Late Glacial and Holocene aeolian deposition and soil formation in relation to the Late Palaeolithic Ahrensburg occupation, site Geldrop-A2, the Netherlands

Abstract

The lithostratigraphy, age and human occupation of the Late Glacial and Holocene aeolian succession of a Late Palaeolithic Ahrensburg site in the excavation Geldrop-A2 (municipality of Heeze-Leende) have been investigated. The exposure revealed a stacked sequence of aeolian sand units and intercalated soils (Older Coversand II, Younger Coversand I (YCI), Usselo Soil, Younger Coversand II (YCII), Holocene podzol, drift sand). Fourteen optically stimulated luminescence dates on quartz and three radiocarbon dates provide the age control of the aeolian deposition (coversands, drift sand), landscape stability (soils) and human occupation. The upper part of the YCI unit was dated to the early Late Glacial. The well-developed Usselo Soil was formed during a phase of landscape stability during the late Allerød interstadial and onset of the Younger Dryas stadial. During the Younger Dryas, low aeolian dunes were formed locally (YCII), as a response to landscape instability due to cooling and vegetation decline. In the fine-grained lower part of the YCII unit an initial soil testifies to a decadal to centennial period of landscape stability. An Ahrensburg site in the upper part of this initial soil was dated at 10,915±35 BP (c. 12,854–12,789 cal BP). The lithostratigraphic position, radiocarbon dates of the underlying Usselo Soil and a possibly old-wood effect of up to 200 years suggest that Ahrensburg occupation of the dune environment occurred during the early Younger Dryas, shortly afterc. 10,750 BP (12,750 cal BP). Landscape stability and podzol soil formation dominated the early and middle Holocene periods. Drift-sand deposition, probably related to human land use and vegetation decline, occurred in a 200-year period from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

A complete Late Weichselian and Holocene record of aeolian coversands, drift sands and soils forced by climate change and human impact, Ossendrecht, the Netherlands

“…All dates combined indicate that unit 3 was mainly deposited in the (second part of the) Younger Dryas period between c.12.3 and 11.7 ka. These results are in accordance with previous research in which the formation of the Younger Coversand II unit was placed in the (second half of the) Younger Dryas period (Bohncke et al, 1993;Kasse et al, , 2018Isarin et al, 1997;Derese et al, 2010bDerese et al, , 2012.…”

“…The dates are in accordance with the mean value of 23 dates on charcoal from the Usselo Soil in the Netherlands that cluster around 11,000 BP (c.13.1 ka cal. BP) (Hoek, 1997: 43 (Kasse et al, 2018) respectively. The radiocarbon dates of the loamy, slightly organic, fine sand in the upper part of soil complex A (10,450 ± 190;11,080 ± 180;10,460 ± 180 and 10,680 ± 100 BP;.8 ka cal.…”

“…The classic aeolian record of the Late Weichselian in the Netherlands (Older Coversand I, Beuningen Gravel Bed, Older Coversand II, Lower Loamy Bed, Younger Coversand I, Usselo Soil, Younger Coversand II) (Van der Hammen 1951, 1971Vandenberghe et al, 2013 and references therein) has been recognised in large parts of northwest, central and southwestern Europe (e.g. Kolstrup, 1980;Kolstrup et al, 1990;Kozarski & Nowaczyk, 1991;Bateman, 1995;Janotta et al, 1997;Koster, 2005;Kasse et al, 2007Kasse et al, , 2018Derese, 2011;Costas et al, 2012;Sitzia et al, 2015Sitzia et al, , 2017.…”

“…Widespread aeolian activity probably stopped or sharply decreased during the onset of the Holocene because of the rapid expansion of a protective vegetation cover (Hoek, 1997(Hoek, , 2001Vandenberghe et al, 2013;Kasse et al, 2018). In the Early Holocene, Mesolithic hunter-gatherer activity, intentional forest fires and habitation resulted in early heathland development, soil acidification, podzolisation and local drift-sand formation (Van Geel et al, 2017;Sevink et al, 2018).…”

“…Luminescence dating enables direct dating of aeolian sediments and phases of landscape instability. OSL dating of quartz has provided reliable ages for Late Weichselian and Holocene aeolian sediments in the northwest European lowlands (Stokes, 1991;Bateman, 1995Bateman, , 1998Janotta et al, 1997;Radtke & Janotta, 1998;Bateman and Van Huissteden 1999;Bateman et al, 2000;Vandenberghe et al, 2004Vandenberghe et al, , 2009Vandenberghe et al, , 2013Kasse et al, 2007Kasse et al, , 2018Wallinga et al, 2007;Buylaert et al, 2009;Derese et al, 2009Derese et al, , 2010aDerese et al, , 2010bDerese et al, , 2012Van Mourik et al, 2010;Bogemans & Vandenberghe, 2011;Sevink et al, 2013Sevink et al, , 2018Beerten et al, 2014).…”