CH-QUAT: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Quartärforschung
The Swiss Society for Quaternary Research (CH-QUAT) is an interface for scientists and professionals from different research and applied fields relating to with the Quaternary period (the last 2.6 Ma of Earth History), focusing on human development, and on the environment and the climate. We offer a platform to promote an exchange of knowledge, ideas and contacts between students, scientists, professionals from governmental institutions, private companies, and the greater public through our annual meetings and excursions. Due to COVID restrictions, the annual meeting including the general assembly for 2021 was held remotely. The annual meeting was opened with a presentation by Dr. Christian Kienholz from GEOTEST AG on “Hazard Management – Bernese mountains” discussing the Spitze Stei rockslide in Kandersteg Switzerland. In the summer of 2021, we organized two excursions: the first excursion in August was a one-day event to the Flötzerbändli site in the Bisis Valley,Muotathal examining newly discovered archeological artifacts and the second excursion in September as a two-day event to an active landslide in Brienz/Brinzauls Graubunden, highlighting it’s impact on the local community. The 19th Swiss Geoscience Meeting was to be held in Geneva, but due to increasing pandemic concerns in the autumn, was held remotely for the second consecutive year and CH-QUAT organized a successful session on current Quaternary research. Throughout the year, we were able to financially support five students and early-stage researchers (ESR) with our ‘Support for Young Scientists’ fund. This support could be used for field work or towards presenting their research at appropriate conferences. We encouraged the supported Young Scientist to present their results at the CH-QUAT session at the 19th Swiss Geoscience Meeting.
Eggenschwiler, Loren. "The year of online meetings and outside summer excursions." Quaternary Perspectives. Issue 30. June 2021. page 16-17
The general assembly of CH-QUAT was held for the second time online on 19.03.2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The general assembly is typically accompanied by an annual meeting, but was shortened to an opening presentation by Dr. Christian Kienholz from GEOTEST AG. Dr. Kienholz’s presentation focused on applied geology working of natural hazards, with a case study of the Spitze Stei rockslide in Kandersteg, Switzerland.
At the 19th Swiss Geoscience Meeting 2021, which was also held online on the 19th - 20th of November, CH-QUAT organized an open session with the topic ‘Quaternary Environments: landscapes, ecosystems, human activity during the past 2.6 million years’. A total of 11 talks and 10 posters were presented during the session. The session was held on an interactive platform that allowed participants to share media and exchange information via video and chat functions.
In 2021, five students were financially supported by CH-QUAT that could be used towards fieldwork and their active participation at various conferences or workshops. This year’s support provided aid in various field campaigns. For more detail about the work of the students, please consult our homepage (https://ch-quat.ch/de/support/2021_).
· Valentin Gasser, Master’s student, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Valentin Gasser’s master’s thesis mapping and dating geomorphological features in the forefield of the Silvretta glacier. He uses a combined approach of merging aerial photos from different times and digital elevation models based on LiDAR data. Exposure dating (10Be in Quartz) is used for age determination on moraines in his study area.
· Mattia Binaghi, Master’s student, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland. Mattia Binaghi’s master’s thesis will involve reconstructing the the post-glacial evolution in the Valaisian Alps after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The aim of his research is to discover the time and extent of the glaciers in addition to climatic conditions that caused climatic fluctuations.
· Zitong Lou, Summer research at the Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Zitong Lou investigated the distribution of bacterial tetraether membrane lipids and the stability of soil organic matter in a Swiss peatland. Through the support of CH-QUAT, she spent time in the field, collecting vegetation samples and surface soil samples. The samples were prepared for and subjected to a Rock-Eval analysis at the University of Lausanne.
· Vincente Melo Velasco, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Vincente Melo Velasco is working to reconstructing Holocene glacial history at Leg Grevasalvas catchment in Graubünden, Switzerland. With CH-QUAT support, he spent nine days in the field, mapping geomorphological features and observing glacial landforms and erosional features. Samples were also collected to perfom dating using cosmogenic nuclides in the laboratory of Ion Beam Physics at ETH Zürich.
· Isabel Schumacher, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Isabel Schumacher’s research involves the reconstruction of the timing and runout of the Voralpsee landslide, Kanton St. Gallen. With CH-QUAT support, she spent five days in the Voralpsee Valley mapping the extent of landslides deposits and sampling boulders for surface dating.
CH-QUAT regularly informs its members about current events from other associations or projects relative to national and international Quaternary research. It also provides a platform for the electronic exchange of information and coordinates external requests. In addition, the current and future events are regularly updated on our homepage on the SCNAT portal. CH-QUAT also maintains a twitter account (@ChQuat) to exchange information among the Quaternary community via social media.
With our annual excursions, which are open to members as well as to the public, we aim to bring the Quaternary closer to the people. This year the field trip brought us to the Bisisthal in Muotathal, Schwyz. This one-day excursion focused on the Flötzerbändli site where artifacts have recently been discovered. The site was still being examined and excavated. The site is located at the base of a slightly overhanging limestone rockwall offering a shelter from the rain. The excursion was organized by the committee member Prof. Dr. Jean Nicolas Haas, Universität Innsbruck supported by experts of the site PD Dr. Urs Leuzinger (archeological service of the Canton of Thurgau) and Walter Imhof (local specialist). The second excursion, a two- day trip was organized by our committee members Dr. Stefanie Wirth, GEOTEST AG, and René Löpfe , CSD Engineers, supported by the experts Stefan Schneider, CSD Ingenieure AG, and Reto Thöny, BTG Büro für Technische Geologie AG. The two-day excursion examined the active landslide in Brienz/Brinzauls (GR) and the Tamina Gorge (SG). The excursion first began in Brienz where CSD AG and BTG AG actively monitor the landslide and investigate the geological and hydrogeological mechanisms. Different locations of the landslide zone was visited as well as the core-storage facility, both gave a valuable insight into the natural hazard management and the hydrogeological investigations. On the second day we explored the old baths of the Tamina gorge near Bad Ragaz, home to a thermal spring that has been used for centuries for healing. During the walk through the 750 meter long and 70-meter-deep gorge, the formation of the gorge by the thermal waters over the last 15,000 years was discussed.
Both excursions were successful, informative, and exciting one- and two-day excursion with 11 participants on the one-day excursion and 18 participants on the two-day excursion.