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Article Reference On the first Belgian record of the Eifelian (Middle Devonian) ammonoid cephalopod Subanarcestes (Suborder Anarcestina)
Ammonoid cephalopods are extremely rare in the Lower and Middle Devonian sedimentary rocks of Belgium, which contrasts with the neighboring sedimentary basins. However, searches in old collections and recent collecting efforts show that ammonoids do occur in these beds in Belgium, which allows to enlarge our knowledge of Lower and Middle Devonian ammonoid occurrences. Here, a record of the Eifelian (Middle Devonian) anarcestid ammonoid genus Subanarcestes is described for the first time from Belgium based on a specimen from the Jemelle Formation (Chavées Member). This specimen was collected more than a century ago by Eugène Maillieux at Trou Bodet near Couvin. It laid unrecognized as an ammonoid cephalopod for many decades in the collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, while being previously identified as Cryptoceras or ‘Nautilus’ fossil, which if correct, constituted Belgium’s oldest Nautilida fossil. Micro-CT imaging greatly helped in the taxonomic assignment of the specimen.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference A Santonian record of the nautilid cephalopod Angulithes westphalicus (Schlüter, 1872) from the subsurface of the Campine, north-east Belgium, with comments on regional lithostratigraphic problems
Newly recognised material of the Late Cretaceous nautilid Angulithes westphalicus is described from the subsurface of the eastern part of the Campine in north-east Belgium. This constitutes the first formal documentation of this genus and species from the Cretaceous of Belgium, having been identified amongst a large suite of fossils collected from the Voort Shafts I & II of the Zolder colliery during the first half of the twentieth century. The specimens originate from an interval of marine calcareous sand with a marly glauconiferous base, dated as late middle Santonian (Gonioteuthis westfalicagranulata belemnite Zone) and for which a deepening of the depositional environment is documented. Lithostratigraphically, the specimens occur within the Vaals Formation, within the upper part of the Asdonk Member or alternatively within the lower part of the Sonnisheide Member. The early Campanian age of the Asdonk Member suggested previously is refuted, the age of the Sonnisheide Member needs further study. The position of the siphuncle in A. westphalicus is illustrated for the first time; it is positioned closer to the venter than the dorsum, which confirms the close evolutionary relationship with Angulithes galea, which ranges from the upper Turonian to middle Coniacian in central Europe.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference The fossil bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni: a potential seasonally resolved stable isotope-based climate archive to investigate Pliocene temperatures in the southern North Sea basin
Bivalves record seasonal environmental changes in their shells, making them excellent climate archives. However, not every bivalve can be used for this end. The shells have to grow fast enough so that micrometre- to millimetre-sampling can resolve sub-annual changes. Here, we investigate whether the bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni is suitable as a climate archive. For this, we use ca. 3-million-year-old specimens from the Piacenzian collected from a temporary outcrop in the Port of Antwerp area (Belgium). The subspecies is common in Pliocene North Sea basin deposits, but its lineage dates back to the late Oligocene and has therefore great potential as a high-resolution archive. A detailed assessment of the preservation of the shell material by micro-X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and electron backscatter diffraction reveals that it is pristine and not affected by diagenetic processes. Oxygen isotope analysis and microscopy indicate that the species had a longevity of up to a decade or more and, importantly, that it grew fast and large enough so that seasonally resolved records across multiple years were obtainable from it. Clumped isotope analysis revealed a mean annual temperature of 13.5 ± 3.8 ∘C. The subspecies likely experienced slower growth during winter and thus may not have recorded temperatures year-round. This reconstructed mean annual temperature is 3.5 ∘C warmer than the pre-industrial North Sea and in line with proxy and modelling data for this stratigraphic interval, further solidifying A. benedeni benedeni's use as a climate recorder. Our exploratory study thus reveals that Angulus benedeni benedeni fossils are indeed excellent climate archives, holding the potential to provide insight into the seasonality of several major climate events of the past ∼ 25 million years in northwestern Europe.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference New data on the Devonian and Carboniferous Graptolithina (Dendroidea) from Belgium with notes on possible occurrences of Rhabdopleuridae in the Belgian Carboniferous
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Tracking the source of lead of medieval glazed pottery of the Meuse valley (Belgium) through lead isotope analyses.
Abstract Lead isotope analyses (by MC-ICP-MS) have been performed on lead-glazed pottery artefacts from several production and consumption sites in the Meuse basin (Belgium) spanning a long-time period from the 9th to the 16th century AD. Comparison of the lead isotope data of the glazes from three mosan workshops with those of galenas from Palaeozoic (Variscan) Pb-Zn deposits from both Belgium and Western Germany points to a common Pb source that we identify as the regional Pb deposits hosted in Dinantian limestones of the Ardenno-Rhenish Massif, more specifically in the Namur and Verviers synclines in Belgium and in the Aachen-Stolberg mining district in Germany. The overall similarity of isotopic compositions between the medieval artefacts and the Variscan galenas implies that the mosan medieval potters used accessible local Pb-Zn ores mined between Namur and Huy. On the consumption sites of Dinant, the slightly different isotopic compositions of some potteries suggest that other regional Pb sources were used to produce the glazes. A comparison with Roman lead objects discovered in north-western Europe (Northern Gaul) shows the very good correspondence of the Pb isotopic compositions with those of the Medieval artefacts which indicates a very long continuity of regional lead supply and consequently of lead ore mining. Keywords: Lead-glazed pottery; Middle Age; Lead isotope analysis; Lead ores; Sourcing; Mosan valley; Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Complementarity of LA-ICP-MS and petrography in the analysis of Neolithic pottery from the Scheldt River valley, Belgium.
Abstract This paper presents the results of laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of the clay fraction in 70 Late Mesolithic and Early/Middle Neolithic pottery sherds from the Scheldt basin and 10 sampled sediments. The elemental concentration results were visualized using multivariate chemometric techniques and compared to the results of petrographic analysis of the same ceramics in order to investigate the complementarity of both approaches. In addition, the results for the pottery and sediments were compared for clay sourcing purposes. Overall, the elemental analysis was able to confirm part of the observations from the petrographic analysis. However, a large part of the ceramics clustering was driven by heterogeneity in the elemental composition that does not stem from differences in the clay source used. Furthermore, no conclusions could be drawn on the use of the sampled sediments for pottery production. Therefore, it is concluded that LA-ICP-MS analysis of the clay fraction in pottery can complement petrography, but petrographic analysis remains indispensable for clay sourcing of pottery from northern Belgium. Keywords: ceramic petrography, LA-ICP-MS, t-SNE, elemental analysis, Neolithic pottery, Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Pavements et placages, l’ornementation du balnéaire privé de Warcq (Ardennes, France).
Introduction: Une fouille préventive s’est déroulée aux lieux-dits « Simonelle » et « Sous le Chemin de Tournes » de la commune de Warcq. Cette commune se situe à trois kilomètres au nord-ouest de Charleville-Mézières, à la confluence de la Meuse, du ruisseau de This et de la Sormonne. Les opérations de terrain ont permis de mettre au jour les vestiges d’une partie d’une petite villa gallo-romaine constituée d’une cave, d’une cour ainsi que d’un balnéaire . Son occupation, qui s’étend du 1er au 4e siècle de notre ère, est caractérisée par de nombreux réaménagements pouvant être rassemblés en quatre grandes phases distinctes (fig. 1). Le secteur thermal est construit vers 130-150 de notre ère (phase 2) et forme l’aile occidentale de la villa. Vraisemblablement contraints par le bâti existant, les bâtisseurs ont opté pour un plan longitudinal où seule la natatio est en saillie. Il en découle un alignement des pièces et plus particulièrement celui du caldarium et du tepidarium dans celui du praefurnium. Sur près de deux siècles, cette partie de la villa a été soumise à des modifications architecturales dont l’agrandissement du frigidarium aux dépends de la cave (phase 3, fin 2e – début 3e siècle), puis l’ajout d’un apodyterium (phase 4, milieu 3e siècle ?). Dans son dernier état, l’ensemble thermal mesure environ 18 m de long pour 5 m de large offrant aux baigneurs un itinéraire rétrograde. L’accès se fait par le vestiaire dont aucun décor n’a été observé. Le secteur froid est une salle, presque carrée (3,40 m x 2,90 m). Elle comporte un bassin à immersion (natatio) à l’ouest et une banquette plaquée contre le mur oriental. On passe ensuite par le tepidarium, une salle rectangulaire (3,30 m x 1,90 m). Le parcours se poursuit par le caldarium. Cette pièce, aux mêmes dimensions que la précédente, est pourvue en sus d’une petite alcôve de 1,20 m de long sur 0,90 m de large dans laquelle est logé un bassin. Une seconde baignoire est flanquée contre le mur occidental (fig. 1). Ce balnéaire se distingue par l’utilisation de la pierre pour son apparat décoratif. Elle est employée aussi bien pour les pavements que pour les parois. Ce type de pratique reste méconnu et peu fréquent dans le sud de la Gaule belgique. L’ornementation des thermes sera abordée au travers de l’étude de ces décors et, dans un second temps, par la caractérisation et la provenance des roches utilisées. Il convient de mentionner que ces roches se distinguent des pierres de construction qui sont en calcaire gréseux coquillier de couleur jaune pâle à beige, attribuées à la Pierre de Romery, d’extraction locale. Ce matériau affleure à quelques kilomètres de Warcq. Ce travail résulte d’une collaboration entre archéologue, géologue, restauratrices et spécialiste des pavements, et fait suite à une intervention de dépose des pavements et des revêtements muraux mis au jour lors de la fouille.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Chimpanzees surviving in a fragmented high-altitude forest landscape of the Congolese Albertine Rift
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Inbook Reference The first record of the genus Trichogomphus Burmeister from Nepal, and a checklist of Nepalese Dynastinae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Editorial. Two urgent topics: climate change and biodiversity loss
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021