The rotation of Italy: Preliminary palaeomagnetic data from the Umbrian sequence,Northern Apennines

A preliminary collection of 43 palaeomagnetic samples (10 sites) from the miogeosynclinal and supposedly autochthonous Umbrian sequence in the Northern Apennines, Italy, was analysed by means of alternating magnetic fields and thermal demagnetization studies. The older group of samples, taken from the upper part of the Calcari Diasprini (Malm), the Fucoid Marls (Albian/Cenomanian) and from the basal part of the Scaglia Bianca (Early Late Cretaceous), all showed normal polarity directions and resulted in a mean site direction:D = 290.5°,I = +51.5°,α₉₅ = 11°,k = 74,N = 4.The younger group of samples, taken throughout the Scaglia Rossa sequence (Latest Cretaceous/Middle Eocene) showed normal and reversed polarity directions. In contrast to the older group, the magnetic analysis of these samples resulted in a considerably less dense grouping of site mean directions. This presumably is due to inaccuracies introduced with the very large bedding tilt corrections that had to be applied to the samples of some sites. A tentative mean site direction for these Scaglia Rossa samples was computed as:D = 351°,I = +52.5°,α₉₅ = 23.5°,k = 11.5,N = 5.Despite the low precision of the Scaglia Rossa result, the significant deviation between this Latest Cretaceous/Early Tertiary direction and the Late Jurassic/Early Late Cretaceous direction indicates a counterclockwise rotation of more than forty degrees. This rotation can be dated as Late Cretaceous.How far these data from the Northern Apennines apply to other parts of the Italian Peninsula has yet to be established. The timing of this rotation is not at variance with the data from other parts of Mediterranean Europe (Southern Alps, Iberian Peninsula) and from Africa. However, taking into account the preliminary nature of the results, the amount of rotation of the Northern Apennines seems to surpass the rotation angle which is deduced from the palaeomagnetic data for Africa.     

Exploitation of Landsat data for snow zonation mapping in the Hindukush,Karakoram and Himalaya (HKH) region of Pakistan

Abstract

In the Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalaya (HKH) region of Pakistan, many glaciological variables are still not known due to the remoteness and harsh weather conditions of the area. A remote sensing technique is therefore applied to map the snow zonation in the HKH region. Landsat 7 ETM+ data for the year 2003 are used in this study. Image classification and image processing techniques are applied to map, for the first time, the major snow zones in the HKH region. Six classes are identified: the results show that the area covered by the highest-altitude snow (Snow I), lower-altitude snow (Snow II), bare ice, debris-covered ice, wet snow and shadow is 21 529.42, 22 472.58, 8696.41, 8038.75, 12 159.37 and 7322.30 km², respectively. The study also indicates that the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) lies between 5000 and 5500 m above sea level, with an accumulation area ratio (AAR) of 0.60.

Citation Butt, M.J., 2013. Exploitation of Landsat data for snow zonation mapping in the Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalaya (HKH) region of Pakistan. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (5), 1088–1096.     

The tectonic implications of Solundian (Upper Devonian) magnetization of the Devonian rocks of Kvamshesten, western Norway

The allochthonous Old Red Sandstone of Kvamshesten, western Norway, records polyphase orogenic deformation, and palaeomagnetic results from both the Devonian sediments and mylonites associated with the basal thrust define a syn- (to post-) tectonic magnetization withD = 218°,I = +3° and₉₅ = 9.7°. The corresponding pole position (lat. 21°S, long. 324°E) suggests a Late Devonian/Early Carboniferous magnetization age (Solundian), and probably dates the time of thrust movements.     

Ordovician palaeogeography with new palaeomagnetic data from the Montagne Noire (Southern France)

A joint palaeomagnetic and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar study has been performed on two olistolithic blocks from the Cabrières Wildflysch in the Montagne Noire region of the Massif Central in France. There, andesitic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of Llanvirn-Early Caradoc age (ca 470-458 Ma) occur. Despite extensive secondary alteration, destruction of the dominant magnetic mineral phase and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar whole rock experiments that demonstrate that the volcanic rocks suffered significant argon loss, a positive fold test and the presence of dual polarities suggest that a primary, Ordovician magnetisation has mostly survived. This is one of the few documented cases where the argon system was substantially reset whilst a subordinate set of small, relatively unaltered magnetite grains, probably hosted in silicates, still carry the original, in this case Ordovician, remanence.The new data show that the Montagne Noire region was located at high southerly latitudes (68° ⁺¹⁷/_-15) during the Mid-Ordovician. This latitude represents the location for NW Gondwana of which the Massif Central was a part. Palaeomagnetic data from all the Central European massifs and terranes demonstrate a close link to the Gondwana Margin during the Lower and Middle Ordovician.     

Ichthyofauna (Chondrichthyes,Osteichthyes) from the Upper Cretaceous intertrappean beds of Piplanarayanwar,Chhindwara District,Madhya Pradesh,India

A new fossiliferous intertrappean section is found 92 km southwest of the extensively studied intertrappean beds of Mohgaonkalan and Jhilmili in Chhindwara District, Central India. Application of the bulk screen‐washing method led to the recovery of a rich microvertebrate fauna represented by fish, amphibians, crocodiles, snakes and dinosaurs. In this paper, the ichthyofauna recovered from the new intertrappean section consisting of Igdabatis indicus Prasad and Cappetta, 1993, Lepisosteus indicus Woodward, 1908, Osteoglossidae gen. et sp. indet., Pycnodontidae gen. et sp. indet. and Siluriformes indet. is described. The ichthyofauna dominantly represented by the teeth of Igdabatis indicus is suggestive of a nearshore, deltaic or estuarine palaeoenvironment and Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) age for the intertrappean beds. The remarkable similarity of the new intertrappean fauna to that of Asifabad and the infratrappean beds of Marepalli also is suggestive of coastal‐plain conditions all along the Godavari lineament in the Late Cretaceous. Although the presence of planktonic foraminifera in the intertrappean beds of Jhilmili in the Mandla Lobe of Deccan volcanic province has been inferred in terms of a short term marine incursion from the west coast along the Narmada lineament in the Early Palaeocene, currently there is no definitive evidence for the prevalence of marine or coastal‐plain conditions along the Narmada lineament at least in the latest Cretaceous.     

New constraints on the evolution of the Gibraltar Arc from palaeomagnetic data of the Ceuta and Beni Bousera peridotites (Rif,northern Africa)

The Betic Cordillera and the Moroccan Rif together form one of the smallest and tightest orogenic arcs on Earth and almost completely close the Mediterranean to the west. For the explanation of the geodynamic evolution of the mountain belt, palaeomagnetic data that generally found clockwise block rotations in the Iberian and anticlockwise rotations in the Moroccan part of the mountain belt, have played a key role in recent works. This palaeomagnetic study has found new constraints on the rotations and timing of the peridotitic bodies outcropping in the key position at the westernmost margin of the mountain belt, in Ceuta and Beni Bousera (Rif, northern Africa).Detailed thermal demagnetization of 115 individually oriented samples from 14 sites was combined with rock magnetic and scanning electron microscopic experiments to analyze the magnetic mineralogy responsible for the remanences and the mechanisms and relative times of their acquisition. In Ceuta, up to three magnetic components, and in Beni Bousera, up to two magnetic components have been found, that are all to be interpreted as chemical remanent magnetizations (CRM). The data suggests the following succession of geodynamic events affecting the peridotites until recent times: (1) after their exhumation and subsequent cooling about 20 Ma ago, they recorded a characteristic remanent magnetization of both normal and reversed polarities, carried by (pseudo-)single-domain magnetite grains; (2) after their dismembering, the Ceuta peridotites were tilted southward by 22–34° about a horizontal or tilted axis (up to plunge 50°) with an azimuth of 72–145° and the Beni Bousera peridotites were rotated anticlockwise by 72.3 ± 12.1° about a vertical axis and (3) both recorded another magnetic signal of normal polarity only, carried by multi-domain magnetite grains; and finally (4) the Ceuta peridotites rotated anticlockwise by 19.7 ± 5.9° about a vertical axis.This study provides the first palaeomagnetic data for the Ceuta peridotites that, with their tilt and recent small net rotation, had a distinct geodynamic evolution from the large net rotations about vertical axes in Beni Bousera and Ronda (Betic Cordillera). Moreover, earlier palaemagnetic data for Beni Bousera is improved, as mixed polarities have been found in the older of the remanences for the first time, and its interpretation as a CRM changes the rotation timing that was proposed previously. The sequence of events exposed in this work are important constraints that need to be incorporated in any geodynamic model of the evolution of the Betic–Rifean mountain belt.     

Rotational overthrusting of the northwestern Himalaya: further palaeomagnetic evidence from the Riasi thrust sheet, Jammu foothills, India

Thermal demagnetization results (316 samples) are presented for the Tertiary succession of the Riasi thrust sheet (Jammu foothills, northwestern Himalaya). Primary and secondary magnetization directions of Murree Group red beds (Miocene to Upper Eocene) sampled northeast of Jammu indicate, for this part of the Riasi thrust sheet, a clockwise rotation over about 45° with respect to the Indian shield since Late Eocene/Early Miocene time. This accords with clockwise rotations of similar magnitude observed in the Panjal Nappe and the Krol Belt, and is interpreted as representative for the northwestern Himalaya. Results from the western part of the Kalakot inlier, sampled northwest of Jammu, i.e. basal Murree claystone (Middle Eocene) and carbonate from the Subathu Group (lower Middle to Lower Eocene), indicate an aberrant 20–25° counterclockwise rotation which is of local importance only. Available observations on rotation of Himalayan thrust sheets with respect to the Indian shield, indicate that the Himalayan Arc has formed through oroclinal bending. This supports Powell and Conaghan's and Veevers et al.'s model of Greater India with large-scale intracontinental underthrusting along the Main Central Thrust beneath the Tibetan Plateau. Minimal magnitudes of underthrusting of 550 km in the Krol Belt and 650 km in the Thakkhola region are concluded. Palaeolatitude observations (herein and in [1[) agree with absolute positioning of the Indian plate based on India-Africa relative movement data fixed to a hotspot frame in the Atlantic Ocean, and with palaeolatitude observations from DSDP cores on the Indian plate. Collision-related secondary magnetic components observed both to the north and to the south of the Indus-Tsangpo Suture zone show palaeolatitudes between the equator and 7°N. Comparison of both datasets indicates that initial contact between Greater India and south-central Asia had been established in the Hindu Kush—Karakorum region by about 60 Ma ago whereas eastwards progressive suturing had advanced to the Lhasa Block segment of the Indus-Tsangpo Suture zone before 50 Ma ago.     

The first discovery of the middle Lochkovian (Devonian) conodonts in South Gobi,Mongolia

The Tsagaanbulag Formation of the Ulaan-Shand section in the Shine Jinst area was assigned to Silurian (Wenlock-Pridoli) previously. But the present authors have found some very important conodonts, including Lanea omoalpha, Amydrotaxis johnsoni, "Ozarkodina" planililingua, Pedavis sp., from the Tsagaanbulag and Amansair formations, clearly indicating that these two formations should be assigned to middle Lochkovian which are widely distributed in China and Mongolia. The existence of the marine Wenlockain and early Ludlovian deposits in Mongolia is a noteworthy problem.     

Paleomagnetism, geochronology, and magnetic mineralogy of Devonian dikes from the Kola alkaline province (NE Fennoscandian Shield)

The new paleomagnetic data on forty dikes and two intrusive plutons of Devonian age located in different parts of the Kola Peninsula, which have not been previously covered by systematic paleomagnetic studies, are reported. We describe the results of the rock magnetic, petrographic, and microprobe investigations of the Devonian dikes and present their isotopic ages (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, stepwise heating). Within the studied area, almost all the Devonian dikes, metamorphic Archaean-Proterozoic complexes of the Fennoscandian Shield, and Proterozoic dikes have undergone low-temperature hydrothermal-metasomatic alteration, which resulted in the formation of new magnetic minerals with a secondary (chemical) component of magnetization. The comparison of the paleomagnetic poles indicates the Early Jurassic age of the secondary component. We suggest that regional remagnetization event was caused by endogenic activity genetically related to the formation of the Barents Sea trap province 200–170 Ma ago. On the basis of the obtained data, the preliminary Devonian paleomagnetic pole of the East European Platform is determined.     

Magnetic petrology of eastern North America diabases, I. Olivine-normative dikes from western South Carolina

The oxide mineralogy and magnetic properties were examined in a suite of fifteen olivine-normative diabase dike samples from western South Carolina in an attempt to elucidate their magnetic petrology. Titanomagnetite (1–2 vol.%) is the dominant Fe-Ti oxide mineral. Ilmenite and secondary magnetite are generally present in very minor amounts. Chromite constitutes up to 0.5 vol.%; its abundance and composition correlate with bulk rock Cr. Various types of fine-scale microstructure are evident in titanomagnetite crystals. The most important are patterned anisotropism and the development of trellis-type ilmenite lamellae. Microprobe analyses indicate: (1) titanomagnetite compositions, x, are mostly between 0.4 and 0.55, and (2) low analytical totals are characteristic of most titanomagnetites. Curie temperatures of the diabases are 500–540°C, which are several hundred degrees higher than predicted from the observed titanomagnetite x's (150–300°C). We attribute these higher Curie temperatures to oxidation of the titanomagnetites, which has produced “titanomaghemites” having visible microstructure and yielding low analyses (because they are cation deficient). Natural remanence magnetization and REM (ratio of natural remanence to saturation remanence) vary between 4 and 100 × 10⁻⁴ A m² kg⁻¹ and 0.0019 and 0.032, respectively. These properties inversely correlate with Cr content and demonstrably contrast Cr-rich and Cr-poor samples. Initial susceptibility, saturation magnetization and coercivity values show a two- to three-fold range. Variations in initial susceptibility and coercivities appear to be largely related to the type and extent of oxidation-induced microstructure in the titanomagnetites.     

Early diagenesis in sediments from the eastern equatorial Pacific,I. Pore water nutrient and carbonate results

Interstitial waters were extracted from cores at three locations in the eastern equatorial Pacific and analyzed for nutrients, dissolved carbonate species, Mn and Fe. From the depth variation in pore water chemistry, we infer that organic matter oxidation reactions occur with depth in the following sequence: O₂ reduction, NO₃^? and MnO₂ reduction, and then ferric iron reduction. From NO₃^? results we infer that O₂ is largely or totally consumed within the top few centimeters of sediment. NO₃^? is completely reduced at a sediment depth of 20 cm at a site near the crest of the East Pacific Rise, but is preserved at levels of 20–30 μmol/kg at 40 cm depth at a Guatemala Basin site.We have calculated the alkalinity for pore water samples assuming ions diffuse according to relative ionic diffusion coefficients, that the stoichiometry of organic matter oxidation reactions is that of “Redfield” organic matter, and that the pore waters are saturated throughout with respect to CaCO₃. The measured alkalinity increase is only about half of the predicted value. The difference is probably a result of either enhanced mixing of the pore water in the top few centimeters of sediments by biological or physical processes, or the occurrence of an inorganic reaction which consumes alkalinity.At depths of oxygen and nitrate reduction in the sediments, the ion concentration product of CaCO₃ is the same, within the analytical error, as the solubility product of Ingle et al. [34] at 1 atm and 4°C. This result indicates CaCO₃ resaturation on pressure change during coring. Where pore water Mn concentrations become measurable, the ion concentration product increases, indicating either supersaturation with respect to calcite or that another phase is controlling the carbonate solubility.     

Hydroclimatic significance of stable isotopes in precipitation from glaciers of Garhwal Himalaya,Upper Ganga Basin (UGB), India

Stable isotopic composition of precipitation as preserved in continental proxy climate archives (e.g., ice cores, lacustrine sediments, tree rings, groundwater, and organic matter) can sensitively record fluctuations in local meteorological variables. These are important natural climatic tracers to understand the atmospheric circulation patterns and hydrological cycle and to reconstruct past climate from archives. Precipitation was collected at Dokriani Glacier to understand the response of glaciers to climate change in the Garhwal Central Himalaya, Upper Ganga Basin. The local meteoric water line deviates from the global meteoric water line and is useful for the identification of moisture source in the region. The data suggest different clusters of isotopic signals, that is, summer (June–September) and winter (November–April); the mean values of δ¹⁸O, δD, and d ‰ during summer are ?13.03‰, ?84.49‰, and 19.78 ‰, respectively, whereas during winter, the mean values of δ¹⁸O, δD, and d ‰ are ?7.59‰, ?36.28‰, and 24.46 ‰, respectively. Backward wind trajectory analysis ascertains that the major source of precipitation during summer is from the Indian Summer Monsoon and during winter from the westerlies. Regression analysis has been carried out in order to establish interrelationship between the precipitation isotopic signatures and meteorological variables such as air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation. Temperature and precipitation have good correlation with the isotopic signatures of precipitation with R² values >.5, suggesting that both temperature and amount effects prevail in the study region. Multiple regression analysis found strong relationships for both the seasons. The relationship of deuterium excess with δ¹⁸O, relative humidity, and precipitation are significant for the winter season. No significant relationships of deuterium excess were found with other meteorological variables such as temperature and radiation. The correlation and regression analysis performed are significant and valuable for interpretation of processes in the hydrological cycle as well as for interpretation of palaeoclimate records from the region.     

The catalogue of Quaternary volcanoes of the Greater Caucasus based on geochronological,volcanological and isotope-geochemical data

A catalogue of Quaternary volcanoes of the Greater Caucasus has been compiled based on recent geological, petrological-geochemical and isotope-geochronological data obtained in the last decades. This catalogue provides insight into the evolution of the youngest magmatism in this part of the Alpine-Himalayan fold belt at the modern level of knowledge. The catalogue is given as a set of tabular data on 74 volcanic edifices that have been found and described in literature in varying detail, including their coordinates, absolute height, type of edifice and the predominant type of eruption, age, as well as main petrographic, isotope-geochemical characteristics, and the chemical composition of the products of magmatic activity. For the sake of convenience, the volcanoes of the Kazbek and Elbrus neovolcanic areas representing two main areals of young magmatism at the Greater Caucasus are described separately. In addition, data on the Kazbek area are grouped by traditionally distinguished volcanic centers. Text presents general information on the Quaternary volcanic activity within the Greater Caucasus, its geochronology, spatiotemporal distribution, and petrogenesis of the youngest volcanic rocks.     

The geology of the igneous complex of the Barda hills,saurashtra, Gujarat state (India)

The Barda group of hills represents a centre of laccolithic intrusion. The rocks encountered here are pierite basalt, rhyolite, obsidian, granophyre, felsite, aplite and diorite. There is evidence for both « Fissure Type » and « Central Volcanic Type » of igneous activity in the region, which seem to have occurred in three different phases. The parent magma has been shown to be tholeiitic in composition. The acid rocks may have been formed by crystal fractionation along with diffusion of alkalis and volatiles. The origin of diorite is attributed to a process of hybridization.     

Crustal structure beneath the eastern part of the Coast Ranges (Diablo Range) of central California from explosion seismic and near earthquake data

Seismic refraction and near earthquake data of the U.S. Geological Survey for central California have been compiled into record sections along profiles and interpreted in terms of crustal structure. The profiles are located northeast of the San Andreas fault of central California and run parallel to the general structures. For the explosion seismic line through the centre of the Diablo Range, an uppermost layer (Franciscan formation) with P velocities of 3.6–5.0 km s^?1 decreases in thickness towards the northwest. The lower boundaries of layers with constant velocities of 5.75 and 6.8 km s^?1 are found at almost constant depths of 12 and 21 km, respectively. Between 21 and 26 km depth a well-defined low-velocity zone appears whose velocity is estimated as ～ 5.3 km s^?1 with the aid of a hedgehog inversion and the calculation of amplitudes. This zone is underlain by a layer 3–5 km thick with a velocity of 7.6 km s^?1. The upper-mantle velocity beneath the Moho at 29–30 km depth is 8.2 km s^?1. The near earthquake profiles, located ～ 20 km southwest and parallel to the explosion seismic line, follow more or less the Hayward and Calaveras fault systems. The velocity-depth distribution derived for the earthquake data is very similar to that found beneath the Diablo Range. However, the low-velocity zone at 21–26 km depth does not seem to exist everywhere along the line. The Moho is not disturbed beneath the Calaveras, Hayward and Silver Creek faults; it rises slightly from the Diablo Range towards the southwest.     

Paleoecological associations of middle Llandovery (Silurian) corals from Huaying Mountain,eastern Sichuan Province

Corals are comparatively abundant in the upper member of the Baiyun’an Formation (upper Aeronian to lowerest Telychian, Llandovery, Silurian) of Huaying, eastern Sichuan Province, Southwest China. Three coral associations have been recognized, i.e., in ascending order, the Mesofavosites Association, the Dentilasma Association, and the Paraceriaster Association. The Mesofavosites Association occurs at horizons indicating a shallow and high-energy environment. It is dominated by large favositids accompanied by a few broken pieces of halysitids and small solitary rugose corals. The Dentilasma Association has a pretty high coral diversity, dominated by the solitary rugose coral Dentilasma meitanense, together with some subordinative heliolitids and favositids. The sedimentary evidence shows that this association might live in a quiet and nutritive shallow water environment. The Paraceriaster Association yields in the grayish green calcareous mudstone indicating a comparatively deep water environment. Systematically it contains abundant fasciculate Paraceriaster micropora and a few favositids. The distinction among these three coral associations shows that corals could adopt different adaptive strategies under different environments, which provide some new data for the investigation on the ecology of Silurian corals and further study on the "Lower Red Beds".     

Seismic Discrimination of the May 11, 1998 Indian Nuclear Test with Short-period Regional Data from Station NIL (Nilore, Pakistan)

v—vRegional seismic discriminants for the May 11, 1998 Indian underground nuclear test(s) and earthquakes recorded at station NIL (Nilore, Pakistan) provide new data to test strategies that can be used to monitor the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Three categories of regional discriminants (ratios of P- and/or S-wave energy) were measured on short-period (0.5–6uHz) seismograms: P/S amplitude ratios (phase ratios) measured in the same frequency band, P- and S-wave spectral ratios (i.e., low frequency to high frequency for the same phase) and P/S cross-spectral ratios (i.e., low frequency S-wave to high frequency P-wave). The P/S amplitude ratios show good separation of the Indian nuclear test and regional earthquakes for Pn/Lg and Pn/Sn, however Pg/Lg does not discriminate as well. Pn/Lg and Pn/Sn discriminate well at frequencies as low as 0.5–2uHz, especially after accounting for path effects. This observation differs from previous studies that report poor separation of earthquakes and explosions at lower frequencies. The P/S amplitude ratios do not show any magnitude dependence, suggesting that forming the ratios in a fixed frequency band cancels the effects of source size-corner frequency scaling. Spatial variability of the observed discriminants arises from variations in crustal waveguide and/or attenuation structure (path propagation effects). Grouping amplitude ratios for earthquakes with paths similar to the Indian test greatly improves discrimination. Removing distance trends does not generally improve discrimination. Accounting for path effects with Bayesian kriging significantly improves discrimination. Spectral ratios (e.g., Pn [0.5–1uHz]/Pn [4–6uHz]) and cross-spectral ratios (e.g., Lg [1–2uHz]/Pn [4–6uHz]) show distance and magnitude dependence. We developed a technique for simultaneously removing the effects of distance and source size-corner frequency scaling on amplitude and spectral ratios. The technique uses a gridsearch to find several parameters that characterize the observed distance and magnitude dependence. Discrimination of the Indian test improved dramatically after the distance and magnitude trends were removed from the spectral and cross-spectral ratio data.     

Chronology of the Upper Pleistocene loess sequence of Havrincourt (France) and associated Palaeolithic occupations: A Bayesian approach from pedostratigraphy,OSL, radiocarbon,TL and ESR/U-series data

In connection with the future Seine-North Europe Canal (Seine-Scheldt), a large-scale rescue archaeological survey was conducted at Havrincourt (northern France) between 2008 and 2011. The discovery of several levels of Palaeolithic flint artefacts embedded in a relatively thick loess sequence (ca 6–7 m) preserved on a gentle slope facing North-East, resulted in a 6000 m² excavation. This opened the opportunity for a detailed pedosedimentary and interdisciplinary geochronological survey (¹⁴C, optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence, ESR/U-series) that has allowed us date the sequence reliably. On the basis of these results we propose this sequence as a new pedostratigraphic and archaeological reference sequence for northern France. We present here the optical dating of the sequence performed on fine (4–11 μm) quartz grains extracted from 17 samples. The luminescence characteristics of these extracts indicate that the single-aliquot regenerative dose optically stimulated luminescence (SAR-OSL) procedure that was applied is well suited. A consistent set of optical ages was obtained for the loess deposited up to around 70 ka ago. Independent age control (pedostratigraphy, ¹⁴C, ESR/U-series dates) allowed us to apply a Bayesian approach to build a chronometric model. This in turn enabled a regional chronostratigraphic framework to be built, to constrain the correlations with neighboring regions (northern France and Belgium) and to calculate a precise age for the four Palaeolithic levels discovered, including a unique occupation related to the early Upper Palaeolithic which was previously unknown in the area.