Introduction
This animation shows the Palaeogeographic development of the Netherlands in seven stages during the Holocene time period. The images are revised by TNO for the Nationale Onderzoeksagenda Archeologie (NOaA) from W.A. Zagwijn's original maps, published in his book "De Palaeografische ontwikkeling van Nederland in de laatste drie miljoen jaar". The maps are currently being updated to be used in a new book, that will replace Zagwijn's book.

Use
The maps can be used by teachers, people who are interested in palaeography and geography and everyone else who's interested how the Ijselmeer, the Hondsrug, or the islands and rivers were formed. Please use the timer on top to play and adjust the speed. The actual time span is from 9000 BC - 800 AD and is not correctly displayed in the time slider but in the left top corner of the maps. During the animation it's possible to zoom in or out. It's advisable to uncheck all layers except maybe the border layer to have a clearer view and you can set the transparency of the individual images by right clicking it's properties. Sources and further reading on Wikipedia.

Source Disclaimer: "RACM and TNO. Developed for the Nationale Onderzoeksagenda Archeologie (NOaA)"

Legend
The legend shows the depths in meters from NAP. The purple-red colours in the top left column represent the maritime trench systems of the Pleistocene era (9000 BC) shown in the image below the legend. The green-blue colors shows the not eroded pleistocene surface in the first image (also 9000 BC). In the top right column, the yellow areas represent beach walls and dunes, the green areas the tidal marshes, the brown areas the bog wetlands, the orange areas the higher dry lands and the grey areas represent river valleys. The right column legend is used in all the six remaining maps.

V Interesting stuff Kite

thanks danes. I guess it's the result of one week with no google earth community.

Great geological post, Kite!

Understanding the geology contributes greatly to our appreciation of the landscape and history of an area, since it explains the origins of the hills, valleys, bodies of water, and soil that provide us with a local ambiance, a substrate for the vegetation, and raw materials that we need for our lifestyles.

thank you java. by researching the maps and the explanation I'm only beginning to understand how this will enhance the efficiency of geological field research. is it right to assume that these palaeographic cards are actually treasure maps for the experienced geologists?

Very nice post, Kite, with good information.

The maps and animations serve as models that help geologists examine each other's data, and evaluate each other's hypotheses about geologic events and their causes.

Here's another set of animations - this one dealing with the effect of the motion of tectonic plates on southern California:

Map Tools for EarthScope Science and Education: Strain Rate Models

Getting back to your post:


Pssst! - You've blown the cover on our secret!

Thank you for adding more animations to this thread, JAVA. I've received an official email from NOaA to have permission to publish the maps, and added a source disclaimer in the placemark.

Geachte heer xx xxxxx,

Allereerst mijn excuses voor de wat late reactie. Ik heb echter wel goed nieuws: u kunt gebruik maken van de paleogeografische kaarten, zoals u dat in uw voorstel wilt doen. U vermeld in uw tekst netjes naar de herkomst van de kaarten. Ik wil u vragen om in ieder geval de bronvermelding te handhaven ("RACM & TNO. Ontwikkeld voor de Nationale Onderzoeksagenda Archeologie www.noaa.nl" (of de Engelse vertaling hiervan))

Wat wellicht net zo belangrijk is, is dat u verwijst naar een update die momenteel gemaakt wordt. De update zal zich voornamelijk op kleine schaal afspelen, daarom kunnen we de kaarten nu ook nog niet in een groter formaat aanbieden. Bij te veel inzoomen is er te specifieke kennis nodig over een gebied, en dat is momenteel nog niet mogelijk. Ik hoop dan ook dat u met de huidige kaarten goed uit de voeten kunt.

Succes met uw project!

met vriendelijke groet,

Margje Vermeulen

Projectsecretaris Nationale Onderzoeksagenda Archeologie (NOaA)
T 033 - 4227 681
Rijksdienst voor Archeologie, Cultuurlandschap en Monumenten
National Service for Archaeology, Cultural Landscape and Built Heritage

thank you, frank for your link in your Blog!

Added placemark to accompany and show the animation in GE.

Please click the image below to view the graphic animation.