Papers by Utz Boehner
Journal of Human Evolution, 2015
Schöningen represents one of the key sites for Lower Paleolithic archaeology in central Europe, w... more Schöningen represents one of the key sites for Lower Paleolithic archaeology in central Europe, where a Middle to Late Pleistocene sedimentary succession, locally up to 45 m thick, has been preserved in an Elsterian tunnel valley. After deglaciation, the tunnel valley remained underfilled and provided the accommodation space for Holsteinian interglacial deposition and also kept the artifact-bearing strata below base level for subsequent erosion. The Holsteinian (MIS 9) succession consists of laterally and vertically stacked lacustrine delta systems, which were controlled by repeated lake-level changes. In the face of changing climatic and environmental conditions the long-lived interglacial lake provided an attractive site for animals and early humans. Artifacts were deposited on the subaerial delta plain and became embedded during lake-level rise. Although the area was considerably affected by erosion and glacitectonic deformation during the subsequent Saalian glaciation, the artifact-bearing Holsteinian strata were preserved in the deeper part of the tunnel valley. Tunnel valleys should be regarded as potential archives for interglacial deposits, which may contain important Paleolithic sites. Tunnel valleys may provide accommodation space and also have a high preservation potential. Interglacial lakes situated within underfilled tunnel valleys represented attractive sites for animals and early human hunter-gatherers.
In the years 1999–2001, an area of approximately 150 ha was surveyed by continuous control of the... more In the years 1999–2001, an area of approximately 150 ha was surveyed by continuous control of the loess walls of the open-cast lignite mine of Garzweiler near Cologne, Germany. A total of 46 Middle Paleolithic sites were located, most of them clustering in connection to small stream positions. Despite the importance of natural factors during the site formation processes, lithic
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2012
The Pleistocene deposits of Schöningen represent an outstanding geological and archaeological arc... more The Pleistocene deposits of Schöningen represent an outstanding geological and archaeological archive, where an up to 45 m thick Middle to Late Pleistocene succession has been preserved and unique artefacts from the Lower Palaeolithic have been discovered. The preservation of such a thick and complete glacial/ interglacial succession is very rare in the geological record and requires a specific depositional setting. We will present a new depositional model for the Pleistocene succession of Schöningen, integrating outcrop data, borehole data and high-resolution shear wave seismics. A total of four outcrop sections and 744 borehole logs were examined to document the complex facies architecture. All collected sedimentological and geophysical data sets were integrated into a high-resolution 3D geological model (GOCAD Ò ) for reconstructing the spatial distribution of facies associations and the large-scale depositional architecture. The spatial distribution of the artefacts will be discussed with respect to the depositional environment.
Redaktion: Karl-Ernst Behre; Martin Schönfelder (RGZM) Satz: Manfred Albert (RGZM); Michael Braun... more Redaktion: Karl-Ernst Behre; Martin Schönfelder (RGZM) Satz: Manfred Albert (RGZM); Michael Braun (Datenshop Wiesbaden) Umschlaggestaltung: Reinhard Köster (RGZM) unter Verwendung eines Fotos von Utz Böhner sowie einer Grafik von Felix Bittmann
Alluvial deposits by Utz Boehner
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2015
ABSTRACT In glaciated continental basins accommodation space is not only controlled by tectonics ... more ABSTRACT In glaciated continental basins accommodation space is not only controlled by tectonics and sea-level but also by the position of ice-sheets, which may act as a regional base-level for fluvial systems. Although the Pleistocene terrace record of major river systems in northwestern Europe has been investigated by many authors, relatively little attention has been paid to base-level changes related to glacier advance–retreat cycles and how these regional changes in base-level interacted with river catchment processes. This study provides a synthesis of the stratigraphic architecture of Middle Pleistocene to Holocene fluvial terraces in the upper Weser and middle Leine valley in northern Germany and links it to glaciation, climate and base-level change. The depositional architecture of the fluvial terrace deposits has been reconstructed from outcrops and high-resolution shear wave seismic profiles. The chronology is based on luminescence ages, 230Th/U ages, 14C ages and Middle Palaeolithic archaeological assemblages.
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Papers by Utz Boehner
Alluvial deposits by Utz Boehner