Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-28T19:55:10.342Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Veldwezelt site (province of Limburg, Belgium): environmental and stratigraphical interpretations*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2014

E.P.M. Meijs
E.P.M. Meijs*
Affiliation:
ArcheoGeolab, Veulenerbank 33, NL-6213 JR Maastricht, the Netherlands. Email: meijsepm@home.nl; meijs@archeogeolab.nl
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Uphill and drainage line environments reveal many hiatuses or discordances, because of truncation by erosion. In downslope position accumulation often prevailed outside the drainage lines and prevented erosion, even during unstable periods. Consequently, downslope sections yield the most detailed environmental data, but often lack contact with uphill series. However, for stratigraphical correlation the contact between downslope and uphill series is essential. In the Veldwezelt loess sequence this contact is intact, which provides additional data on transitional processes. In view of these special palaeoenvironmental conditions, exhibiting a transition between downslope and uphill areas and a south-east trending stream, an extraordinarily detailed Late Saalian, Eemian and Weichselian loess sequence could be reconstructed. The Veldwezelt series furnished important pedological, sedimentological, faunal, tephrochronological and cryogenic data, on the basis of which palaeoenvironmental conclusions could be drawn and six types of pedo-sedimentological cycles distinguished. A stratigraphical overview was obtained by correlating the Veldwezelt section with other west European loess frameworks and tephra sequences; the sedimentary series at Harmignies (Mons Basin, southern Belgium) and the Greenland GRIP ice core.

Keywords

loesspedologypalaeoenvironmentstratigraphysedimentologycryogenesisBelgiumPleistocene
Type
Research Article
Information
Netherlands Journal of Geosciences , Volume 90 , Issue 2-3 , November 2011 , pp. 73 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © Stichting Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 2011

Footnotes

*

In: Jagt, J.W.M., Jagt-Yazykova, E.A. & Schins, W.J.H. (eds): A tribute to the late Felder brothers – pioneers of Limburg geology and prehistoric archaeology.

References

Antoine, P., 2002. Les loess en France et dans le Nord-Ouest européen. Revue française de Géotechnique 99: 3–21.Google Scholar
Antoine, P., Auguste, P., Bahain, J.-J., Coudret, P., Depaepe, P., Fagnart, J.-P., Falguères, C., Fontugne, M., Frechen, M., Hatté, C., Lamotte, A., Laurent, M., Limondin-Lozouet, N., Locht, J.-L., Mercier, N., Moigne, A.-M., Munaut, A.-V., Ponel, P. & Rousseau, D.-D., 2003. Paléoenvironnements pléistocènes et peuplements paléolithiques dans le bassin de la Somme (nord de la France). Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française 100: 5–28.Google Scholar
Antoine, P., Lautridou, J.-P., Sommé, J., Auguste, P., Auffret, J.-P., Baize, S., Clet-Pellerin, M., Coutard, J.-P., Dewolf, Y., Dugué, O., Joly, F., Laignel, B., Laurent, M., Lavollé, M., Lebret, P., Lécolle, F., Lefebvre, D., Limondin-Lozouet, N., Munaut, A.-V., Ozouf, J.-C., Quesnel, F. & Rousseau, D.-D., 1998. Les formations quaternaires de la France du Nord-Ouest: limites et corrélations. Quaternaire 9: 227–241.Google Scholar
Antoine, P., Rousseau, D.-D., Moine, O., Kunesch, S., Hatté, C., Lang, A., Tissoux, H. & Zöller, L., 2009. Rapid and cyclic aeolian deposition during the Last Glacial in European loess: a high-resolution record from Nussloch, Germany. Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 1–19.Google Scholar
Bibus, E., Bludau, U., Bross, C. & Rähle, W., 1996. Der Altwürm- und Rissabschnitt im Profil Mainz-Weisenau und die Eigenschaften der Mosbacher Humuszonen. Frankfurter geowissenschaftliche Arbeiten D20: 21–52.Google Scholar
Binka, K. & Nitychoruk, J., 2001. Late Saalian climate changes in Europe in the light of pollen analysis and the problem of two-step deglaciation at the oxygen isotope stage 6/5e transition. Boreas 30: 307–316.Google Scholar
Boulton, G.S., 1993. Two cores are better than one. Nature 366: 507–508.Google Scholar
Bringmans, P.M.M.A., 2006. Multiple Middle Paleolithic occupations in a loess-soil sequence at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, Limburg, Belgium. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven: 1–380 (unpubl. PhD thesis; http://hdl.handle.net/1979/270).Google Scholar
Bringmans, P.M.M.A., 2007. First evidence of Neanderthal presence in Northwest Europe during the Late Saalian ‘Zeifen Interstadial’ (MIS 6.01) found at the VLL and VLB Sites at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater, Belgium. Palarch's Journal of Archaeology of Northwest Europe 1: 1.Google Scholar
Bringmans, P.M.M.A., Vermeersch, P.M., Gullentops, F., Meijs, E.P.M., Groenendijk, A.J., de Warrimont, J.-P. & Cordy, J.-M., 2006. Levallois, Quina and Laminar reduction at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. In: Demarsin, B. & Otte, M. (eds): Neanderthals in Europe. Proceedings of the International Conference, held in the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, September 17-19, 2004. Eraul 117 (Atvatvca 2): 107–114.Google Scholar
Cheng, H., Lawrence Edwards, R., Broecker, W.S., Denton, G.H., Kong, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, R. & Wang, X., 2009. Ice age terminations. Science 326: 248–252.Google Scholar
Cordy, J.-M., 1998. Résultats synthétiques obtenus sur les matériaux paléontologiques du site d'Hezerwater. Université de Liege, Département de l'Évolution des Vertébrés et Évolution humaine, Liège: 1–4.Google Scholar
Cordy, J.-M., 2002. The macro and meso faunal assemblage of the WFL-Site at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. In: Bringmans, P.M.M.A., Vermeersch, P.M., Groenendijk, A.J., Meijs, E.P.M., de Warrimont, J.-P. & Cordy, J.-M. (eds): Middle Paleolithic Veldwezelt-Hezerwater one year on. Interim Report on the Veldwezelt-Hezerwater Project's Campaign of Excavations 2002. The Diggers' Project 8(1B)2: 10–11.Google Scholar
Demek, J. & Kukla, J., 1969. Periglazialzone, Löss und Paläolithicum der Tschechoslowakei. Tschechoslowakische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Geografisches Institut (Brno): 1–158.Google Scholar
De Warrimont, J.-P., 2007. Prospecting Middle Paleolithic open-air sites in the Dutch-Belgian border area near Maastricht. Palarch's Journal of Archaeology of Northwest Europe 1: 3.Google Scholar
Frechen, M., van Vliet-Lanoë, B. & van den Haute, P., 2001. The Upper Pleistocene loess record at Harmignies/Belgium – high resolution terrestrial archive of climate forcing. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 173: 175–195.Google Scholar
Grootes, P.M., Stuiver, M., White, J.W.C., Johnsen, S. & Jouzel, J., 1993. Comparison of oxygen isotope records from the GISP2 and GRIP Greenland ice cores. Nature 366: 552–554.Google Scholar
Gullentops, F., 2006. The physical environment during the later Quaternary in Mid-Western Europe. In: Demarsin, B. & Otte, M. (eds): Neanderthals in Europe. Proceedings of the International Conference, held in the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, September 17-19, 2004). Eraul 117 (Atvatvca 2): 39–41.Google Scholar
Haesaerts, P. & van Vliet-Lanoë, B., 1973. Évolution d'un permafrost fossile dans les limons du Dernier Glaciaire à Harmignies (Belgique). Bulletin de l'Association française pour l'Étude du Quaternaire 35: 151–164.Google Scholar
Haesaerts, P. & van Vliet-Lanoë, B., 1974. Compte rendu de l'excursion du 25 mai 1974 consacrée à la stratigraphie des limons aux environs de Mons. Annales de la Société géologique de Belgique 97: 547–560.Google Scholar
Haesaerts, P. & van Vliet-Lanoë, B., 1981. Phénomènes périglaciaires et sols fossiles observés à Maisières-Canal, à Harmignies et à Rocourt. Biuletyn Peryglacjalny 28: 291–324.Google Scholar
Haesaerts, P., Mestdagh, H. & Bosquet, D., 1999. The sequence of Remicourt (Hesbaye, Belgium): new insights on the pedo- and chronostratigraphy of the Rocourt soil. Geologica Belgica 2: 5–27.Google Scholar
Haesaerts, P. & Mestdagh, H., 2000. Pedosedimentary evolution of the last interglacial and early glacial sequence in the European loess belt from Belgium to central Russia. Geologie en Mijnbouw 79: 313–324.Google Scholar
Jiménez-Moreno, G., Scott Anderson, R. & Fawcett, P.J., 2007. Orbital- and millennial-scale vegetation and climate changes of the past 225 ka from Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho (USA). Quaternary Science Reviews 26: 1713–1724.Google Scholar
Johnsen, S.J., Dahl-Jensen, D., Gundestrup, N., Steffensen, J.P., Clausen, H.B., Miller, H., Masson-Delmotte, V., Sveinbjörnsdottir, A.E. & White, J., 2001. Oxygen isotope and paleotemperature records from six Greenland ice-core stations: Camp Century, Dye-3, GRIP, GISP2, Renland and NorthGRIP. Journal of Quaternary Science 16: 299–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuijper, W.J., 1996. Internal report Weichselian molluscs in Veldwezelt quarry. Leiden: 1–2.Google Scholar
Kuijper, W.J., 2003. Internal report Saalian molluscs in Veldwezelt quarry. Leiden: 1–2.Google Scholar
Mees, R.P.R. & Meijs, E.P.M., 1984. Note on the presence of pre-Weichselian loess deposits along the Albert Canal near Kesselt and Vroenhoven (Belgian Limbourg). Geologie en Mijnbouw 63: 7–11.Google Scholar
Meijs, E.P.M., 2002. Loess stratigraphy in Dutch and Belgian Limburg. Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart 51: 114–130.Google Scholar
Meijs, E.P.M., 2006. Paleolithic and Quaternary research in the European loess belt (www.archeogeolab.nl).Google Scholar
Pirson, S., 2007. Contribution à l'étude des dépôts d'entrée de grotte en Belgique au Pléistocène supérieur; stratigraphie, sédimentogenèse et paléoenvironnement. Université de Liège, Liège: 1–435 (unpubl. PhD thesis).Google Scholar
Pouclet, A., Juvigné, E. & Pirson, S., 2008. The Rocourt Tephra, a widespread 90-74 ka stratigraphic marker in Belgium. Quaternary Research 70–1: 105–120.Google Scholar
Reille, M., Andrieu, V., de Beaulieu, J.-L., Guenet, P. & Goeury, C., 1998. A long pollen record from Lac du Bouchet, Massif Central, France: for the period ca. 325 to 100 ka BP (OIS 9c to OIS 5e). Quarternary Science Reviews 17: 1107–1123.Google Scholar
Schirmer, W., 2000. Eine Klimakurve des Oberpleistozäns aus dem rheinischen Löss. Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart 50: 25–49.Google Scholar
Schirmer, W., 2002. Compendium of the Rhein loess sequence. In: Ikinger, A. & Schirmer, W. (eds): Loess units and solcomplexes in the Niederrhein and Maas area. Terra Nostra 1: 8–23.Google Scholar
Schirmer, W., 2003. Internal report on the organic carbon content of unit SRB. Düsseldorf: 1–3.Google Scholar
Taylor, K.C., Alley, R.B., Doyle, G.A., Grootes, P.M., Mayewski, P.A., Lamorey, G.W., White, J. W.C. & Barlow, L.K., 1993. The ‘flickering switch’ of late Pleistocene climate change. Nature 361: 432–436.Google Scholar
Woillard, G.M., 1978. Grande pile bog, a continuous pollen record for the last 140,000 years. Quaternary Research 9: 1–21.Google Scholar
Woillard, G.M. & Mook, W.G., 1982. Carbon-14 dates at Grande Pile: correlation of land and sea chronologies. Science 215: 159–161.Google Scholar