I explore links between Quaternary climate change, tectonics and earth surface processes from sediments, landscape forms and crustal data. My studies focus on the best-studied mountain range on earth, the European Alps and its foreland basins, benefiting from exceptional information on glacial impact, surface and crustal geology providing a most integrative understanding of processes.
Recent projects:
- FVVF ("Frisch vernässt"). Funding: BMLUK, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In cooperation with the Austrian Federal Forests. 2024-2027.
- AlpsChange (Alpine geo- and biodiversity during environmental changes, Project 8, Effects of rapid climate and land-use change on species diversity across a mountain front). Funding: Austrian Science Fundation). 2025-2029.
- Cool ( Local Pleistocene mountain glaciers in the Alpine-Carpathian belt and their paleoclimatic significance). Funding: ÖAD. In cooperation with AGH and Jagiellonian University, Krakow. 2022-2025.
Glacial and fluvial depositional systems
Major glaciers covered large parts of the Alps and its forelands during the last 1 Million years. The interplay between glacial and fluvial forces can be well studied in the sedimentary and geomorphic record of the North Alpine Foreland.
Further reading:
Salcher, B., Starnberger, R., Götz J. (2015): The last and penultimate glaciation in the North Alpine Foreland: New stratigraphical and chronological data from the Salzach glacier. Quaternary International.
Salcher, B., Hinsch R., Wagreich M., 2010c: High-resolution mapping of glacial landforms in the North Alpine Foreland, Austria. Geomorphology, doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2009.09.037
Glacial geomorphology, glacial and postglacial processes in alpine landscapes
Glaciers form distinct Alpine-type landscapes very differently from those in which rivers are the main erosive agent. As glaciers retreat the expose landscapes highly susceptible to modification as new geomorphic processes take over. Research on controlling factors influencing the short-and long term erosion within a deglaciated mountain range is highly needed.
Further reading
Delunel, R., Schlunegger, F., Valla, P.G., Dixon, J., Glotzbach, C., Hippe, K., Kober, K., Molliex, S., Norton, K.P., Salcher, B., Wittmann, H., Akçar, N., Christl, M., 2020. Late-Pleistocene catchment-wide denudation patterns across the European Alps. Earth-Science Reviews 211. doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103407
Kober, F., Hippe, K., Salcher, B., Grischott, R., Zurfluh, R., Hajdas, I., Christl, M., Ivy-Ochs, S., 2019. Postglacial to Holocene landscape evolution and process rates in steep alpine catchments. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 44. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/esp.4491.
Grischott, R, Kober, F., Lupker, M., Hippe, K., Ivy-Ochs, S., Hajdas, I., Salcher, B., Christl, M., 2016: Constant denudation rates in a high alpine catchment for the last 6 kyr. ESPL, doi:10.1002/esp.4070
Salcher, B., Kober, F., Kissling, E., Willett, S., 2014: Glacial impact on short-wavelength topography and long-term effects on the denudation of a deglaciated mountain range. Global and Planetary Change, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2014.01.002.
Chlaude, A., Ivy-Ochs, S. Kober, F., Antognini, M. Salcher, B., Kubik, P.W., 2014: The Chironico landslide (Valle Leventina, southern Swiss Alps): age and evolution. Swiss Journal of Geosciences, doi:10.1007/s00015-014-0170-z.
Büchi, M., Kober, F., Ivy-Ochs, S., Salcher, B., Kubik, P.W., Christl, M., 2014: Denudation rates of transient catchments controlled by former glaciation. The Hörnli Nunatak in the Swiss Alpine Foreland. Quaternary Geochronolgy ,doi:10.1016/j.quageo.2013.06.005.
Kober, F., Hippe, K., Salcher, B., Ivy-Ochs, S., Kubik, P., 2012: Debris-flow-dependent variation of cosmogenically derived catchment-wide
denudation rates. Geology, doi: 10.1130/G33406.1.
Sternai, P., Herman, F., Champagnac, J-D., Salcher, B., Fox, M.R., Willett, S.D., 2012: The preglacial topography of the European Alps.
Geology, doi: 10.1130/G33540.1.
Active tectonics and climate geology
The Vienna Basin shows complex tectonic structurs with fault activity since the Middle Miocene.
It‘s not only a suitable labratory for studies on seismic hazards (earthquakes) - its filling serves an
import archive for Quaterany climate change in the Eastern Alps...
Further reading
Zamolyi, A., Salcher, B., Draganits, E., Exner, U., Wagreich, M., Gier, S., Fiebig, M., Lomax, J., Suranyi, Diel, M., Zamolyi, F., 2016: Latest Pannonian and Quaternary evolution at the transition between Eastern Alps and Pannonian Basin: New insights from geophysical, sedimentological and geochronological data. International Journal of Earth Sciences, doi: 10.1007/s00531-016-1383-3.
Salcher, B., Meurers, B., Smit J., Decker, K., Hölzel, M. Wagreich, M., 2012: Strike-slip tectonics and Quaternary basin formation along the Vienna Basin fault system inferred from Bouguer gravity derivatives. Tectonics, doi:10.1029/2011TC002979.
Salcher, B., Wagreich M., 2010b: Climate and tectonic controls on Pleistocene sequence development and river evolution in the Southern Vienna Basin (Austria). Quaternary International, doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2009.04.007
Salcher, B., Faber R., Wagreich, M., 2010a: Climate as main factor controlling the sequence development of two Pleistocene alluvial fans in the Vienna Basin (eastern Austria) — A numerical modelling approach. Geomorphology, doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2009.06.030
Deep geothermal systems
Alpine units are deeply subsided along major faults of the Vienna Basin.
Limestones and Dolomites are reservoir rocks - not only for oil and gas, but also for thermal water.
Further reading:
Wessely, G., Neubauer, F., Salcher, B., Wagreich, M., 2016: A snapshot from the front of the Northern Calcerous Alps: Well Obermoos TH-1, Salzburg, Austria. Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences.
Salcher, B., Götzl, G., 2007: Deep heat mining in the Austrian Alps – a preliminary look on possibilities and limitations. Proceedings of the Thirty Second Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford University, California.
http://www.geotiefwien.at/eportal3/ep/channelView.do/pageTypeId/1200627/channelId/-2000038