Mazovian Interglacial sites in the Sosnowica Depression and the Parczew-Kodeń Heights (Western Polesie, SE Poland), and their stratigraphic, palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental significance

Abstract

We describe the geological context of the Pleistocene strata in the Sosnowica Depression and the Parczew-Kodeń Heights, as well as the main geological processes taking place in that area during the Middle Pleistocene. The stratigraphy of the Pleistocene succession is based on the analysis of new sites with Mazovian Interglacial deposits (MIS 11c) with age determinations obtained from palaeobotanical and palaeofaunal proxies, at Zahajki, Wygnanka, and Sytyta in the Sosnowica Depression, and Podedwórze and Gęś 3 in the Parczew-Kodeń Heights. The interglacial deposits documented occur in the direct subsurface and are not overlain by glacial deposits, which indicates that the study area was not covered by the ice-sheet of the Middle Polish Glaciations (Saalian, MIS 6). They are overlain by Early Liviecian (Fuhne, MIS 11b) lacustrine and bog deposits, or upper Vistulian (MIS 2) clastic and bog deposits. Holocene strata lie above. Therefore, the glacial deposits building the Parczew-Kodeń Heights are considered to derive from the Sanian 2 (Elsterian, MIS 12) Glaciation and not from the Saalian (MIS 6) Glaciation as previously thought. Palaeolakes formed in the late part of the Sanian 2 (Elsterian, MIS 12) Glaciation and remained open during the Mazovian Interglacial (Holsteinian, MIS 11c), with some still existing until the Early Liviecian (Fuhne, MIS 11b) Glaciation. The palaeolakes described were part of an extensive palaeolakeland of the Mazovian Interglacial, stretching from the southern part of Podlasie to the northern part of Western Polesie. The last ice-sheet in Western Polesie represented the Sanian 2 Glaciation. Downloads pdf Published 2024-07-20 — Updated on 2024-07-23 Issue Vol. 68 No. 2 (2024) Section Articles License Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as this can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and more frequent citation of the published work (See The Effect of Open Access).