Long sequence of Quaternary Rocks in the Heidelberg Basin Depocentre

A description and classification of the successions of the new scientific core drillings at Heidelberg
is presented. Since 2002 drilling and research activities were ongoing in the Heidelberg Basin (HDB), as a
mid-continental sedimentary archive within the Upper Rhine Graben (URG), Germany. The HDB is supposed
to host one of the longest continuous successions of Quaternary sediments in Europe, due to continuous
subsidence of the basin and sediment input from various sources. The HDB is about half-way between
the Alpine source area of the Rhine and the North Sea. Here the Quaternary input is least affected by discontinuities
due to climate events as alpine glacier meltdown events or periods of low sea level. Reversely, the
low infl uence of climate leads to a larger tectonic control. The sedimentary succession of more than 500 m
is considered as primarily controlled by tectonics, but with incorporated climate signals. For classifi cation
purposes, sediment provenance, lithofacies-associations, and the ratio of accommodation space and sediment
input are used. Some biostratigraphic markers are also available. We suggest a sedimentary scenario where
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the overall fl uvial environment is twice interrupted by lacustrine intervals. The accommodation space varies
too: in one period it expands even beyond the eastern boundary fault of the HDB.