The Holocene stratified screes from Sierra de Albarracín (Iberian Ranges, Spain) and their paleoenvironmental significance

Abstract

The most important stratified screes of the Iberian Range are found in Sierra de Albarracín. These slope deposits have been traditionally considered, without absolute datings, as having been formed during various Pleistocene cold phases. The aim of this paper is to establish the sedimentological, morphological, chronological, and paleoenvironmental characteristics of these deposits through the study of four profiles recorded in the Calomarde canyon (El Rollo, El Molino, and Royuela) and Toril. The most representative profile is that of El Rollo as it is formed by basal tufa and stratified scree layers separated by paleosoils. Radiocarbon datings obtained from paleosoil samples show that the sequence ranges between the early and middle Holocene. The profiles from El Molino and Royuela, as well as the upper levels of Toril, complete the sequence showing deposits from upper Holocene (Bronze Age and 'Little Ice Age'). These data show the oscillations during the Holocene between colder phases, represented by the stratified screes, and warmer-wetter phases with soil development and local tufa deposits. This geomorphological and pedological response to the Holocene climatic variability shows its clearest records in the canyons. However, there are almost no Pleistocene accumulations -with the exception of that of Toril (minimum age of <43.5 ka BP). The possibility of relating this succession of Holocene environmental changes to known regional and global climatic stages converts these accumulations into the most important Holocene paleoenvironmental record from the Iberian Ranges and the most complete sequence of Holocene stratified screes from the Mediterranean area.

Reconstructing Mousterian landscapes in the southeastern Pyrenees (Roca dels Bous site, Pre-Pyrenees ranges, Spain)

“…Closer comparison of the RB chronostratigraphic sequence with marine isotope climatic curves (Svensson et al, 2008; Rasmussen et al, 2014) also suggests that sedimentation of the site may have coincided with colder phases that occurred between interstadials within MIS3 (Fig. 7B), in a manner similar to other stratified screes (Peña Monné et al, 2018). The RB-O stratigraphic unit and the top of RB-Q include sandy layers, locally laminated, which imply overland flows (Bertran and Texier, 1999) related to warmer conditions, as inferred from the concentration of pedogenetic carbonated laminar concretions in RB-O.…”

The connections between river terraces and slope deposits as paleoclimate proxies: The Guadalaviar - Turia sequence (Eastern, Iberia Chain, Spain)

“…Besides, there are testimonies of glacial moraines over the 1000 m a.s.l. and several stages of slopes with cold genesis (periglacial environments) from Pleistocene and Holocene (Gutiérrez and Peña Monné, 1977;Gutiérrez and Jiménez, 1993;Peña Monné et al 2020b;Peña-Monné et al, 2017).…”

“…The latter group has been studied in detail in the Calomarde canyon (Fig. 1b), where it can be related to Holocene cold phases, ranging from the early Holocene to the 'Little Ice Age' of the 16 th -17 th centuries (Peña-Monné et al, 2017).…”

“…An example is the Toril outcrop (Fig. 1b), where Peña-Monné et al (2017) obtained two 14 C ages older than 43.5 ky B.P. In the Macizo del Tremedal (1936 m a.s.l.…”

Reconstrucción de la vegetación asociada al depósito tobáceo fluvial holoceno del Nogal de El Batán, Las Parras del Martín, Cordillera Ibérica

“…1B), ha dado lugar a diversos relieves de gran envergadura. Destacan los depósitos tobáceos de edad pleistocena (Peña-Monné et al, 2000;Valero-Garcés et al, 2008;Rico et al, 2013;Sancho et al, 2015), además de las múltiples geoformas asociadas a procesos periglaciares (Peña-Monné et al, 2017). A lo largo del valle del río Las Parras se encuentran otros afloramientos tobáceos de edad holocena (Fig.…”