Late Pleistocene loess-palaeosol sequences are widespread in the Vojvodina region, with thicknesses reaching a maximum of about 20 m. Our investigations include more than 40 of these loess sections. Geochronology of the last glacial loess-palaeosol sequences, based on luminescence dating and amino acid racemisation, provides correlations between Upper Pleistocene loess-palaeosol sediments in Vojvodina and comparable deposits at other European localities. Sedimentary logs of magnetic susceptibility, grain-size measurements and carbonate content, combined with malacological evidence, indicate two main relatively cold and arid phases during the last glacial period, related to intensive accumulation of loess units L1L1 and L1L2, as well as many brief episodes of dry and windy climatic conditions, suggesting a possible relationship with cold events recorded in the North Atlantic region. Generally, late Pleistocene climate in the region was dry and relatively warm, compared with glacial period sites in central Europe, and was characterised by sharp differences between glacial and interglacial modes.New data and interpretations presented in this study emphasise the significance of loess-palaeosol sequences in Vojvodina for the reconstruction of the temporal and spatial evolution of late Pleistocene palaeoclimate in this part of Europe.

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[1] Four loess units and three paleosol layers are preserved in the Irig brickyard, Vojvodina, Serbia. Amino acid geochronology provides stratigraphic correlations between loess units V-L1 and V-L2 at the Irig section with loess of glacial cycles B and C, respectively, described from other central European localities. Luminescence dating results for the upper loess layers V-L1L1 and V-L1S1L1 confirm the geological interpretations, although in samples below paleosol V-L1S1S2, the age increase with depth is less than in our proposed age model. Magnetic susceptibility and sedimentological evidence from the Irig loesspaleosol sequence show general similarities with the MIS 6-1 pattern of the SPECMAP oxygen-isotope curve. Malacogical investigations at the Irig site reveal the continuous presence of the Chondrula tridens and Helicopsis striata faunal assemblages throughout the last glacial and final part of the penultimate glacial loess. The loess snail fauna, which is characterized by the complete absence of cold-resistant species, suggests a stable, dry, and relatively warm glacial climate, compared with other central European loess localities. Furthermore, these data suggest that the southern slope of Fruška Gora was a refugium for warm-loving and xerophilus mollusc taxa during the otherwise unfavorable glacial climates of the Late Pleistocene.

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