Quaternary landscape evolution of the lower Seine valley: an integrated geochronological multi-method approach
Résumé
The Seine (France) drains a catchment area of 80 000 m2 and is one of the main rivers in western Europe. Despite being well known for its palaeolithic frequentation and major European sites such as Tourville-La-Riviere and Saint-Pierre-Les-Elbeuf sediment sequences, few work focused on the temporalities of the river landscape evolution. Most of the chronological constraints were associated with prehistoric data and lower fluvial levels, until recently.
We present here the results of an ESR on quartz dating campaign that was associated with magnetostratigraphic measurements on fluvial deposits in terraces and inside cave levels, in the Seine lower course (Normandy). The coupling of chronological constraints and morphometric analysis of the lower Seine paleo-meanders highlights the river landscape evolution between the first incision stages in the Normandy plateau and its present-day course.
Chronological and morphometric results are discussed altogether regarding middle and long-term processes such as uplifting dynamics and climate-driven forcings.