Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T08:03:11.135Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

End of the Last Interglacial in the Loess Record1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

George J. Kukla  and
Alois Kočí
George J. Kukla
Affiliation:
Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Geological Institute, Trojanova 13, Praha 2, Czechoslovakia.
Alois Kočí
Affiliation:
Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Geophysical Institute, Boční II, Praha-Spořilov, Czechoslovakia.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In the loess series of Central Europe the last interglacial is recorded by the parabrownearth soil accompanied by land snails and pollen of thermophilous deciduous forests. The termination of forest environment is marked by restricted eolian sedimentation and development of chernozemic steppe soil, followed in turn by rapid deposition of calcareous air-borne silt in the so called “Marker” horizon. Hillwash loams and loess interrupted by the weak rendzina-type soil B1f were then formed. The sequence is overlain by the interstadial soil complex which is correlated with the Barbados II Terrace because of its stratigraphic position and warmth-loving snail fauna. Through most of the section bracketed by the interglacial and interstadial soils, the sediments display the reversed declination but positive inclination. The top of the reversed interval is here informally called the Brno magnetostratigraphic horizon. It correlates reasonably well with the upper boundary of the Blake event estimated to be 108,000 yr old.

The vertebrate and the snail faunas of chernozemic soil and of the loess together with the pedogenetic character of strata point to the harsh continental climate with the large temperature variation, dry seasons and partly, with torrential summer rains.

If the remarkably periodic deposition of loess series has to continue, following the pattern observed through the last 350,000 yr or so, then the shift to expressed continental climate in this part of Europe is to be expected soon.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , November 1972 , pp. 374 - 383
Copyright
Academic Press, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

At present: Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Palisades, N.Y. 10964.
1

Lamont Doherty Geological Observatory contribution No. 1837.

References

Broecker, W.S. Van Donk, J. 1970 Insolation changes, ice volumes and the O18 record in deep-sea cores Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics 2 169 198 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bucha, V. Horáček, J. Kočí, A. Kukla, J. Demek, J. Kukla, J. 1969 Paläomagnetische Messungen in Lössen: Periglazialzone, Löss und Paläolithikum der Tschechoslowakei INQUA VIIIth Congress, Brno 123 131 Google Scholar
Demek, J. Kukla, J. 1969 Periglazialzone, Löss und Paläolithikum der Tschechoslowakei INQUA VIIIth Congress Brno Google Scholar
Frenzel, B. 1964 Zur Pollenanalyse von Lössen Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart 15 5 39 Ohringen/WürttGoogle Scholar
Klíma, B. Kukla, J. Ložek, V. de Vries, H. 1962 Stratigraphie des Pleistozäns und Alter des paläolithischen Rastplatzes in der Ziegelei von Dolní Věstonice Anthropozoikum 11 93 145 PrahaGoogle Scholar
Kukla, J. 1961 Lithologische Leihorizonte der tschechoslowakischen Lössprofile Věstník Ustředního Ústavu Geologického 36 359 372 PrahaGoogle Scholar
Kukla, J. 1961a Quaternary sedimentation cycle. Survey of Czechoslovak Quaternary. Czwartorzed Europy Srodkowej i Wschodniej INQUA VIth Congress, Institut Geologiczny, Prace 34 145 154 WarszawaGoogle Scholar
Kukla, J. 1970 Correlations between loesses and deep-sea sediments Geologiska Föreningen i Stockholm Förhandlingar 92 148 180 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kukla, J. Ložek, V. 1961 Loess and related deposits. Survey of Czechoslovak Quaternary, Czwartorzed Europy Srodkowej i Wschodniej INQUA VIth Congress, Institut Geologiczny, Prace 34 11 28 WarszawaGoogle Scholar
Kukla, J. Ložek, V. Bárta, J. 1962 Das Lössprofil von Nové Mesto im Waagtal Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart 12 73 91 Google Scholar
Ložek, V. 1964 Quartärmollusken der Tschechoslowakei Rozpravy Ústředního Ústavu Geologického 31 374 Google Scholar
Smith, J.D. Foster, J.H. 1969 Geomagnetic reversal in Brunhes normal polarity epoch Science 163 565 567 Google Scholar
Smolíková, L. 1967 Zur Mikromorphologie der jungpleistozänen Böden von Sedlec bei Praha Časopis pro Mineralogii a Geologii 12 277 286 Google Scholar
Smolíková, L. 1968a Genese mladopleistocénních půd v Modřicích u Brna na základě půdní morfologie Časopis pro Mineralogii a Geologii 13 199 209 PrahaGoogle Scholar
Smolíková, L. 1968b Mikromorphologie und Mikromorphometrie der pleistozänen Bodenkomplexe Rozpravy ČSAV 78 2 3 47 PrahaGoogle Scholar
Valoch, K. 1968 Evolution of the Paleolithic in Central and Eastern Europe Current Anthropology 2 351 368 ChicagoGoogle Scholar