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Article Reference Le « Coticule » de Vielsalm et Lierneux (Belgique) : une pierre à aiguiser au passé mondial
The coticule is an Ordovician aged metamorphic rock only present in the southern part of the Stavelot Massif on the towns of Vielsam and Lierneux. It comes in centimeter thick layers consisting in micrometric crystals of spessartite, microphyllites of micas, infra micrometer quartz. Its exceptional sharpening properties of the metal (razor sharp thin, sharp broad, sharp curve) gave its reputation of a natural abrasive stone and a global distribution (barber, circumciser, surgeon, butcher, carpenter, cabinetmaker, arborist, gardener, winemaker, tanner, coachbuilder ...). Exploited and shaped since the 16th century, the coticule was exported as a whetstone (aka razor stone), the "bouts belges" and to special forms. It was operated by craftsmen, primarily from the surface in open pits, in trenches and then by underground galleries, following the evolution of mining techniques of lighting and drainage. The material was sawn, made in standard sizes and polished by the quarry workers and then in small workshops. The high number of models, the various manufacturing steps entirely manual, the low yield (2-5%), competition from synthetic stones, and the disappearance of part of the customer after the Second World War sounded the death knell of this unique activity. Located in Lierneux, a quarry still operates today the coticule and most of its production is exported to the United States of America. The old mining galleries are today the winter refuge of bats populations. They are considered as cavities of scientific interest. Finally, the Museum of the coticule in Salmchâteau (Vielsalm) presents this manufacturing industry with a global destiny.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Inproceedings Reference Geothermal resources assessment methodology in Wallonia (Belgium).
The Geological Survey of Belgium (GSB) is involved in geothermal resources assessment at European scale with GeoElec and Thermomap (very shallow) projects and at regional scale with the geothermal plate-form of Wallonia. The GSB has recently completed a first evaluation of geothermal potential of the Walloon region for medium to high enthalpy (300-6000 m). In 2008, the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted an updated assessment of geothermal resources in the United States. The volume method was the primary scheme applied to identified geothermal systems in which the recoverable heat is estimated from the thermal energy available in a reservoir. In some European countries, the temperature data available generally allow to produce a heat flow map at great depth. The subsurface temperature measurements of Belgium were first compiled by Legrand in 1975 and updated by Vandenberghe & Fock in 1989. The temperature values from the coal and hydrocarbon exploration wells are significantly spread over the reservoirs. The geothermal gradients are strongly influenced by groundwater circulation. The fold and thrust belt context of the subsoil in Wallonia makes geothermal gradient interpretation, reservoir temperatures and reservoir volume difficult to assess. The first geothermal reservoirs identified at 1 kilometer depth were mapped by Berckmans & Vandenberghe (1998). The northern Campine and Anvers regions, the Hainaut basin, and the corridor between Liège and Visé were considered as potential areas. The waloon geothermal plate-form project consisted mainly in preparing and collecting deep geological structure and geothermal resource of the underground data. Geophysical, geological, temperatures and hydrogeological data required some up to date re-interpretation to match the current model knownledge of the deep geological underground of Wallonia. More details were given by a focused study on Liege area with a 3D model realized by Liege University and a chemical geothermometer analyse conducted by GSB. Two maps of geothermal energy interests were produced: one for low to medium depth (300-3000 m), and another one for great depth (3000-6000 m). They mainly represent cartography of the Devono-Carboniferous limestones and Lower Devonian quartzites for two geothermal horizons. Simplified versions of the two maps destinated to the public and policy makers were constructed according to the USGS geothermal resource and reserve terminology, illustrated in the Mc Kelvey diagram (1980). Berckmans A., Vandenberghe N., 1998. Use and potential of geothermal energy in Belgium. Geothermics 27: 235 - 242. Legrand, R. (1975). Jalons Géothermiques. Mémoire Explicatif Cartes Géologique, Mines Belgique, 16 :46 pp. Mc Kelvey (1980). US Geologcal Survey. Principles of a Resource/Reserve classification for Minerals, Circular 831. Vandenberghe N., Fock W. Temperature data in the subsurface of Belgium, 1989. Temperature data in the susbsurface of Belgium. Tectonophysics 164, 237-250.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Inproceedings Reference The plastic clay industry in Andenne (Belgium), a geological and historical approach.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Baelen, province of Liege, Belgium: A Germanic Settlement in Late Antique northern Gaule
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference L’établissement germanique du Bas-Empire à Baelen/Nereth, province de Liège (Belgique).
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Habitats du Néolithique ancien en Hainaut occidental (Ath et Beloeil, Belgique) : Ormeignies « Le Pilori » et Aubechies « Coron Maton ».
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Inproceedings Reference Le site Bas-Empire de Baelen/Nereth, province de Liège. Un établissement germanique dans l’est de la Wallonie.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference High diversity of acrodontan lizards in the Early Eocene Vastan Lignite Mine of India
The Ypresian Cambay Formation at Vastan Mine in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich herpetological fauna including snakes, lizards and amphibians, but strangely, lizards are only represented by Acrodonta. Here we describe the acrodontan assemblage based on numerous, diverse and well-preserved dentaries, premaxillae, and maxillae. Among the five taxa described one new genus and species characterised by a short splenial represents the youngest occurrence of the extinct family Priscagamidae. The other four taxa belong to the extant family Agamidae. Two of them previously known, Vastanagama susanae and Tinosaurus indicus, are here revised. The two other taxa are new. The first one, Suratagama neeraae gen. and sp. nov., is characterised by the presence of six small pleurodont teeth with a nearly cylindrical shaft and an obtusely pointed apex. The second one, Indiagama gujarata gen. and sp. nov., has rectangular teeth in lateral view, unicuspid crowns forming a nearly horizontal cutting edge, and wear facets on both the lingual and labial sides of the dentary. Our results confirm that Acrodonta is the only lizard group present in Vastan, whereas many other groups are already present from the beginning of the Early Eocene on the other continents. The diversity of the agamids in Vastan and the absence of non-acrodontan lizard in India tentatively support the Out-of-India hypothesis for agamids.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference New specimens of the early Eocene bird Vastanavis and the interrelationships of stemgroup Psittaciformes
We describe new skeletal elements of Vastanavis from the early Eocene Cambay Shale Formation of western India, including a small coracoid that represents an unnamed new species, and comment on the relationships between this avian taxon and the recently described Avolatavis from the early Eocene Green River Formation in North America. Like the previously described ones, the new Vastanavis bones resemble those of the late Eocene Quercypsittidae, thus strengthening psittaciform affinities of the Indian taxon. Vastanavis differs from Avolatavis in the presence of a crista medianoplantaris on the tarsometatarsus and in claw morphology, but a fossil from the early Eocene London Clay, which was previously assigned to Vastanavidae, closely resembles Avolatavis in these features and all other osteological aspects. We show that most branches in a recent phylogeny of stem group Psittaciformes collapse after modification of a single erroneous character scoring for Vastanavis. We further describe a morphologically distinctive distal humerus of a small bird resembling the stem group nyctibiid Paraprefica, which was discovered in the most recent excavation in Vastan Lignite Mine.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The carnivoran-like insectivore Butselia biveri Quinet & Misonne, 1965 (Mammalia, Plesiosoricidae) from the lowermost Oligocene of Europe
Plesiosoricidae is a small extinct family of soricomorphan insectivores distributed from the Early Eocene to the Late Miocene on the three continents of the Northern Hemisphere. One of two known plesiosoricid subfamilies is represented by the particular Eurasian subfamily Butseliinae. Here we describe new dental and postcranial elements of Butselia biveri, the type-species of the genus Butselia from the lowermost Oligocene of Belgium. The specialized anterior dentition shows a strong caniniform i2 while the upper and lower molars show a remarkable convergent evolution with early carnivorans, especially the small Early Eocene miacids. Tarsal bones of Butselia biveri are also identified and described, suggesting a closely relationship with Nyctitheriidae but also indicating some convergent features with small scansorial carnivorans.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications