The development of the landscape of the nature reserve De Hamert and its environs in the Northern part of the Province of Limburg, the Netherlands

Abstract

As appears from geomorphological and palynological data, the Heerenven lake in the nature reserve De Hamert forms a remnant of a branch of the river Meuse, dating from the Weischselian Glacial Period. In the early Holocene this river branch was almost completely covered by eolian sands; only the Heerenven remained free of an eolian cover. In the area between the Heerenveir and the present valley of the river Meuse there is a clay layer with peaty intercalations between the eolian cover and the underlying terrace sediments; the peat/clay layer could palynologically be dated in the Weichselian Late-Glacial. The combined data permit the conclusion that the terrace west of the Heerenven-Meuse belongs to the Weichsel-glacial Lower Terrace. The terrace at the east side of the Heerenven is older and can be correlated with the 'Krefelder Mittelterrasse', the sediments of which were formed during the height of the Saalian glaciation.