The rise of Holocene (ground)water level as a function of relative sea-level rise has been extensively investigated in the western Netherlands, whereas few studies focused on the Flevo lagoon in the central Netherlands. In this study, all available 14C dates from the base of basal peat overlying the top of compaction-free Pleistocene sand in the former Flevo lagoon were evaluated in order to reconstruct water-level rise for the period 5300-2000 cal. yr BC. The present basal peat 14C data set from Flevoland consists of two subsets: (1) the largely new Almere data (41 dates) representing the southern part of the former Flevo lagoon, with 26 dates especially carried out for this study, and (2) the existing Schokland data (21 dates) representing the eastern part of the lagoon. The Schokland area is located about 50 km from the Almere area. The quality of all basal peat time-depth data was palaeo-ecologically and geologically evaluated, all 14C dates were calibrated to the same standards, and error margins of age and altitude determination were estimated. After plotting the data as error boxes in time-depth graphs, lower limit curves for water-level rise were constructed for both data sets. Comparison with the mean sea-level curve for The Netherlands (Van de Plassche, 1982) suggests that water-level rise in the Almere area between 5300 and 2000 cal. yr BC corresponded closely to the rise in mean sea level. The same holds for the Schokland area for the period 5000-4200 cal. yr BC. For the period 4200-2000 cal. yr BC, however, the Schokland data suggest water-level rise to have been slower than mean sea-level rise, leading to local water levels apparently below mean sea level, which is virtually impossible. Hypothetical explanations for this discrepancy include: errors and uncertainties in mean sea-level and local water-level reconstruction, basin subsidence and temporal differences in intra-coastal tidal damping. The presently available data are inconclusive at this point and Holocene water-level rise in the Flevo lagoon awaits further investigations.

An explanation is presented for the origin of brackish to saline groundwater in the coastal area of the Netherlands based on geological, chemical (chlorinity), isotopic and geophysical data. A critical review of all possible salinization mechanisms shows that the origin of the brackish water is related to former transgressions. Both the vertical salinity distribution and the carbon-14 activity of the groundwater indicate that connate sea water from the Pliocene to Early Pleistocene is not the source of the brackish to saline waters in the overlying Pleistocene fluvial aquifers. Instead, it derives from Holocene transgressions. The salinization mechanism is discussed in relation to the paleogeographical development during the Holocene and the occurrence of low-permeability strata. Finally, freshening of the aquifers following retreat of the sea is briefly considered.

In an area east of Leuven (central Belgium), a buried sandy estuarine deposit of Oligocene age contains a dark colored organic layer of about 4 m thick. Our results suggests that the organic matter is an illuvial horizon, therefore warranting the hypothesis that the layer may qualify for a giant buried spodic horizon rather than a remainder of a Tertiary oil seepage as suggested by Van Riessen and Vandenberghe (1996). Of particular importance is the micro-morphological evidence, which reveals that the mainly monomorphous organic matter is present as ubiquitous coatings and concentrations around the quartz grains. These coatings show the for Podzols very typical polygonal cracked patterns. The geochemical signature (stable carbon isotope analysis) also gives strong indications for a continental origin of the organic carbon and therefore support the pedogenetic origin of the horizon. The paleopedological scene into which this soil has developed is inferred from the data.

Turtle remains ascribed to the family Cheloniidae (Testudines, Cryptodira, Chelonioidea), collected from the lamarcki zone (Middle Turonian) at Wüllen (NW Germany) are described. The material consists of a right humerus, a scapula, a complete costalia, and costalia fragments of a single individual with the humerus indicating a primitive cheloniid of the ‘toxochelyid grade’. The present material, as well as previously recorded chelonioid humeri from the Cenomanian and Turonian of Germany illustrate a progressive diversification of chelonioids during the early Late Cretaceous.

The article tries to answer the question of the origin and structural development of the deformation of the pre-Permian units southwest of Bremen. An interpretetion of a 3D-seismic survey was made to resolve the structural style of the Upper Carboniferous with the aim to get some clues for the Variscan deformation of the Variscan foreland. The area is suitable for the evaluation because of the existence of a 3D-seismic survey. Moreover, the depth of the Zechstein at. 4500 m is not to deep for imaging deeper reflections and there is not a severe distortion of the reflection pattern by later tectonic developments. Because of the 3D insight into the complex and deep seated structures, other 2D-seismic investigations which image similar parts can be better understood and interpretation errors can be avoided. It is concluded that only 3D-seismic measurements can resolve the complex structural devolopment at this site.

In northwest Europe the pattern of earthquake distribution is correlated with known Quaternary faults. Excavation of fault scarps revealed that these fault zones have been active during the Late Pleistocene. In this paper we present the results of an exploratory trenching study across the Geleen Fault, part of the Feldbiss Fault Zone, the Netherlands. Middle Saalian fluvial deposits of the Meuse, overlain by local slope deposits, were excavated. The Geleen Fault has displaced the fluvial deposits by at least 5 meters. The upper layers of local slope deposits could be correlated across the fault and were all dated at approximately 15 ka B.P. This gives the opportunity to reconstruct the sequence of events that occurred about 15 ka ago. Liquefactions provide evidence for an earthquake event. However, the main offset along the Geleen Fault is not stratigraphically related to the liquefactions. The liquefactions and the fault offset are stratigraphically separated by a period of erosion. We therefore propose a sequence of events starting with an earthquake accompanied by liquefaction, followed by a period of postseismic displacement with high rates compared to the long-term average. After this period normal displacement rates occurred, comparable to the long-term average. The duration of the period of high displacement rates could not be determined.

New petrographical and geochemical evidence of tourmalinite pebbles from two Lower and three Middle Devonian formations from Belgium is presented. Petrography, REE, transition metal and microprobe data of the studied rocks suggest it are (meta)sediment-derived tourmalinites formed by boron metasomatism (and hydrothermal brecciation) in an intrusive setting. Tourmaline mineralizations within eastern Avalonia are known in south-east Ireland, the English Lake District and East Anglia. Based on previously suggested relations between Early Palaeozoic igneous activity in last two mentioned regions and the Brabant Massif, it is presumed that the Brabant Massif also underwent granite-related tourmalinization and that this was the source of the studied pebbles. Petrologie differences between pebbles found in Middle Devonian formations and pebbles from Lower Devonian formations, suggest that fluid circulation occurred on a regional scale, possibly extending into the Stavelot massif.

The presence of a magnesian vivianite (Fe2+)2.5(Mg,Mn,Ca)0.5(PO4)2·8H2O, has been identified in a soil sample from a Roman camp near Fort Vechten, The Netherlands, using a combination of Raman microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. An unsubstituted vivianite and baricite were characterised for comparative reasons. The split phosphate-stretching mode is recognised around 1115, 1062 and 1015 cm−1, while the corresponding bending modes are found around 591, 519, 471 and 422 cm−1. The substitution of Mg and Mn for Fe2+ in the crystal structure causes a shift towards higher wavenumbers compared to pure vivianite. As shown by the baričite sample substitution causes a broadening of the bands. The observed broadening however is larger than can be explained by substitution alone. The low intensity of the water bands, especially in the OH-stretching region between 2700 and 3700 cm−1 indicates that the magnesian vivianite is partially dehydrated, which explains the much larger broadening than the observed broadening caused by substitution of Mg and Mn in vivianite and baričite.

Epigenetic mineralisations occurring in the former coal-mining district of Limburg predominantly consist of sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, quartz, Fe-dolomite/ankerite and calcite. The present note describes siegenite which was collected for the first time from this paragenesis some years ago.