Paleoenvironment and stratigraphy during the last glacial in the Belgian-Dutch border region

Abstract

The Weichselian deposits of the flat Dutch-Belgian coversand area are characterized by highly varying facies types. The geomorphological location and the role of water during the deposition and the transportation of the original eolian sediments may fully explain the texture and sedimentary structures of the lithostratigraphic units. Directly deposited eolian loams and sands on the dry interfluves contrast with the same, but reworked, sediments in wet valleys and depressions. The formation of periglacial phenomena is also dependent on the geomorphologic, lithologic, and hydrologic conditions. The occurrence of peaty beds is restricted to wet environments without precise climatic significance. The Pleniglacial sequence is subdivided into early and late Pleniglacial stades, both characterized by (partial) permafrost conditions, interrupted by a middle Pleniglacial interstadial complex with clearly milder conditions.