Geosciences Colloquium
at the Department of Environment and Biodiversity
Presentations by collegues from research and industry on topics in the geosciences and related subject areas, followed by a plenary discussion. The colloquium takes place during semester time. Everyone is welcome!
Dienstag, 17. März. 2026, 14 Uhr,
HS 434, (3rd Floor) NLW, PLUS, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, Salzburg
Accurate dating of Quaternary fluvial archives is critical: spatio-temporal patterns of river incision unfold uplift history of the Variscan Rhenish/Ardenne Massif (N. Europe)
Dr Gilles Rixhon
(LIVE, Universität Strasbourg, Frankreich)
Zusammenfassung: The Rhenish/Ardenne Massif (RAM), one of the most emblematic Variscan structures north of the Alps, experienced intraplate uplift during the Plio-Quaternary. However, its causes, geometry, and rates remain debated, largely due to limited chronological control on uplift markers such as fluvial terrace staircases along the Rhine, Moselle, and Meuse rivers. Over the past two decades, cosmogenic nuclide, electron spin resonance, and luminescence dating have provided improved numerical age constraints on key terrace and cave levels.
This presentation provides new age estimates and compiles existing chronological data to infer Plio-Quaternary incision rates across the massif. A consistent regional pattern emerges, with peak incision during the Early to Middle Pleistocene corresponding to a major geomorphological marker. However, a significant time lag (>250–300 ka) is observed between the south-eastern and north-western margins: incision accelerated earlier along the Rhine–Moselle system than along the Meuse. This diachronous pattern supports the hypothesis of a northward-migrating uplift wave and points to regional tectonic forcing, possibly related to stress transfer from the Alps to their foreland.
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