A chronological and palaeoenvironmental re‐evaluation of two loess‐palaeosol records in the northern Harz foreland, Germany, based on innovative modelling tools

Schmidt, Christoph; Zeeden, Christian; Krauß, Lydia; Lehmkuhl, Frank; Zöller, Ludwig

doi:10.1111/bor.12510

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Similar horizons were later found in many European LPS (e.g. Vandenberghe et al , 1998; Vandenberghe and Nugteren, 2001; Antoine et al , 2009; Kadereit et al , 2013; Terhorst et al , 2015; Fischer et al , 2020; Schmidt et al , 2021; Moine et al , 2021) and referred to as ‘tundra gleys’ by comparison with modern High‐Arctic soils (e.g. Tedrow, 1966, 1968; to our knowledge this term was first used by Haesaert and Van Vliet‐Lanoë, 1981), ‘Gelic Gleysols’ according to the FAO (1974) soil classification or ‘Cryosol’ according to World Reference Base for Soil Resources (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015).…”

Section: Tundra Gleyssupporting

confidence: 73%

Last Glacial Maximum active layer thickness in Western Europe, and the issue of ‘tundra gleys’ in loess sequences

Bertrán

Albers

Ludwig

2022

J Quaternary Science

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Late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and MIS 2 loess-palaeosol sequences in Western Europe comprise alternating loess layer and 3-to 30-cm-thick bleached soil horizons with Fe-Mn oxide precipitations, which are usually interpreted as waterlogged active layers and referred to as 'tundra gleys'. Active layer thickness data derived from a regional climate model simulation and the fossils (shells, earthworm granules) found in 'tundra gleys' argue against such an assumption. Most of these horizons better correspond to Fe-depleted, slightly humic topsoil horizons or subsurface eluvial horizons and should be referred to as (incipient) Ag or Eg horizons. They formed during climate ameliorations associated with vegetation (cryptogams, herbs) development, possibly limited by long-lasting snow cover. Strong mixing usually occurred in these horizons due to the activity of anecic earthworms and frost activity.

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Section: Tundra Gleyssupporting

confidence: 73%

Last Glacial Maximum active layer thickness in Western Europe, and the issue of ‘tundra gleys’ in loess sequences

Bertrán

Albers

Ludwig

2022

J Quaternary Science

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“…The abundance of polygons in a band north of latitude 51 N suggests that thermal contraction leading to the growth of large ice-or sand wedges was active until 18-17 ka, particularly in the North European Loess Belt where loess deposition was still significant at that time. 70,71 Many ice-wedge pseudomorphs have been described in the loess, 44,59,72 whereas sand wedges or composite-wedge pseudomorphs dominate in the Sand Belt at the periphery of the FIS. 52,54,56,57 Further south, the lack of cropmarks in loess, particularly in France, indicates that the growth of large wedges did not affect the later phases of loess deposition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and characteristics of Pleistocene ground thermal contraction polygons in Europe from satellite images

Bertrán

2022

Permafrost & Periglacial

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The study of Pleistocene polygons in Europe carried out using the collection of satellite images available in Google Earth™ provides new data on the distribution of ground cracking by thermal contraction during glacial periods and sheds light on some factors controlling their formation. The distribution map shows that thermal contraction cracking affected terrain between latitude 43.5 N and the southern limit of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet at 15 ka, with a concentration of polygons north of latitude 51 N. A clear asymmetry exists in relation to longitude, with a greater southward extension of polygons in France (43.5 N) than in central Europe (47 N). Analysis of the characteristics of polygons at the European scale reveals an association with lithology, latitude, and the age of the sediments in which they formed. The morphological evolution over time reconstructed from observations of polygons of contrasting ages indicates that a stable mature phase, characterized by small (mean size 15 m), regular polygons with numerous Y-junctions, is reached after ca. 4 ka of thermal contraction cracking activity.

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“…In combination with gustier winds related to steepened meridional temperature gradients during stadial periods (McGee et al, 2010), the increased dustiness is reflected in peak dust accumulation especially during oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 2 along the western European loess belt (e.g. Frechen et al, 2003;Újvári et al, 2017;Fischer et al, 2021;Schmidt et al, 2021). This pattern is also observed in regional aquatic archives, such as maar lakes (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

What do dust sinks tell us about their sources and past environmental dynamics? A case study for oxygen isotope stages 3–2 in the Middle Rhine Valley, Germany

Fischer

Hambach

Craig

et al. 2023

E&G Quaternary Sci. J.

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Abstract. The study of geological archives of dust is of great relevance as they are directly linked to past atmospheric circulation and bear the potential to reconstruct dust provenance and flux relative to climate changes. Among the dust sinks, loess–palaeosol sequences (LPSs) represent the only continental and non-aquatic archives that are predominantly built up by dust deposits close to source areas, providing detailed information on Quaternary climatic and terrestrial environmental changes. Upper Pleistocene LPSs of western central Europe have been investigated in great detail showing their linkage to millennial-scale northern hemispheric climate oscillations, but comprehensive data on dust composition and potential source–sink relationships as well as inferred past atmospheric circulation patterns for this region are still fragmentary. Here, we present an integrative approach that systematically combines sedimentological, rock magnetic, and bulk geochemical data, as well as information on Sr and Nd isotope composition, enabling a synthetic interpretation of LPS formation. We focus on the Schwalbenberg RP1 profile in the Middle Rhine Valley in Germany and integrate our data into a robust age model that has recently been established based on high-resolution radiocarbon dating of earthworm calcite granules. We show that Schwalbenberg RP1 is subdivided into a lower section corresponding to late oxygen isotope stage 3 (OIS; ∼ 40–30 ka) and an upper section dating into the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ∼ 24–22 ka), separated by a major stratigraphic unconformity. Sedimentological proxies of wind dynamics (U ratio) and pedogenesis (finest clay) of the lower section attest to comparable and largely synchronous patterns of northern hemispheric climatic changes supporting the overall synchronicity of climatic changes in and around the North Atlantic region. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) reveals a clear correlation between finer grain size and increasing AMS foliation within interstadials, possibly owing to continuous accumulation of dust during pedogenic phases. Such a clear negative correlation has so far not been described for any LPS on stadial–interstadial scales. Distinct shifts in several proxy data supported by changes in isotope composition (87Sr/86Sr and εNd) within the lower section are interpreted as changes in provenance and decreasing weathering simultaneously with an overall cooling and aridification towards the end of OIS 3 (after ∼ 35 ka) and enhanced wind activity with significant input of coarse-grained material recycled from local sources related to increased landscape instability (after ∼ 31.5 ka). We find that environmental conditions within the upper section, most likely dominated by local to regional environmental signals, significantly differ from those in the lower section. In addition, AMS-based reconstructions of near-surface wind trends may indicate the influence of north-easterly winds beside the overall dominance of westerlies. The integrative approach contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of LPS formation including changes in dust composition and associated circulation patterns during Quaternary climate changes.

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A chronological and palaeoenvironmental re‐evaluation of two loess‐palaeosol records in the northern Harz foreland, Germany, based on innovative modelling tools

Cited by 12 publications

References 71 publications

Last Glacial Maximum active layer thickness in Western Europe, and the issue of ‘tundra gleys’ in loess sequences

Last Glacial Maximum active layer thickness in Western Europe, and the issue of ‘tundra gleys’ in loess sequences

Distribution and characteristics of Pleistocene ground thermal contraction polygons in Europe from satellite images

What do dust sinks tell us about their sources and past environmental dynamics? A case study for oxygen isotope stages 3–2 in the Middle Rhine Valley, Germany

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