Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Les Entomozoacea (Ostracodes) du Frasnien de l'extrémité occidentale du bord sud du Bassin de Dinant, Belgique
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Les Ostracodes du Frasnien et de la base du Famennien de la coupe du Km 30 (Saoura, Sahara algérien)
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Olentangiella n. gen., nouveau genre d'Entomozoidae (Ostracode)
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Geological evidence for extreme wave events on a coastal lowland facing the Tokai segment of the Nankai-Suruga Trough
- Located close to Japan’s densest concentrations of people and industry, the easternmost region of the Nankai-Suruga subduction zone has long been the focus of attempts to forecast and even precisely predict future earthquakes. While historical records attest to the occurrence of great earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis that may have originated from the Tōkai segment, past rupture zone extents and recurrence intervals remain poorly understood. Coastal stratigraphy has the potential to record the occurrence of both tsunami inundation and coseismic vertical land-level change over timescales far exceeding the historical record, with important implications for refining understanding of future hazards (Garrett et al., 2016). Here we present initial results from an extensive coring survey of the lower reaches of the floodplain of the Sagara River, close to the town of Sagara, Shizuoka Prefecture. The site lies at an altitude of ~1 – 5 m and is within the anticipated inundation zone of future worst-case tsunami scenarios. Typhoon-driven storm surges and river floods are also likely to have inundated the site, complicating the interpretation of potential tsunami deposits. Using CT scans, multi-sensor core logs, diatom assemblages and radiocarbon dates, we evaluate sedimentary processes and make the distinction between extreme wave events and fluvial deposits. Where possible, we assess methods to differentiate between storm surges and tsunami deposits. Finally, we evaluate the potential for the site to provide a long and continuous record of extreme wave events and highlight the probable influence of changing thresholds of evidence creation and preservation over time.
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Early Researchers Involved with Branchiobdellidans (Annelida: Clitellata) on Japanese Crayfish, and a Reassessment of the Taxonomic Status of Branchiobdella digitata Pierantoni, 1906
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Collision risk for six seabird species in the first Belgian offshore wind farm zone
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Collision risk for six seabirds species in the first Belgian offshore wind farm zone
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Le mammouth laineux
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Characterization of a West African coastal lagoon system: Case of Lake Nokoué with its inlet (Cotonou, South Benin)
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Multi-scale ocean colour synergy producs for coastal water quality monitoring
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CREST Final Administrative Report
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Contribution to the knowledge of the fauna of the family Pyramidellidae Gray, 1840 (Mollusca, Gastropoda) on the islands of Saint Helena and Ascension
- The Pyramidellidae of the islands of Saint Helena and Ascension are studied. New information is provided on the Pyramidellids described in the work of SMITH (1890a). Five species new to science are described: Cingulina boirai n. sp, Miralda verhaeghei n. sp., Parthenina stanyi n. sp., Odostomia lucsegersi n. sp. and Odostomia templadoi n. sp. Syntypes of Obeliscus (Syrnola) sanctaehelenae, Obeliscus (Syrnola) pumilio, Turbonilla truncatelloides, Turbonilla haroldi, Turbonilla brachia, Turbonilla assimilans, Leucotina minuta and Odostomia glaphyra are figured. A lectotype is designated for Turbonilla (Dunkeria) eritima, considered a synonym of T. assimilans. New generic allocations are proposed for seven species.
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Brachiopods from the Early Carboniferous Erdbach limestones in Hesse (Germany, Kulm Basin)
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The World Amphipoda Database: History and Progress
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Adulis and the transshipment of baboons during classical antiquity
- Adulis, located on the Red Sea coast in present-day Eritrea, was a bustling trading centre between the first and seventh centuries CE. Several classical geographers—Agatharchides of Cnidus, Pliny the Elder, Strabo—noted the value of Adulis to Greco-Roman Egypt, particularly as an emporium for living animals, including baboons (Papio spp.). Though fragmentary, these accounts predict the Adulite origins of mummified baboons in Ptolemaic catacombs, while inviting questions on the geoprovenance of older (Late Period) baboons recovered from Gabbanat el-Qurud (‘Valley of the Monkeys’), Egypt. Dated to ca. 800–540 BCE, these animals could extend the antiquity of Egyptian–Adulite trade by as much as five centuries. Previously, Dominy et al. (2020) used stable isotope analysis to show that two New Kingdom specimens of Papio hamadryas originate from the Horn of Africa. Here, we report the complete mitochondrial genomes from a mummified baboon from Gabbanat el-Qurud and 14 museum specimens with known provenance together with published georeferenced mitochondrial sequence data. Phylogenetic assignment connects the mummified baboon to modern populations of P. hamadryas in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. This result, assuming geographical stability of phylogenetic clades, corroborates Greco-Roman historiographies by pointing toward present-day Eritrea, and by extension Adulis, as a source of baboons for Late Period Egyptians. It also establishes geographic continuity with baboons from the fabled Land of Punt (Dominy et al., 2020), giving weight to speculation that Punt and Adulis were essentially the same trading centres separated by a thousand years of history.
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An integrated study of dark earth from the alluvial valley of the Senne river (Brussels, Belgium).
- The present article discusses the integration of urban geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical data of a series of Dark Earth deposits situated in the alluvial valley of the Senne River in Brussels, Belgium. Due to their homogeneous character, their interpretation is a huge challenge for archaeologists. Through a caseby-case approach, a detailed picture of the sequence of different activities and (semi-) natural events, leading to the build up of Dark Earth at each individual site has been obtained. Among the activities, agricultural practices and waste management, which are rarely archaeologically recorded in urban contexts, have been identified. Despite being situated in a valley context, none of the sites presented an excellent preservation of the organic plant remains. However, through the integration of geoarchaeological and botanical data, the taphonomical history of the botanical remains could better be understood, allowing us to document the evolution of the environment surrounding the sites. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that the botanical study of Dark Earth units can also provide valuable information on vegetal consumption, in particular fruits. On a broader scale, this integrated geoarchaeologial and archaeobotanical study sheds some light on the process of urbanisation of the Senne alluvial valley between the 11the12th and the 16th century AD.
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THE PEAT DEPOSITS FROM BRUSSELS (BELGIUM): THE HOLOCENE EVOLUTION OF THE LANDSCAPE IN THE SENNE VALLEY
- Whereas the evolution of the land cover of the Holocene landscape is rather well documented for the main basin of the Scheldt river (Verbruggen et al , 1996), the vegetation history of Senne valley remains poorly documented Over the last decade, during the systematic archaeological survey conducted by the Direction of Monuments and Sites of the Brussels Capital Region, several exceptionally well preserved meters thick peat deposits have been discovered in the historical centre of Brussels and its surroundings The first results of the palynological, paleofire and geoarchaeological studies reveal a nearly continuous sequence throughout the Holocene The interdisciplinary study of these deposits offer a huge potential to explore the evolution of the paleoenvironment in the river valley and further to contribute to spatial reconstructing the landscape development of the area trough the time As the sites are situated as well in the historical city centre as in the surrounding area it will also allow us to reconstruct the impact of the urbanisation on the natural vegetation and transformation of the peatland ecosystem into urban and cultivated areas in Brussels and its immediate surroundings
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Isorhipis melasoides (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) in de Botanische Tuin Jean Massart (Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest)
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Solving the missing pieces of the gharial puzzle: new phylogenetic framework combining morphological, molecular, and biostratigrapic data to unravel the evolution of long-snouted crocodylians
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An update on the Maastrichtian Geoheritage Project
- The youngest time interval of the Cretaceous is known as the Maastrichtian Age, a reference to the strata exposed in the area surrounding the city of Maastricht, in the Netherlands-Belgium border region (Jagt 2001). The stratigraphic succession at the original type-locality of the Maastrichtian (adjacent to the former ENCI quarry, south of Maastricht) only covers the upper part of the Maastrichtian Stage as defined nowadays. However, recent integrated bio- and chemostratigraphic revision by Vellekoop et al. (2022) has shown that in combination with similar lithological sequences at other quarries in the region (e. g., Hallembaye, Curfs), a substantial part of the Maastrichtian Stage is represented. Over the past centuries, the type-Maastrichtian strata have provided a wealth of paleontological data. Despite its importance to the global geological community, most of the quarries in the region have been closed over the last decades. Instrumental quarries such as that of Curfs have already been out of commission for more than a decade, while others, such as the ENCI quarry, were recently closed. Because the soft limestone rocks weather easily and become overgrown rapidly, access to and study of the Maastrichtian rock succession in its type area is becoming very limited. To preserve the geological heritage of this original type-locality of the Maastrichtian, in 2018 we initiated the ‘Maastrichtian Geoheritage Project’. The goal of this project is to preserve the geological heritage of the Maastrichtian type area by (1) digital imagery, using drone photogrammetry and Differential GPS Base & Rover to generate high-resolution and georeferenced 3D models of the most important quarries in the Maastrichtian type region; and (2) archiving rock samples of these quarries for future research. Over the past years, we collected high-resolution (5 cm spacing) reference sample sets from the Hallembaye (2018) and ENCI (2019) quarries, and generated detailed geo-referenced 3D models for both quarries. For the next few years, several other instrumental quarries will be targeted. The acquired sample sets have already spurred a range of stratigraphic, geochemical and paleontological studies (e.g. Vellekoop et al. 2022), including detailed profiles of carbon isotope data and major and trace element concentrations, and many more to come. Moreover, the Maastrichtian Geoheritage Project sample sets will be made available for collaboration with other researchers in the field. Jagt, J.W.M., 2001. The historical stratotype of the Maastrichtian: A review. In: Odin, G.S. (Ed.), The Campanian-Maastrichtian Boundary, pp. 711–722. Elsevier Science B.V. Vellekoop, J. et al. 2022. A new age model and chemostratigraphic framework for the Maastrichtian type area (southeastern Netherlands, northeastern Belgium). Newsletters on Stratigraphy [accepted]
