Abstract:
Three sections in northern Germany were investigated using the IRSL and TL dating methods. The data presented are the first results of a long term project, which has the aim of examining the chronometric genesis of dunes in selected parts of Europe. The main focus of this research is the chronometric subdivision of the time span from Late Weichselian up to today into phases with different aeolian activity. A phase of high sedimentation of valley side loesses in the Rhine area near Bonn took place between 11, 170 and 12,180 BP. The dates of the two dune sections from northern Germany indicate that, in contrast to a common model of aeolian activity, the accumulation of dune sands continued during the Boreal and Atlantic. Furthermore, the time span in which human impact caused the remobilization of the dunes could he clearly indicated.