Garefalakis, Philippos (2023). Quantifying Sediment Dynamics and Grain Size Characteristics in the Swiss Molasse and Quaternary Deposits. (Thesis). Universität Bern, Bern
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23garefalakis_p.pdf - Thesis Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY 4.0). Download (54MB) | Preview |
Abstract
The North Alpine Foreland Basin has recorded the evolution of the European Alps over the course of more than 30 million years. During this time, both the orogen and the adjacent foreland basin underwent changes in tectonic processes and experienced shifts in the paleoclimate. Alluvial megafans, developing along the mountain front, are considered as archives that record these changing environmental conditions. Modifications in the stratigraphic architecture of these systems therefore reflect changes in the amount of sediment supplied (i.e., sediment flux) and, related to that, shifts in the size of grains of the transported material. In the Swiss Molasse Basin, several large-scale stratigraphic sequences document the presence of such fan systems, thereby providing an ideal natural laboratory for investigations if and how changes in the environmental conditions are recorded. This thesis explores how stratigraphic deposits record changes in allogenic (external) and autogenic (internal) mechanisms acting on the rising Alps and the adjacent alluvial megafans in the foreland basin. Chapter 2 presents different quantitative approaches to measuring the sizes of coarse-grained deposits. Chapter 3 estimates the activity of the dispersal systems on these fans and provides insight into the relative importance of tectonic and climatic controls on shifts in the supplied material. Chapter 4 focuses on how the relative mobility, an indicator of the competence of paleo-streams to transport the supplied material, evolved through space and time. Keywords: Grain size; Molasse Basin; Alluvial Fans; Sediment Flux; Self-Similarity; Relative Mobility
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Dissertation Type: | Cumulative |
| Date of Defense: | 8 December 2023 |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology |
| Institute / Center: | 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Sarah Stalder |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Jun 2025 09:00 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Jun 2025 22:25 |
| URI: | https://boristheses.unibe.ch/id/eprint/6304 |
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