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1282970 
Journal Article 
Application of relative and absolute dating techniques in the alpine environment 
Favilli, F; Egli, M; Sartori, G; Cherubini, P; Brandova, D; Haeberli, W 
2009 
0 
Studi Trentini di Scienze Naturali. Acta Geologica
ISSN: 0392-0534 
Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali 
Italy (ITA) 
85 (2009) 
93-108 
The Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene climate oscillation and the Alpine landscape evolution of Val di Rabbi (Trentino, Italy) were reconstructed using a combined methodology of relative and absolute dating techniques. The research was carried out in the following four steps: 1) an earlier study examined the investigated area (aerial photos, soil mapping etc.) to detect and sample the most representative sites (soils and boulders); 2) the extraction of the oldest organic matter fraction from the soil profiles followed by radiocarbon dating; 3) the comparison of the (super 14) C dating results with the (super 10) Be age sequence from representative boulders; 4) the addition of relative dating techniques to the absolute ones to detect signals of Alpine landscape evolution. We found close links among the results obtained from the relative dating and the absolute ones, showing the dynamics of an Alpine landscape within a relatively small area. The combination of relative and absolute dating techniques is a promising tool for the reconstruction of landscape history and to detect human influences in high-elevation Alpine areas on siliceous substrates. 
Europe; C-14; climate change; upper Pleistocene; Rabbi Valley; absolute age; relative age; paleoclimatology; Cenozoic; alpine environment; Italy; pedogenesis; landform evolution; Pleistocene; depositional environment; weathering; reconstruction; beryllium; lower Holocene; geochronology; Trentino-Alto Adige Italy; dates; paleoenvironment; Southern Europe; deglaciation; metals; carbon; Trentino; alkaline earth metals; Alps; Be-10; paleosols; isotopes; terrestrial environment; Quaternary; geomorphology; radioactive isotopes; Sole Valley; Holocene