TY - JOUR

T1 - Long sequence of Quaternary Rocks in the Heidelberg Basin Depocentre

AU - Ellwanger, Dietrich

AU - Gabriel, Gerald

AU - Simon, Theo

AU - Wielandt-Schuster, Ulrike

AU - Greiling, Reinhard O.

AU - Hagedorn, Eva Marie

AU - Hahne, Jürgen

AU - Heinz, Jürgen

PY - 2009/4/1

Y1 - 2009/4/1

N2 - A description and classification of the successions of the new scientific core drillings at Heidelberg is presented. Since 2002 drilling and research activities were ongoing in the Heidelberg Basin (HDB), as a mid-continental sedimentary archive within the Upper Rhine Graben (URG), Germany. The HDB is supposed to host one of the longest continuous successions of Quaternary sediments in Europe, due to continuous subsidence of the basin and sediment input from various sources. The HDB is about half-way between the Alpine source area of the Rhine and the North Sea. Here the Quaternary input is least affected by discontinuities due to climate events as alpine glacier meltdown events or periods of low sea level. Reversely, the low influence of climate leads to a larger tectonic control. The sedimentary succession of more than 500 m is considered as primarily controlled by tectonics, but with incorporated climate signals. For classification purposes, sediment provenance, lithofacies-associations, and the ratio of accommodation space and sediment input are used. Some biostratigraphic markers are also available. We suggest a sedimentary scenario where the overall fluvial environment is twice interrupted by lacustrine intervals. The accommodation space varies too: in one period it expands even beyond the eastern boundary fault of the HDB.

AB - A description and classification of the successions of the new scientific core drillings at Heidelberg is presented. Since 2002 drilling and research activities were ongoing in the Heidelberg Basin (HDB), as a mid-continental sedimentary archive within the Upper Rhine Graben (URG), Germany. The HDB is supposed to host one of the longest continuous successions of Quaternary sediments in Europe, due to continuous subsidence of the basin and sediment input from various sources. The HDB is about half-way between the Alpine source area of the Rhine and the North Sea. Here the Quaternary input is least affected by discontinuities due to climate events as alpine glacier meltdown events or periods of low sea level. Reversely, the low influence of climate leads to a larger tectonic control. The sedimentary succession of more than 500 m is considered as primarily controlled by tectonics, but with incorporated climate signals. For classification purposes, sediment provenance, lithofacies-associations, and the ratio of accommodation space and sediment input are used. Some biostratigraphic markers are also available. We suggest a sedimentary scenario where the overall fluvial environment is twice interrupted by lacustrine intervals. The accommodation space varies too: in one period it expands even beyond the eastern boundary fault of the HDB.

KW - biostratigraphy

KW - differential uplift

KW - Heidelberg Basin

KW - lithofacies

KW - lithostratigraphy

KW - research borehole

KW - sediment provenance

KW - sequence stratigraphy

KW - subsidence

KW - Upper Rhine Graben

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85152446857&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3285/eg.57.3-4.3

DO - 10.3285/eg.57.3-4.3

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85152446857

VL - 57

SP - 316

EP - 337

JO - E and G Quaternary Science Journal

JF - E and G Quaternary Science Journal

SN - 0424-7116

IS - 3-4

ER -