Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and OSL dating of terrestrial Eemian deposits in the southeastern Netherlands

The Roer Valley Graben in the southeastern Netherlands is a subsiding area situated just south of the maximum extent of the Pleistocene glaciations. In this area, Eemian (marine isotope Stage SO clastic and organic deposits have been preserved in a terrestrial sedimentary environment. Deposition took place in the early Eemian (regional pollen zones E2-E3) and late Eemian (E5-E6A-E6B). The sedimentary sequence contains a hiatus during the E4A-E4B-E5 regional pollen zones. Sedimentary and palynological data reveal that both the presence and extent of the Eemian deposits are intimately linked to the local groundwater-level history and clastic sediment flux. Changes in these environmental factors are likely to be related to changes in the global climate. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating has been applied to provide an absolute time frame for the Late Quaternary deposits in the area. This study is thereby the first to present a reliable quartz OSL dating 114 +/- 12 ka) for terrestrial Eemian deposits in The Netherlands. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.