Last Interglacial-Glacial north-south Geosoil Traverse (from stratotypes in the North Sea Basin and in the eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

On the basis of a number of lithostratotype sections in the southern North Sea Belt, Sardinia and southern Greece the Last Interglacial/Glacial geosoil (fossil soils, palaeosols) cycles have been comparatively studied and correlated along a north-south Geosoil Traverse in Europe. Whichever climato-sedimentological provinces are dealt with, i.e. the northern European Coversand Region, the western and central European Loess Belt and the Mediterranean Belt, geosoils remain in a time stable lithostratigraphic position between phases of prevailing cold/dry climatic conditions. It was found that all of geosoil levels doubled or even tripled along the meridian pathway from north to south. The ‘Last Interglacial’ Rocourt Soil of the Loess Belt was split up along this meridian pathway into a lower part dating of the Eemian Interglacial s.s. (Isotope Substage 5e) and respectively after the cold phases of 100 ka BP and 90 ka BP, the St Germain I/Odderade/Koroni Soil Complex (Isotope Substage 5c) and the St Germain I/Brørup/Cala Su Turcu Soil Complex (Isotope Substage 5a) of the Early Last Glacial Substage. The Ognon/Oerel/Warneton Soil Complex remains in the post 73 ka BP position encompassing the cold stage of the beginning of the Middle Last Glacial (Isotope Stage 4). Following this are a series of geosoils of the second half of the Middle Last Glacial (Isotope Stage 3), long indicated as the Moershoofd/Glinde/Poperinge, Hengelo/Hoboken and Denekamp/Zelzate geosoils after the cold phase of about 55–59 ka BP. Finally, the geosoils of the Late Glacial starting at 24 ka BP including the maximum cold of about 20 ka BP and three interstadial soils labelled as Lascaux/Zulte, Bølling/Stabroek and Allerød/Roksem geosoils were formed.