NeolithicBronze AgeIron AgeROMModernLate MAKarM SubborealMiddle HoloceneLate Holocene Beemster depositsTer
bregge Mb.
Major reworking
Major reworking Major
reworking
Paesens
Middelzee
Westerschelde Scheldt Grevelingen Haringvliet Maasmond Rhine Hauwer t/ Bergen inlet
Oerij inlet Masrdiep Vlie
Zijpe Lauwers inlet Hunze
Hunze
RhineMeuse I
Oosterschelde Boorne / Ameland inlet Eems
Frisian inlet
? ?
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
100 150 200 250 300 350
50
Age Longshore distance (km)
Southwest Netherlands Western Netherlands Northern Netherlands
cal BP cal AD/BC
1000
0
-1000
-2000
-3000
-4000
-5000 2000
Northwestern Netherlands
large scale peat formation large scale
peat formation
Legend
Gradual silting up
Period of activity Gradual beginning/
dating uncertain
Initially inherited
tidal inlet Tidal river
outlet Sea ingression
1th order
2nd order
Beach barriers
Stabilized and preserved Tidal inlets
Back-barrier drainage inlet A taken over by inlet B A
B
Back-barrier (projected)
Accreation (regression) of supratidal ridges Subtidal and intratidal deposits
Late Holocene back-barrier clays (transgression on peat rim) Dune formation
40000
40000
90000
90000
140000
140000
190000
190000
240000
240000
380000 380000
440000 440000
500000 500000
560000 560000
620000 620000¯
0 50 100
Kilometers
Legend
Late Holocene channels and subtidal lagoons Beach barriers
Middle Holocene
and Late Holocene tidal deposits Late Holocene tidal deposits
Middle Holocene tidal deposits Southwestern
Netherlands
Western Netherlands
Northwestern Netherlands
Northern Netherlands
1 ka
2 ka
3 ka 0 ka
1 ka
2 ka
3 ka 0 ka Longshore km
Age A A’
A’
A
Late Holocene coastal plain evolution in the Netherlands
H.J. Pierik1), K.M. Cohen1,2,3) & E. Stouthamer1)
In Late Holocene coastal plains significant landscape developments took place, partly due to natural factors, but they were also affected by human activities. The coastal segments that make up the Dutch coast, each had a distinct evolution over the last 2500 years. Abundant geological and archaeological data allows to review and compare this evolution in detail.
We consider processes from the marine realm and from the hinterland, with natural and human-induced forcings. Feedbacks between these protecting landscape elements, the degree of peat land loss and human occupation are evident from details in the Late Holocene evolution.
From 5 to 2.5 ka, the coastal evolution in most coastal segments was essentially characterised by stabilisation. Under steadily decreasing rates of sea level rise a matured barrier system
protected a wide back-barrier area that saw extensive peat formation. In the last 2.5 ka however, large areas of the coastal plain area became ingressed and marine inundated, mainly as a consequence of human reclamation. Especially the peat lands in coastal segments with narrow beach barriers were more sensitive to flooding and ingression. These saw series of new tidal inlet systems develop that partly silted up again.
Coastal segments that had received abundant fluvial and marine sediment supply in times before, were much less affected by Late Holocene ingressions. The wide barrier complex and tidal-river levee systems in the back-barrier area helped preventing ingression. In the Northern Netherlands, accretion of salt marsh ridges took place half way in the back-barrier area, while regional ingression and loss of peat land occurred in further inland areas.
Additional information
Palaeogeographical development
Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and
Science
Conclusions
Project website
Longshore space-time diagram
• Major transgression (~2 - 0.5 ka)
• Large new tidal inlet systems (~2 - 0.5 ka)
• Decrease in habitation
• Stable due to beach barriers
• Silting up estuaries (~2 ka)
• Habitation on silting up tidal areas
• Coastal retrogradation
• Connection Wadden sea to Flevo Lagoon (~2 ka)
• Initial regression
(inlets silting up, supratidal areas expanding ~3 - 2 ka)
• Major peat hinterland transgression (~2 - 1.5 ka), coinciding with formation new tidal inlet systems
• People colonize newly formed land
Southwest West (Holland) Northwest North
• Late Holocene transgressions were mainly forced by subsidence as a
consequence of cultivation and reclamation of the coastal peat rim area.
• Late Holocene storm-surge erosion paths at new locations become ingressions because peat rim subsidence enlarged the tidal volume.
• Tidal-river outlets were inherited from the Middle Holocene, their position could change due to capture by landward extending sea ingressions or avulsion.
• Coastal segments react differently on reclamation activities mainly because of their inherited Holocene geological situation.
Acknowledgements
• Deltares: Peter Vos, Ad van der Spek
• Dark Age project team: Marjolein Gouw-Bouman, Bert Groenewoudt, Wim Hoek, Esther Jansma, Rowin van Lanen, Hans Middelkoop
• TNO - GSN: Freek Busschers, Kay Koster
• Cultural Heritage Agency: Menne Kosian, Henk Weerts 1) Department of Physical Geography, Factulty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht
2) Deltares Research Institute, Dept. Applied Geology and Geophysics, Princetonlaan 6-8, 3584 CB, Utrecht 3) TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Dept. Geomodelling, Princetonlaan 6-8, 3584 CB, Utrecht Corresponding author: h.j.pierik@uu.nl
Poster pdf
