Palaeohistoria


Book Description

This book includes a collection of papers, dedicated to Tjalling Waterbolk, on various topics, including palaeobotanical and archaeological research, prehistoric settlement in the province of Drenthe and the coastal areas of Groningen and Friesland, and radiocarbon dating of archaeological samples.




Glaciotectonism


Book Description

Glaciotectonism is an important component of modern glacial theory, gaining widespread recognition within the past 25 years. This book is outcome of compiling maps of glaciotectonic structures and landforms for North America and central Europe, which is the basis for better understanding the role of glaciotectonism as a key component of glacial theory.Glaciotectonism is intented to provide a comprehensive review and description of glaciotectonic phenomena. The subject matter is arranged in three broad sections. First, definitions, principles, and methodologies of glaciotectonics in the field as well as in the laboratory are described. Next, case histories of glaciotectonic structures and landforms from the land and continental shelf regions of North America and Eurasia are then covered in detail. Practical applications for mining, highway construction, and other human activities are also described. The last part of the book covers regional and continental distribution of glaciotectonic phenomena, dynamics of glaciotectonic deformation, and analogous non-glacial deformation.* Provides definitions, principles, and methodology of investigation for glaciotectonic phenomena * Features case histories of glaciotectonic structures and landforms from the glaciated land and continental shelf regions of North America and Eurasia* Analyzes mechanical and theoretical glaciotectonic deformation; analogous deformation of non-glacial origin




Greenhouse Effect, Sea Level and Drought


Book Description

Shortly after the creation of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University Brussels) in 1970, currently labelled as VUB, a Department of Quaternary Geology was installed within the Faculty of Science in 1974. At the beginning it dealt mainly with the study of periglacial loess deposits of the Pleistocene Glacial Period in Central Belgium and with coastal deposits in relation to sea level rise during the warm Holocene period covering the last 10,000 years, in which the dawn of civilization took place step by step. Today the same research teams widen their scope of interest: they are presently studying the loess plateau in the People's Republic of China and the world-wide problems associated with sea level rise, coastal erosion being one of the most devastating natural hazards. More and more emphasis is put on problems concerning environmental engineering and those dealing with global change. Since 1975 UNESCO sponsored a number of symposia of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), whose secretariat was located on the VUB Campus grounds from 1973 to 1982. In 1981 the Applied Geology Department ofthe Faculty of Applied Sciences was created. The NATO-Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) , organized in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain) in March 1989 was a climax of this series of Global Change gatherings. As Rector of the VUB, I am satisfied that the VUB, through its Earth Technology Institute, of both USA and Belgium could cooperate with NATO and the National Science Foundations in cosponsoring such an initiative.




Permafrost Response on Economic Development, Environmental Security and Natural Resources


Book Description

Unlike connotations such as greenhouse effect. global change, sea level, desertification, etc. , permafrost is definitely lacking in the everyday speech of many non-specialists. The reason is that areas of permafrost are too remote, barren and isolated. Focus on permafrost today is brought when huge environmental disasters, mainly related to pollution by oil spills, occur. Even then it is offered as




Origin of the Dutch coastal landscape


Book Description

The topic of this book is the Origin of the Dutch coastal landscape during the Holocene. ­ The landscape evolution is visualized in series of palaeogeographical maps and the driving mechanisms behind the environmental changes are discussed. The practice to make palaeogeographical map reconstructions in the Netherlands developed after the Second World War when a lot of regional geological and soil scientific mapping programs were carried out by government institutions and universities. These maps show when and how the surveyed sediments were formed. The palaeogeographical map reconstructions are subsequently used for the understanding and modeling of the long-term coastal evolution, coastal-management issues, landscape-archaeological purposes and for education and public information reasons. Geoarchaeological investigations play an important role in this study. Geological and palaeo-environmental data from archaeological excavations (‘key sites') provided essential information for the palaeolandscape reconstructions. In the presented regional- and local-case studies of this book, examples of these sites are shown.




Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology


Book Description

The book presents an up-to-date, detailed overview of the Quaternary glaciations all over the world, not only with regard to stratigraphy but also with regard to major glacial landforms and the extent of the respective ice sheets. The locations of key sites are included. The information is presented in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a Geographical Information System (GIS) such as ArcView or ArcGIS. The accompanying text supplies the information on how the data were obtained (geomorphology, geological mapping, air photograph evaluation, satellite imagery), how the features were dated (14C, TL, relative stratigraphy) and how reliable they are supposed to be. All references to the underlying basic publications are included. Where controversial interpretations are possible e.g. in Siberia or Tibet, this is pointed out. As a result, the information on Quaternary glaciations worldwide will be much improved and supplied in a uniform digital format. The information on the glacial limits is compiled in digital form by the coordinators of the project, and is available for download at: http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780444534477/ Completely updated detailed coverage of worldwide Quaternary glaciations Information in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a GIS such as ArcView or ArcGis Step-by-step guideline how to open and use ArcGis files Possibility to convert the shapefiles into GoogleEarth kmz-files Availability of chronological controls




The Netherlands and the Dutch


Book Description

This book presents a geographical survey of the Netherlands, reviewing recent and historic developments that made the nation. It is a relatively wealthy country and the Dutch belong to the happiest and healthiest on earth. But these qualities are not evenly spread over the country. The urban agglomeration of Randstad Holland in the west hosts most of the nation’s capital and young, well-educated people whereas older and less-educated people are concentrated in the peripheral areas in the north, east and south. Interactions between physical and human geographical aspects of the Netherlands are described quite extensively. Its position on one of Europe’s most prominent deltas, its abundance of energy resources and the course of history have all contributed to its present national position and international networks. But early and recent Dutch have also shaped this country. They reclaimed lakes and shallow seas, protected the lowlands against floods, re-allotted land parcels and designed and developed urban areas. Besides its focus on water-related topics, the book also covers social and cultural aspects. The book also discusses future challenges and offers scenarios for solutions. This is a book for those interested in a wide variety of recent aspects of the geography of the Netherlands described in a historical context. It appeals to students and researchers of many disciplines in geography, urban and landscape planning, water management, history and cultural studies.










Sea-level research: a manual for the collection and evaluation of data


Book Description

An editorial by Wanless (1982), entitled "Sea level is rising - so what?", tells the case of an executive editor of a major city newspaper, who, when confronted with evi dence for a recent sea-level rise, replied: "That just means the ocean is six inches deeper, doesn't it?". Whether his "so what?" attitude was real or put on to dike a threat of sensation, there is at present a wide and deepening interest in ongoing and future global sea-level change. This interest has grown along with the concern over global warming due to increasing levels of C02 and trace gases. A stage has been reached where investigators of climat- sea-level relationships call for long-term measurement programmes for ice-volume changes (using satellite altimetry) and changes in temperature and salinity of the oceans (ther mal expansion). This manual, however, is primarily concerned with sea level changes in the past, mainly since the end of the last glaciation. Its major objective is to help answer the ques tion: "how?", which, of course, is little else but to assist in the gathering of fuel for the burning question: "why?" Good fuel, hopefully, for the less smoke and ashes, and the more heat and light produced by that fire, the better scientists are enabled to develop a quantitative under standing of past, and hence of future, sea-level changes on different spatial and temporal scales.