Rouwen Lehné

A late Eemian aridity pulse in central Europe during the last glacial inception.

Investigating the processes that led to the end of the last interglacial period is relevant for understanding how our ongoing interglacial will end, which has been a matter of much debate (see, for example, refs 1, 2). A recent ice core from Greenland demonstrates climate cooling from 122,000 years ago driven by orbitally controlled insolation, with glacial inception at 118,000 years ago. Here we present an annually resolved, layer-counted record of varve thickness, quartz grain size and pollen assemblages from a maar lake in the Eifel (Germany), which documents a late Eemian aridity pulse lasting 468 years with dust storms, aridity, bushfire and a decline of thermophilous trees at the time of glacial inception. We interpret the decrease in both precipitation and temperature as an indication of a close link of this extreme climate event to a sudden southward shift of the position of the North Atlantic drift, the ocean current that brings warm surface waters to the northern European region. The late Eemian aridity pulse occurred at a 65° N July insolation of 416 W m-2, close to todays value of 428 W m-2 (ref. 9), and may therefore be relevant for the interpretation of present-day climate variability.

Young tectonic and halokinetic movements in the North-German-Basin: its effect on formation of modern rivers and surface morphology

Field mapping of fluvial terraces, aerial photographs, ground penetrating radar and seismic data from gas and oil exploration were used at four different locations to detect young tectonic and halokinetic movements in the North-German-Basin. i) The course of the Rivers Weser and Aller follow precisely a shallow Tertiary graben on the northwestern flank of the Verden salt diapir. Recent local depressions and vegetation anomalies on the alluvial plain have the same orientation as the strike direction of the faults at subsurface depth. Apparently, the river follows tectonic lines, and thus the river sediments can be used for the interpretation of recent crustal movements. ii) The Wedehof diapir, in contrast, is topped by a local topographic high which follows exactly the shape of the underlying salt. Either the diapir formed an obstacle for the advance of the continental glaciers or one has to assume halokinetic uplift of more than 50 m during the post-Saalian Pleistocene. Either way, the Wedehof diapir shows control of the modern surface morphology by halokinesis. iii) The course of the river Hunte, in contrast, outside the area of salt diapirism, shows anomalies of incision and terrace width over a local updoming caused by tectonic inversion of distinct blocks in the basin. The confluence of several tributaries of the Hunte lies exactly over the updoming of Barnstorf. Thus, the rivers do not avoid the local high, but focus in this area, which is characterised by a graben on top of the domestructure, as visible in seismic profiles. Again, tectonism controls river development. iv) The last case study is from Lake Plon, where seismic profiles reveal that linear shorelines of the lake parallel the flanks of two local graben structures of Tertiary age. It is apparent that the Weichselian glaciers that formed the lake and the surrounding moraines interacted with the existing grabens. The Tertiary morphology in the North German basin was apparently draped by Quaternary glacial deposits, but rivers and lakes that dominate the topography of the modern landscape still reflect the geodynamic centers of Tertiary tectonism and halokinesis. Faults from the depth of the Tertiary penetrate the Quaternary strata and allow upward fluid migration, which becomes visible on aerial photographs as linear vegetation anomalies.

Radon measurement along faults in the Upper Rhine Graben with standardized methods

Radon measurements are currently under way along newly discovered faults in the northern Upper Rhine Graben near Gros-Gerau. Measurements of radon activity in soil air should show if the disruptions are recently active. In the process, it is difficult to compare the measurements of soil types, with different permeability, without logging the actual air flow. It is intended therefore to develop a standardised method which combines the measurement of radon with the detection of CO2 in soil air. Outcomes will be used for correlation with radon concentrations in the indoor air of buildings in the region of Darmstadt (Kuhn 2013), which is situated in the tectonically active northern Upper Rhine Graben, in order to evaluate geogenic radon in the area.