Abstract
Despite numerous palaeoenvironmental investigations of loess–palaeosol sequences across the Carpathian Basin, well‐dated high‐resolution records are scarce. This paper presents a new high‐resolution chronology for the loess‐palaeosol sequence at Surduk (Serbia), based on optically stimulated luminescence (quartz) and post‐infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (polymineral) dating. The presented record spans 53–19 ka, with primary loess deposition occurring after 52±2 ka, and differs from previously published chronologies that relied on less precise and now superseded dating protocols. Based on the new chronology, mass accumulation rates (MARs) for Surduk were constructed and compared with sites in the Carpathian Basin. The results demonstrate that accumulation periods across this area are not consistent in timing or rates. The high‐resolution dating strategy identifies a disturbance in sediment deposition that occurred after 45±2 ka and implies that site contains a hiatus. Finally, we show samples that failed routine dose recovery and preheat plateau tests, and had low fast ratios. Supported by bulk sample geochemical analysis it is proposed that a potential abrupt source shift, during the Last Glacial Maximum, may be the cause of the anomalous luminescence behaviour.
Highlights
Loess–palaeosol deposits in the Carpathian Basin preserve some of the longest, most complete terrestrial records of Quaternary climate change in central Europe (Fitzsimmons et al 2012; Markovic et al 2012, 2015)
This study presents a new high-resolution chronology for the loess–palaeosol sequence at Surduk 2, based on 13 quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and 10 polymineral pIRIR220 ages, that provides a basis for a broad review of the palaeoenvironmental record preserved at this site
The modelled luminescence ages based on both protocols bracket the primary loess deposition between 52.55Æ2.71 and 19.03Æ1.03 ka
Summary
Surduk is part of a long stretch of thick loess deposits along the western bank of the Danube in Serbia, with a number of other sites such as Batajnica (Markovic et al 2009) and Stari Slankamen (Markovic et al 2011) previously investigated. Due to access constraints the original site, referred to here as Surduk 1, could not be investigated. The new location analysed here is referred to as Surduk 2. Surduk 2 is located 7 km downstream of the Danube’s confluence with the Tisza River and ~20 km from the Titel Loess Plateau (Fig. 1). The profile was sampled as two sub-profiles, A and B (Fig. 2), 10 m apart. While fieldwork aimed to ensure the two profiles overlapped, we subsequently suspect that there is a gap of up to 1.5 m between the profiles
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