Preusser Frank
Quaternary glaciation and environmental history of the Alps: Establishing chronologies for proglacial deposits from northern Switzerland
Project Number: 200021_126784
| Project Type: |
Research_Project |
| Project Duration: |
02/01/2010 - 01/31/2013 |
| Funding Source: |
SNSF , |
| Project Leader: |
Prof. Frank Preusser
Institut für Geo- und Umweltnaturwissenschaften
Universität Freiburg
Albertstr. 23-B
DE-79104 Freiburg i. Br.
Germany
Phone: +41 (0) 761 203 64 76
FAX: +41 (0) 761 203 64 96
e-Mail: frank.preusser(at)geologie.uni-freiburg.de
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Research Areas:
| |
|---|
| Cryosphere (Processes) |
| Natural science |
| High Altitude |
Disciplines:
Keywords:
quaternary, glaciations, sediments, dating, luminescence, cosmogenic nuclides, switzerland, alps, chronostratigraphy
Abstract:
Deciphering the past dynamics of circulation systems and its impact on continental environments is a fundamental requirement for understanding the presently observed climate change and its possible consequences for human societies. In particular, it is still poorly understood how the geosphere responded to Quaternary climate change on different temporal as well as spatial scales. Within this context, we propose to reconstruct the glaciation history of the northern Swiss lowlands, where a variety of proglacial sedimentary sequences are well exposed in different gravel pits and natural outcrops. Recent research has shown that the Quaternary record of the region is much more complex than previously assumed. Investigating this geological record will allow a detailed reconstruction of the geological past, where and when glaciers advanced into the Swiss lowland. However, until recently, the lack of an independently dated chronological framework prevented the placement of this exceptional geological archive within a global context. We will use state-of-the-art approaches of both luminescence dating for determining the Quaternary deposition history of the area. The project is subdivided into two linked work packages (WP) that will focus on different time slices. WP 1 will focus on the number of glacial advances during the Late Pleistocene. Detailed sedimentological logging and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz will be used to establish an independent chronological framework for the deposits. Prior to dating a detailed testing program will be carried out to characterise the OSL properties of the investigated samples and find the optimal measurement conditions. This work will be done within a PhD project. WP 2 will concentrate on establishing the chronology of the Middle Pleistocene deposits of the area. We will use conventional OSL and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) dating and compare the results with those determined by cutting edge techniques such as thermally transferred OSL, IR radiofluorescence and red IRSL emissions from K-feldspar. Using these approaches it should be possible to date sediments as old as 500 ka. Due to the innovative character of these techniques, this WP will comprise a detailed experimental part. Considering the complexity of different dating techniques, this part of the project will by carried out by a person with experience in the field (postdoc).
Source of Information: NF Import 2010
Last update: 3/28/17
Source of data: ProClim- Research InfoSystem (1993-2024)
Update the data of project: CH-200021_126784
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