Weichselian Lateglacial environmental and vegetation development in the Moervaart palaeolake area (NW Belgium); implications for former human occupation patterns

In this paper, a detailed vegetation and environmental reconstruction for the Lateglacial interstadial in the Moervaart area (NW Belgium) is discussed, in relation to former human occupation patterns. This reconstruction is based on a multi-disciplinary research carried out on calcareous deposits of a large palaeolake (~25km2). The combination of physical (magnetic susceptibility, micromorphology, organic matter, calcium carbonate), botanical (pollen, macrofossils, diatoms), zoological (chironomids, molluscs, ostracods) and chemical analyses (stable carbon and oxygen isotopes) allowed for a highly detailed reconstruction of the lake ecosystem and vegetation surrounding the lake. The chronology of the lake record was provided by radiocarbon dating and comparison with the nearby Rieme sites and regional biostratigraphy.