Pleistocene strata of the Wadden Sea region are mostly covered by an up to 10m thick sediment wedge deposited during the Holocene transgression. However, tidal inlets cut deep into the Holocene succession, causing Middle Pleistocene to early Holocene glacial and interglacial deposits to outcrop at the channel bottom. To investigate how the lithological properties and/or morphologies of these deposits affect the development of Holocene tidal inlets (e.g. limiting erosional processes), we analysed a series of eight cores to verify three high-resolution sub-bottom transects – and thus – to extend point-based data over a broader area. Furthermore, eight additional new cores (16 WASA cores in total), and 14 reinterpreted cores from the LBEG (Geological Survey of Lower Saxony) log database, were correlated to generate three short cross-sections at the transition from the tidal inlet (Riffgat channel) to the island of Norderney, revealing a number of new aspects for the reconstruction of the Pleistocene palaeoenvironments, i.e. the last two glacials (Saalian and Weichselian) and interglacials (Holsteinian? and Eemian). A succession of Middle Pleistocene lacustrine delta deposits, belonging either to the Holsteinian or the Dömnitz temperate stage, suggests the presence of Elsterian tunnel valleys located below the island. Furthermore, we verified the presence of an Eemian mixed tidal-flat system overlain by an Eemian sand tidal flat below the western head of Norderney which is, in contrast to suggestions from previous studies, not fully eroded in this area. Finally, we demonstrate that the Saalian moraine (Drenthe Main Till) functions as a limiting constraint in the vertical development of the Holocene/modern Riffgat channel. Our results provide a better understanding of the Quaternary stratigraphy of the central Wadden Sea as well as the influence of the subsurface geology on the architecture and evolution of tidal channels.

中文翻译：

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Norderney潮汐盆地的中更新世至全新世早期地下地质：来自核心数据和高分辨率海底剖面的新见解（瓦登海中部，北海南部）

瓦登海地区的更新世地层大部分被全新世海侵期间沉积的高达 10 m 厚的沉积楔所覆盖。然而，潮汐入口切入了全新世序列的深处，导致中更新世至全新世早期冰期和间冰期沉积物在河道底部露头。为了研究这些沉积物的岩性特性和/或形态如何影响全新世潮汐入口的发展（例如限制侵蚀过程），我们分析了一系列八个岩心以验证三个高分辨率的海底横断面 - 并因此 - 扩展更广泛区域的基于点的数据。此外，还有 8 个额外的新核心（总共 16 个 WASA 核心），以及来自 LBEG（下萨克森州地质调查局）日志数据库的 14 个重新解释的核心，相关以在从潮汐入口（Riffgat 通道）到 Norderney 岛的过渡处生成三个短横截面，揭示了重建更新世古环境的一些新方面，即最后两个冰川（Saalian 和 Weichselian）和间冰期（荷尔斯泰因？和埃米亚）。一系列中更新世湖泊三角洲沉积物属于荷尔斯泰因期或 Dömnitz 温带阶段，表明该岛下方存在 Elsterian 隧道谷。此外，我们验证了在 Norderney 西部头部下方的 Eemian 沙滩上覆盖的 Eemian 混合潮滩系统的存在，与先前研究的建议相反，该区域并未完全侵蚀。最后，我们证明了 Saalian 冰碛（Drenthe Main Till）在全新世/现代 Riffgat 通道的垂直发展中起到了限制性约束的作用。我们的研究结果提供了对瓦登海中部第四纪地层学以及地下地质对潮汐通道结构和演化的影响的更好理解。