Targeting the Mesolithic: Interdisciplinary approaches to archaeological prospection in the Brown Bank area, southern North Sea

Missiaen, Tine; Fitch, Simon; Harding, Rachel; Muru, Merle; Fraser, Alasdair; Clercq, Marc De; Moreno, David; Versteeg, W.; Busschers, Freek S.; Heteren, Sytze van; Hijma, M.P.; Reichart, Gert‐Jan; Gaffney, Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.05.004

Cited by 17 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The Southern Bight, where new generations of seismic surveying instruments and analysis capacity are used for targeted vibrocoring of submerged landscape features (e.g. Missiaen et al, 2020), offers SLIP potential. In this region, falling-stage sea-level research links up with interests in Neanderthal and Mesolithic archaeology (e.g.…”

Section: Future Data Collection Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Last Interglacial sea-level data points from Northwest Europe

Cohen

Cartelle

Barnett

et al. 2022

Earth Syst. Sci. Data

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Abstract. Abundant numbers of sites and studies exist in NW Europe that document the geographically and geomorphologically diverse coastal record from the Last Interglacial (Eemian, Ipswichian, Marine Isotope Stage 5e). This paper summarises a database of 146 known Last Interglacial sea-level data points from in and around the North Sea (35 entries in the Netherlands, 10 Belgium, 23 in Germany, 17 in Denmark, 9 in Britain) and the English Channel (24 entries for the British and 25 for the French side, 3 on the Channel Isles) believed to be a representative and fairly complete inventory and assessment from ∼80 published sites. The geographic distribution (∼1500 km SW–NE) across the near field of the Scandinavian and British ice sheets and the attention paid to relative and numeric age control are assets of the NW European database. The research history of Last Interglacial coastal environments and sea level for this area is long, methodically diverse and spread through regional literature in several languages. Our review and database compilation effort drew from the original regional literature and paid particular attention to distinguishing between sea-level index points (SLIPs) and marine and terrestrial limiting points. We also incorporated an updated quantification of background rates of basin subsidence for the central and eastern North Sea region, utilising revised mapping of the base Quaternary, to correct for significant basin subsidence in this depocentre. As a result of subsidence, lagoonal and estuarine Last Interglacial shorelines of the Netherlands and the German Bight are preserved below the surface. In contrast, Last Interglacial shorelines along the English Channel are encountered above modern sea level. This paper describes the dominant sea-level indicators from the region compliant with the WALIS database structure and referenced to original data sources (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6478094, Cohen et al., 2021). The sea-level proxies are mostly obtained from locations with good lithostratigraphic, morphostratigraphic and biostratigraphical constraints. Most continental European sites have chronostratigraphic age control, notably through regional pollen association zones with duration estimates. In all regions, many SLIPs and limiting points have further independent age control from luminescence, uranium series, amino acid racemisation and electron spin resonance dating techniques. Main foreseen usage of this database for the near-field region of the European ice sheets is in glacial isostatic adjustment modelling and fingerprinting Last Interglacial ice sheet melt.

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Section: Future Data Collection Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Last Interglacial sea-level data points from Northwest Europe

Cohen

Cartelle

Barnett

et al. 2022

Earth Syst. Sci. Data

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Potential appears particularly large in the Southern Bight, where new generations of seismic surveying instruments and analysis capacity are used for targeted vibrocoring of submerged landscape features (e.g. Missiaen et al, 2020), including at places with sea-level indicative potential. In this area and region, falling stage sea-level research interest links up with that for Neanderthal and Mesolithic archaeology (e.g.…”

Section: Future Data Collection Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Last Interglacial sea-level data points from Northwest Europe

Cohen

Cartelle

Barnett

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Abstract. Abundant numbers of sites and studies exist that document the Last Interglacial (Eemian, Ipswichian, MIS 5e) coastal record for geographically and geomorphologically diverse NW Europe. This paper documents a database of 141 known Last Interglacial sea-level indicative data points from in and around the North Sea (35 entries in Netherlands, 10 Belgium, 16 in Germany, 17 in Denmark, 8 in Britain) and the English Channel (28 entries for British and 25 for the French side, 3 on the Channel Isles), believed to be a representative and fairly complete inventory and assessment coming from some 80 published sites. The good geographic distribution (some 1500 km SW-NE) across the near field of the Scandinavian and British Ice Sheets and the attention paid to absolute and relative age control are assets of the NW European database compilation. The research history of Last Interglacial coastal environments and sea-level position for this area is long, methodically diverse and spread over regional literature in several languages. Last Interglacial high-stand shorelines of Dutch and German Bight parts of the North Sea, were of lagoonal and estuarine type and have preserved subsurface (data entry included estimates of non-GIA vertical land motion). In contrast, Last Interglacial high-stand shorelines along the English Channel are encountered above modern sea-level (data entry includes datum definitions). Our review and database compilation effort drew from the original regional literature, and paid particular attention to distinguishing between sea-level index points (SLIPs) and marine and terrestrial limiting-points. This paper describes the dominant sea-level indicators produced from region to region, compliant to the database structure of the special issue (WALIS), referenced to original source data. The sea level proxies in majority are obtained from localities with well-developed lithostratigraphic, morpho-stratigraphic and biostratigraphical constraints. Amino-Acid Racemization information is also prominent, especially in Britain, albeit for many sites the older, lesser quality applications of that technique. The majority of European continental sites have chronostratigraphic age-control, notably through regional Pollen Association Zones of known durations. This greatly helps to separate transgression, highstand (‘stillstand’) and regression subsets from within the interglacial, useful when summarizing and/or querying the dataset. In all regions, many SLIPs and limiting points have further independent age-control from luminescence (IRSL, OSL, TL), U-series and ESR dating techniques. Main foreseen usage of this database for the near field region of the European ice sheets is in GIA modelling.

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“…The Quaternary stratigraphic record of the southern North Sea consists of a stack of shallow‐marine, coastal, fluvial and glacial sediments that were deposited under highly variable climate conditions, sea level oscillations and phases of glacial expansion and retreat. Of these sediment stacks, the Brown Bank Member (Dutch subdivision, TNO‐GDN, 2023) or Brown Bank Formation (BB Fm, following the British subdivision) stands out as a distinct—but poorly constrained—unit in acoustic reflection data in the upper tens of metres of this record, with an even‐parallel reflection configuration (Cameron et al, 1989; Laban, 1995; Missiaen et al, 2021; Oele, 1971). As most literature sources use the terminology ‘Formation’, this will be applied in this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late MIS5a in the southern North Sea: new chronostratigraphic insights from the Brown Bank Formation

Waajen,

Busschers,

Donders

et al. 2024

J Quaternary Science

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The Brown Bank Formation (BB Fm) is a clay‐rich sedimentary unit that is distributed over a large area in the southern North Sea. It is easily recognisable in 2D acoustic reflection profiles, forming sets of subparallel high‐amplitude reflections. Previous studies have provided only fragmentary information on the facies, and a variety of interpretations on the depositional environment and age of the BB Fm. In this study we combine high‐resolution 2D acoustic reflection profiles and multiproxy sedimentological, geochemical and geochronological analyses of three vibrocores, to provide a detailed description and a new age assessment for the BB Fm at its type locality, adjacent to the Brown Bank ridge. At the study site, the BB Fm shows morphologically well‐preserved submarine sand dunes, deposited in a high‐energy shelf setting, overlain by organic‐rich silty clays that were deposited under lower‐energy conditions in an increasingly compartmentalised marginal marine environment. Elevated terrestrial organic input shows that the Rhine–Meuse delta was situated relatively close‐by. Luminescence ages indicate that the sediments of the BB Fm in our cores were deposited during the Weichselian Odderade interstadial (MIS5a, ca. 80 ka) and earliest parts of the Early Pleniglacial (MIS4, ca. 70 ka), which is later than previously reported in the literature.

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Targeting the Mesolithic: Interdisciplinary approaches to archaeological prospection in the Brown Bank area, southern North Sea

Cited by 17 publications

References 6 publications

Last Interglacial sea-level data points from Northwest Europe

Last Interglacial sea-level data points from Northwest Europe

Last Interglacial sea-level data points from Northwest Europe

Late MIS5a in the southern North Sea: new chronostratigraphic insights from the Brown Bank Formation

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