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The environments of loess uplands to the north and east of the C arpathians during the penultimate interglacial ( MOIS 7 ) in palaeopedological and palaeobotanical records
Author(s) -
Łanczont M.,
Madeyska T.,
Komar M.,
Bogucki A. B.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
european journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 1351-0754
DOI - 10.1111/ejss.12111
Subject(s) - paleosol , interglacial , loess , geology , weathering , vegetation (pathology) , pedogenesis , period (music) , eemian , permafrost , physical geography , palynology , steppe , glacial period , paleontology , soil water , pollen , soil science , oceanography , archaeology , ecology , geography , medicine , physics , pathology , biology , acoustics
Summary The stratigraphic rank of warming, distinguished in marine deposits as ‘marine oxygen isotope stage 7’ ( MOIS 7 ) and recorded in terrestrial deposits as a palaeosol, has been discussed for a long time. The purpose of this paper is to describe the climate and environment of the time, determined from palaeopedological and palynological investigations of loess‐palaeosol sequences in the peri‐ and metha‐ C arpathian zones, and to correlate these sequences with the P leistocene stratigraphic units. The changes in chemical composition of the deposits were used to reconstruct the processes of chemical weathering and translocation of mobile elements during pedogenesis in three sections ( O rzechowce, G alych and V elykyi G lybochok). The variability of the mean annual temperature and precipitation was estimated from the changes of elemental ratios resulting from chemical weathering and vegetation composition. From micromorphological analysis, the stages of palaeosol development and their transformation in cold periods were reconstructed. Pollen analysis carried out for the V elykyi G lyboczok, M aksymivka and S tari K odaky sites, was used to reconstruct the vegetation cover and the temperature changes of the coldest and warmest months were calculated. The results indicate that the penultimate interglacial period, correlated with MOIS 7 , comprised two warming periods separated by a profound cooling period. Warm periods were cooler than the last interglacial and more recent conditions. Vegetation was characterized by the co‐occurrence in changing proportions of patches of mixed forests and steppe vegetation. In the cold period, permafrost developed in places and cryogenic structures were formed. Regional differentiation of biotope environments, resulting from the increase in the continental nature of the climate towards the e ast, occurred during the whole interglacial period.