Quaternary and glacial geology

Quaternary, the youngest part of Earth history, is characterized by extreme climate variations. Forming the uppermost layer, Quaternary deposits are the ground on which most constructions are built. They contain a large proportion of the groundwater and of the aggregate resources and, at the same time, they form the substrate on which our modern soils have developed. Many environmental issues, such as groundwater protection and soil contamination, involve problems of Quaternary geology, although glacial sediments and the climate-controlled Quaternary stratigraphy differ fundamentally from the deposits of other ages. Quaternary and glacial geology combines not only the principles of quaternary geology but is also an introduction to the methods of investigation and an overview of Quaternary stratigraphy for geoscientists and archaeologists.