Age and formation of the presumed Late Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene Mühlbach formation, High Rhine Valley, southwest Germany
Abstract: The drainage system of the Swiss Alps shifted from an eastward (Danubian) to a westward (Rhenian) direction during the Late Pliocene. Since then, the High Rhine Valley has acted as the major drainage path during both ice-free and glaciated periods in the past. The Mühlbach formation comprises the patchy remains of carbonate-free sediments that have been interpreted as an equivalent of Sundgau gravel. The Sundau gravel reflects remains of fluvial deposits related to the Late Pliocene drainage of the northern Swiss Alps through the Burgundian Gate towards the Bresse–Rhône Graben. However, the limited data available characterising the Mühlbach formation have led to opposing interpretations regarding its origin and age. Presented here are new data on the distribution and physical appearance of the formation, together with luminescence dating of deposits from the type locality. Sedimentological and petrographic analyses imply that the various deposits assigned to the Mühlbach formation do not represent a genetically coherent formation. In addition, consistent results of quartz and feldspar luminescence dating place deposition of sediments at the type locality at ca. 55 ka. This dates their deposition to the end of a pronounced cold period during the Late Pleistocene that has been shown to be characterised by slope processes at other sites. Altogether, the data presented imply that the Mühlbach formation is not uniform but rather comprised of mainly reworked weathered residues from different time periods
Abstract: Das Entwässerungssystem der Schweizer Alpen hat sich im späten Pliozän von einer östlichen (Donau) zu einer westlichen (Rhein) Richtung verlagert. Seither hat das Hochrheintal sowohl in eisfreien als auch in vergletscherten Perioden als Hauptabflussweg fungiert. Die Mühlbach Formation besteht aus lückenhaften Resten karbonatfreier Sedimente, die als Äquivalent zu den Sundgau Schottern interpretiert wurden. Letztere spiegeln Überreste fluvialer Ablagerungen wider, die mit der spätpliozänen Entwässerung der nördlichen Schweizer Alpen durch die Burgundische Pforte in Richtung des Bresse-Rhône-Grabens zusammenhängen. Die zur Charakterisierung der Mühlbach Formation durchgeführten Untersuchungen haben jedoch zu widersprüchlichen Interpretationen hinsichtlich ihres Ursprungs und Alters geführt. Hier werden neue Erkentnisse zur Verbreitung und zum Erscheinungsbild der Einheit sowie Lumineszenzdatierungen an der Typlokalität vorgestellt. Sedimentologische und petrographische Analysen lassen darauf schließen, dass die verschiedenen Ablagerungen, die der Mühlbach Formation zugeordnet werden, keine genetisch kohärente Formation darstellen. Darüber hinaus belegen übereinstimmende Ergebnisse von Quarz- und Feldspat-Lumineszenzdatierungen, dass die Sedimente an der Typlokalität vor ca. 55 ka abgelagert wurden. Dies datiert ihre Ablagerung auf das Ende einer ausgeprägten Kaltzeit während des Spätpleistozäns, die nachweislich an anderen Standorten durch Hangprozesse gekennzeichnet war. Insgesamt deuten die vorgelegten Daten darauf hin, dass die Mühlbach Formation nicht einheitlich ist, sondern hauptsächlich aus umgelagerten Verwitterungsresten verschiedener Zeitabschnitten besteht
- Location
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Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
- Extent
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Online-Ressource
- Language
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Englisch
- Notes
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E&G quaternary science journal. - 73, 2 (2024) , 203-216, ISSN: 2199-9090
- Event
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Veröffentlichung
- (where)
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Freiburg
- (who)
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Universität
- (when)
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2024
- Creator
- DOI
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10.5194/egqsj-73-203-2024
- URN
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urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2587543
- Rights
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Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
- Last update
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15.08.2025, 7:33 AM CEST
Data provider
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Associated
- Fülling, Alexander
- Graf, Hans Rudolf
- Hofmann, Felix Martin
- Mueller, Daniela
- Preusser, Frank
- Universität
Time of origin
- 2024
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