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Here we present loess deposits since the late glacial dated by OSL technique in the southeast of the Caspian Sea, bordering continents of Asia and Europe. Chronology of Holocene loess deposits are rarely reported in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, especially for their spacious mid-latitude adjacent region, between Balkans to the west and Pamirs to the east. In this study, an OSL-based chronology was developed for loess deposits in northern Iranian Plateau, based on the YBD loess profile which locates close to center of hilly Iranian Loess Plateau in the southeast of the Caspian Sea and on the northern slope of the Alborz Mountains. The OSL characteristics and their reliability were investigated on coarse-grained quartz (63–90 μm) of the profile, a preheat plateau test and dose recovery test of which reveal that the lower preheat is suitable for loess equivalent dose determination in the area. In addition, the SAR-OSL is an appropriate methodology for dating loess deposited since the late glacial in situ. With preservation of a complete record of loess accumulation since the late glacial, YBD section contains a potentially valuable paleoclimatic record for Caspian region and hence the vast transitional region between Asia and Europe.

In the Golestan province in northern Iran extensive loess deposits, and widespread loess-derived soils crop out. While a strong precipitation gradient (200–700 mm per year) from North to South is characteristic, temperature differences are negligible (17–18 °C per year). Recently, many studies on loess-derived palaeosols and modern soils from this region were published; However, in these publications only limited information on the magnetic properties of loess and loess-derived soils is given, nor the potential of these properties to be applied as proxies for palaeoclimate reconstruction. In order to study soil magnetic properties along the precipitation gradient in the Golestan province, six pedons of modern soils were selected. The physicochemical properties, the clay mineralogy and magnetic parameters of soil samples were analysed. Susceptibility measurements (20.2–130.77 × 10−8 m3kg−1), ARM susceptibility values (0.00489–0.068 m3kg-1), IRM values (0.0027–0.0105 Am2kg−1), and hysteresis measurements provide significant evidences for an increase of the content of fine grained ferromagnetic minerals with increasing mean annual precipitation. Simultaneously, the amount of SP sized particles increase. Magnetite, maghemite, and hematite are the major magnetic minerals in the studied samples, whereby magnetite seems to be dominant in the soils of the loess plateau of northern Iran. By presenting data from this region of the northern Iran for the first time, another example is provided for the application of magnetic properties as proxies for the reconstruction of the paleoclimate. The results are compared to data of the Chinese loess plateau, the Russian steppe and loessic soils from the midwestern United State with similar relations of pedogenic susceptibility and MAP.

International audience; Coastal wetlands are seen in the central part of the SW coast of Kerala, India at Muriyad, Thrissur (15 km orthogonal to the present day coast towards inland) and forms a part of Vembanad kol. These wetlands are sheltered by well-developed beach ridges in the west and lateritic uplands towards east between the latitudes and longitudes of 10°20‘-10°30‘N and 76°10‘-76°20‘E respectively. The present study aims to find the evidences of early Holocene transgression in the area and constrain its chronology using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) as well as radiocarbon dating. The general stratigraphy of the wetland section shows estuarine sandy clay at the bottom, followed by one meter thick peat unit, overlain by lacustrine clay and colluvial sediments. The fluvial sequences were devoid of peat deposits and comprised of clay and sand sequences having large fossil tree logs. OSL age of a sand layer (7.0 ± 1.0 ka) below the peat unit as well as the radiocarbon ages of peat (between 7920- 7740 and 7410- 7180 Cal years BP) itself indicates that the unit was formed between 8-7 ka ago. The peat accretion shows an average rate of 1.74 mm/a-1. The pollen analysis of the peat unit demonstrates that peat was formed from Rhizophoraceae mangrove plants, implying close proximity of the study area to the shore line. Dominance of wet evergreen forest taxa in the non-mangrove pollen of the peat indicate wet climatic conditions in the area. The occurrences of fossil wood stumps in upright position and large tree trunks buried in the fluvial succession shows that the trees were buried in-situ in the growth position/ during the transportation by flood waters in the fluvial sequence. The fluvial unit in the wetland stratigraphy shows evidences of enhanced SW monsoon in the area, causing large scale floods, submergence of forests and destruction of large trees during 5710-5610 and 6880-6750 Cal years BP.

Alluvial fans record climate-driven erosion and sediment-transport processes and allow reconstructing past environmental conditions. Here we investigate the sedimentation history of two alluvial fans located in formerly glaciated valleys of the Cordillera Oriental, Peru.10Be exposure ages from the fan surfaces and radiocarbon ages from the fan interiors constrain the final stages of fan formation. The10Be and14C ages cluster mainly between 13.3–9.3 ka and 11,500–9700 cal yr BP, respectively. Our age data set indicates that—after deglaciation—large amounts of fan sediment were deposited until ∼10 ka, when sedimentation rates declined rather abruptly. This pattern is supported by10Be erosion rates for the fan catchments, because under the assumption of constant erosion the time needed to erode the material stored in the fans significantly exceeds their age. Correlating our ages with regional climate records indicates that precipitation exerts the primary control on fan sedimentation. Two periods with elevated lake levels and increased precipitation between 18 and 14.5 ka and from 13 to 11.5 ka resulted in rapid deposition of large fan lobes. Subsequently, lower precipitation rates decreased erosion in the catchments and sediment delivery to the fans, which have remained largely inactive since ∼9.5 ka.

Thin loess deposits are widespread soil parent materials and important archives for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The origin of loess in SW Poland is attributed to the Great Odra Valley (GOV), following the general concept that large rivers play a major role in regional silt supply. Yet, the precise provenance (glacier sources and/or local rocks) of silts, possibly deflated from dry GOV braided riverbeds, is not clear. Our study of thin and thick loess mantles in SW Poland for the first time indicates the provenance of thin loess based on mineralogical (MLA-SEM) and isotopic analyses (143Nd/144Nd, 87Sr/86Sr). Luminescence ages of five localities point to thin loess mantle formation during and shortly (23.0 to 17.7 ka yr) after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Our isotopic data indicate that thin loess deposits in SW Poland are the mixtures of two main components – local Sudetic and Scandinavian, the latter delivered by the Fennoscandian ice sheet (FIS). Also, detailed analyses of heavy minerals show that a single mineral (e.g., hornblende) may come from both Sudetic and Scandinavian sources. This research highlights the role of the (Pleistocene) GOV in collecting and homogenizing materials, while supplying the region with fine particles to be deflated by paleowinds from open surfaces. Anomalies in mineralogy and isotopic composition are connected with influence of Sudetic mountain rivers and locally blowing silt material by katabatic winds. Regional grain size differentiation of thin loess mantles explains transport distance and altitude.

International audience; Beachrocks represent a significant paleo-environmental proxy because they can record both the vertical and the horizontal evolution of the shoreline. They have often been used to assess Holocene shoreline evolution and crustally induced Relative Sea-Level (RSL) changes in the Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, we used submerged beachrocks from Paros and Naxos Islands (Aegean Sea, Greece) to reconstruct the shoreline modification and provide new insights on the RSL evolution in central Cyclades. Paros and Naxos Islands are of great importance in terms of archaeological evidence of coastal occupation. However, the evolution of their coastlines was seldom explored. In this study, we coupled detailed underwater surveys, analysis of aerial photogrammetry, microstratigraphic analysis and luminescence dating to study beachrock outcrops found down to about 6 m below the present sea-level. We, then, spatially and chronologically constrained some major palaeogeographical changes of a number of coastal sectors of the two islands. Furthermore, the multiple analyses of beachrocks, sediment coring and archaeological data suggested that RSL rose by at least 3.8 m in the last 4.0 ka and that RSL variation in the last 2.0 ka did not exceed 2 m with respect to the present mean sea level.

Here we present a multi-proxy investigation of the Klein Klutz Hoved (KKH) coastal cliff section in northeastern Germany, involving lithofacies analysis, micromorphology, micropalaeontology, palynology and luminescence dating of quartz and feldspar. We subdivide the local stratigraphy into three depositional phases. (i) Following a Saalian advance (MIS 6) of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, the penultimate deglaciation (Termination II) at the site occurred between c. 139 and 134 ka, leading to the establishment of a braided river system and lacustrine basins under arctic-subarctic climate conditions. (ii) In the initial phase of the Eemian interglacial lacustrine deposits were formed, containing warm-water ostracods and a pollen spectrum indicating gradual expansion of woodlands eventually containing thermophile deciduous forest elements. A correlation of the local pollen assemblages with Eemian reference records from central Europe suggests that fewer than 750 years of the last interglacial period are preserved at KKH. The occurrence of brackish ostracods dates the onset of the Eemian marine transgression at the section at c. 300–750 years after the beginning of the last interglacial period. (iii) Directly above the Eemian record a ~10-m-thick sedimentary succession of MIS 2 age was deposited, implying a significant hiatus of c. 90 ka encompassing the time from middle and upper MIS 5e to late MIS 3. During the Late Weichselian, KKH featured a depositional shift from (glacio-)lacustrine to subglacial to recessional terminoglacial facies, with the first documented Weichselian ice advance post-dating 20±2 ka. Overall, the KKH section represents an exceptional sedimentary archive for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, covering the period from the Saalian glaciation and subsequent Termination II to the early Eemian and Late Weichselian. The results refine the existing palaeogeographical and geochronological models of the late Quaternary history in the southwestern Baltic Sea area and allow correlations with other reference records in a wider area.

The study of two cliff outcrops from the Jasmund Peninsula provides new information on the ice-sheet dynamics and palaeo-environmental conditions during MIS 3 and the ensuing transition to MIS 2 in the southwestern Baltic Sea region. We identified interstadial fluvial sediments, with mollusc and vertebrate fauna, which were deposited between 47 and 42 ka in a steppe-like landscape. A subsequent cooling phase led to the formation of a proglacial lake, between 30 and 22 ka, indicated by varve-like, rhythmically bedded silty clay. This proglacial lake formation can be correlated to the blocking of the Baltic Basin by the Kattegat ice advance, previously dated to c. 29–26 ka. The transition from proglacial to terminoglacial lacustrine deposits reflects the immediate advance of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) into the study area after the transition from MIS 3 to early MIS 2. The SIS finally reached the area at 23±2 ka (Brandenburgian phase; advance from the northeast). A subsequent ice retreat accompanied by the deposition of meltwater sediments was followed by a re-advance of the SIS, resulting in a glaciotectonic deformation event across the study area. The age control for our study is based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). The investigated Pleistocene sediments show ice-free conditions during MIS 3 and early MIS 2, indicating that neither the Ristinge nor the Klintholm advance reached the SW Baltic Sea coast of Jasmund.

The River Moselle is one of the main tributaries of the Rhine, connecting the Vosges Massif, the Paris Basin and the Rhenish Massif. Research on fluvial archives preserved along the Moselle and Rhine valleys led to the recognition of well-developed fluvial terrace staircases, whose formation is the result of climate and tectonic forcing. The chronostratigraphical framework of these fluvial terraces was recently improved by applying luminescence dating methods, enabling a more reliable correlation of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene terraces for the River Moselle and the Middle Rhine valley (Rhenish Massif). The Moselle fluvial archives were morphologically, sedimentologically and chronologically studied in the Paris Basin and in the southwestern Rhenish Massif (area of Trier, Germany). They include eight middle and lower fluvial terraces, correlating with the middle and upper Pleistocene cold periods. All these fluvial terraces (except that formed during the Weichselian Early and Middle Pleniglacial) can be correlated with the seven youngest fluvial terraces recognized in the Middle Rhine. Minor differences in the elevation of contemporaneous terraces suggest differential uplift rates in both valleys: while the Neuwied tectonic basin (Middle Rhine area) presents a similar fluvial terrace system as the Moselle for the Middle and Upper Pleistocene, the other parts of the Middle Rhine valley showed greater uplift between 600 and 350 ky, coinciding with the development of intensive volcanic activity in the Eifel, which continued until recently. La Moselle est l’un des principaux affluents du Rhin, reliant le Massif vosgien, le Bassin parisien et le Massif schisteux Rhénan. Les recherches récentes menées sur les archives fluviales des deux cours d’eau ont abouti à la reconnaissance de terrasses alluviales étagées bien préservées, dont la formation résulte à la fois d’un forçage interne et de l’influence climatique. Le calage chronologique des dépôts a été récemment amélioré par le recours à des datations absolues par luminescence, permettant une meilleure corrélation des terrasses alluviales du Pléistocène moyen et supérieur de la Moselle avec celles du Rhin, en particulier dans le Massif schisteux (Rhin moyen). Huit moyennes et basses terrasses alluviales de la Moselle ont été distinguées sur la base d’analyses morphologiques, sédimentologiques et chronologiques, et rapportées aux périodes froides du Pléistocène moyen et supérieur. Ces terrasses alluviales (sauf celle du début et du milieu Pléniglaciaire weichsélien) peuvent être corrélées avec les sept terrasses alluviales les plus récentes préservées dans le Rhin moyen. Des différences dans l’altitude relative de terrasses alluviales contemporaines indiquent que les phases d’incision peuvent être associées à des vitesses de soulèvement inégales d’une vallée à l’autre. Ainsi, alors que le bassin tectonique de Neuwied présente pour le Pléistocène moyen et supérieur un système de terrasses alluviales comparable à celui de la Moselle dans la région de Trèves, les autres sections de la moyenne vallée du Rhin témoignent d’un soulèvement plus marqué entre 600 et 350 ka, c’est-à-dire au moment où le volcanisme de l’Eifel était actif.

In response to the comment of Madsen and Liu (2018), we explain why our quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages showing the early MIS 3 lake highstand are robust. We also demonstrate that the difference in the age estimates between ours (Long et al., 2018) and other studies should be attributed to contrasting equivalent dose (D e ) values, rather than water contents (hence the dose rate) which was claimed by Madsen and Liu (2018).

Signal resetting prior to deposition is an important factor for the accuracy of luminescence dating. In this study, resetting of the quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal from samples collected from different depositional environments (alluvial, beach, and aeolian sediments) around the Qinghai Lake basin (northeastern Tibetan Plateau) was examined using its inter-comparison with post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) measured at 290 °C (pIRIR290) from K-feldspar. Dose recovery tests were carried out to test the success of the single aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol for quartz and feldspar. Additionally, stability tests (first IR temperature plateau and g-values) were performed for the pIRIR290. We observe that most of the K-feldspar pIRIR290 and quartz OSL ages are consistent with each other (within 10%), suggesting that the quartz OSL signal was well-bleached prior to the deposition. The ages of loess samples range between ∼13.1 and ∼1.5 ka, the alluvial sediments between ∼35 ka and ∼14 ka, and beach sediments between 60 and 50 ka, corresponding to early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. These quartz OSL chronologies suggest a lake highstand during very early MIS 3, a lowstand during late MIS 3 and MIS 2, and widespread loess accumulation through the Holocene in the Qinghai Lake basin.

The morphology in Taiwan is a product of high tectonic activity at the convergent margin and East Asian monsoon climate. Tablelands are prominent geomorphic features in the Puli Basin in central Taiwan. These tablelands provide an archive to understand links between past climatic evolution and tectonic events resulting in the formation of the present-day landforms. To establish a geochronological framework for the alluvium underlying the tablelands in the Puli Basin, optically stimulated luminescence dating was applied to obtain burial ages. The numerical data indicate an accumulation phase of alluvial fans in the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene transition. The study area in the Taomi River catchment, an obvious longer precursor of the Taomi River, originating from west of the Yuchih Basin, transported the sediments forming the present-day southern tablelands. During the Pleistocene–Holocene transition, the climate changed to wetter and warmer conditions, so that slope processes might have changed and an increasing transport in the fluvial system was stimulated. Fluvial and fan terraces in other river catchments in Taiwan also indicate a period of increased fluvial transport and deposition. A geomorphic evolution model in the Puli Basin is reconstructed on the basis of the chronological framework and of sedimentological features. Fluvial processes controlled by climatic change and accompanied by tectonic activities have created the diverse topography in the Puli Basin.

An interdisciplinary workshop on the Quaternary of Croatia was held in Zagreb in 2015 as a final part of a Croatian-German bilateral project entitled “Tools for modelling past and future global climate change: Case study of loess- palaeosol sequences (Quaternary aeolian deposits) from Istria and Kvarner (North Adriatic area)”. The main aim of the workshop was to enable researchers working in different fields of Quaternary geology in Croatia to present their latest findings and results. High quality presentations and great interest of the audience for the topics presented were the base to propose a Special Issue in Quaternary International. Seven of the 22 papers included in this special issue were presented at this workshop. Furthermore, the contributions and enthusiasm of those researchers, not present at the workshop as presenters but as audience, was beyond our expectations. Depending on the research topic, contributions published in this issue can be subdivided into several groups with prevailing focus on the investigation of loess-palaeosol and alluvial sequences (eight contributions) and lake sediments (six contributions) as well as papers about cave monitoring programs and investigation of speleothems (two contributions). Since caves in Croatian karst regions are also potential important Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites, three contributions are related to this topic. One contribution synthetize the Early to Late Pleistocene and Holocene faunas from selected locations in the Eastern Adriatic region. Detailed morphometric analysis of the weathering features of two surfaces from the Croatian coast (Kornat Island) that had different exposure evolution during the last millennia are presented in one contribution. The last contribution elaborates the role of recently submerged tidal notches in evaluating subsidence along the eastern Adriatic coast.

In this study, the behaviour of post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) signals from polymineral fine grains (4–11 um) has been systematically investigated under various preheat and stimulation conditions, by using four loess samples from the Qilian Shan in northwestern China. We varied the preheat temperatures from 180 °C to 340 °C with a 20 °C increment and the pIRIR stimulation temperature tracks the preheat temperature by −30 °C, following an IR stimulation at 50 °C (IR 50 ). All pIRIR signals fade much less than the IR 50 signals and the measured fading rates, ranging between 1.50 ± 0.15%/decade and −0.29 ± 0.73%/decade, display a general but slight decreasing trend with increasing preheat and stimulation temperatures. For both IR 50 and pIRIR signals, the residual doses gradually increase towards the higher preheat and stimulation temperatures, indicating that both signals become harder to bleach at higher temperatures. A significant increase in the pIRIR D e s is observed as a function of preheat (stimulation) temperature. A D e plateau appears between 240 °C and 280 °C preheat temperatures, regardless of expected ages obtained from the quartz D e from the same samples. After the fading correction, there is a general agreement between the pIRIR and IR 50 ages obtained from the preheat temperatures below 260 °C. This may imply that only the lower temperature pIRIR signals were fully bleached before deposition for our samples.

The most recent high magnitude seismic events, e.g. the M w 8.2 Iquique earthquake (April 1st, 2014) and the M w 8.8 Maule earthquake (February 27th, 2010) are reminders of the pronounced vulnerability of the Chilean coast to the impact of natural hazards like earthquakes and tsunamis. Therefore it is crucial to understand the complex tsunami history of Chile which can be deciphered by studying the geological record of former tsunamis in the form of tsunami deposits. At the coastal locality of Tirua (Central Chile) six distinct, successive tsunamigenic sand layers are intercalated in fine grained floodplain sediments. We present the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analysis of quartz from samples of this sedimentological river marsh profile of 1.5 m depth. After the assessment of the applicability of OSL to these samples, it could be noted that despite of an expected low OSL sensitivity of the quartz from the South American Cordillera, most of the sampled quartz yielded a detectable natural signal. After performance tests according to the SAR-protocol, the measurements of the different tsunami sand layers were conducted with small (2.5 mm) aliquots of quartz with the preheat temperature 180 °C. The calculation of D e was provided by applying both the central age and minimum age models. All samples are heterogeneous in their D e distributions due to incomplete or absent significant bleaching during transport by tsunami. The resulting ages of the tsunami sediments yield an offset of nearly 200 years for CAM ages and less than 50 years for MAM ages, consequently favouring MAM ages for true burial age determination. In some tsunami sand layers and their surrounding river marsh sediments age inversions occur. They were caused by the initial deposition of well bleached sediments derived from beach and dunes followed by older sediments redeposited from beach and intertidal environments during tsunami flow. Despite the offset and age inversion six different tsunami events were dated in the Tirua profile. Three of these events extend the historical record to pre-Columbian time with the oldest tsunami dated to over 1500 years before present.

The chronology of dust deposition and climate during the last interglacial is poorly known on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Here, 51 samples were taken from the ∼5 m S1 palaeosol (MIS5) at the desert marginal Jingbian site to develop what is currently the most detailed S1 chronology on the Plateau using instrumental dating techniques. We use the post-IR IRSL signal from sand-sized grains of K-rich feldspar. Signal resetting in the agricultural layer shows that it is possible to almost completely zero this signal in nature. First IR stimulation plateau measurements show that there is no clear dependence of D e on first IR stimulation temperature between 50 and 260 °C suggesting negligible signal fading. Resultant ages are consistent with a last interglacial age (∼130 to ∼75 ka) and are also consistent within errors with continuous linear sedimentation rates. The average mass accumulation rate for S1 is ∼150 g m −2 a −1 , considerably higher than at many other sites but within the overall range of Loess Plateau estimates. The remarkably stable sediment accumulation at the site contrasts with a more complex record of environmental and monsoonal change recorded in grain-size and magnetic susceptibility.

In this paper a combined OSL (49 samples) and 14C (14 samples) dating study was conducted on a sediment core from Xingkai Lake, NE Asia. A single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol was used to determine the equivalent dose (DeDe) of the extracted fine-grained (FG) quartz fraction; the suitability of the measurement procedure was confirmed by a set of luminescence tests (e.g., preheat plateau and dose recovery measurements). In addition, a post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence protocol at 290 °C (pIRIR290) was applied to the polymineral FG fraction of seven samples. Our results can be summarized as follows: (1) The uppermost sample was dated to ∼110 a, indicating that the OSL signal of FG quartz has been well bleached. This has been further confirmed by the consistency of OSL ages and pIRIR290 ages within

A cliff outcrop called Kluckow, in the Baltic Sea area, with a (glacio-) fluvial to (glacio-) lacustrine succession, provides a unique opportunity to resolve uncertainties in the timing and extent of several poorly constrained Weichselian ice advances. Based on a detailed lithofacies analysis, we selected four sampling horizons for luminescence dating to determine a depositional chronology. We measured both coarse-grain quartz and potassium-rich feldspar for age determination using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR). Furthermore we addressed potential problems such as incomplete bleaching and quartz saturation effects. The resulting luminescence-chronology, supported by one radiocarbon age, illustrates a depositional time interval of the investigated sequence between ∼62 and ∼22 ka. Within this sequence a mussel-bearing fluvial sand indicate interstadial climate conditions at approximately 46 ka. The upper part of the section is composed of a 4 m thick glaciolacustrine silty clay and an overlying glaciofluvial sand; the latter yielded an OSL age of ∼22 ka. Shortly after these sequences formed, the subsequent ice advance (indicated by the overlying till sheet) reached the study area. Based on our new chronology and lithofacies analysis, we conclude that the Scandinavian Ice Sheet did not reach the study area between ∼62 and ∼22 ka.

The luminescence chronology of beach ridges in the central part of Kerala along the west coast of India has been made for the first time in order to reconstruct past sea-level highstands and coastline progradation. Transitional boundaries between shoreface to foreshore and foreshore to dune (aeolian) environments were used as marker horizons for determining the palaeo-shoreline as well as sea-level indicators. The study presents the results of optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sand samples collected from wave- and wind-built horizons derived from quartz using single aliquot regenerative dose (SAR) protocol. The OSL ages from most of the sites are consistent with each other, indicating a stage of coastline progradation between 3 and 5 ka and widespread beach ridge formation all along the west coast of Kerala during this period. The OSL ages of transition levels together with the elevation measured using differential global positioning system (DGPS) indicates that the sea level was between 3.5 and 4.5 m above present MSL during the Late Holocene period. It may also imply the emergence of the coast due to neo-tectonic activity as the sea-level curve for the east coast from reported ages indicates a mean elevation between 1.5 and 2.5 m. The ages are discussed in the light of reported events, such as sea-level changes, coastal geomorphology, hydrological variations and neo-tectonics.

Many lakes on the Tibetan Plateau exhibit strandplains with a series of beach ridges extending high above the current lake levels. These beach ridges mark former lake highstands and therefore dating their formation allows the reconstruction of lake-level histories and environmental changes. In this study, we establish a lake-level chronology of Tangra Yum Co (fifth largest lake on the Tibetan Plateau) based on luminescence dating of feldspar from 17 beach-ridge samples. The samples were collected from two strandplains southeast and north of the lake and range in elevation from the current shore to 140 m above the present lake. Using a modified post-infrared IRSL protocol at 170°C we successfully minimised the anomalous fading in the feldspar IRSL signal, and obtained reliable dating results. The luminescence ages indicate three different stages of lake-level decline during the Holocene: (1) a phase of rapid decline (~ 50 m) from ~ 6.4 to ~ 4.5 ka, (2) a period of slow decline between ~ 4.5 and ~ 2.0 ka (~ 20 m), and (3) a fast decline by 70 m between ~ 2 ka and today. Our findings suggest a link between a decrease in monsoonal activity and lake-level decline since the early Holocene.

Radiocarbon dating of bulk organic matter is the most commonly used method for establishing chronologies of lake sediments for palaeoclimate reconstructions on the Tibetan Plateau. However, this method is likely to be problematic because the dated material often suffers from old carbon contamination. Recently, advances in luminescence-based chronological techniques have provided new options for dating lacustrine sediments. In the current study, we tested for the first time the applicability of a new post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) measurement protocol for dating fine-grained polymineral material from a deep-lake sediment core from the central part of Tangra Yumco, on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Our results show that: (i) radioactive disequilibria in the uranium decay chain were observed in the studied lake sediments, and thus taken into account for dose rate calculation by using a dynamic modelling approach; (ii) the suitability and robustness of the pIRIR protocol measured at 150°C (pIRIR150) for our samples are confirmed by a set of luminescence characteristic tests as well as the agreement with an independent age control; (iii) turbidite deposition partly caused an insufficient resetting of luminescence signals and thus apparent overestimation in luminescence dating; (iv) compared with the luminescence-based age-depth model, the 14C ages of bulk organic matter from the studied core generally yielded an age difference of ∼2 ka, which is attributed to hardwater reservoir effects in Tangra Yumco. This study highlights the need for multi-dating approaches of lake sedimentary archives on the Tibetan Plateau.

The exact number, extent and chronology of the Middle Pleistocene Elsterian and Saalian glaciations in northern Central Europe are still controversial. This study presents new luminescence data from Middle Pleistocene ice-marginal deposits in northern Germany, giving evidence for repeated glaciations during the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 12 to MIS 6). The study area is located in the Leine valley south of the North German Lowlands. The data set includes digital elevation models, high-resolution shear wave seismic profiles, outcrop and borehole data integrated into a 3D subsurface model to reconstruct the bedrock relief surface. For numerical age determination, we performed luminescence dating on 12 ice-marginal and two fluvial samples. Luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits point to at least two ice advances during MIS 12 and MIS 10 with ages ranging from 461±34 to 421±25 ka and from 376±27 to 337±21 ka. The bedrock relief model and different generations of striations indicate that the older ice advance came from the north and the younger one from the northeast. During rapid ice-margin retreat, subglacial overdeepenings were filled with glaciolacustrine deposits, partly rich in re-worked Tertiary lignite and amber. During MIS 8 and MIS 6, the study area may have been affected by two ice advances. Luminescence ages of glaciolacustrine delta deposits point to a deposition during MIS 8 or early MIS 6, and late MIS 6 (250±20 to 161±10 ka). The maximum extent of both the Elsterian (MIS 12 and MIS 10) and Saalian glaciations (MIS 8? and MIS 6) approximately reached the same position in the Leine valley and was probably controlled by the formation of deep proglacial lakes in front of the ice sheets, preventing a further southward advance.

Understanding the Holocene climate changes (especially moisture variation) and their mechanisms in the semiarid–arid Central Asia (SCA) is very important, as water availability is crucial for sustainable developments in this area. This study presents chronostratigraphy of an aeolian sedimentary sequence from Bayanbulak Basin (Xinjiang, NW China), aiming to infer the Holocene moisture history in the SCA. Luminescence dating technique was selected to construct the age framework of the study section. Since the luminescence signal intensity of quartz from the samples was too low to be detected, feldspar was used as an alternative dosimeter. A newly developed post-infrared (IR) IR-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) (pIRIR) dating protocol on K-feldspar was applied to determine the ages of samples. A set of tests on luminescence characteristics was performed and demonstrate that this method is suitable and the resultant ages are reliable. Combined with the stratigraphic investigation on the sand dune/palaeosol section, the results imply a very dry climatic condition characterized by sand dune accumulation at ~9–8 kyr, and a wet interval of 5–1.6 kyr when a soil layer was formed. This moisture variation pattern is consistent with that inferred from many lacustrine records in the SCA, suggesting a widespread dry period at 11–8 kyr. The present results appear to challenge a new stalagmite δ18O sequence, located nearby to Bayanbulak Basin, which instead suggested a humid early Holocene.

In Zauschwitz (Western Saxonian loess area, Central Germany), a ca. 7 m thick loesspalaeosol sequence underlain by fluvial gravels and sands was investigated in order to study regional palaeoenvironmental changes during the late Weichselian Pleniglacial. The lithostratigraphic classification of the loess-palaeosol sequence was combined with polymineral fine grain luminescence dating using the pIRIR290 approach, and correlated with similar loess-palaeosol-sequences from Central Saxony. Doing so, we obtained information about a climatic shift from more humid to more arid conditions during the late Pleniglacial, due to changes in the landscape dynamics of the study area: At ca. 30 ka, braided river floodplain accumulation of the nearby Weisse Elster river was followed by a phase of decreased fluvial activity, allowing initial loess deposition on top of the fluvial sands and gravels. This period was characterized by cold but still quite humid conditions, as indicated by reworked loess and the occurrence of several tundra gley soils. Subsequently, a cold and more arid period of dust accumulation followed after ca. 22 ka. Intensive anthropogenic activity almost totally redeposited the Holocene black soil, demonstrating the attractiveness of the fertile loess area for early human settlement.

This paper focuses upon the youngest terraces of the Moselle and its tributary the Meurthe (NE France and SW Germany). It includes research on several sections, in particular the key sections of Golbey-Pre Droue and Thornich-Hochrech (located in the vicinity of the Vosges Massif and in the Rhenish Massif, respectively), and the use of the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating method. Our investigations made it possible to obtain a more robust chronostratigraphical framework and to update the previous model of fluvial response to climate change. The results demonstrate that the Moselle terrace M3 (first terrace formed after the capture of the Upper Moselle by the Palaeo-Meurthe) has the same age from the Vosges to the Rhenish Massif. The formation of this terrace included two main periods of sedimentation attributed to the Late Saalian (MIS 6) and the Early Weichselian (MIS 5), respectively. They were separated by a major episode of fluvial erosion that may be allocated to the MIS 6–5 transition on the basis of chronological and sedimentological evidence. This erosion led to the removal of most of the MIS 6 deposits, whereas the MIS 5 deposits have been widely preserved following the subsequent (MIS 5–4) terrace incision. This evolution somewhat contrasts with that observed in the Sarre valley, the main tributary of the Moselle, and with many fluvial systems in western Europe, which show better preservation of deposits from cold periods. This atypical behaviour is explained by the relationship between the fluvial evolution and the glaciers covering the upper Moselle catchment (Vosges Massif) during the Pleistocene cold periods.

The Late Pleistocene was characterized by rapid climate oscillations with alternation of warm and cold periods that lasted up to several thousand years. Although much work has been carried out on the palaeoclimate reconstruction, a direct correlation of ice-core, marine and terrestrial records is still difficult. Here we present new data from late Middle Pleniglacial to Lateglacial alluvial-fan and aeolian sand-sheet deposits in northwestern Germany. Records of Late Pleniglacial alluvial fans in central Europe are very rare, and OSL dating is used to determine the timing of fan aggradation. In contrast to fluvial systems that commonly show a delay between climate change and incision/aggradation, the small alluvial-fan systems of the Senne area responded rapidly to climatic changes and therefore act as important terrestrial climate archives for this time span. The onset of alluvial-fan deposition correlates with the climate change from warm to cold at the end of MIS 3 (29.3±3.2 ka). Strong fan progradation started at 24.4±2.8 ka and may be related to a period of higher humidity. The vertical stacking pattern of sedimentary facies and channel styles indicate a subsequrent overall decrease in water and sediment supply, with less sustained discharges and more sporadic runoffs from the catchment area, corresponding to an increasing aridity in central Europe during the Late Pleniglacial. Major phases of channel incision and fan aggradation may have been controlled by millennial-scale Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles. The incision of channel systems is attributed to unstable climate phases at cold–warm (dry–wet) or warm–cold (wet–dry) transitions. The alluvial-fan deposits are bounded by an erosion surface and are overlain by aeolian sand-sheets that were periodically affected by flash-floods. This unconformity might be correlated with the Beuningen Gravel Bed, which is an important marker horizon in deposits of the Late Pleniglacial resulting from deflation under polar desert conditions. The deposition of aeolian sand-sheet systems (19.6±2.1 to 13.1±1.5 ka) indicates a rapid increase in aridity at the end of the Late Pleniglacial. Intercalated flash-floods deposits and palaeosols (Finow type) point to temporarily wet conditions during the Lateglacial. The formation of an ephemeral channel network probably marks the warm-cold transition from the Allerod to the Younger Dryas.

An up to 15 m thick alluvial fan and aeolian sandsheet complex is exposed in the upper Senne area, on the southern slope of the Teutoburger Wald Mountains (NW Germany). The origin and age of these deposits have been controversially discussed for many years, ranging from Saalian glaciofluvial to periglacial Weichselian deposits. In order to provide a high-resolution chronological framework for the deposits, we conducted luminescence dating of 12 samples from two localities (Oerlinghausen and Augustdorf pits). Both coarse-grain potassium-rich feldspar and quartz minerals were used for luminescence dating. Feldspar was measured using an elevated temperature post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL). Quartz was measured using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) with a conventional single aliquot regenerative dose (SAR) protocol. Feldspar results tend to overestimate quartz ages for the lower part of the sections (alluvial plain and alluvial fan facies) but are consistent with quartz ages for the upper part of the sections (aeolian facies). Quartz ages from both central and minimum age models suggest deposition during the Late Pleistocene Pleniglacial to Late Glacial.

The Fulong Beach coastal area represents a unique feature in Taiwan, comprising a beach only a few kilometres long and dominated by medium and fine grained quartz-rich sand. Located in the estuary of Shuangsi River, the area is influenced by fluvial, marine and aeolian processes which led to the development of coastal parallel dune ridges and a large sand complex to the south of the river during the Holocene. The island of Taiwan is also influenced by tectonic activity, with high uplift rates and a substantial number of earthquakes each year. Furthermore, the subtropical climate and the occurrence of monsoon precipitation as well as typhoon events induce high erosion rates in the coastal zone. Seventeen samples from five sites were taken for grain size analyses and for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Post-IR pulsed blue OSL signals were measured to determine the depositional ages of the samples. A chronological model of Holocene coastal evolution of Fulong Beach and the main controlling factors was established. Sediment accumulation at Fulong Beach was initiated around 5130 ± 360 a under sub-aquatic conditions, followed by beach deposition at around 3450 ± 240 a. The deposition of aeolian sediments started at around 3020 ± 180 a, and was interrupted by three depositional hiatuses during which palaeosols formed. The dune ridges yielded OSL ages between 60 ± 20 and 690 ± 70 a, which indicate stabilisation of the morphological system of Fulong Beach only a few hundred years ago. Based on the new data, the Holocene uplift rate is 1.9 mm/y for the last ∼3000 years at Fulong Beach, incorporating the effects of Holocene sea level fluctuations.

The existence of fluvial terraces in the high mountains of Taiwan has been known for a long time already, but these terraces have not yet been studied in detail. This paper studies cover sediments across a terrace section in the Central Mountain Range located at the midstream reaches of the Tachia River at an elevation of 1430 m asl. Sediments were dated by means of optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating, yielding robust ages between 54.8 ± 7.0 ka and 0.42 ± 0.09 cal. ka BP. These dates are in good agreement with ages known for the laterite terraces (LT) in the mountain foreland. Deeply weathered reddish soils, comparable to those in the mountain forelands, are absent. Hence, in stratigraphic terms, the terraces in the high mountains cannot be correlated with those in the mountain foreland. Cover sediments comprise eolian sand and silt and various colluvial layers. Eolian sediments provide paleoenvironmental evidence of a relatively dry phase in early MIS 3 that coincides with the maximum extent of the glaciations in the Hsueh Shan Mountain area. Widespread colluvial sediments indicate a high frequency of mass movements around 38.5 ka, a period of time known to correlate with dominantly wet conditions. In the last 1000 years, wildfire appears as a possible trigger of mass movements. The geochronological data indicate a local bedrock strath incision rate of 0.8 ± 0.1 mm y −1 , a value that appears to be in agreement with the local decadal scale erosion rate.

The aim of this paper is to study a low energy fluvial system response to natural and anthropogenic forcing during the last two millennia. In contrast with longer timescales (Holocene to Quaternary), historical sedimentary archives are sparse in such systems which are typically characterized by the predominance of erosion compared with aggradation. We studied three main sections in the Moselle valley (northeastern France) by a multi-proxy approach combining morphology, sedimentology, archaeological evidence, historical archives, and dating. The geochronological framework was based on Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and validated by independent age control. The exposed sediments were allocated to different historical periods from Roman period to present. The first results show that, in contrast with many other fluvial systems, the Moselle and its tributaries did not experience major changes during historical periods. Climatic changes such as the Little Ice Age had a minor influence on floodplain aggradation (e.g. in grain size or sedimentation rates) in the Moselle valley and were only able to affect the fluvial style. This provides evidence that the reworking of sediments is the main fluvial process at short timescales in the valley floors of the Moselle catchment. In contrast, anthropogenic forcing seems important not only during recent centuries but also since Roman times. This is suggested by the case-study of the Metz-Mazelle section where significant headward erosion and sedimentation were recognized, and may be related to human occupation. The results therefore point to a need for increasing geoarchaeological and geochronological research in the Moselle catchment and similar low energy fluvial systems. Such research is actually essential to improve the knowledge of the fluvial response to environmental changes during the historical periods and to recognize the respective influence of natural variability and human forcing. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Osning Thrust is one of the major fault systems in Central Europe, with a length of approximately 115 km. It underwent a polyphase tectonic evolution in the Mesozoic that ranged from extensional movements in the Jurassic to reverse faulting and thrusting during inversion in the Late Cretaceous. A series of complex metre-scale faults and related fold structures are developed within the Upper Pleistocene alluvial–aeolian complex of the Upper Senne, 1 km away from the thrust. The faults dip towards the north and show offsets in a range of several decimetres. Growth strata indicate a two-fold evolution of the structures. The faults began as normal faults and were later transformed into reverse faults, which resulted in the formation of small-scale inversion structures with a typical harpoon shape. Glaciotectonics can be ruled out as the driving mechanism for these structures, because new optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages imply that the sedimentary succession was deposited during the late Pleistocene between 29.3 ± 2.9 ka and 13.1 ± 1.5 ka, at which time the ice margin was much further to the northeast. We believe the inversion structures were caused by movement on the Osning Thrust due to generation of a forebulge of the Late Pleistocene Weichselian ice sheet. This led to normal faulting, as a consequence of extension in the forebulge area during glaciation. The OSL ages for the normal fault-related growth strata are in a range of 16–13 ka. Later, reverse movements occurred during deglaciation, due to the N–S directed compressional stress field in northern Germany. Numerical simulations of the deglaciation seismicity point to seismic events with a thrust mechanism in the study area between 15.5 and 12.3 ka BP, although normal faulting is also possible in this time period. Numerous soft sediment deformation structures imply that movement on the Osning Thrust caused earthquakes with a significant magnitude. In the autumn of 1612, an earthquake took place in this area. It is very likely that this event is related to background seismicity on this fault, although movement due to the influence of the ongoing glacial rebound in Fennoscandia is also possible.

A landscape reconstruction for the late Holocene was carried out in the Land of the Seven Rivers, Kazakhstan, to investigate the environmental conditions during the prehistoric nomadic occupation of the Sakes (∼1st mill. BC). Two sampling locations were sedimentologically analysed: a) radiocarbon-dated late Holocene colluvial deposits and b) fluvial deposits of assumed late Pleistocene to early Holocene age. The geochemical and mineralogical components (ICP element analysis, carbon contents, grain size distributions, X-ray diffractometry) were investigated to identify synsedimentary weathering conditions. A modified weathering index (mCIA) was used to evaluate the weathering processes. The mCIA results were compared with the silt-clay-ratio as an additional indicator for post-depositional soil forming processes. Differences within the silt-clay-ratios and mCIA indexes revealed that during the late Holocene, increased erosion processes occurred in the catchment. A first, tentative geochronology is based on radiocarbon and luminescence ages, ranging from 14.5 ± 1.4 ka to 3.23 ± 0.07 cal ka BP for the colluvial deposits. This paleoenvironmental reconstruction is supplemented by a detailed geomorphological characterization of the present landscape (relief, landforms and landscape units) close to the Sakian graves.

Well constrained numerical ages of alluvial fan sediments are key to understanding the chronology of alluvial episodes and tectonic activity at the front of the Andean Precordillera. We tested the application of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating in the distal part of an alluvial fan five kilometers north of Mendoza. For OSL dating a large number of aliquots (n > 70) — each composed of ∼50 quartz grains — were measured in order to obtain reliable burial ages despite scattered dose distributions. Owing to a feldspar contamination in all samples, an infrared stimulation was inserted before each OSL measurement, which reduced the feldspar OSL signal successfully. By using the minimum age model we obtained stratigraphically consistent burial ages of alluvial deposits in a depth profile. The uppermost ∼1 m of sediment is composed of debris flow deposits buried 770±76 years ago. Three plant remnants used for radiocarbon dating from the same layer, however, yielded ages younger than 350 years, which are interpreted to underestimate the depositional age. Underneath the debris flow, a major unconformity cuts a series of distal alluvial fan sediments with interstratified floodplain deposits, which are composed of sandy and calciterich silt layers, respectively. Three samples from this unit which were distributed over one meter of sediment thickness yielded statistically concordant OSL ages of 12.3±1.2 ka, 12.3±1.2 ka, and 11.7±1.1 ka. The deposition of these sediments during the latest Pleistocene coincides with a phase of cool and humid climate, which occurred before the alluvial fan propagated farther into the foreland. The overlying debris flow sediments are associated with alluvial fan incision during the arid Late Holocene.

Zahlreiche infrarot optisch stimulierte Lumineszenz (IRSL)- und Radiokohlenstoff (14C)-Datierungen wurden an mächtigen Löss-/Paläobodenabfolgen der Insel Susak in der nördlichen Adria von Kroatien durchgeführt. Die Datierungsergebnisse zeigen, dass eine sehr detaillierte spätpleistozäne Sedimentabfolge auf Susak erhalten geblieben ist, die mit den marinen Sauerstoffisotopenstadien (OIS) 5 bis 2 korreliert. Hervorzuheben ist ein besonders mächtiges und gut gegliedertes Mittelpleniglazial. Aufgrund der großen Mächtigkeit von bis zu 90 m bildet der Löss auf Susak ein einzigartiges außerordentlich hoch aufgelöstes Klimaarchiv in dieser Region. Die zahlreichen im Löss zwischen geschalteten Paläoböden weisen auf Klimavariationen, die auf Susak wärmer gewesen sind als beispielsweise im benachbarten Karpatenbecken. Die große Mächtigkeit der Abfolge korreliert mit den während des OIS 3 allgemein höheren Staubakkumulationen in Europa. Basierend auf den nummerischen Altern kann die Löss-/Paläobodenabfolge aus Susak mit denen aus Norditalien und dem Karpatenbecken verglichen werden und ermöglichen eine detailliertere zeit-basierte Rekonstruktion der Klima- und Umweltveränderungen im Arbeitsgebiet., research

The potential use of a modified elevated temperature post-IR IR (pIRIR) SAR protocol for K-rich feldspar was tested for seven late Pleistocene and Holocene samples from a coastal sediment succession from the southern Baltic Sea (Darss-Zingst peninsula). This modified pIRIR protocol observes a pIRIR signal at 180 °C after the IRSL measurement at 50 °C. After thorough performance testing, equivalent doses (De) were measured and corrected for the residual doses and fading. The results showed that thermal transfer and residual doses are more significant for pIRIR signal than for quartz OSL and IRSL signal. The calculated K-feldspar ages (IRSL and pIRIR) were then compared with quartz-SAR and two independent radiocarbon ages. The ages of the investigated sediments range from the late Pleistocene (∼13.5 ka) to a few hundred years. The laboratory-fading rate of the pIRIR signal was significantly lower (g-value of 0–2%/decade) than that of the IRSL (g-values of 3–10%/decade). We observed a systematic overestimation of fading-corrected IRSL ages based on high g-values (>5%), whereas the pIRIR ages showed a good agreement with the quartz ages and with the radiocarbon ages for the well-bleached mid-Holocene and the late Pleistocene samples, suggesting that our modified pIRIR protocol is suitable for well-bleached young sediments. For the incompletely bleached uppermost samples the minimum age model (MAM) was applied. For these samples it is concluded that both IRSL and pIRIR ages derived from K-feldspar overestimated the true burial age.

Late Quaternary landscape evolution was analysed with reference to a small (0.08 km 2 ) drainage basin system in southeastern Gansu Province, southwestern Chinese Loess Plateau. In this region, V-shaped valleys with broad valley floors are prominent landscape features whose basic shape already existed prior to MIS 2. During MIS 2 the valley bottoms were infilled with fluvially reworked loess, today forming accumulation terraces. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of these loess-like deposits assigned them to the time span ranging from 22.5 to 17.7 ka BP. During the late Holocene, valley fills were partly eroded, and the receiving stream channel was deepened by at least 25 m close to the confluence of the study site's channels. These alternating erosion and accumulation phases were triggered by climatic factors or human impact. In the most recent past, the high landscape sensitivity of the Chinese Loess Plateau has led to increasing soil conservation measures that have effectively confined surface erosion. However, the lack of drainage on the artificial terraces induces piping processes.

Holocene sediments from a 9 m high outcrop at the Gangyasang Qu's entry into Lake Nam Co, on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau, were studied in a multiproxy approach. The lowermost part of the section is of early Holocene age and consists of varved sediments deposited in a proglacial lake. Geomorphological investigations of fossil beach ridges and fossil cliff lines in the littoral zone of Nam Co indicate a late Pleistocene lake level high of 29 m above the present level. A warming is visible in ostracode-rich silts deposited after 9.6 ka BP. An ostracode-based transfer function estimates a lake level 28 m higher than today from this time until about 5.2 ka BP. A late Pleistocene lake level high was accompanied by an increase in lake size, causing Nam Co to overflow into the lower course of Gangyasang Qu, where a bay with slack-water conditions formed. Between 4.2 and 1.3 ka BP the lake level was approximately 10 m higher than today. The progradation of the Gangyasang Qu delta into Nam Co and the decreasing lake level shifted the study site into a fluvio-lacustrine environment. The sandy character and relatively low numbers of ostracode valves in the topmost sediments indicate increased fluvial activity, possibly due to a temporary increase in flood frequency. This facies lasted at least until 1.3 ka BP, when the lake level of Nam Co dropped again and the river incised more than 10 m into the underlying fluvio-lacustrine and lacustrine sediments.

Methodological Aspects on Luminescence Dating of Fluvial Sands from the Moselle Basin, Luxembourg Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz and infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of feldspar were applied to fluvial sands from the lower terrace (M1) of the Moselle valley in Luxembourg (western Europe). The dating results indicated that the aggradation period for the sediments from below the M1 alluvial terrace can be correlated to the Weichselian upper Pleniglacial (MIS 2), which is in good agreement with the general chronostratigraphy of the Moselle terrace staircase. The ages were obtained from small aliquots of quartz and feldspars, using the single aliquot regenerative (SAR) protocol. The equivalent dose determination included a series of tests and the selection of the Minimum Age Model as the most appropriate statistical model. This made it possible to provide a reliable methodological background for further luminescence dating of fluvial sediments from the Moselle basin.

This paper provides insight into the fate of Late Weichselian and Early Holocene sediments accumulated in the German sector of the southern North Sea. A combination of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and radiocarbon dating was applied to set up the chronology. Seven cores were studied to obtain ten quartz OSL samples and ten radiocarbon samples. The core locations were chosen along a southeast to northwest transect along the western side of the Elbe palaeovalley, giving a good coverage of the entire German North Sea area. All samples for OSL dating showed a significant scatter in the equivalent dose ( D e ) distribution of quartz due to heterogeneous bleaching. The Minimum Age Model (MAM-3) was found to be the most suitable to extract true burial ages. It was inferred from the study that sedimentation did still occur during the late deglaciation period in many areas. These are mainly Late Weichselian glaciofluvial or glaciolacustrine sediments directly overlain by early Holocene fluvial and/or transgressive deposits and followed by modern marine sands. However, considerable late Weichselian erosion or a possible period of non-deposition was observed in the highland area to the northeast of the Dogger Bank and a small discontinuity in the near-shore region was noticed, probably due to early Holocene fluvial erosion. Relicts of a palaeo-river bank or terrace were identified in core 14VC to the east of the Dogger Bank. A possible interpretation of the Pleistocene–Holocene interface along the core transect is provided based on lithology and measured OSL and radiocarbon ages.

Luminescence dating of pre-glacial sand in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, Northwest Territories, discounts an Early Wisconsinan age for the last Laurentide glaciation to cross the Arctic Coastal Plain and supports a Late Wisconsinan age. Aeolian dune sand from the Kittigazuit Formation near Cliff Point, on the southern shore of Liverpool Bay, predates till deposited during the Toker Point Stade. Potassium-rich feldspar from three stratigraphic sections ~35 km up-ice from the Toker Point glacial limit provides thermoluminescence age estimates that range from 18.7 ± 2.0 to 9.1 ± 1.0 ka and infrared stimulated luminescence age estimates of 23.8 ± 5.1 to 11.0 ± 2.1 ka. Quartz from four of the same samples provides optically stimulated luminescence age estimates of 16.5 ± 1.0 to 13.7 ± 0.9 ka. Collectively, these estimates reject the Early Wisconsinan age for the Toker Point Stade glaciation inferred hitherto from radiocarbon dating. A review of pre-glacial and post-glacial age estimates from the region indicates that during the Toker Point Stade ice advanced across the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands no earlier than ~30 ka, and probably not before ~22 ka. Deglaciation had certainly commenced by 14.3 ka, and probably by ~16 ka. The Toker Point glaciation, therefore, dates approximately to the last glacial maximum, reinforcing the interpretation of the late rebuild up of the Laurentide Ice Sheet that characterized many parts of its margin.

Geomorphological investigations in the Russian Altai Mountains provide evidence for the extent and timing of Late Quaternary glaciations and aeolian sediments. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating of aeolian sediments from the central part of the Russian Altai were carried out on silty and sandy sediments that cover fluvial and glacio-fluvial terraces. Most samples from loess, loess-like sediments and sandy loess taken from different terrace sequences within the Altai Mountains provide IRSL ages suggesting a main aeolian deposition period between 25 and 15 ka. These data are consistent with those from the adjacent Mongolian Altai. Sand and silt layers within moraines yielded IRSL age estimates between 22 and 19 ka and correlate to the ice margins of the Last Glacial Maximum. Aeolian dune sands overlying or neighbouring the loess-like sediments and the fluvial terraces at some places provide evidence for Late Glacial (around 15 ka) and Early Holocene (around 9 ka) aeolian activity. The youngest sand sheets gave deposition ages of about 1.5 ka. These sediments covered graves and are related to overgrazing. They provide evidence for the significant human impact on the environment. Fluvial sediments, including silt and sandy gravel intermingled with charcoal, yielded contradicting radiocarbon and luminescence ages. IRSL age estimates obtained for the silty layers range from 19 to 18 ka and are significantly older than the radiocarbon ages, which gave sub-recent ages between 1170 and 910 BP. These data indicate fluvial sedimentation of debris and mudflows in a period of deforestation and strong soil erosion related to mining activities during the 9th and 10th century.

This study presents new dating results from the Verkhoyansk Mountains in northeastern Siberia. Pleistocene sediments of aeolian and glacial origin have been studied and dated by infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL). The chronostratigraphy of this vast area is mainly based on radiocarbon dating up to now. Aeolian sediments are widespread in the foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains. IRSL-dating results indicate two major periods of increased accumulation between 33 and 24 ka and between 13 and 9 ka. A new stratigraphy of Pleistocene glaciations in this area has been developed. Up to five end moraines have been identified in two catchments areas. IRSL was applied to date the sandy and silty sediments covering the glacial deposits in order to get minimum ages. Furthermore, glacial and glacio-fluvial deposits were also sampled from a few locations. According to the IRSL dating results, the uppermost end moraine was deposited prior to 50 ka. The three outermost moraines might have been formed during Early Weicheslian to Saalian times. It is very likely that no major glaciers reached the foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, MIS 2).

Permanent gully channels under forest are common geomorphological features in Central European low mountain areas. In the Rehgraben/Fuchslochergraben gully catchment in Northern Hesse, Germany the Late Pleistocene landscape formation is reconstructed based on periglacial cover beds. In addition, the Holocene landscape development and soil erosion history are investigated using anthropogenic soil sediments and alluvial fan sediments. Until now, a combination of these approaches has not been applied to a gully catchment to this extent. The distribution of the different Quaternary sediments enables the differentiation between Pleistocene and Holocene landforms. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating are applied to add numerical data to the relative ages of the sediments and landforms. The gully channels are oriented along Pleistocene depressions that are built up of periglacial cover beds and intercalated reworked loess. As the gully channels cut through the periglacial cover beds, especially the upper layer, the gully system is of Holocene age. At least two phases of gully erosion are identified in the alluvial fan sediments. The initial gully erosion is dated to the time span between the Late Bronze Age and Roman Times. A second gully erosion phase is dated to the 14th century and may be correlated to the severe precipitation events during this time. Gully erosion started during the Younger Holocene and is connected to human settlement and land use activity. The intense human impact hampers the application of the concept of periglacial cover beds to reconstruct landscape formation and limits it to areas where the periglacial upper layer is still preserved.

Research in the Meurthe and Moselle valleys downstream from the Vosges Massif has resulted in the definition of the terrace system, and in the recognition of the climatic influence on its formation. Eight alluvial terraces were recognized at less than 100 m relative height. An absolute chronology was established for the youngest alluvial terraces, based on infrared optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. This provides evidence that each terrace corresponds to a single glacial–interglacial cycle. This result is confirmed by the study of numerous sections, which present a constant succession of lithofacies in each valley part. Four alluvial sequences were also defined along the Meurthe and Moselle valleys, reflecting Middle and Late Pleistocene climate change: their upper basin, developed in the Vosges Massif, was actually covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene cold periods. The differences between these four alluvial sequences are attributed to the unequal expansion of ice in the upper basins of the Meurthe and Moselle rivers, and their tributaries. In spite of these differences, the sequences show important similarities: main aggradation events correlate with cold periods (Pleniglacial and Lateglacial), whereas erosional phases occurred at the warm-to-cold transitions, and secondarily at the Pleniglacial–Lateglacial transitions. This evolution is comparable with those already described in other northwestern European valleys, especially since the Upper Saalian.

The River Rhine is one of the few major fluvial systems that connect the areas of the Alpine glaciers and Scandinavian ice sheet and so provides a key for correlating the two glacial areas in northern and middle Europe. The fluvial sequences of the Rhine Valley include at least 11 Pleistocene terraces in the Lower Rhine area, 2 Pliocene and 12 Pleistocene terraces in the Middle Rhine area resulting in 15 different Pliocene and Pleistocene terraces based on the correlation between Lower and Middle Rhine. The formation of fluvial terraces is significantly influenced by climatic and tectonic processes. The terrace staircases are a result of uplift in the Middle Rhine area and the southern part of the Lower Rhine area, whereas subsidence in the northern part of the Lower Rhine area resulted in buried stacked sequences. Magnetostratigraphic data provide chronological constraints for the terrace deposits in the Lower Rhine embayment and Middle Rhine region. The Matuyama/Brunhes boundary is a reliable marker horizon for the Upper Terrace fluvial deposits exposed in the Karlich clay pit in the Middle Rhine area. The first appearance of volcanic heavy mineral grains in the terrace sediments, in loess and soils can be correlated from the Middle Rhine area through the Lower Rhine embayment to the Netherlands. The first occurrence of Nordic components in terrace sediments of the Lower Rhine area is known from gravel on top of the Kempen-Krefeld beds and so are younger than the Holsteinian but older than the penultimate glaciation. In the lower Middle Rhine area, 40Ar/39Ar dating of tephra layers intercalated in the aeolian and fluvial sediments provide age constraints. The Upper Pleistocene aeolian sediments overlying the terrace deposits have been dated by luminescence methods, and the tephra from the Laacher See eruption (12,860 BP) is present in the Younger Lower Terrace deposits.

In the Basin of Persepolis, late Quaternary basin fills consist of loess, loess-like sediments and fine- or coarse-textured alluvium. The loess and its derivatives are divided by various paleosols, which consist of well-developed fBw(t)-horizons, weakly developed fBwC- and fBwgC-horizons, as well as fAh-horizons. Strongly developed fBtk-horizons occur in stony alluvial fan deposits or superimpose residual loams of carbonate bedrock mixed with loess. The different types of paleosols result from various degrees of soil development as evidenced by micromorphological features such as the birefringence fabrics, and less clearly by pedochemical properties. Based on the stratigraphy and different degrees of soil development, various phases of soil formation and sediment deposition can be distinguished. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL), thermoluminescence (TL) and radiocarbon dating methods are consistent with the stratigraphy and yielded, except for one sample, age estimates of less than about 30 ka. The strongly developed fBw(t) and fBtk horizons reflect soil-forming periods prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and probably during Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5), with climatic conditions comparable to the present-day. The upper loess deposits likely formed under considerably cooler and drier climatic conditions during the LGM. However, poor bleaching of sediments prior to final deposition, as indicated by greater TL than IRSL dates, suggest fluvial reworking of these loesses. The weakly developed fAh, fBwC, and fBwgC horizons may indicate interstadial periods of MIS 3 and short phases of climate amelioration during the early Holocene. The formation of the modern soil probably did not start before 7–9 ka.