Reconstructing the paleotopography beneath the loess cover with the aid of an electromagnetic induction sensor

During the last glacial period (Weichselian), wind-blown loess was deposited over the undulating landscape of central Belgium, which had been formed in surfacing Tertiary marine sediments. Since valleys were filled up with a thicker loess layer than hill tops, the present topography is much smoother. This smoothing was enhanced by subsequent erosion processes. Reconstructing the paleolandscape at a detailed scale is almost impossible by conventional procedures based on soil augerings. Therefore, the use of the electromagnetic induction sensor, EM38DD, was evaluated as an alternative for mapping the depth to the Tertiary clay substrate. On our 2.7 ha study site, located in the loess belt of central Belgium, a strong non-linear relationship (R2 = 0.86) was found between the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), measured by the vertical dipole orientation of the EM38DD and the depth to a Tertiary clay substrate. These predictions were validated by independent observations of the depth to the Tertiary clay and a correlation coefficient of 0.83, with an average error of 0.22 m, was found. So, our dense ECa measurements (2 by 2 m resolution) allowed us to build a three-dimensionall surface of the depth to the Tertiary substrate, reconstructing the paleotopography beneath the loess cover. This paleotopography revealed distinct erosion patterns on the surface of the Tertiary clay. The continuity of these was confirmed by an analysis of surface flow patterns conducted on the reconstructed paleotopography. The non-invasive, time- and cost-effective electromagnetic induction sensor was found to offer new perspectives to reconstruct and analyse in detail the Quaternary paleotopography beneath the loess cover.