An aminostratigraphy for the Quaternary of the Swiss Plateau

Abstract

Here we develop an amino acid chronology to help establish a dated sequence for the important Early Pleistocene Höhere and Tiefere Deckenschotter lithostratigraphic units, as well as other Quaternary deposits from the Swiss Plateau. Age discrimination is possible between the Quaternary sites from the Swiss Plateau in six different biominerals: Bithynia opercula, shell fragments from Fruticola, Arianta and Cepaea, slug plates and worm granules. This chronology is compared with new and existing dating information derived from palaeomagnetic data, pollen, lithostratigraphy and numerical dating methods (such as optically stimulated luminescence; OSL), as well as biostratigraphic data derived from a study of Early to Late Pleistocene molluscan faunas from the Swiss Plateau. In general, the stratigraphy has been validated, with some new chronological insights at some of the few sites.