Pedogenic and palaeoclimatic evidence from an E emian calcrete in north‐western S ardinia ( I taly)

A multidisciplinary approach was followed to study the pedogenic and palaeoclimatic information preserved in a buried palaeosol belonging to a L ate Q uaternary succession located along the bay of A lghero ( n orth‐western S ardinia). The bay is dominated by a 5‐km long sandy beach‐ridge system backing an N‐S oriented lagoon system ( C alich). The succession studied is characterized by basal shallow marine deposits, followed by clayey lagoon sediments and colluvial strata and capped by a relatively thick aeolianite. The research was based on pedological and sedimentological analyses, supported by optically stimulated luminescence ( OSL ) dating and by an in‐depth micro‐morphological study. Three main climatic pulses were highlighted during the E emian. A wet period, with intense carbonate leaching occurred at the very beginning of the E emian interglacial followed by very dry climatic conditions. This dry phase was long and arid enough to allow the formation of a thick calcrete hardpan, a typical feature of semi‐arid environments. The hardpan is dated at about 120 ka (kilo annum) and this dry event is tentatively associated with the late E emian arid pulse ( LEAP ). The last phase of the E emian recorded the restoration of a wetter climate. Finally, the succession indicated that even in a cooler environment, the central M editerranean most probably maintained temperate conditions at least until the end of the MIS 5c (about 95 ka; early W ürm).