Older than expected: fluvial aggradation of the Rhine's main terrace at Kärlich dated around 1.5 Ma by electron spin resonance

A groundbreaking discovery challenges the long-held understanding of the Rhine's main terrace aggradation, revealing it to be significantly older than previously estimated. New electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of quartz grains from sediment samples at the Mülheim–Kärlich clay pit in the Middle Rhine Valley (MRV) indicates an age of approximately 1.5 million years, predating earlier estimates by hundreds of thousands of years. This finding refines the chronostratigraphy of the site and provides the first numerical age control for key fluvial deposits along the MRV, addressing a critical gap in our knowledge of the region's Quaternary landscape evolution. The study leverages ESR dating to offer precise chronological constraints, enhancing our understanding of the Rhine's geological history and its archaeological and palaeoenvironmental significance.

Bartz, M., Duval, M., Alonso Escarza, M. J., & Rixhon, G. (2024). Older than expected: fluvial aggradation of the Rhine’s main terrace at Kärlich dated around 1.5 Ma by electron spin resonance. E&G Quaternary Science Journal, 73(2), 139–144. https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-139-2024