Holocene palaeogeography and palaeoecology of the fluvial area near Maurik (Neder-Betuwe, The Netherlands)

Abstract

In the Holocene river basin ‘Het Broek' (Fig. 1) fluvial deposition of clay by six different river systems alternated with peat formation. The accumulation rate of peat in the backswamps between 8000 BP and 4000 BP was fairly constant; it averaged about 7,5 cm/century. Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating were used to determine phases of fluvial activity. Both the lithostratigraphy and the pollen diagram reflect a number of flooding phases. Phases of fluvial deposition do not seem to be synchronous with those in the perimarine area, farther to the west. A clear decline of elm contemporaneously with a maximum in the ash values in the Early Neolithic is discussed in terms of changes in the water regime of the river and possible human interactions.