Multi-proxy analytical characterisation and palaeoclimatic interpretation of the Crvenca loess-palaeosol sequence, Serbia
2 Abteilung Bodenphysik, Universität Bayreuth
3 Chair of Physical Geography, University of Novi Sad
4 Lehrstuhl für Geomorphologie, Universität Bayreuth
5 Centre for Earth and Environmental Science Research, Kingston University
P 1.11 in Funktion von Ökosystemen
Over the past years there has been increasing fossil charcoal and malacological evidence from loess-palaeosol sequences in the Carpathian (Pannonian) Basin that call into question the traditional paradigm of treeless full glacial palaeoenvironments. In order to contribute to this discussion we recently analysed plant-derived n-alkanes and evaluated their potential to serve as biomarkers for the reconstruction of the vegetation history during the last glacial cycles Accordingly, trees contributed significantly to the soil organic matter formed during loess accumulation under full glacial conditions (Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) 4 and 2). On the contrary, treeless steppic palaeoenvironments should have prevailed during the last interglacial and interstadial (MIS 5 and 3). Here we aim at putting our biomarker results in a closer context with results from other methodological approaches. We will present first results from elemental, isotopic, grain size, magnetic and luminescence analyses and palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental proxies that can be derived from these data. For instance, organic carbon, nitrogen, delta13C and delta15N allow to characterize the fossil soil organic matter and to draw palaeoclimatic implications. Inorganic element ratios and indices allow to quantify the mineral weathering and to study the provenance of the eolian sediments. The grain size distributions are evaluated in terms of wind-strength dependent variations of the silt fraction and in terms of pedogenetic clay mineral formation. The latter can be confirmed by the magnetic susceptibility.