ALBERT

Beschreibung: The Mellendorf and Brelingen hills are part of the large chain of contorted endmoraines (Drenthe stadial) which can be followed from the Netherlands to the region north of Braunschweig. The clay occurrences near Mellendorf, parts of them well-known for a long time, are blocks or overthrusts transported there by glacial movements. The dip of the tilted beds and the strike of clay occurrences indicate glacial thrusts from ENE, from W, TOW and from N. The dip of tilted sands and gravels in the Brelingen hills, however, points to a direction of ice motion from N to S. Micropalaeontological investigations in the clays of the Mellendorf and Brelingen hills have revealed the existence of foraminifera of Lower Cretaceous age, beginning with the Hauterivian, and a few of them also of the Upper Cretaceous. The proved thrust directions point to regions where the respective old beds of the Lower Cretaceous are exposed. Accordingly the length of transport must have been about 7—8 km. The slightly undulating country around Mellendorf is covered by a sheet of till. After the contortion, the ice advanced over the Mellendorf hills in a southern direction. The Brelingen hills, showing very recent relief and without a covering till, are younger and belong to a later recessional phase; the ice did not override them. The investigations demonstrate that three, perhaps even four, glacial thrusts of the Drenthe stadial took part in the genesis of this region.

Beschreibung: The Mid-Würmian "interstadial W I/II" plays a prominent part in the literature dealing with Pleistocene archaeology since 1931. This is not the case in the geological literature. Numerous strata dated by C14 measurement and sedimentanalysis, respectively, to be of Mid-Würmian age (between ca. 50000 and 30000 B.P.) in various Upper Pleistocene sequences are for the most part interstadial; ca. ten Würmian loess sequences dated by terrace morphology contain a Mid-Würmian considerable loam zone and a very weak vounger loam zone. These facts prove the reality of an interpleniglazial Mid-Würm between the two cold peaks of Early Würm and Young Würm. The interpleniglacial climate of Middle Würm was on the average rather a cool temperate one interrupted by warmer and colder oscillations. Within the Alps and in northern Europe the expansion of the Würmian and Weichselian ice-masses was stopped, they stagnated, their fronts oscillated more or less widely. At the close of the Middle Würm, the Würmian ice overflowed the northern Alpine passes and the Weichselian ice the Baltic basin, both as far as the Young Endmoraine girdle (Young Würm). In Central Europe Middle Würm divides the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic periods. To the Middle Würm has often been ascribed heretofore the well known loam stratum within the loess of Göttweig (Lower Austria), and with this loam has been correlated the basal loam zone of the triple Stillfried A complex of fossil soils displayed by loess sections of particularly arid regions (CSSR and eastern Lower Austria). Recent studies (the latest by palynology) of this loam have proved it to be of Riß/Würm Interglacial age. Till now, this correlation has not yet been demonstrated for the loam stratum of the type locality of Göttweig (also not datable by terrace morphology!). Therefore the term "Göttweig Interstadial" must be replaced by another name: Würmian Interpleniglacial.

Beschreibung: Das Skelett von Combe Capelle wurde bisher in das „Untere Aurignacien" (Périgordien I der neuen Nomenklatur) datiert. Diese Datierung erscheint jedoch zweifelhaft. Die alten Grabungsmethoden waren nicht exakt genug, um mit ihnen zu endgültigen stratigraphischen Schlußfolgerungen zu kommen. Die Bestattung wurde auf dem felsigen Untergrund entdeckt, leicht eingetieft in eine Strate Moustériens und „Unteren Aurignaciens". Aber es ist nicht erwiesen, daß der Tote auch zeitlich im „Unteren Aurignacien" bestattet wurde. Vielmehr scheint es, als handle es sich um ein Grab aus dem „Mittleren Aurignacien" (dem „Aurignacien typique" neuer Nomenklatur) oder sogar aus dem „Oberen Aurignacien" (dem Gravettien neuer Nomenklatur), das nachträglich in die genannten Schichten eingesenkt worden ist. Es ist wahrscheinlich, daß der Mann von Combe Capelle nicht den ältesten Menschenfund des jüngeren Paläolithikums schlechthin darstellt und daß er selber nicht auf französischem Boden bodenständig war.

Beschreibung: Für eine pedologische Grundgliederung des Quartärs bietet sich eine Dreiteilung an. Durch die interglazialen Böden zwischen typisch kaltklimatischen Ablagerungen glazigener, fluvioglazialer und vor allem periglazialer Fazies wird das Quartär vom Günz ab bis zum Postglazial stratigraphisch erfaßt. Davor liegt ein Abschnitt, der pedologisch durch Riesenböden und geologisch wie geomorphologisch z. T. durch mächtige Talverschüttungen gekennzeichnet ist. Ein ältester Quartärabschnitt zeichnet sich durch Reliktböden aus. Während noch beim mittleren Abschnitt einige Aussagen über die kühleren Zwischenphasen gemacht werden können, ist es beim ältesten Abschnitt bislang nicht möglich gewesen, die zugehörigen Kaltzeiten (i. e. S.) direkt zu erfassen.

Beschreibung: The eolian sediments of the "Würm" following above the last interglacial soil Parabraunerde and pseudogleyed Parabraunerde respectively) can be divided — by characteristic soil horizons — into three sections (old, middle and young Würm). Typical for the old Würm are humic zones, for the middle Würm — besides several "Naßböden" browncoloured (weathered) zones of decalcification with a thickness of up to 1,1 m, and for the young Würm several weakly developed thin browneoloured weathering zones and "Naßböden" (wet soils). The most significant key horizon of the young Würm is the Kärlich tuff layer which recently was also encountered in Northern Hessen. Finally, the division scheme estabilished in Hessen is compared with the Würm-loess divisions in other countries of Europe.

Beschreibung: A frost-kettle is described as situated in the eastern part of the town of Bielefeld and reaching about 3 m into green and red marl, which had been moved episodically during the Würm glaciation. The frost-kettle was filled with yellow sand and glacial rubble as well as 4 layers of brown sand with small particles of clay (2.5 cm thick), inserted at regular intervals into the yellow sand. The brown layers showed a frost-upheaval of 5.5 cm in the centre due to hydration in a cold stadium of the last glaciation. While the yellow sand was washed into the cleft during the summer thawing periods, the clay particles of the brown layers consisting of weathered marl were blown into it after the soil had been dried. As loess-loam lies above a stone-layer showing no frost-dynamic modifications, the frost-kettle must have been formed during the second phase of the Würm glaciation, i. e. the high-glacial period.

Beschreibung: The existence of "earth-cones" (Erdkegel) in the region of the lower Blies valley has already been mentioned by G. Selzer (1959). By examining the variations of the soil profile the author succeeded in reconstructing the soilmovements resulting in the formation of the earth-cones without being forced to observe these movements themselves. — The article contains observations concerning the special distribution, the shape and the vegetation cover of the earth-cones, which are very frequent in the lower Blies region (Bliesgau). These observations permit to draw further conclusions as to the conditions under which these earth-cones are formed.

Beschreibung: Late and postglazial profiles of the prealpine belt from periglacial and glaci-fluvial valleys are described. The time of sedimentation can be fixed by the radio carbon method and by pollen analysis. In this manner we can prove several accumulation phases in the Late- and Postglazial. They are found in stages II, III, and IV as defined by Brunnacker (1960, P. 86), and/or in the pollen zones III, V, and VIII. Some localities indicate a new accumulation phase about 6600 years B. P. in the pollen zone VI. These young accumulations in our valleys extend to several meters. For reconstruction of the river work and the history of the climate in the Holocene it is very important to examine the young valley sedimentation with all possibilities of quaternary sciences.

Beschreibung: The Murg profile shows a loamy ground moraine as the lowermost Pleistocene layer over gneis. The moraine originated during the furthest thrust of the Alpine glaciers in the direction of the Black Forest, and has been placed since 1909 (according to the work of Penck and Brückner) in the Riss glacial stage. Overlying the moraine are pollenbearing peat bog and pond deposits. The pollen indicate, in the deepest layers, a plant community that might still be possible under present climatic conditions. In the higher layers, the trees having affinities to warm conditions disappear. The composite diagram (pollen spectrum) indicates the end phase of an interglacial stage. Over these sediments lie 6—10 m of loess and loess-loam deposits. A thick loam layer, averaging 2.50 m in width, which contains more or less distinct soil horizons, lies between aeolian loess, which always represents a cold period. It can thus be proved that at least a part of these substrata originated in place. Since this loam horizon also represents a warm phase, the deposits of two warm periods overlie the Riss moraine in the Murg profile. Remains of elephants, giant stags, and bison permit comparison of the Murg stratigraphic sequence with a portion of the profile at Achenheim near Strassburg. Hereby is shown that merely the warm period, between the moraine formation and the lowest loess at Murg, can correspond to layers at Achenheim which have yielded the last ancient elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus Falc.). These are approximately of the same age as the travertine at Ehringsdorf The pollen-bearing sectionat Murg might then probably be included in the time of formation of the upper travertine at Ehringsdorf.

Beschreibung: Closer investigations of soil profiles developed out of high flood loams of the Lower Terrace revealed that their classification as „Parabraunerde" (grey-brown podsolic soils) is not correct. It was found that they consist of layered sediments, and having been exposed to strong hydromorphic influences they show an alteration to terrestrial soils. For that great soil group the name "Altvega" is proposed. Synsedimentary clay depositions and structure formations in those soils reduce the indicative value of the clay migration.

Beschreibung: The spots as described above and represented by some pictures are caused by post-sedimentary destruction of humus in the rhizosphere. They are to be found in humic material of any stratigraphical position whatever within the upper pleistocene and holocene, which is to say that they are not limited to special types of soil.

Beschreibung: The tracks shown in this paper are found in varved clavs of Pleistocene age at Malkwitz near Malente/Holstein (N-Germany) (fig. 1-4). They appear only in summer-layers of these varved clays. The tracks of fig. 1 (1-4), (8), (9) will be made by animals (e. g. insects or larvae), but those of fig. 1 (5-7) are probablv produced inorganically (twigs etc.. driven through shallow water). In comparison with these marks fig. 5 shows tracks, which are described by other authors from different places in Central-Europe. It is verv difficult to find the organisme responsible for these marks, because nobody has found anv fossil hitherto, which could have made the marks when it lived in these little perlglaclal lakes. On the other hand these lakes are situated in a climatic zone giving an environment with extreme conditions. It is possible that the originators of these tracks have not lived permanently in the lakes. This would be a form of life such as that of insect larvae. The form and construction of these marks is dependent on the animal, its anatomy, its way of life etc., but also on the region in which it lives. The grade of compaction, the water content of the sediment and other physical and chemical conditions are also very important.

Beschreibung: Sowohl im Tal des Regen nächst seiner Einmündung in die Donau bei Regensburg wie im unteren Maintal bei Marktheidenfeld sind mächtige altquartäre Talverschüttungen aufgeschlossen. Sie lassen sich jeweils in eine ältere Akkumulationsphase, eine nachfolgende Auephase und in eine abschließende jüngere Akkumulationsphase aufgliedern. Einer im Maintal nachfolgenden Erosionsperiode entspricht bei Regensburg ein extremer Pseudogley. Darüber folgen Gehängeablagerungen und schließlich Löß unterschiedlicher Fazies mit drei zwischengeschalteten interglazialen Parabraunerden. Damit liegt in beiden Talsystemen die große Verschüttungsperiode vor der viertletzten Eiszeit. Auch die der Jüngeren Steppenzeit zugeordnete Säugetierfauna von Randersacker gehört in die (jüngere?) Verschüttungsphase. Die Ursache der offensichtlich nicht allein auf das untere Main-und Neckartal beschränkten Talverschüttung wird in einer allgemeinen Hebungstendenz der Mittelgebirge vor der Günzeiszeit vermutet.

Beschreibung: The most important soils of Scandinavia are compared with those of Germany. In Scandinavia the formation of soil can be traced back from the presence (at the Svartisen) until some 10 000 years ago, and this may be based as well on wet as on dry soils. A special feature in Skandinavia is a very soft Brown Earth. Very much the same soil can be found in Germany, but only on lateglacial sediments of the late Dryas-age. Both are of almost the same age. They are alike in their character of sediment and content of carbonate. Therefore this type may probably be considered as the first important formation of soils under wood on sandy grounds in Germany.

Beschreibung: In the lower Blies valley the author discovered a periglacial mudflow consisting of white marl and fragments of limestone, surmounted by 25-30 cm river-sand belonging to a Riß-terrace. The surface of these deposits was covered by fossil ice-wedges. The changes in the phyto-sociological structure of the vegetation cover permitted to fix the exact extension of the periglacial mudflow.

Beschreibung: A method for pollenanalytical investigations of loesses is described. If several sources of error are duely taken into consideration, this method is successful in the reconstruction of the vegetation history of those phases of pleniglacial times, during which the thick loess layers were accumulated. The method can be employed in pollenanalytical investigations of weathered and unweathered loesses, with the exception of redeposited loesses. It can be shown that the famous sequence of fossil soils at Oberfellabrunn, known as the soils of the "Fellabrunner Komplex" („Stillfried A"), which is sometimes held to be the equivalent of the "Göttweig Interstadial", must be divided into the brown loamy soil at the base of the sequence, which was formed during the Eemian Interglacial, and into the younger humic layers, which developed during the Interstadials of Amersfoort and Brørup. The amelioration of climate during the "Stillfried B-Interstadial" (perhaps equivalent of the "Paudorf Interstadial"?) was strong enough to enable local subalpine conifer forests and riverine broad-leaved forests to spread along the rivers and other suitable places within the still dominant steppe formations on the drier loess plateaus. The loess layers of the Riss and Würm glaciations have been accumulated within the eastern Dart of Niederösterreich in different steppe communities, which can be described at best as belonging to the Gramineae steppe formation, rich in herbaceous plants. Sometimes there occurred plants of recent tundra-communities in the loess steppe: but real tundras did not exist at that time in Niederösterreich. This holds true most of all for the last period of loess accumulation after the Stillfried B-Interstadial. When being compared with pollen spectra of surface samples of recent tundra, steppe and semidesert plant communities, it becomes evident, that the open vegetation, thriving during the last glaciation in vast regions of Northern Eurasia cannot be described in terms of modern plant associations.