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Holocene Dune Formation and Human-Induced Aeolian Remobilisation in South Brandenburg, Germany

  • In the Mid Latitudes form and function of the earth surface are mainly affected by Pleistocene periglacial processes such as solifluction, cryoturbation and aeolian deposition. On the other hand, human impact on landscapes in Central Europe may date back to the earliest farmers from the Neolithic Period (c. 5500 a cal BC). At least since the Middle Ages intense land-use produced wide deforested areas. In the sand-rich North German Lowland these human-induced deforestation often resulted in the remobilisation of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene sand dunes. Especially in the vicinity of former mining sites or glassworks the dune landscapes possess quite young stratigraphic disturbances (fossilized horizons, weak developed top soils). Within the scope of the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (SFB/TRR) 38, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), inland dunes in South Brandenburg were used as comparison sites to study structures and processes of the initial ecosystem development phase in an artificial waterIn the Mid Latitudes form and function of the earth surface are mainly affected by Pleistocene periglacial processes such as solifluction, cryoturbation and aeolian deposition. On the other hand, human impact on landscapes in Central Europe may date back to the earliest farmers from the Neolithic Period (c. 5500 a cal BC). At least since the Middle Ages intense land-use produced wide deforested areas. In the sand-rich North German Lowland these human-induced deforestation often resulted in the remobilisation of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene sand dunes. Especially in the vicinity of former mining sites or glassworks the dune landscapes possess quite young stratigraphic disturbances (fossilized horizons, weak developed top soils). Within the scope of the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre (SFB/TRR) 38, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), inland dunes in South Brandenburg were used as comparison sites to study structures and processes of the initial ecosystem development phase in an artificial water catchment. Here, we present first results of the pedostratigraphy and the age of two dune systems near Glashuette which is about 50 km south of Berlin. Based on twelve Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and six radiocarbon (14C) datings a chronology of the landscape development for the last c. 10000 years is derived. Data prove that both dune systems - even though they are just c. 1 km apart and have similar morphological features such as height, width, and orientation - have a completely different history in aeolian sand deposition and pedogenesis. At dune 'Glashuette 1' a well established podsol forms the topsoil. At dune 'Glashuette 2' soil development is clearly in a more initial state showing only some humus accumulation and weaker podsolization processes. OSL and 14C ages of sand from 'Glashuette 1' range between about 11.4 ka cal. BC (3.9 m below surface) and 9.4 ka cal. BC (0.7 m below surface). Against that, the sands in 'Glashuette 2' are mainly dated to about 0.8 ka cal BC (3.4 to 0.7 m below surface). On the basis of our findings further analyses can be planned more accurately to study the impact of initial processes on the later state of ecosystems characteristics.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Oliver BensGND, Thomas RaabORCiDGND, Roland Spröte, Steven L. Forman, Reinhard F. HüttlGND
Title of the source (English):AGU 2008 Fall Meeting, Suppl.
Document Type:Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Year of publication:2008
First Page:H51D-0842
Series ; volume number:Eos transactions, AGU ; 89,53
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 2 Umwelt und Naturwissenschaften / FG Bodenschutz und Rekultivierung
Institution name at the time of publication:Fakultät für Umweltwissenschaften und Verfahrenstechnik (eBTU) / LS Bodenschutz und Rekultivierung
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