Testing polymineral post‐IR IRSLand quartzSAR‐OSLprotocols on Middle to Late Pleistocene loess at Batajnica, Serbia

Abstract

The loess–palaeosol sequence of Batajnica (Vojvodina region, Serbia) is considered as one of the most complete and thickest terrestrial palaeoclimate archives for the Middle and Late Pleistocene. In order to achieve a numerical chronology for this profile, four sets of ages were obtained on 18 individual samples. Equivalent doses were determined using the SAR protocol on fine (4–11 μm) and coarse (63–90 μm) quartz fractions, as well as on polymineral fine grains by using two elevated temperature infrared stimulation methods, pIRIR290 and pIRIR225. We show that the upper age limit of coarse quartz OSL and polymineral pIRIR290 and pIRIR225 techniques is restricted to the Last Glacial/Interglacial cycle due to the field saturation of the natural signals. Luminescence ages on coarse quartz, pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 polymineral fine grains are in general agreement. Fine quartz ages are systematically lower than the coarse quartz and pIRIR ages, the degree of underestimation increasing with age. Comparison between natural and laboratory dose response curves indicate the age range over which each protocol provides reliable ages. For fine and coarse quartz, the natural and laboratory dose response curves overlap up to ~150 and ~250 Gy, respectively, suggesting that the SAR protocol provides reliable ages up to c. 50 ka on fine quartz and c. 100 ka on coarse quartz. Using the pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 protocols, equivalent doses up to ~400 Gy can be determined, beyond which in the case of the former the natural dose response curve slightly overestimates the laboratory dose response curve. Our results suggest that the choice of the mineral and luminescence technique to be used for dating loess sediments should take into consideration the reported limited reliability.

A Detailed Paleoclimate Proxy Record for the Middle Danube Basin Over the Last 430 kyr: A Rock Magnetic and Colorimetric Study of the Zemun Loess-Paleosol Sequence

“…However, the selected correlative tie-points (Table 1) include the tephra layers, but do not account for the colorimetric data. The general stratigraphy of loess and intercalated paleosols at the Zemun LPS is in good agreement with independently dated records in the southern MDB, based on luminescence dating and paleomagnetism (Marković et al, 2009(Marković et al, , 2011(Marković et al, , 2015Basarin et al, 2014;Song et al, 2018;Avram et al, 2020). It is noteworthy, that uncertainties of the direct correlation of χ to the LR04 stack exist (Zeeden et al, 2018), mainly because of uncertainty in the exact position of tie points and correlation targets.…”

“…The L2 tephra is a widespread tephra occurrence within southeastern European loess records (Laag et al, 2018;Avram et al, 2020). Based on its stratigraphic position in several other well-dated profiles, like the neighboring Batajnica LPS (Avram et al, 2020), and the Harletz LPS in Bulgaria (Antoine et al, 2019), the L2 tephra can potentially be correlated to the Vico-Ignimbrite B eruption, dated to 160.6 ± 2.0 ka (Mannella et al, 2019).…”

“…The L2 tephra is a widespread tephra occurrence within southeastern European loess records (Laag et al, 2018;Avram et al, 2020). Based on its stratigraphic position in several other well-dated profiles, like the neighboring Batajnica LPS (Avram et al, 2020), and the Harletz LPS in Bulgaria (Antoine et al, 2019), the L2 tephra can potentially be correlated to the Vico-Ignimbrite B eruption, dated to 160.6 ± 2.0 ka (Mannella et al, 2019). However, uncertainty remains with the age assignment, because (1) no geochemical evidence is to our knowledge available to trace back the L2 tephra to a specific eruption and (2) the archives of Lake Ohrid (Wagner et al, 2019) and Fucino Basin (Leicher et al, 2016;Giaccio et al, 2017Giaccio et al, , 2019 exhibit several prominent tephra layers during MIS 6, which may be assigned to the L2 tephra with ages spanning 150-168 ka.…”

“…In tephrochronology (Lowe, 2011) ash layers of known age and origin can be used as reliable dating tools and correlation targets. This approach plays an increasingly important role in Quaternary stratigraphy (see Abbott et al, 2020 and references therein) as for example, the accuracy of luminescence numerical dating, the choice of method of dating the emplacement time of loess deposits is still impacted by many limiting factors such as large offsets between the different methods currently applied on the same sample (Avram et al, 2020), or even between different grain-size aliquots (e.g., Timar-Gabor et al, 2011;Veres et al, 2018). The most prominent tephra layer preserved in Eastern European loess and archeological deposits is the Campanian Ignimbrite/Y5 tephra (Veres et al, 2013;Giaccio et al, 2017).…”

The Early Upper Paleolithic Site Crvenka-At, Serbia–The First Aurignacian Lowland Occupation Site in the Southern Carpathian Basin

“…Changes in fluvial systems in this complex setting (see Geological and Geomorphological Setting section) do not readily correlate to climatic changes (cf. Starkel et al, 2015) and we can expect that large rivers, oxbow lakes or lakes were likely always present in tectonic depressions such as Alibunar Nevertheless, the timing of fluvial sediment deposition (∼42-31 ka; units D-C) coincides with the formation of Middle Pleniglacial (MIS 3) paleosols and pedocomplexes of the southern Carpathian Basin (e.g., Fuchs et al, 2008;Antoine et al, 2009;Schmidt et al, 2010;Zeeden et al, 2016;Avram et al, 2020). This suggests a phase of warmer and moister climatic conditions with higher fluvial discharge velocities, although the southern parts of the Carpathian Basin were generally arid (e.g., Obreht et al, 2019).…”