Early Pleistocene benthic stable isotopes in the Netherlands: a first approach

Abstract

In the Early Pleistocene period, a major part of the onshore Netherlands was covered by a shallow sea. Sedimentation was controlled by 50 meter sea level fluctuations induced by the first prominent ice sheet expansions in the Northern Hemisphere. Different studies in the southern North Sea Basin have exposed the imprint of the glacial – interglacial stages in the sedimentary archive. Unless, a counterintuitive coupling between lithology and glaciation complicates the comprehension of the depositional model. An high-resolution glacial – interglacial proxy record is essential to evaluate the depositional model. Stable isotope analysis of foraminiferal tests from deep marine records has proven to be highly valuable in past climate reconstructions. However the paleoclimatological potential of stable isotopes from foraminifera in shallow marine sediments is uncertain. Here and for the first time at the onshore Netherlands, a benthic stable isotope record is presented covering the Lower Pleistocene interval in borehole Noordwijk. The carbon and oxygen isotopes recorded the glacial and interglacial stages and agreed with the depositional model.