S.J. Kluiving

Kinematic indicators of subglacial shearing

Abstract Criteria to distinguish between sediments that have been subglacially deformed and those that are undeformed, or deformed by other mechanisms, are sparse. In this paper we develop structural criteria to reconstruct the deformation history of glacial sediments that can be readily applied in the field as well as to analyses of thin sections of tills and related materials. Progressive simple shear is the simplest model to describe the deformation history of subglacially deformed sediments. It includes most of their characteristic structural aspects and provides tools for the kinematic analysis of subglacially deformed sediments. Progressive simple shear generates asymmetric structures, in which the principal direction of finite extension is subparallel to the direction of shearing. This is the simple shear fabric’s most distinctive characteristic, and that which most reliably defines the palaeo-ice flow direction. At a moderately strong intensity of deformation a typical shear zone in unlithified sediments may contain folded and strongly attenuated sediment layers, producing a transposed foliation which must not be mistaken for a sedimentary layering. Original sedimentary and deformation structures may completely disintegrate in the most intensely deformed sediments leading to its homogenization, although the typical shear zone fabric may still be identified in thin section.

Multi-scale analyses of subglacial and glaciomarine deposits from the Ross Sea continental shelf, Antarctica

Piston cores collected from the Ross Sea continental shelf, Antarctica, were studied as part of a multi-scale analysis of glacial and glaciomarine stratigraphy and sedimentology. The objective of these analyses was to differentiate glaciomarine sediments from subglacially deformed tills. Results from analyses of microstructures, lithofa-cies and seafloor morphology indicate that glaciomarine and subglacially deformed sediments can be clearly distinguished and further characterized by variations in textural parameters. Overcompaction, as well as presence of stratification in sediments, are not considered critical criteria for distinguishing subglacial from glaciomarine deposits. Trough-shaped morphologies and fluted terrain strongly correlate with S-C and S-CC 0-type shear-zone microstructures and indicate that subglacial deformation is an important process in these areas, confirming the presence of grounded ice on the shelf during formation of these landforms and deposits. Flat, smooth topographies, as well as (low-angle) slope environments, correspond to microfabrics which lack microscopic shear-zone geom-etries and contain dropstones, angular-sediment clasts, large-shell fragments and slight sorting in sandy layers, which imply ice-shelf or open-water conditions present during de-position.

A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

ABSTRACT The dodo Raphus cucullatus Linnaeus, 1758, an extinct and flightless, giant pigeon endemic to Mauritius, has fascinated people since its discovery, yet has remained surprisingly poorly known. Until the mid-19th century, almost all that was known about the dodo was based on illustrations and written accounts by 17th century mariners, often of questionable accuracy. Furthermore, only a few fragmentary remains of dodos collected prior to the birds extinction exist. Our understanding of the dodos anatomy was substantially enhanced by the discovery in 1865 of subfossil bones in a marsh called the Mare aux Songes, situated in southeastern Mauritius. However, no contextual information was recorded during early excavation efforts, and the majority of excavated material comprised larger dodo bones, almost all of which were unassociated. Here we present a modern interdisciplinary analysis of the Mare aux Songes, a 4200-year-old multitaxic vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte. Our analysis of the deposits at this site provides the first detailed overview of the ecosystem inhabited by the dodo. The interplay of climatic and geological conditions led to the exceptional preservation of the animal and associated plant remains at the Mare aux Songes and provides a window into the past ecosystem of Mauritius. This interdisciplinary research approach provides an ecological framework for the dodo, complementing insights on its anatomy derived from the only associated dodo skeletons known, both of which were collected by Etienne Thirioux and are the primary subject of this memoir. Citation for this article: Rijsdijk, K. F., J. P. Hume, P. G. B. de Louw, H. J. M. Meijer, A. Janoo, E. J. de Boer, L. Steel, J. de Vos, L. G. van der Sluis, H. Hooghiemstra, F. B. V. Florens, C. Baider, T. J. J. Vernimmen, P. Baas, A. H. van Heteren, V. Rupear, G. Beebeejaun, A. Grihault, J. van der Plicht, M. Besselink, J. K. Lubeek, M. Jansen, S. J. Kluiving, H. Hollund, B. Shapiro, M. Collins, M. Buckley, R. M. Jayasena, N. Porch, R. Floore, F. Bunnik, A. Biedlingmaier, J. Leavitt, G. Monfette, A. Kimelblatt, A. Randall, P. Floore, and L. P. A. M. Claessens. 2015. A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius; pp. 3–20 in L. P. A. M. Claessens, H. J. M. Meijer, J. P. Hume, and K. F. Rijsdijk (eds.), Anatomy of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus L., 1758): An Osteological Study of the Thirioux Specimens. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 15. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35(6, Supplement).

Potential and use of archaeological and historical data in the coastal zone of the southern North Sea in a reconstruction of the sea level curve of the last 3000 years: results of a case study

This paper demonstrates that methodologies from various disciplines can be utilised to explain the coastal development of the southern North Sea during the last 3000 years. The potential and uses of archaeological data are tested against the applicability of delivering data for reconstructing sea level or local water level curves. Geology, archaeology, and historical geography are disciplines that assess changes in absolute and regional sea levels, deposition, subsidence, or rises in surface level. In this paper a selection of the national archaeological database (ARCHIS2) from the western Netherlands is presented as archaeological proxy data that might help reconstruct the relationship between occupational history and landscape development. The case study around Katwijk in the western Netherlands presents the known history and geology of the area, as well as the archaeological data present. Results show that data within ARCHIS2 is of too poor quality and that even with the help of excavation reports the required resolution for reconstructing local water level curves is currently not present in the recorded data. Archaeological data that has been recorded generally lacks precision in data location (x, y, and z) and generally does not have an absolute time control. The ideal database or model is the creation of a GIS (Geographic Information System) that can integrate data from the different disciplines. All data should be transparent and have a spatial and temporal resolution, so that data from different disciplines can corroborate each other. Its accuracy can then be compared so the better dataset to provide the optimal insight into landscape change associated with the sizes of coastal inlets and the local variations of tidal amplitudes.

The Impacts of Megahydraulic Engineering Projects from a Dutch Perspective

This chapter reviews the building of two megahydraulic engineering projects in Holland: the Zuiderzee Project and the Delta Project. The initial objectives of these megastructures were safety and reducing the salt gradient and land reclamation in order to guarantee food supply. Only the Delta Project focused on the first objective. Although the initial objectives were met, the perception of the initial objectives shifted during the 1970s, rendering nature building, ecology, fresh water supply, urbanization and recreation as being important as well. As a result of this promotion, megahydraulic engineering projects in the Netherlands have undergone similar changes. While the vast reclaimed areas in the Zuiderzee area and the abandoned reclamation of the Markermeer already anticipated the need for nature building, ecology, urbanization and fresh water supply, this was not the case in the Delta area. Here only the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier anticipated the shift in perception, but some ecological changes were not anticipated until recently.

Soil archives of a Fluvisol: subsurface analysis and soil history of the medieval city centre of Vlaardingen, the Netherlands – an integral approach

(1) VU University Amsterdam, Dept. of Archaeology, Arts, Amsterdam, Netherlands (s.j.kluiving@vu.nl), (2) City of Vlaardingen, VLAK (Archaeology Dept., Hoflaan 43, 3134 AC Vlaardingen, The Netherlands, (3) Arnicon, Archeomedia 2908 LJ Capelle aan den IJssel, The Netherlands, (4) VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, (5) Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam,

Lithological analysis of 45 presumed pingo remnants in the northern Netherlands (Friesland) : substrate control and fill sequences.

A number of 45 presumed pingo remnants have been analysed on lithological criteria while measured parameters of pingo remnants can be compared on a spatial scale. Methods used were hand augering and radiocarbon dating. Out of 45 cored sites thirty sites proved to represent pingo remnants after having tested the results according to the set of descriptive criteria. Does a difference in filling types in a spatial analysis influence the choice of early settlers in this region? Results show that two groups of pingo remnants can be distinguished by the nature of the pingo filling. Type 1 pingo remnants with predominantly peat filling are found in the lower valleys between the higher glacial till ridges. Type 2 pingo remnants with equal loam and peat filling are predominantly found on the higher glacial till ridges. Type 2 pingo remnants generally have a greater depth, are more ellipsoid in shape, and have a steeper slope angle than type 1 pingo remnants on the lower terrain. Results indicate that the substrate character influenced the development of infilling of pingo remnants. Marshy environments may have existed for a prolonged period throughout the Holocene in pingo remnants on the glacial ridges, while pingo remnants on the lower terrain are filled in by peat bogs. Landscape evolution based on the results of a distinct dataset of pingo remnants can help to solve archaeological problems of settlement issues when combined with new palaeobotanic data and high resolution dates.

The Impacts of Climate and Environmental Change on the Historic Environment

Global scientists, policy makers and politicians are now largely in agreement that sharp increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols compared with pre-industrial levels are contributing significantly to climate and environmental change. This consensus of opinion led to the Paris Agreement, which came into force on 4 November 2016 and is currently ratified by 143 parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.1 The key aim of the Paris Agreement is to ensure that global temperature rise this century does not exceed pre-industrial levels by more than 2 °C, and ideally to limit this rise to less than 1.5 °C. The agreement also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. Aside from the political challenges of keeping this agreement on course, there is much debate about regional variability in the impacts of climate change. Nevertheless, it seems likely that both the frequency and intensity of severe weather events will increase, with extremes of both temperature and rainfall commonplace, and that this will result in significant impacts on the physical, economic and social environment, especially where societies are already under stress.2,3,4,5,6 Adaption to and management of historic environment assets, together with the development of appropriate mitigation strategies in response to the direct and indirect effects of future climatic and environmental change, represent two of the many challenges faced by planners, policy makers and politicians. The six papers in this special Issue of Historic Environment: Policy and Practice were delivered at a session convened by the authors at the European Association of Archaeologists 2015 conference in Glasgow; this was entitled ‘Measuring, Monitoring and Managing the Impacts of Future Climate and Environmental Change on the Historic Environment and Cultural Resources’. The impetus for this session emerged from a grant focused on the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site that had been awarded to two of the authors (Howard and Knight) under the auspices of a call by Historic England for projects focused on ‘better disaster planning and building in resilience for heritage’.7 These papers illustrate by means of a number of case studies the challenges and opportunities arising from the direct and indirect effects of climate change. The paper by Jen Heathcote et al. describes how Historic England is seeking to understand what future changes might be expected and to develop adaptive measures aimed at mitigating impacts upon the historic environment resource. Effective mitigation requires detailed knowledge of the character and distribution of threatened resources, as emphasised by Samantha Stein et al. in a paper describing an innovative methodology for mapping palaeochannels (and thus, potential environmental resources) in the Trent catchment of the English Midlands. Equally important to resource assessment and future management of heritage assets is an understanding of the nature and spatial scale of geological processes. The paper by Tom Lane, which focuses upon salt making in eastern England, demonstrates how archaeologists can bring valuable knowledge to climate change debates through the study of past practices. The paper by Andy Howard et al. explores a number of key issues and challenges identified during a project aimed at mapping the distribution of historic sites relative to known flood hotspots in Worcestershire (English Midlands) and the creation of a GIS-based flood management tool for use by emergency planners and other non-heritage specialists. The

How geoarchaeology and landscape archaeology contribute to niche construction theory (NCT)

In this paper a review is given of examples of geoarchaeological and landscape archaeological research from four locations throughout Europe. Case-studies from the North Sea coastal zone in the Netherlands and the Eastern Mediterranean are presented to illustrate the potential contribution of geoarchaeology and landscape archaeology to niche construction theory (NCT) studies. Typical landscapes as coast lines, lake shores and rivers as example of small and large scale use of the natural landscape and/or topography are discussed with implications for NCT, mainly over the Holocene period. Through environmental reconstruction, we provide relative dates for starting points when humans (a) were altering their own selective environment as an inceptive change, or (b) responded to a (deteriorated) selective environment in a counteractive change. Geoarchaeology and landscape archaeology valuable contribution to NCT studies is the focus of the disciplines on landscape gradients. NCT phase transitions from inceptive to counteractive changes are proposed as useful alternative in the debate about the onset of the Anthropocene.