: Laacher See tephra pit of Wingertsberg D — TM 25: sheet 5609 Mayen, R 25906, H 55846, 320 m a. s. I. The Wingertsberg scoria cone belongs to the group of late Pleistocene volcanoes surrounding the Laacher See volcano. Positioned in a distance of Continental i[e sheet one km off the Laacher See crater, it is covered by at 11000yBP a thick Laacher see tephra (LST) mantle (cf. SCI-IMIIVCKE et a1.1990:131). The tephra pit exhibits the following sequence (thicknesses varying): Ca. 40 m phonolitic Laacher See tephra (Aller~rd- ian, ca. 11,000 yr BP) subdivided into: 4.5 m LTLSTL =Upper LST: Fig. 57 Laacher See tephra in central Europe (modified laminated after v. D. BOGAARD & SCHMIIVCI~ 1985: 1554) 9m ULST =Upper LST: dark surge breccias, dunes, flows ca. 13 m MLST =Middle LST: striped fallout The hauyn-phonolitic magma has its chamber flow deposit at a depth of 2-5 km. About 5 km3 dry rock mass 12 m LLST =Lower LST: light, fallout has been thrown out spreading over central Eu- 1m BLST =basal LST: greenishfine-grained rope (Fig. 56). The eruption is mostly of Plinian ash, initial phreatomagmatic eruption type and therefore estimated to have happened within a few days. As I found recently, the Laacher 0.2 m Mendig soil: calcaric regosol (Allercrd- See eruption took place by two events, the second ian) being separated from the first by a time-lag of 0.5 m loess (iJpper Wiirmian) some years or a few decades of years. Thus, the tephritic lava and tephra of a scoria following stratigraphical sequence of the Laacher vulcano (penultimate glaciation to See eruption is inferred here: Eemian) Meile tephra 1 The surface of the scoria exhibits periglacial re- Breisig interruption Allered period working activity with ice wedges. On top of the Fellenz tephra small loess bed a weak soil has developed consist- Mendig soil ing of a humic A horizon (pararendzina = calcaric The first event produced the major part of the regosol). Together with the soil, scattered rannen Laacher See tephra, Pellenz tephra, named after its of an Aller,edian forest have beenpreserved as root thickest occurrence in the Pellenz (Fig. 5~. The remnants and stumps of trees upright towering second event produced a much smaller tephra into the Laacher See tephra for a few meters and of amount well exposed in the Goldene Meile, bury- a diameter up to 20 cm. The basal fine-grained ash ing there the Breisig flora (see Stop 41). The Meile of the Laacher See tephra contains imprints of tephra may correspond to the highest part of the leaves. Upper Laacher See tephra of SCI~VCKE'S subdi- An indicator mineral for the Laacher See pum- vision (see Stop 39). ice isthe blue hauyne (up to a few mm (ö). Notable 530

j~ Roman finds REMAGEN terraces of n undetermined age ® pre-Würmian

L/NZ ',NT2 . ' . Schwalbenberg ' . ~ . ®' , ' KRIPP

LEUBSDORF

xG ~ aQ' AR/EN- DORF

'l Fig. 58 Terrace map of the Goldene Meile 0 9 2 km (Golden Mile) (modified after SQ$2MER BAD BREIS/G 1990: 95)

for the tephra are single bombs, the darker lapilli and 3 and a couple of Holocene floodplain terraces layers rich in xenoliths (abundant Palaeozoic (Fig. 58). The Mittelterrassen form small steps slate), fine-grained bands of ignimbrite horizons in within the steep slopes of the entrenched valley the MLST. These small horizons represent an over- between the level of the trough valley and the val- bank facies of some decameter thick ash flows fill- leybottom (Fig. 4~. ing those valleys that spread radially from the Sci-~ti~x, W. (1990): Die Goldene Meile. - In: SCHnttiv>FR, Laacher See. The ULST exhibits dune horizons (ra- W. [ed.]: Rheingeschichte zwischen Mosel und Maas. dial wind transport off the vent). - deuqua-Führer, 1: 94-98; Hannover (Deutsche Quartärvereinigung). SCHMINCI~, H:U., BoGAaxD, P. V. D. & FREUNDT, A. Quaternary Eifel volcanism. Excursion 1AI. (1990): Stop 40: Schwalbenberg/Remagen. Workshop on explosive volcanism, August 27 to Sep- tember 2. -188 p.; Mainz. Middle Würmian D - TM 25: sheet 5409 , The `Goldene Meile' (Golden Mile) R 258824, H 560356, 92 m a. s. I. It is a fertile basin of a German geographical mile This locality displays within a steep cut the `Untere (= 7.4 km) in length, 140 m deep incised into the Mittelterrasse' (M'I' 4) of the Rhein topped by a climatically rougher trough valley of the Rhein. It fossil luvisol and a 13.5 m thick loess pile. This has been formed at the place where the left tribu- loess pile comprises a Middle Wiirxnian section of tary, the Ahr, pushed the Rhein towards its eastern appreciable vertical extension and fairly complete valley slope. Protected by the gravel cone of the preservation (Fig. 59): Ahr river, a small valley boftom -the Goldene Middle Würmian 4 (Sinzig period): Interstadial Meile -extends on top of the Niederterrassen 2 complex with three calcic cambisols. 531

:;:..s::.:•:::~ luvisol -36 -35 -34 -33 -32 -31 -30 -29 -28 -27 %, -36 -35 ~e!Q.SS:4!.:.95:.~~ , I i i i ~ i i J I calcic camhisot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ humic soil n gebt stagnosal Holocene 1~~\\\\\\\~ gelic gleysol

ö c m' a.s.l. w 6 92 e C o~9 % 0 ~ 0,05 0,1 0,15 0,2 0,25 0,3 i ~ . i i I c 99 .~c

:~ 90 ~'~~~~ ~~. ~ ~ m 95 n ~ M ,~-90 v ~ _- - o- 3 N in - ~ N c =85 ~- (n -

d7 M O. . - ßÖ_80 ' ~~ 'u 3 E Y in -

85 N `° ~ =75_ .ö C - C1 d h _ ~~ 70 ~ fh C .~ O1 _ 3 ö_ v ~ °~ =65 'O N ~ _ 'Q _

~

°' ~ - eo -a '- _ -~ E ss - :~ _ E3 =so

ö

N

0-' 76 ka BP Fig. 59 Schwalbenberg section and its organic carbon content compared with S18-O of the Dye 3 drilling (left) and Camp Century drilling/Greenland (right) (S('FTiRMFR 1991: 75, modified)

Middle Würmian 3 (Knipp period): Short stadial Pile section (Fig. 39) and to ice cores and deep sea period with loess and basal gelic stagnic gley- cores (Fig. 59). The correlation is based not only on sol. _ . the loess-soil sequence but also on the rough thick- Middle Würmian 2 (Remagen period): Interstadial ness relationships, on the soil chemical and chron- . complex with five calcic cambisols. - ological data. Consequently, this correlation gives Middle Würmian 1: Solifluctional loess, with gelic —besides that of the Grande Pile —further proof of gleysols. the correlatability of terrestric and marine Quater- There is a significant correlation both to the Grand nary deposits. 532

SCHII2MER, W. (1990): Schwalbenberg südlich Remagen. - to 30 cm QS and swimming disorientated in the In: SCHII2MER, W. [ed.]: Rheingeschichte zwischen flood loam. It points to a lahar-like flood deposit Mosel und Maas. deuqua-Führer,1: 105-108; Hanno- that spreads over the NT 2 during or short after the ver (Deutsche Quartärvereinigung). Pellenz eruption. A break of at least several years (1991): Würmzeiffiche Paläoböden am Mittekhein. - 10. Tagung des Arbeitskreises "Paläoböden" der within the Laacher See eruption sequence is indi- Deutschen Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaft vom 30.5.- cated by awell-developed flora on top of this flood 1.6.1991 in Bonn, Programm und Exkursionsführer: deposit (Breisig period). Then the Breisig flora was 70-83; Münster, Bonn, Düsseldorf. covered and preserved by the Meile tephra, the second event of the Laacher See eruption. The The Niederterrassen (Low Terraces) Meile tephra consists of an up to 60 cm thick tephra As in whole central Europe, three Niederterrassen bed. Its lower part (15 cm) is of massive tuff, a fall- (NT) exist on the Rhein river (Figs. 47 and 49). On out fades, that contains the well-preserved Breisig the lower Mittehrhein the NT 1 (Maxiwiirm Ter- flora. Its upper part (up to 45 cm) presents a fluvi- race) lies on average 16 m above the river level, the allyreworked tephra. The Meile tephra is overlain NT 2 (Schönbrunn Terrace)14 m, the NT 3 (Ebing by another 30 C]TL of flood deposit, that is topped by Terrace) ca. 13 m. the Holocene fluvic luvisol. The NT 1 has a small sandy flood sediment and SCHIRMER, W. (1990): Die Goldene Meile. - In: SCHII2MER, is free of loess. The NT 2 has a thick fine-sandy, W. [ed.]: Rheingeschichte zwischenMosel undMaas. silty flood sediment. Within the reach of the Laach- deuqua-Fiihrer, l: 94-98; Hannover (Deutsche Quar- erSee tephra fan there exist three flood loam strata tärvereinigung). separated by the Pellenz and the Meile tephra: Tephrobiology: The Breisig flora and fauna Upper flood deposit (G. WALDMANN) Meile tephra • Breisig soil and flora The Laacher-See tephra contains the remains of Pellenz tephra/Middle flood deposit (lahar-like) broad-leaved plants and invertebrates preserved • Mendig soil and flora as imprints. The thanatocoenosis represents a local Lower flood deposit snapshot of the environment minutes. before the NT 2 channel sediment eruption took place. The plant and animal commu- nity is aresponse onto the ecological conditions of The Goldene Meile area was only fed by the Meile the Allerodian interstadial. eruption. Some of the more temperate species found in From the Mittelrhein basin downstream, both the Meile tephra at Sinzig and Bad Breisig are: the NT 3 channel and flood sediment bear small Plants: Achillea millefolium, Bellis perennis, Cam- pebbles and grains of Laacher See pumice. panula cf. rapunculoides, Convallaria majalis, Corylus SCHIIZMER, W. (1990): Der känozoische Werdegang des avellana, Geum urbanum, Knautia arvensis, L~si- Exkursionsgebietes. - hi: SCHIRMER, W. [ed.]: Rhein- machia nummularia, Malva alcea, Pimpinella saxifra- geschichte zwischen Mosel and Maas. deuqua-Fiih- ga, Primula veris, Quercus robur, Rhamnus catharti- rer, Quartärvereini- 1: 9-33; Hannover (Deutsche cus, Rumex acetosa, Thalictrum flavum, Valeriana di- ~g) oica, Verbascum cf. nigrurn, Vicia cf. cracca, Viburnum Stop 41: Gravel pit Schmickler, Sinzig (NT 2) opulus, Viola cf. odorata Animals: Discus ruderatus, Lithobius sp. D - TM 25: sheet 5409 Linz, Judging by -the spectrum of plant species de- R: 25898, H 550125, 64 m a. s. I. tected, the environment was by no means inhospi- The gravel pit lies in seam channel position of the table, from today's human point of view. Being Niederterrasse 2 (Schönbrunn Terrace) (Fig. 60). A alive, many species found in the tephra are edible. V gravel with ice wedges and drift boulders indi- Early man no doubt appreciated good cooking. cates cold-climate depositional conditions. A thick Some plants recorded produce soft fruit and nuts floodplain-channel sand fill fits to the external ter- supporting the need of vitamins for human nutri- raceposition. Loamy intercalations with drop soils tion even today. Others can be used as a fibre indicate the continuation of the cold climate. Riv- source for basketry and knitting nets for collecting, erwardbeyondthe pit, a flat channel of L gravel is transportation, fishing, trapping and hunting pur- cut into these deposits indicating a first meander- poses as well. Shrubs and trees provide wood for ing river. This whole channel fades is mantled by weapons like bow and arrow and bark for tanning a 3.5 m thick fine-sandy to silty flood deposit. leather. Concentrating towards the upper part, it con- The use of plants was one of the presupposi- tains pieces of massive silty Laacher See tephra up tions tomake the highly mobile lifestyle of the `Fe- 533

Schönbrunn terrace W E Niederterrasse 2 Ebing terrace m 41 Niederterrasse 3 15 seam channel ~ seam channel

10 . ~ ~.0 ö,+~ Rhein i/ .~ ~ ' • - ~+ e., _ s i Ö + 0 ~ m+', .+' + + e{yo ö. + u o ^

\ ? 0 0

~*+* + redeposited Lnacher See pumice ~~ Lnacher See Tuff (Meile Tuff) Devonian lonm, silty loam ,fine -sandy 0 10 0 ~ molluscs E Equus sp. ~ WS qo ~~~ ~c~2ie~.~~.

Fig. 60 Cross section of the valley bottom of the Goldene Meile (modified after SCHIRMER 1990: 96)

dermessergruppen' possible. A lot of plants listed flora in Fig. 61 marks the first reforested period of content drugs and were perhaps important for the Late Würmian. The spreading of the vegetation medical care to treat diseases and wounds caused from the Würmian Pleniglacial to the Allergdian during hunting activity. Lnacher See tephra is well recorded by the Miesen- With high evidence it can be supposed the col- heimpollen diagram (Fig. 61). At this locality (Fig. lecter-hunter-culture disposed of solid botanical 56) a lake deposit starts with a thick Pleniwürmian knowledge. Poisenous plants that have been dis- loess fill fairly poor in pollen content. It continues covered might have been used in shamanistic cel- with a Late Würmian sequence of alternating lime ebrations. precipitation and organic intercalations (pollen It can be assumed that the importance of plants diagram zone 1-3), followed by an early Allerr~di- for the daily survival of the people within the an peat (PDZ 4-5). The sequence is topped by the Aller,~dian interstadial has been considerable un- Lnacher See tephra, which provides a reliable time derestimated so far. marker. Even the preliminary results of the pollen The eruption of the Lnacher-See volcano how- record present a distinctly subdivided Late Glacial ever destroyed a huge area within the Rhineland, sequence: being uninhabitable afterwards. The eruption PDZ 1 / Meiendorf interstadial even might have caused a natural and cultural hi- PDZ 1 reflects the situation of the late Meien- atus for centuries. dorf interstadial with Betula percentages already WALDMANN, G. (1994): Ein allerödzeitlicher Auenwald ranging from 10 to 50 (~ 27 %). Most probably a bei Sinzig/Mittelrhein.—In: HOFFMANN, K. & LANGE, certain share of shrub Betula is involved as the J.-M.: Umwelt and Quartärgeologie Mitteldeutsch- values of dwarf willow (cf. Salix retusa) are high lands. 150 Jahre Inlandeistheorie in Sachsen. Kurz- fassungen der Vortrags- and Posterbeiträge: 52 p.; and the pioneer shrubs Hippophae and Juniperus Leipzig (DEUQUA). are constantly present. Artemisia, Helianthemum, Potentilla, Thalictrum and Polemonium coeruleum are Early Late Glacial pollen record the more important nonarboreal pollen types. The of Miesenheim radiocarbon age of a piece of wood datesthisinter- (U. SCHIRMER~ stadial to 12,320 ± 90 yr BP (Hv 18,442). The Allerr~dian interstadial, characterized by the PDZ 2 /Older Dryas Period macroflora given above as well as by the pollen This period gives proof of a climatic deteriora- 534

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~a ~O ~~ ~ m~ ~1~I i~./► ~~o4 / ~ N ~a, = ~ ------:, ,.JI; ~~ndlli~~ ; I~~~~~,,. ~'s~~ T o'`~ v~ ...~„Ai ' ~ii ~~U'~IP~IIIIIIII 1 ~ IIIIIIIIIII~N~~U~~~"1NUIIIIi~ ~ os~{s o ~o N aT~~s do/,~sa +, s ~olll~III I~~~ .6Q +o, ~ ~►. ~:.: ,Ji,~~~►„_~►.o.,,~,~►. .,~II (~~~.. ~I ~ oa~4 a ~ ?~ m,~ ln..mmm ,rn m,m ~~p.,rV I 1 ~ ~Q °a , >~. ~ F S~-~aa~'o .aoG ~~ ~ 1 _ ~ i m F a~°;o~ I aa~ f . ~.T ~ ,n. F ~ ~ ~ ;. ll ~y F sq~a ~ .. .,:>~ oi,~~'S' ~ a~ r ~~:: ~ s9~J/, `' ~ ^ S ~ Fig. 61 Miesenheim —early s~ v Late Glacial pollen diagram G, (0 = 95,6 m a. s. l.; only pollen S d ~a aa~, types concerning the strati- ~ ~l.~ graphy are printed; Cyper- G`a ap ö ,~ b ~ tf~ Ö t{~ Ö ~ Ö aceae are excluded from the N N fn t~J V' V In h r ~ ~ basic sum) 535 tion by its increase of nonarboreal heliophilous regosol (pararendzina) (ROHDENBURG & MEYER pollen types most of all Artemisia and Thalictrum 1968). IiQNGER (1995) found that by damming of which reach their absolute maxima. The increase the pore solution on top of the Mendig soil, luvisol of Betula and Salix may be caused by their shrub features developed on top of this fossil soil, in plac- shares. es within this soil and beneath in its protolith. The section exhibited here presents the Holo- PDZ 3 /Bolling cene luvisol penetrating the Laacher See tephra This pollen zone features the full expansion of (exploited as far as the basal few centimeters), the arboeal Betula. A radiocarbon date of wood places Mendig soil (calcaric regosol) and parts of the loess the Betula maximum to 12,225 ± 95 yr BP (Hv below it. 18,443). The Late Glacial heliophyts decrease to the values of PDZ 1. IIQNGER, A. (1995): Bodenbildung unter Laacher Bims im Mittelrheinischen Becken. — Inaug:Diss. Univ. Düs- PDZ 4 / Allerr~d (Betula phase) seldorf:131 p., 4 Beil.; Düsseldorf. [Maschinenschrift] The pollen record shows the steady expansion ROHDENBURG, H. &MEYER, B. (1968): Zur Datierung und of Pinus -with Betula still dominating -and the Bodengeschichte mitteleuropäischer Oberflächenbö- rapid decline of the heliophilous types. den (Schwarzerde, Parabraunerde, Kalksteinbraun- lehm): Spätglazial oder Holozän? —Göttinger Boden- PDZ 5 / Allerrad (Pinus phase) kundl. Ber., 6: 127-212; Göttingen. The highest part of the profile is characterized by the final expansion of Pinus which in most mid- Stop 44: Prehistoric Museum Monrepos dle European pollen records precedes the event of D — TM 25: sheet 5510 Neuwied, Laacher See tephra. A radiocarbon analysis of R 250248, H 559492, 290 m a. s. I. wood dates the top of the profile to 11,185 ± 90 yr BP (Hv 18,111). This age fits perfectly to the pres- As department of the Römisch-Germanisches Zen- ence of the topping LST. tralmuseum in Mainz, this museum of Pleistocene archaeology housing in the Schloß Monrepos Stop 42: Gravel pit Klee, Bad Breisig (NT 3) works as place of investigation as well as museum for the Palaeolithic archaeology of the Mittehhein D — TM 25: sheet 5409 Linz, area. The museum exhibits finds begmning with R 25914, H 55995, 60 m a. s. I. Homo erectus, l Mio years ago, through the time of The NT 3 (Ebing Terrace) rises to a similar level Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (200,000--40,000 yr as the NT 2 (Schönbrunn Terrace) (Fig. 60). How- BP) peaking in the Magdalenien of Neuwied-Gön- ever,mostly itremains 1-2 m below the NT 21eve1. nersdorf (ca. 12,500 yr BP) with engraved slate Bearing reworked pebbles of Laacher See pumice slabs figuring picturesquely man and glacial fau- throughout its terrace accumulation, the NT 3 ev- na. idences to be younger than Allerrad. Exhibiting BOSINSKI, G. (1992): Eiszeitjäger im Neuwieder Becken. — locally cold-climate indicators, it has to be placed Archäologie an Mittelrhein und Mosel, 1, 3. Aufl.: into the Younger Dryas period, the last cold period 148 p.; Koblenz. of the Wiirmian glaciation. Stop 45: Eppelsberg volcanic scoria Stop 43: Gravel pit east of Torney and lapilli cone (vil. ScHIRMER & Q. IKINGER~ D — TM 25: sheet 5509 Burgbrohl, D — TM 25: sheet 5511 Bendorf, R 259395, H 55859, 265 m a. s. I. R 339375, H 559250, 120 m a. s. I. The Eppelsberg — as a typical example of the poly- As soon as the Laacher See tephra mantle is thin- genetic scoria cones of the East Eifel -exhibits five ning to few meters off its eruption center, the eruption units (A-E) separated by unconformities Holocene soil formation penetrates through the (SCI-IIv>~rCICE et al. 1990: 112; ScIrMilvcxE 1994: 26). whole tephra and sometimes beyond it into its These unconformities encompass periods of vul- bedrock pervading there the pre-existing and te- canotectonical displacement and/or soil develop- phra-buried Mendig soil. In this case it is difficult ment. Within these units the rock composition to separate the Aller,edian soil formation from the turns from early tephrite to late basanite. The two Holocene one. Thus a long scientific discussion is basal units (A, B) represent initial maar phases going on whether an A-C soil or an A-B-C soil with predominantly hydrodastic well bedded tuff would have developed during the Mendig soil deposits. 'The third unit (C) is the main Strombol- period. Wherever the Mendig soil is not affected by ian phase with eruption of lava that mainly ap- later soil formation processes it presents a calcaric pears as scoria breccias, short lava tongues and 536

~/////%%%%%%%%%~i, ~ 31±3 TL(Z) ARIENDORF ~c ~ ~ 59±b TLtF) ö 1 loess LD III

~ 139±16 TLIF)

IIIIIIIItlII~It3:IIIIIIINIIIIIII~IIIIIIIIININ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + + +++++++++++++t++ ~ 215±4 Ar/Ar Hüttenberg pumice ~ ^- 160 TL (F) ~ 199±18 TL tZ) ~ 165±18 TL (F) 2: Arvicolo terrestris B loess LD II 9 1 ~ Arvicola terrestris A loess LD I

~ 235 ± 42 TL (Z) loess LD 0 ~ 300 ± 34 TL [Z) ~~419 ± Ar/Ar Ariendorf 11 18 ~ 451 ± 6 Ar/Ar interg[a~ial 419 ± 18 Ar/Ar~E Rieden pumice 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ 490 Ar/Ar o`pm~ ~ 0 ~ O 0 0 0 0 ~1-3 =archaeological 0 0 0 0 and 0 Leubsdorf terrace G o O o faunal horizons

Fig. 62 Ariendorf section: cover series (compiled after V. D. BOGAARD & SCHIvffNCKE, FRECHEN, HAESAERTS and V. KOLFSCHOTEN in SCIIII2MER [ed.] 1990: 112 f.). Ar/Ar =40Ar/39Ar laser dates by v. D. BOGAARD & SCHMINCKE; * =step degassing age by LII'POLT, FiTI3RMANN & HRADETZKY; F = TL dating by FRECHEN; Z = TL dating by ZÖLLER & STREMPdE bomb breccias. They form the principal core of the Stop 46: Gravel pit Ariendorf scoria cone, its crater fill and adjacent wall. Units D D - TM 25: sheet 5409 Linz, and E indicate the late hydroclastic phase. They R 25923, H 56000, 145 m a. s. I. consist of stratified pyroclastic and hydroclastic tuffs and lapilli beds changing their colour from The pit displays a pile of 17 m loess with tephra bed to bed. A conspicuous cambisol separating (Fig. 62) above ca. 30 m gravel of a Mittelterrasse: unit D from E embraces imprints of leaves, e. g. Situation see in Fig. 58. fern (SCIIIILMER, unpubl.) —testifying to a longer The loess pile exhibits four loess units (LD 0— hiatus between both hydroclastic phases. The sco- LD lll) separated by luvisols. According to the ria cone is capped by a loess layer and the Laacher datings given in Fig. 621oess unit LD III embraces See tephra. the last two glaciation periods, and the first fossil During the first three eruption phases the cra- soil from top is placed in O stage 7. The Ariendorf ter maintained nearly the same position but, it interglacial with a luvisol and a flora below the changed the position within the cone during the upper Rieden pumice layer is dated to O stage 11. late hydroclastic phases to places beyond the pit. As there are two luvisols and only one interglacial left between O stage 7 and 11, two of the four fossil SCI-IMIIVCICE, H.-U. (1994): Vulkanismus im Laacher See luvisols within the loess pile may represent twin Gebiet. Exkursion der Geologischen Vereinigung soils (compare Stop 51). and Deutschen Vulkanologischen Gesellschaft 10.- 12. 6. 1994. - GV Exkursionsfiihrer, 1: 59 p.; Kiel. The Leubsdorf Terrace is attributed at mini- SCHDiIIIVCKE, H.-U., BOGAARD, P. V. D. & FREUNDT, A. mum to the 5u' glaciation BP thus representing the (1990): Quaternary Eifel Volcanism. Excursion 1AI. Mittelterrasse 2 (Fig. 47). Workshop on explosive volcanism, August 27 to Sep- SCHII2MER, W. [ed.]. (1990): Rheingeschichte zwischen tember 2. -188 p.; Mainz. Mosel and Maas. — deuqua-Fvluer, l: 295 p.; Hanno- ver (Deutsche QuartärvereinigLmg). 537

Stop 47: Erpeler Ley covered by gravel of the Jüngere Hauptterrasse. On Rhein side it exhibits picturesque basaltic D — TM 25: sheet 5409 Linz, the R 258820, H 560576, 55 m a. s. I. columns. Ley =rock (Rhenish dialect). Ruins of a former railway bridge on both sides The Erpeler Ley (190 m) belongs to the Oligo-Mio- of the river bring to mind March 7,1945. This day cene Mittelrhein volcanism (Fig. 55). A basaltic for the first time the allies encroached the eastern vent fill is cut by the Rhein both on top, during the bank of the Rhein crossing this last preserved formation of the Hauptterrasse, and on its flank, bridge along the river. during the formation of the entrenched valley. It is

Niederrhein Bay ~W. SCHIRMER~ Gott, wie rühmen Dich Eleven km E of the center of Düsseldorf this valley Berge, Fels und Klippen. pierces a syncline of upper Middle Devonian reef Sie ermuntern mich - limestone for a distance of 750 m (Fig. 63). In drum an diesem Ort, former times there was a 60 m deep and narrow o mein Fels und Hort, gorge rich in karst forms as caves, named `Ge- jauchzen meine Lippen. steins' (the rocks) (Figs. 64-65). After 1679 AD this valley was renamed `Neandertal' (Neander val- JOACFIIM NEANDER ley) after the Protestant theologian and hymn poet JoACHIIvt NEUMANN (1650-1680) who graecized his Stop 48: Neandertal -locus typicus family name to NEANDER. NEANDER liked to of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis J. spend much time in this romantic valley and its D — TM 25: sheet 4707 Mettmann, caves. From 1850 on the idyllic limestone gorge fell R 256652, H 567698, 80 m a. s. I. a victim fo limestone quarrying. In 1856 during The Neandertal belongs to the towns of Erkrath quarrying, bones of a primeval man were found in and Metl>7iann. It is drained by the Düssel river. the Small Feldhof grotto (Fig. 66). JoxANN CARL

~~~~~~ ~ O= Locus typicus of P Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

Mettma

Holocene

Niederterrassen (Low Terraces)

Middle and Lower Pleistocene, Oligocene, Palaeozoic km 5 ~ Givetian reef limestone

Fig. 63 Geological setting of the Neandertal 538

Fig. 66 Skull of the Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (Kuvc 1864) (FUHLROTT 1859: Taf. 1)

FUHLROTT (1803-1877), teacher in (Wuppertal-) Elberfeld, was the first who recognized the impor- tance of this find (FUHLROTT 1859). Later it turned out that Homo sapiens neanderthalensis (K1NG 1864) (Fig. 67) was widely distributed in the Old World. Especially in the craters of the scoria cones of the East Eifel volcanic field traces of Neanderthal man have been found. Stratigraphically the Neander- thal man ranges from the early penultimate glaci- ation through the Middle Würmian linked be- tween Homo erectus and Homo sapiens sapiens (Fig. 44). But, whether H. s. sapiens has developed from H. s. neanderthalensis or not is under discussion. In any case, both occur together in space and time for a while during the Middle Wiärinian (ca. 80,000- 35,000 yr BP). Fig. 64 The Neandertal gorge before quarrying (BoN- The previous locus typicus has now become an GARD 1835, after p. 60) overgrown quarry area. At the coordinates given

i .f7 ,r. .~.,~~ --~~ f aß.:.4 Fig. 65 The former Neander cave in the Neandertal gorge (drawing j. W. 1CrtAFFT, steel engraving W. COOKS) 539

Fig. 67 Homo neanderthatensis scenery after GERHARD WANDEL above, a museum presents a small Neanderthal 1248 foundation of the Kölner Dom, finished 1880 exhibition. A new large museum is under con- (see vignette) struction. 1388 foundation of the University 1919 KONRAD ADENAUER major of Köln BONGARD, J. H. (1835): Wanderung zur Neandershöhle. - 67 p.; unveränderter Nachdruck, Originalpaperbacks 1945 Köln destroyed by 96 nr. 4; Remscheid (Kierdorf). now a bare million inhabitants. FLTHLROTT, C. (1859): Menschliche Ueberreste aus einer Felsengrotte des Düsselthals. Ein Beitrag zur Frage der Existenz fossiler Menschen. - Verhandl. natur- hist. Ver. preuß. Rheinld. u. Westf., 16: 131-153, Taf. l; Bonn.

Stop 49: Kölner Dom/Cathedral of Cologne Brief history of Köln 12 BC donation of the altar Ara Ubiorum by Ro- manofficers in the area of the G_ ermanic tribe of the Ubians 50 AD foundation of a town with the new name Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (CLAU- DIA =mother of emperor NERO). Capital of the Roman province Germania inferiore unti1400 AD. (From `Colonia' arose `Köln'.) 355 AD first destruction by the Franconia_ns, then taläng possession 1164 bones of the Three Magi are brought -from Milano 12th cent. biggest town of Germany (40,000 inhab- itants) 540

Stop 50: Gravel pit Holzweiler Ville ridge (Figs. 68-69) was rising in axial direc- tion in the midst of the Niederrhein Bay. Conse- D - TM 25: sheet 4904 Titz, quently, the Rhein entering the Bay on its eastern R 25273, H 56573, 92 m a. s. I. side could not trespass this ridge any more. Hence The large terrace plain at about 100 m elevation being trapped on its eastern side it molded there occupying the western part of the Niederrhein Bay the valley trench up to recent times. Whereas the is the continuation of the trough valley of the Mid- terrace plateau presents a terrace stack the valley dle Rhein. This terräce plain of the rivers Maas and trench presents a terrace staircase. The HT 4 heads Rhein, up to 40 km wide (Fig. 48), is built up by a this terrace staircase. stack of the Hauptterrassen complex (Principal Terrace complex). Tab. 1 Quartz percentages (fraction 2-5 cm) within the The Hauptterrassen complex of the Nieder- different terraces of the Niederrhein Bay (after SCHNLJT- rheinBay is subdivided into four units HT 1 HT 4 GEN 1990: 140) that mainly differ by gravel petrography (Tab. 1). HT 1 and HT 2 are superimposed. With the depo- Pliocene 85-80 sition of the HT 3 a big break of the river regime Lower Pleistocene 75 — 65 arises, the break between the wide trough valley HTl 60 — 55 Hauptterrasse and the entrenched valley - in the Niederrhein HT2 55 — 45 (Principal Terrace) 45.— 35 graben between the wide terrace plateau.and the HT3 HT4 55 — 45 valley trench restricted to the eastern side of the Mittelterrassen 45-30 Niederrhein Bay. The HT 3 still is spread in the (Middle Terraces) basin (Figs. 68 and 69) but concentrates there to the Niederterrassen ca. 30 tectonically subsiding parts. During this time the (Low Terraces)

'O I ' ~ oxnd n wesd

~ ~ L ~ ~ /

IA ~~ N m L z . G1

=o~ f~ x, Fy ~,P v,~~~'~. ~~ '~`.~ oiodao~n

c~ M p~ N F a"',~► ~ „ r,4 '~*~,,,,R i►s "nar BRA BANTER MA.S-SI~Y ~ .

R A S- ,~~ r . T MULUE D Ii +~wß SENItE l]~O cc] AßiNEaEß ~~ ßINGE'NEß UÖ II~ ~ ~ I I II ~ ~. III~~I ~

Fig. 68 Tectonical map of the Niederrhem Bay/Niederrhein graben (modified after AHORNER 1962: 28) 541

W Niederrhein graben E Erft basin Bergisches Land Hohes Venn —•SOam .S°Om- Doren Ville Köln ar Edt Rhdn °

-5ap -SCpm — Neogene -lOaam -l0aam hrown coal a.s.(. a.s.l. Palaeogene

® Palaeozoic Fig. 69 Cross section of the Niederrhein graben (modified after AHORNER 1968: 152)

The gravel pit exposes a gravel stack of ca. 20 m 2. The interglacial nature of a soil, especially the (percentages after BOIIVIGK 1980: 24): luvisol, is often in dispute, especially when the soil is partly eroded. quartz flint 3. Luvisols may occur as twin soils bound 13 m HT 2 Rhein gravel 46-53 0-2 to one interglacial period. and sand They have been de- scribed already by KUKLA (1961) from with drift blocks . the Czech Republic, from the Rheinland by ScH>It- 5 m Lower Pl. II Maas sand 28-43 7-19 (1974). Twin and gravel 1vrEx luvisols are running nearly parallel for distances of kilometers with drift blocks indicating that there was no major 2 m Lower Pl. I Rhein sands 67 + morphodynamic change of the and Maasgravel landscape between them, but small increment of loess. Namely, molding of The stack demonstrates the interfingering of the the landscape by erosional and depositional rivers Rhein and -Maas in this apex area of the processes is one of the typical characteristics of former Rhein-Maas delta. a glacial period in the periglacial area. Ir> small AHORNER, L. (1962): Untersuchungen zur quartären exposures the nature of twin soils may hardly Bruchtektonik der Niederrheinischen Bucht. - Eis- be identified because of their similarity to sin- zeitalter und Gegenwart, l3: 24-105, Taf. 2-5; Öhrin- gle soils. gen/ Wiirtt. The brickyard pit Erkelenz exposes two sets of — (1968):ErdbebenundjüngsteTektonikimBraunkoh- twin luvisols (Fig. 70). The Niers twin soils are lenrevier der Niederrheinischen Bucht. -Z. deutsch. horizontally topping the basal fluvial gravel. The geol. Ges., 118: 150-160, Taf. 4; Hannover. Erft twin soils (SCI$ZIVIIIt 1992),10-11 m above, are BOFNIGK, W. (1980): Holzweiler (altquartäre Rhein- und smoothly dipping through the Maasschotter). - In: BRUNNACKER, K. [ed.]: Tagung loess pile from der Deutschen Quartär-Vereinigung, Aachen 1980, south to north. Additionally, at the northern wall a Exkursion I: Mittel- und Niederrhein: 21-24; Köln. single, younger luvisol is exposed. By counting SCHNÜTGEN, A. (1990): Holzweiler - Stratigraphie und from the top this soil has to be assigned at least to flußgeschichtliche Entwicklung in der westlichen the last interglacial, the Erft twin luvisols at least to Niederrheinischen Bucht nach den Befunden von the penultimate interglacial, the Niers twin soils at Schotteranalysen. - In: SCI-ARMER, W.: Rheinge- least to the antepenultimate interglacial period. schichte zwischen Mosel und Maas. - deuqua-Fiihr- The same soil configuration occured in the brown er,1: 138-143; Hannover. - - coal open cast Frimmersdorf West, now excavated. There, the lower twin soils could be traced over a Stop 51: Brickyard Erkelenz distance of 1.5 km, the Erft twin soils over 500 m D — TM 25: sheet 4904 Titz, (SCHIItMER 1974: 36). R 25244, H 56604, ca. 95 m a. s. I. The upper three luvisols are each capped by a The subdivision of Quaternary terrestric sediment small, light loess bed of euvial character (A„ SW in stacks by paleosoils works best in loess deposits. Fig. 70), followed by a humic zone of early glacial However, individual soils normally cannot be habitus. The three loess units II N between the identified by inherent characteristics. An undebat- interglacial soils exhibit plenty of gelic gleysols able assignment of loess strata and interglacial (Nassböden = N). Units II and III are each subdi- soils to a certain glacial resp. interglacial period is vided byseven of them. Unit N (Upper Wiirmian) difficult because of the following items: exposes four of them, one below the black Eltville 1. Erosional unconformities within the loess units tephra and three above it. Their different character, prevent dating by counting the soils and loess- that of a gleysol (NG) or that of a stagnic gleysol es downwards from the surface. (NS), is useful for identifying a distinct individual 542

(SCHIRMER 1990). Some of them are tracable over Bt ~ ~., r hundreds of kilometers, as the tailed humic soil li• ».11.,'ßi. NSBbt (A,,N~) above the tephra. Moreover, this soil marks ~ Ah Ng the first fossil surface rnnn;ng nearly parallel to the s NSG . Eltville tephra recent surface, unconformably cutting the older Ah A landforms. Other gelic gleysols are more local, 8} Eemian luvisol sometimes even wedging out within the pit. Thus, 4 Ng gelic gleysols are of various stratigraphical value.

.~~....~`;~~~ :.`'~ `::: ~` KUKLA, J. (1961): Quaternary sedimentation cycle. — In- ;~~~:~~~~~"~\\ ~ 6 N~ stytut Geologiczny, 34: 145-154; Warszawa. •.~~~~~~~~~~•.:.... ~" .~~~~~.... SCHIRMER, W. (1974): Mid-Pleistocene gravel aggrada- ...... tions and their cover-loesses in the southern Basin. - IGCP project 73/1/24: Quaternary B glaciations in the northern hemisphere, report no. 1: N~ 34 42; Prague (INQUA). ~ (1990): Lösse and Paläoböden in Erkelenz. - In: to SCFiIIlMER, W. [ed.]: Rheingeschichte zwischen Mosel N~ and Maas. deuqua-Führer, 1: ld1 147; Hannover (Deutsche Quaztärvereinigung). freshwater (1992): Doppelbodenkomplexe in Erkelenz and ~ limestone sand 12 ~~~~~~~~~~~ :~~~ Rheindahlen. - In: Arbeitskreis Paläopedologie: Bo- ~~~~~~~~~..~~ N~ ~ \~~~\~~\~~~~~~~` denstratigraphie im Gebiet von Maas and Nieder- ~.a~,,a.~.l.l 1 ,., ~ ~a rhein: 86-94; Kiel (Dt. Bodenkdl. Ges.).

74 ~L — ...... s Stop 52: Clay plt Brüggen-Öbel . N~ •.~.L .:.:..:.,.,,,,,,... B D - TM 25: sheet 4702 Elmpt, 11 /1 11 H R 2511, H 56795, 60 m a. s. I. 16 11 11 N 11 N Il 11 It t1 NS NS ',u uumm .uuuuuuuuuuunuuw A The area of Brüggen and Erkelenz is situated upon AISw ~~~~~i ~~j` sd a t the horst of Brüggen-Erkelenz (NL: Peel horst) ie ~ Marker (Fig. 68). It is flanked on both sides by the central ' /r'/~'i'/I'/I' Erft twin mumquumunnnnnulunluluw ,Ah I uvisols part of the Niederrhein graben (Figs. 68 and 71). In Bt this position the Tertiary and Lower Pleistocene is 20 ~ 9 tv outcropping close to the surface. On the other :~`.~~~2t~~.~ ~~: :~ ~. N~ hand the continuous uplift of this area caused a . ..~._. e.v. .: ~~s'..... upper gravel bed depositional sequence full of hiatuses in contrast to N~ the graben sequences that are known by drillings. az N~ II The section Brüggen-Öbel (Fig. 72) exhibits a ,~,.~ ~ . ...,. ~ , sequence of sands and gravel with two clay beds in N~ between. The lower clay bed (clay I + II) is palyno- 24 N~ logically Reuverium B (Upper Pliocene) (ZAGwlliv 1960). The optical bipartition of the clay (I: dark ,~~„-,~~ ~ • N~ ~~ brown, II: bluegreen with peat) evidences the 26 . _.._ - •e._ 1. _.._. . _.e lower gravel bed boundary between a stable heavy mineral spec- N~ trum (Upper Pliocene Kieseloolith formation) and A a gleyic phaeozem G r a spectrum of less stable minerals as garnet, epi- 2e stngnic dote and green hornblende, that marks the Lower Sd8} luvisol 1I Pleistocene along the Rhein (BOENIGK 1970: 36). Niers This latter spectrum is due to the encroachment of v v Sw twin 30 11 II il II II soils the Rhein upon the molasse deposits of the Alpine n II II U Il 11 foreland (BOENIGK 1982: 174). The overlying gravel I Sd stagnosol II II II II II of a mixed Rhein-Maas pebble composition is not a II II Il ll u the earliest Pleistocene deposit according to Fig. 32 'O'.'.Ö.' o'.b.•Ö•~. .-a.•.z'r.~:~ 71. The following upper clay bed (clay V or van : ~ vo Gr gleysol • o Eyck interglacial) is pollen-analytically of Tiglian =~ o 0 0 0 C 3-4 age (ZAGwIJN 1963: 56) resp. Tiglian C 5-6 m o (URBAN 1979: 158). According to its heavy mineral Fig. 70 Schematic section of the brickyazd pit Erkelenz content, it should be younger (BOENIGK (1970:116). 543

Peet hors t Ven[o graben~

SW NE

60 - Upper Pleistocene ~~ vo ä ~~~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ 50 -s~~s~ ~o 0 0 ö0 ~u $ö ~ öeP t t a ao~ ~ clayY' •,~: e ö~- ~ ese clayII • ' • 40- . . . . ~•.;: i' m clayI ~ ~ Lower as.l. Pleistocene

:Ts an d:' ~~~? •. cla Pliocene 0 km z

Fig. 71 Cross section of the Peel horst close to Brüggen (modified from BOENIGK 1970: 141)

SW NE~W E -o :~:~ - - - _ _ _ ------~_:~.o•o.o. o.~ .o ;o e• - - - -%;.ii~~~/•clayY ///~~~"'" •- ~.~:~:~.e _s~a..-- ~-~~.'•• •• •':. :...... •• „ a •ö.._ ...... -10 ~"""""""""~illllinlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIu claylI clayI -15

- 20 500 m m Fig. 72 Section of the clay pit Brüggen-Öbel (BOENIGK 1970: 35, modified)

BOENIGIC, W. (1970): Zur Kenntnis des Altgoartärs bei relate the Alpine with the Northern glaciation by Brüggen (westlicher Niederrhein). - Sonderveröff. way of its river terraces. Geol. Irrst. Univ. Köln, 17: 138 S., 3 Taf.; Köln. The Schaephuysen Ridge is a 12 km long push- — (1982): Der Einfluß des Rheingraben -Systems auf die moraine ridge belonging to a long chain of push Floßgeschichte des Rheins. - Z. Geomorph. N. F., Suppl:Bd. 42: 167-175; Berlin, Stuttgart. moraines ranging along the Rhein valley and being I.IRBAN, B. (1979): Bio- und Magneto-Straiigraphie plio/ attributed to the Saalian glaciation (Fig. 73). When pleistozäner Ablagerungen in der Niederrheinischen the Northern continental ice sheet reached the Bucht. -Acta Geol. Acad. Scient. Hungaricae, 22: Rhein valley from the northeast, it scooped out the 153-160. less frozen valley fill molding it to a frontal push ZaGwiJrr, W.H. (1960): Aspects of the Pliocene and Early moraine (Fig. 74). Consequently the interior of the Pleistocene vegetation in the Netherlands. -Med. push moraine consists of dislocated soft bedrock - Geol. Sticht., -III Ser. C -1 (5): 78 p.; Maastricht. fluvial deposits and even Tertiary marine sands - — (1963): Pollen-analytic investigation in the Tiglian of the Netherlands. -Med. Geol. Sticht., N. 5.16: 49-71, covered by scattered erratics. pl. 2-3, encl. 4-6; Maastricht. In its western foreland a sandur dips towards the flat Aldekerk plate which is a Rhein terrace Stop 53: Schaephuysen Ridge (Krefeld Terrace) of at least the penultimate glaci- ation period: 'The gravel of this terrace exhibits a D - TM 25: sheet 4504 Kerken, full fluviatile series consisting of gravel, flood de- R 253276, H 570115, 73 m a. s. I. posits and topping interglacial soil, the whole The Rhein is the only river that touches both the mantled by Wiirmian solifluctional loess of 1 m Alpine and the Northern glaciation area (Fig. 7). average thickness (SCHIl2MER 1990: 156). As these Nevertheless, up to now it'did not succeed to cor- terrace deposit cuts the joining sandur, a correla- 544

t ~

Fig. 73 Northern continental ice on the Niederrhein (compiled from figures of KLOSTERMANN 1985)

Lion of this Krefeld Terrace with the ice-pushed KLOSTERMANN, J. (1985): Versuch einer Neugliederung ridge is not possible. A possible context of both is des späten Elster-und des Saale-Glazials der Nieder- given in Fig. 74. rheinischen Bucht. - Geol. Jb., A 83: 3-46; Hannover. Considering the configuration in Fig. 74, it re- LANSEx, K:P. (1983): Die Krefelder Terrasse und ihr Lie- gendes imBereich Krefeld. -Inaug.-Diss. Univ. Köln, open whether mains the Saalian glaciation with 241 p.; Köln. the push moraines happened during the second or SCHIRMER, W. (1990): Stauchmoränen der Aldekerker the third glacial period before today. Platte. - In: SCHIRMER, W. [ed.]: Rheingeschichte. Moreover, it is still controversial whether the zwischen Mosel und Maas. deuqua-Führer, 1: 153- continental ice reached the Rhein during one, two 164; Hannover (Deutsche Quartärvereinigung). or three glaciation periods (compilation in SCHIIL- THOME, K. N. (1990): Inlandeisvorstösse in das - MER 1990: 153).,Pyiör to the conspicuous remnants gebiet (nebst der Entwicklung einer spätglazialen Rheinrinne).-In: Sc'r-rrnr~aFR, W. [ed.]: Rheingeschich- of the Saalian glaciation, on the base of indefinite te zwischen Mosel und Maas. - deuqua-Führer, 1: ixaces older glaciations are suggested, which are 273-292; Hannover. attributed to the Elsterian glaciation (Fig. 73) and the new proposed Angerian glaciation (Txolvi>; 1990: 297, 291). 545

NE Schaephuysen Ridge sw push moraine sandur loess mantle push-moraine 53 hilts Krefeld Terrace

o __ _ _ r~ _ ~r~ a ö ~~ a o ~~'~"" ' _~ ~ e M T 4 ~' ♦ ~ .~\~~~~~~~\~.~-~ i~lr- o o c ~ö '~~~~:`~:~ .. '`~~\\\~~ä\\\\~~.e~ _- o e o ~ \~~~ c ", `~ \~~~ = o e ~ o o o M T ~ ° ~~'~ ~ -_=~----___~~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~/ ~ - o ...... ~ e e_ ~ - o 0 ...... :. . ~'. . ,•. . ' . Tertiär. . '.

Moe II Moe I Kr Km Gl intgl. MoersII beds Moers I beds interglacial Krefeld beds Kempen beds interglacial 6tehn b. =Eemian =Kempen beds „Holsteinian" „Holsteinian" NT Niederterrasse MT Mittetterrasse~ ♦ nordic indicators

Fig. 74 Cross-section through the terminal moraine and its setting at the Niederrhein (combined from LANSER 1983: 120 and SCF-III2MER 1990: 153). The climatic role of the Kempen beds is unknown

The Maas valley (M. HIV. VAN DEN BERG

Stop 54: Panheel —Late Pleniglacial Tectonic subsidence is slower than foodplain NL — TM 50: sheet 58 West, aggradation, precluding an autocyclical origin. R 189.00, H 355.00, 25 m a. s. I. Each sequence may represent the record of a minor climatic cycle, expressed in terms of dis- Cold-climate (26-12 kyr BP) overbank sequences charge (Q+/-) and temperature (T+/-) (Fig. 75). of the river Maas, The Netherlands, matching the The available time-controls suggest an average global climatic record Late Pleniglacial (26,000- cycle duration of 1,600 years. Similar frequencies 12,000 yr BP, stage 2) overbank deposits in the have been noted in the position of the front of the Lower Maas basin in the SE Netherlands show a Laurentide ice-sheet in the temperature fluctua- stacked series of 9 sequences of about 1 m thick tions and in the global dust record (Fig. 76). each. Generally they consist of fine-sandy fluvial overbank deposits at the bottom, with increasing Step 55: Bosscherheide —Late Glacial amounts of (wet) aeolian sandy intercalations to- wards the top, one consists of a sandy loam. The NL — TM 50: sheet 52 Oost, R 204.00, H 399.00, 20 m a. s. I. sequence boundaries are formed by sharp breaks in the grainsize and cryogenetic rnacrostructured `The sandpit at Bosscherheide, on the east bank of marker-horizons and, in the top half of the section, the Maas (= Meuse), provides a detailed record of by `interstadial' soils. Late Weichselian palaeoenvironmental changes. In our interpretation, each sequence records a The periglacial fluvial, and aeolian processes re- cycle of diminishing river activity, increasing eo- corded in its sediments have been studied by lian action and a gradual shift to a period of max- means of pollen, macrobotanical and thin section imum coldness (ice-wedge casts). The maximum analyses, sedimentological observations and radi- rate of environmental change occurs around the ocarbon datings. The data reveal a series of proc- sequence boundaries where the structural defor- esses involving rapid environmental changes, mation indicates thawing of permafrost. This sud- which determined the termination of the Bralling— den return to milder conditions is followed by Allerrad interstadial complex. At the transition flooding. The interstadial soils represent relative from Allerrad to Late Dryas, ca. 10,800 BP, large- climatic optima. T'he changing sedimentary envi- scale floodings and deposition of suspension load ronments within the sequences and the punctuat- took place. Prior to these floodings, a short period ed and discreteness of the sequence boundaries with (incipient) permafrost occurred. The aeolian favour an allocyclical, climatically driven origin. sedimentation, leading to the formation of para- 546

SEDIMENTARY LOG INTERPRETATION LAURENTIDE GREENLAND 50°N ANTARCTIC MI MARGIN TEMPERATURE MAAS DUST AdvancersRetreat — f — e-(0.~+ ~F ~F — 0 r*T* 0' Q+ - ö T T* OPTIMUM - ä tz ka 5 0 ~ O v _ I X LL ~rn z a 10 - ~ ,."".M",."""'." PIENIGLACIAL c t ~ LATE ö _ ~ ` f I ~ ~ 15 - I _ _ ~ ~ ~ ä v - Q6 ka - ~ + ( \ ~ v~ ~ _ w LL 20 - ~ ~ _ + W z ö ä _ ~ ~ ü III 25

ä ~~» Q6 ka Fig. 75 Sedimentary log and grainsize variations of me- 30 tre-scale fluviatile overbank sequences, exposed along the river Maas. Each sequence is composed of a number Mayewski et al. Reeh et al. This study Lorius et al. 1961 1991 7990 of flooding events, the sequence boundaries aze inter- preted to mazk shifts from cold and low-discharge condi- tions to `warm' conditions with reactivated fluvial activ- Fig. 76 Tentative correlation of Maas river overbank se- ity. "C age-confrol is indicated quences with Arctic and Antazctic climatic-proxy data

W E m

. . - v.:: •~:;;y,;. ::v..:~~~.~: t'i~t~.~;~ :;v'=:` c'v~t. . ~;v _ ~v ~~~v

~~:::<`::?~~~:;>:;' v v v h h h .,...~.. coars¢ sand fin¢ dun¢ fluvial polI¢n and grav¢I sand sand silt p¢at humic rippt¢ marks sampk:

Fig. 77 Schematic profile of the exposures at Bosscherheide showing the location of the pollen samples. The black dots refer to the radiocarbon-dated levels: Bosscherheide I, top GrN 13379, 10940 ± 60, bottom GrN 13382, 12110 ± 70; Bosscherheide IlI: from top to bottom GrN 11568,10500 ± 60; GrN 11569, 10880 ± 50 and GrN 12165,11500 ± 50 BP .\ (BoHIvcicE et al. 1993: 195) 547 bolic dunes, took place mainly between 10,500 and terrace intersection near the hinge-line of the 10,150 BP' (BOHNCKE et al. 1993: 193) (Fig. 7~. North Sea basin. The gravelly sands underlying the Late-Glacial BoHIvc~, S., VANDENBERGF3E, J. & HuzJzEx, A. S. (1993): silts and peats are of river Maas origin. They are Periglacial environments during the Weichselian shallowly (a couple of meters) underlain byMaas/ Late Glacial in the Maas valley, the Netherlands. - Rhein terrace-deposits of Late Saalian (deep sea Geol. Mijnbouw, 72: 193-210. stage 6) age. This superposition indicates a river-

The Rijn-Maas delta in The Netherlands during the Holocene (H. a~. A. BERENDSEN~ The HoloceneRijn-Maas delta probably is the most Stop 56: Heerewaarden extensively studied delta in the world. A database NL - TM 50: sheet 45 West, of 200,000 lithological borehole-descriptions, and R 154.75, H 425.00, 5-6 m a. s. I. about 300 14C dates, present at Utrecht University. offers a unique opportunity to investigate litholog- Observation: The former confluence of the Waal ical characteristics of various fluvial styles, both in and Maas rivers near Heerewaarden. space and time. At present 25 % of the data is avail- Geological situation: The most recent fluvial able in a digital form. sediments along the major rivers in The Nether- The Weichselian subsurface in The Nether- lands make up the Holocene Betuwe Formation, lands' Rijn-Maas delta consists of two terrace lev- that was essentially formed by meandering rivers. els formed by braided rivers, that are now covered Sediments consist of channel deposits (sand, some- with Holocene deposits. The higher level has been times with gravel), natural levee deposits (silty named the --`Laagterras' (Low Terrace or `Nieder- and sandy clays), flood basin deposits (clay and terrasse' in German). The approximately 1.5 m peat), and dike breach deposits (sandy clay or lower (younger) level is of Late Glacial age. The sand). older terrace became covered with clay in the Geomorphological history: Since water levels Belling-Allered interstadial, while the younger in the Waal were usually about two meters higher terrace is covered with Holocene clay. than those of the Maas, the Waal lost water to the During the Early Holocene rivers were incis- Maas. However, the total Maas output had to flow ing, meandering streams, and no deposition oc- back into the Waal river at the confluence further curred on the Pleistocene surface. From the early downstream. This caused continuing water- Atlantic onwards aggradation prevailed and the controlproblems in the nearby Bommelerwaard deep early Holocene river channels were gradual- polder which suffered numerous dike breaches. ly filled up. Further accumulation by meandering Originally, three natural connections existed be- streams was induced by the rise ofsea-level, which tween the two rivers at the confluence near Heere- forced gradients of the rivers to decrease. New riv- waarden. In 1904, a new course was dug for the er channels formed through avulsion. Maas output (the Bergsche Maas) and a dam was In the central-western part of The Netherlands constructed to separate the Maas from the Waal. anastomosing rivers could develop between ap- These constructions effectively solved the water proximately 6,000 and 4,000 yr BP. Rapid sea-level problems in the Bommelerwaard. rise and a thick cohesive subsoil are considered a prerequisite for anastomosis. Near the northern Stop 57: Noordeloos and southern margin of the delta laterally migrat- (Alblasserwaard polder) ing meandering rivers continued to exist, appar- NL - TM 50: sheet 38 Oost, ently as a result of the easily erodible, sandy Pleis- R 126.10, H 435.55, -1 m a. s. I. tocene subsoil. The anastomosing river system is characterized by stable channels filled with fine The landscape: Anastomosing river deposits local- sand, intercalated in a peaty matrix, low gradients, ly show up as small-scale ridges. The ridges are low sinuosity, a high sedimentation rate, low less than 1 m high and less than 100 m wide. width/depth ratios, and lithologically very com- Cores will be shown of channel deposits of one plex crevasse splays. After 4,000 yr BP the anasto- of the anastomosing river systems (suction corer), mosing river channel system changed again to flood basin deposits (auger and gauge) and cre- meandering as a result of the decreased rate of sea- vasse-splay deposits. The coring equipment will level rise. be demonstrated. Geological situation: The Middle-Holocene 548

Fig. 78 A: Channel belt planform of an anas- ~~~ j Channel belt tomosing fluvial system in the delta: the Cross section y Residual channel Schoonrewoerd system (TöRNQvIST 1993) ~ Swale B: Channel belt planform of a meandering 0 1 lan fluvial system in the delta: the Stuivenberg ~ ~ B system (BERENDSEN 1982)

anastomosing distributary system of the Rijn- while width/depth ratio of the channel belt de- Maas delta has developed during the Atlantic pe- creases from 15 to less than 7. riod (7,000-4,000 yr BP) in the perimarine part of Mechanisms for the development of anastomo- the Westland Formation. Fig. 78 A gives an impres- sing fluvial systems: A rapid sea-level rise induces sion of an anastomosing river system in the Al- a rapid ground-water rise and hence rapid vertical blasserwaard polder: the Schoonrewoerd system aggradation. This is a prerequisite for the develop- (visited during the excursion). The area has been ment of anastomosing fluvial systems. A thick co- mapped with a borehole density of 60-100 bore- hesive subsoil consisting of clay or peat inhibits holes/kmz. Crevasse density increases westward, lateral channel migration and enhances channel

Y_ E 3 ~ L Y U ~ d O `~ ~ ~

I, W 7

S

No ilwlal' deposits

c.i501mi ~ c.501an -.

Fig. 79 Time-space model indicating the Holocene development of channel patterns inthe1Zijn-Maas delta (TölztvQvrsT 1993) 549 anastomosis. The requirements are an annual Gene is about 5-6 m thick. It consists of alternating ground-water rise of over 1.5 mm, and an at least fluvial and organic deposits of the perimarine part 3-4 m thick cohesive subsoil. These conditions of the Westland Formation. A 300 m wide, 6 m were met in the central part of the delta, but not thick sand-filled meander belt is incised into the near the northern and southern margin were fine Pleistocene subsoil. The observed meandering riv- grained wind-blown sand occurs at shallow depth. ersystem is known as the Stuivenberg system (Fig. The evolution of the Rijn-Maas delta during the 78B). In the same area, the Lopiker system (Fig. 80) Holocene may be seen as a reflection of climatic represents a transitional form between anastomo- change at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and sing and meandering. It only incidentally bifur- relative sea-level rise, resulting in river patterns cates, but its crevasse deposits resemble those of that varied both in time and space (Fig. 79). the anastomosing type.

BERENDSEN, H. J. A. (1982): De genese van het landschap Stop 58: Montfoort in het zuiden van de provincie Utrecht, een fysisch- geografische studie. With a summary in English. — NL — TM 50: sheet 38 Oost, Ph. D. Thesis, Utrechtse Geografische R 125.25, H 449.50, ca. 0 m a. s. I. Studies, 25:256 PP• The landscape: pointbar and Swale topography in — [ed.] (1986): Het landschap van de Bommelerwaard. the background, aclay/peat filled abandoned With a summary in English. —Nederlandse Geo- channel and a natural levee in the foreground can grafische Studies, 10: 184 pp. T6RNQVIST, T. E. (1993): Holocene fluvial sedimentary be observed. geology and chronology of the Rhine-Meuse delta, Cores will be shown of all three elements. The Netherlands. — Ph. D. Thesis. Nederlandse Ge- Geological situation: At this location, the Holo- ografische Studies, 166: 169 pp.

- Krimpense stroomstelsel (K) ~`T;~~ Graafse stroomstelsel (G) 5km Linschotense stroomstelsel (y Benschopse stroomstelsel (B) ~xp: Udec.htse stroomstelsel (U) 63 Benschop river system meandering older than 5300 y B.P. G8 Lopik river system transitional 5000 - 4000 y B.P. L7 Stuivenberg river system meandering 4000- 3100 y B.P. K2 Hollandse Ijssel meandering 2000-800 y BP (dammed) Fig. 80 River systems around Utrecht (BERIIVDSEN 1982) _4

550

c. 8500 - c. 6500 years BP

A ~ o ta~m,

c_ B5OO - c. 5000 years BP

~ l `~L`*.~ .,~,J' (f f ~~" ` ' f ~'g ~', ~ ~ ~r ~ ~-~~ HearEerr~ ~ ~'~` ; ! ~ T~ , 2° / AmsEardan~~ '~..~ `~,.. ~~t~ . ~~~~ ~ 5000 BP,\/ !' ~;.

~ vV ~~v ,t,

~~~ ~~~~~~~ ' i~, i oO~ so~BP . ti / ~~~~~~ °~r.~~`~:'~:-~_~.' 5000 BP ~ ~`~. „",.",. V „V ` l i v;~cyy ~~ \~ `~, ~ ~"~"~" ~" ~°~ ~"~°~ ~ , ." ~\. ~ . ". v~~v~~ x~Sv 'S~fBV9I?f3ag8~ ' ~ ~ f ' - .., v~v ~ ~ :~"-v~°:~'`, ~°t %~~ ~ ...~ ~ ~ ~„ J ~~~ J V~ ` J . ,{ i./) ~ ~ / ~ "•"~'~-

\.!~ i ~~, s '--••- "~J ~-.v ,~ ~ V . "~ /~ ~~• . ~` ;~ p~ J ~ :6 ~.r~S~•' ~+' /~G ~ , , C~ \ // ~Sy ).~~i ~S'K%i :~- /^`~ ~~':~~~I', •,f S~/1'~ , •- f ~ ♦ ~ F ~ , ~ ,'~ ~ ~ Q ~~ uk.. ~ \ ( r ' ~~fX h (^ ~~ 9 ~ti ~ ~ ~ t ~ ~~~w ~~ ~. ~ yi, ~~ ~ ~~ 3Y ~~~~' \r~ ~~~~.'~,.~.w~rtc3 i ~.~ ~ ~%~I~I ~%k:',;"~ ~ ~~~i~ y~ ~ s.i: ., ~ ~1 i -, ~ ä ~~~ ~ ~~ .,~~~°„?'`~~°`'% .. ~~, ', 1 ~ ~~; _.—~~ij~L~ S~' ~^ ~ r`S", ..'^aH:ss„^~n^~r" \ ~ , /! ~ ~~Y t1. ~ E~iY~~% ~ .~ /• v ~ ' ~'~- f `~~ ~~~ ~ . , T +x. G~\~~("!j ~: , ~ ~ ~/~~ . / ~~ ~~~~~ `m~~~~#~ ~ ~~ ~ 't - ,-•. ~~( rl...-...\ 1~ <,~a~^A ~ ...// ~,u,?~~€ ~ ~`~ . ~ \ ~t ~ ' . ~. _ - _ ,-t... ~~—.. ', ~ ~ 17 _

0 70 klTl B 551

c. 6000 - c. 4600 years BP ~ o f \'" 1 / Ö ~ _l" `~t,, ~ ~,> ~ r' % ~ ; ~„~ ~m@ / ~--..~ ~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ; , ~i Arrtsterdarrt~ ~,4 ` "._- ^~ ~6 1 ,._,t { ~~ \ ~ ~ ~~ ~w ~;' / ~ ~~"°~N ~ 5000 BP KaSwi~k aa¢~ Zaa~ ~ ~ V;~~

4750BP ~ ~`S/ ,.~.~I~ Y Y~;~V~Y~YE v 4660BP ~ `l YY~~Y YY~~YC~~~.YY ~

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to lan Beach barrier r'äß, € Pleistocene eolien river dunes

Peet Pleisocene eolien cover sands

Madne deposits Magoonti dal flat) ~ ~ Recenswcted coastline

Flwiatile flood plain depas'ds 5000 BP Coastline! heath Kamer C74 age Fluviatile/estuarine deposits

Fig. 81A-E Palaeogeographical development of the Lower Rijn system since the Late Glacial. (DE GRooT & DE GAMS in press)

The lower Rijn delta (W. DE GANS & T. DE GROOT~ The western part of The Netherlands is composed 11,000-8,500 yr BP), of a low-relief coastal plain with a width varying • an aggradational meandering system (about between 20-100 kilometers. Where Rijn and Maas 8,500-6,500 yr BP), flowed through this plain during the Holocene, a • an anastomosing system (about 6,500-5,000 yr so-called perimarine area is located were fluvial BP), sedimentation was influenced by sea level rise and • anew meandering system (about 5,000-2,500 marine deposition. As groundwater level in the yr BP) situated north of the preceding systems coastal plain is high, exposures are rare. For map- with the main branches Oude Rijn and Vecht ping and research purposes data are obtained by and finally means of (hand) drilling equipment. • an anabranching system (about 2,500 yr BP to From the mapping activities of the Geological the present time), with many diversing chan- Survey in the coastal zone it has become apparent nels. that the Lower Rijn system evolved from: The facies evolution of the system, starting about • a braided system (until the early Late Glacial), 7,000 yr BP, was related to the sea level rise and • an entrenched meandering system (about coastal development. The transformation around 553

S

N Hollandse Oude Ri%n IJssel t 3

//////////,~, ii~~/~ %~~~~~3äe ~//

HOIOCBnO Pleistocene Westland Formation Krekenhaye Formation l:: . .. . Ruvietile channel deposits (send) f~ ' ' 9 Ealien deposits (riveMunes) I I Water Levee depos'ds(cley &send) -`-_~ Fluvietile deposRs (sand) 1: Mes[omosing system Clasticflood basin depests (clay) Twente Formation 2: Meandering system (Oude Rijn) Organic flood basin: (peat) Eogan depasds(coversands) 3: Mabrenching system Marine clastic deposits (clay &send)

Fig. 82 Section showing the complex character of the perimarine deposits (DE GRooT & DE GAMS in press)

5,000 yr BP from a retrograding `open' tide-dom- Stop 59: Oude Leede. inated coast to a prograding `closed' and wave (Pleistocene and early Holocene dominated coast with coastal barriers, and back fluvial systems) again to a retrograding coastline from the Roman NL — TM 50: sheet 37 oost, period on, was of major influence on the Rijn-Maas R 89.1, H 443.8, -5 m a. s. I. system. The processes of facies changes of the lower The Oude Leede section (Fig. 83) is located several Rijn system since the Late Glacial period and its kilometers west of Rotterdam. The section shows a relation to sea level rise and coastal development Late Glacial/early Holocene backswamp/over- are shown in Fig. 81. The complex lithology of the bank clay bed from the Rijn-Maas system (at 16- perimarine area is demonstrated by Fig. 82. 18 mbelow NAP = Amsterdam ordinance datum) overlying Pleistocene Rijn deposits (ICreftenheye Formation). The Pleistocene Rijn deposits are (with the ex- ception of the overbank clay bed at the top) com- posed of sands. In the section these sediments are present between 19-39 metres below NAP. This sequence 'is interbedded by a layer of sands con- 554

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ lower channel fill is correlated with the meander- ~ i; ~ ~ ~ ~ i? ing phase of fluvial sedimentation in the Rijn sys- ~ ~ ~ I ~ ~ tem. The upper (`uplifted') channel fill is correlat- edwith the anastomosed phase of fluvial sedimen- tation. The fluvial system was covered by a marine/ lagoonal clay bed. The marine system is separated 10m- from the fluvial system by a thin peat bed. The undulating character of this peat bed is the result of differential compaction. On top of the lagoonal clay bed a peat bed was formed also, which, orig- 15 m — inally may have been over 6 meters in thickness. The peat layer at the surface has in general been excavated. The resulting lake has been reclaimed. 20m- As a result the landsurface is now situated at about 4-5 metres below NAP.

25 m — Stop 60: Storm-surge barrier c ^"•I~reiten~jeXe~l~prp7l"""^"^"~ in the Nieuwe Waterweg ^~•(Schvuwen~DeFosits)~^~ ^;^ ^^~ ~ ~ (Lower Rijn/Maas system) m ä 30m- NL — TM 50: sheet 37 west, R 71.0, H 442.0

._Uijr?ICr,aftenhe~7e G ~Sup~' ' The flood disaster of February 1. 1953, during which large parts of the south-western Nether- 35m- lands were flooded, took the lives of over 1,500 people. Directly after the disaster, the Delta Project was started in order to strengthen the coastal de- fence line. At first it was decided that the Western 40m — U ~ I ~ ~ Scheldt (entrance to the port of Antwerp) and the 0 tkm Nieuwe Waterweg (entrance to the port of Rotter- i dam) should remain open. However updated cal- culations in the early 1980s showed that the flood Peat levels needed to be adjusted in order to meet the IIIIIIIIIIIIII Marine clay flood protection standards. Dikes would have to IIIIIIIIIII Fluvial clay be stengthened even in the urban areas of Rotter- E:: . . •:1 Fnesand dam, Dordrecht and Sliedrecht. Ixt addition to the tremendous expenses involved, a great deal of Coarse sand demolition work would be necessary, to achieve Coarse sand with marine shell (fragments the desired results. As a concequence it was decided to build a Fig. 83 Section Oude leede (explanation see text) storm surge barrier in the Nieuwe Waterweg (con- structed in 1872 to make Rotterdam accessable by taining marine shells and shell fragments. This lay- ship) just a few kilometres from the North Sea. This er is generally interpreted as a marine deposit of major project will be completed in 1996. late Eemian age on the bases of its malacological composition but now regarded as Weichselian flu- Stop 61: Hook of Holland vially reworked Eemian (see Stop 61). (reworked Pleistocene marine deposits) A sandy channel fill is eroded into these Pleis- NL — TM 37 tocene Rijn deposits. The fluvial sedimentation in 50: sheet west, R 67.5, H 444.5 the channel was deposited in two periods. These The `Hook' of Holland is the present (man made) two phases are also reflected in the surrounding position of the Rijn-Maas outlet. fluvial overbank clay as it is intercalated by a peat Underneath the Holocene coastal and marine bed. Deposition in the channel continued until a sediments, Pleistocene Rijn deposits are found, level of about 11 metres below NAP as the deposi- predominantly composed of sands. Beds with Lion in the channel was keeping pace with the ris- marine shells and shell fragments (e. g. Cerasto- ing sea level. derme edule, Macoma baltica) are intercalated be- On the bases of the stratigraphic position the tween these fluvial deposits. 555

S DEN BflIEL THE HAGUE LEIDEN HAARLEM N 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 depth inm ro NAP v ~ ~,~~ ~~ I'III!~il~h~~~~~ii~~ii111'~~i~~~~~ii~~ili~ .. _~~ ~,~. ,~i1~~li ..,..~~~iiiiiiiiii~~~~ 4.~:_~: _ ~~„~ ...~r~l~~ . ~I ._ ,~~~~

~ ~~ ~ I~ ~I Marine deposits Holocene ~~ flhinedepositsMidd/e/LateWeichselien ice-pushed structures r~ Periplacial Weichsefian ~ flhine deposits Eerly/Midd/e Welchselian Merino shells+frepments

Medne deposits Eemien ~ ~ flhine deposits Saelian

Fluvio-/Lecustroplecial Saalion flhine deposits Holsteinian/llsterlan Fig. 84 Section following the coastline of The Older fluvial deposits Netherlands

These beds of presumed marine origin were of the coast —gradually evolved into a small delta reworked by Rijn (and Maas) during glacial peri- before the Roman occupation of The Netherlands. ods: the Eemian beds are fluvial reworked in the From the Roman period on, erosion of coastline Weichsefian; the Holsteinian beds during the Saal- occurred and the delta was changed into an estu- ian etc. (Fig. 84). The large width of the Weich- ary again. Around 1170 AD the estuary of the sefian (and older) floodplains is tentatively ex- Dude Rijn was silted up, followed by deposition of plained as lateral shift of (braided?) channel sys- coastal dunes, which completely covered the out- temsdue to thermal erosion under permafrost con- let of the Rijn system. The present channel through ditions. the dune system was dug, after several failures, Lacquer peels of the Pleistocene fluvial depos- early this century. its with reworked marine shells (borehole Ocken- Historically, the Oude Rijn was part of the burg) will be demonstrated. Roman defence line (Limes). It is assumed that its westernmost fortification (Brittenburg) was situat- Stop 62: Stompwijk windmills ed on this delta, several kilometers from the con- temporary Rijn outlet. The remnants of Britten- NL — sheet 30 oost, TM 50: burgwere last depicted in the 17t'' century (Fig. 85) R 88.6, H 455.0, -5 m a. s. I. when the remnants of this fortification were found At Stompwijk, a row of 18~' century windmills on the beach near Katwijk. At present it is assumed used in the reclaiming of the adjacent Driemans that these remnants are situated as far as 500 me- polder will be visited. ters off the beach.

Stop 63: Katwijk Stop 64: Noordwijk (Dude Rijn system) (coastal system) NL — TM 50: sheet 30 oost, R 87.5, H 469.7 NL — TM 50: sheet 24 oost, R 92.9, H 479.8 The mouth of the so called Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) The Holocene evolution of the coastal plain is was located near Katwijk. This Rijn branch has largely controlled by the rate of sea-level rise on been active between 5,000 yr BP and 1170 AD. The the one hand, and the supply of sediment on the development of the Oude Rijn branch is depicted other. in Fig. 81. The mean rate of sea-level rise of over 60 cm/ It is assumed that between 5,000 and 4,600 yr century prior to 6,000 yr BP, forced the coastal sys- BP a branch of the Rijn took a northern course and tem, both barrier and back barrier basin, to shift was connected with a tidal inlet. As a result an rapidly eastward. The continous creation of acco- estuary was formed, which — during progradation modation space in the back barrier basin due to 556

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Fig. 85 Remnants of Brittenburg and the Oude Rijn branch near Katwijk (ABRAHAM OR1hLILts 1581) sea-level rise outran sediment supply, with the supply derived from adjacent headlands, ebb-tidal result that in the distal parts of the tidal basin la- deltas and the relative shallow North Sea floor, the goonal conditions prevailed. Landwards these la- barrier of the coast of :Holland prograded over a goons graded into reed swamps. distance of 8-10 kilometers. It is estimated that When sea-level rise decelerated to 15 dm/cen- only 10 % of the sand supplied to the coastal sys- tury between 5,000 and 3,000 yr BP, the balance tem came from the Rijn-Maas system. between accomodation space and sediment sup- As sea level rise continued, though at a lower ply reversed. As a result, the back barrier basins rate, the back barrier basins changed into fresh were filled and the tidal inlets closed. The barriers water marshed with peat accumulation. stabilised and, because of continuing sediment The prograded barrier sequence consists of

NW zo

Rijkslrandpaal 69 Amsterdamse Waterleiding duinen -20m ~ Leyduin N a Groenendaal ö 0 -10 Z

NAP

Fig. S6 Coastal section near -10 Zandvoort with inferred 14C time gradients (200 14C --20 interval; not calibrated) of the Subboreal and Subat- -30 tkm lanticbeach barrier depos- its (VAN DER VALK 1992) 557 barrier ridges and beach plains. In contrast to the DE GANS, W., DE GROOT, T. &VAN DE MEENE, E. A. (in ridges, beach plains lack or have very little aeolian press): Das Rheinsystem in den Niederlanden mit sediments. The beach plains are broadests (up to 3 Akzentuierung des Holozän: eine Bestandsaufnah- kilometers) and most common in the oldest part of me. DE GROOT, T. & DE GANS, W. (in press): Facies variations the barrier sequence. Their origin is thought to be and sea-level rise response in the Lower Rijn area connected to the shallow bathymetry of the North during the last 15,000 years. - Mededelingen Rijks Sea at the onset of progradation. Geologische Dienst. The western part of the barrier sequence is cov- — (inprep.):ToelichtingenbijdeGeologischeKaartvan ered by dunes which are part of a much younger Nederland 1:50.000. Blad Rotterdam Oost (37 O). - aeolian phase. These so-called Younger Dunes Rijks Geologische Dienst, Haarlem. were formed after 900 AD. The cause of this aeo- VAN DER VALK, L. (1992): Mid- and Late Holocene coastal in beach-barrier ärea of lian phase is still little understood. Probably it is evolution the the Western Netherlands. -Thesis Free University: 235 pp. amongst others related to steepening and erosion VAN DER VALK, L. & DE GANS, W. (in prep.): Toelichtin- of the shoreface (Fig. 86). gen bij de Geologische Kaart van Nederland 1:50.000. DE GANs, W. (1991): Kwartairgeologie van West-Neder- Blad 's Gravenhage Oost en West (30 O en 30 W). - land. - Grondboor en Hamer, 5/6: 103-114. Rijks Geologische Dienst, Haarlem.

Addresses Dr. HENK BERENDSEN, Rijksuniversiteit to Utrecht, Dr. HANSRUEDI GRAF, ICirchstrasse 157, CH - 8214 Faculteit der Ruimtelijke Wetenschappen, Postbus Gächlingen 80, NL - 3508 TC Utrecht Dr. ALEXANDER IKINGER, Heinrich-Heine-1Jr11Ver- Dr. RICARDO BERSEZIO, Universitä degli studi sität, Department of Geology, Universitätsstr. 1, di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, D - 40225 Düsseldorf Sez. Geologia Paleontologia, Via L. Mangiagalli 34, Dr. OSKAR KELLER, Sonderstr. 22, CH - 9034 Eg- I - 20133 Milano gersriet Prof. Dr. ALFREDO BINI, Universitä degli studi Dr. URSULA SCHIRMER, Heinrich-Heine-Univer- di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, sität, Department of Geology, Universitätsstr. 1, Sez. Geologia Paleontologia, Via L. Mangiagalli 34, D - 40225 Düsseldorf I - 20133 Milano Prof. Dr. WOLFGANG SCHIRMER, Heinrich-Heine- D>: FELIX BITTMANN, Wilhelm-Weber-Str. 2, Universität, Department of Geology, Universitäts- D - 37073 Göttingen str. 1, D - 40225 Düsseldorf Dr. GIOVANNI CROSTA, Universitä degli studi Dr. MEINDERT W. VAN DEN BERG, Rijks Geo- di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze della terra, logische Dienst, Northern district, P. O. Box 85, Sez. Geologia Paleontologia, Via L. Mangiagalli 34, NL - 8430 AB Oosterwolde I - 20133 Milano Dipl:Biol. GEORG WALDMANN, Heinrich-Heine- Dr. WIM DE GANS, Rijks Geologische Dienst, Dis- Universität, Department of Geology, Universi- trikt West, Postbus 157, NL - 2000 AD Haarlem tätsstr. 1, D - 40225 Düsseldorf Drs. THOMAS A. M. DE GROOT, Rijks Geologische Dipl:Biol. LUCIA Wlcx, Universität Bern, Syste- Dienst, Distrikt West, Postbus 157, NL - 2000 AD matisch-Geobotanisches Institut und Botanischer Haarlem Garten, Altenbergrain 21, CH - 3013 Bern Dr. DIETRICH ELLWANGER, Geologisches Landes- amt Baden-Württemberg, Albertstr. 5, D - 79104 Freiburg 558

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~ E ,

Leerdamian \\ ~~ ~..o ~ ~ ö,''0- Lingian ° ° 7 ~ .c . Bavelian ~:® Frechen 111 x ~\\~ -' N- 990 kyr Menapian gravel d Alpine Rhein \ Haslach Frechen!! ;, m

PLEISTOCENE o a Waalian gravel c •- ä Frechen I N Günz .a~` °' Eburonian gravel b2 c ~ - 1,86 myr Tiglian ~ Forfunn - uplift \ Donau first Pretiglian gravel b1 ~-'LOW. ~ -Y ° i 2 2 Alpine foreland Rhein- Biber ;, ö= Reuverian Reuver clay u, 24 v uplift ~ t~ glaciation y~

~~ Kieseloolith beds Brunssumian o Westerwc ~~ N _ 3,3 Hegau

(PLIOCENE Lothringian Rhein a neo-Alpine phase _ 5••~~IIIIII W U er v deep valley Kaiserstuhl• z - pP — - ~ brown ~~~~~~~y~„~~ v incision ü Middle ~~, ~ ° lPo Plain) ~ - — — - coal Kaiserstuhl Rhein ._ ~ ~ Lowec o _ a-• 22,5 z A

Upper — - ~iiiiliil Brohl Rhein VIII I

L ,-`~ ~V Middle u ~o I ,

Vallendar o OR I ~ • •~ ` . VIII o -"' o Lower MRIiIII„ m ä rIn e A o

o ~3

e ~•- ___ ~A ~ beds . . VIII •~- i meso-Alpine phase E - 37,5 EOCENE ~

Fig. 87 Stratigraphy of the Rhein Traverse excursion area (OR =Oberrhein, MR =Mittelrhein, NR =Niederrhein) -