Reconstruction of Late Neogene paleoenvironmental changes in the area of Pannonhalma (Western Hungary) using granulometric methods

Abstract

A generalized section of the Pannonhalma Hills has been compiled and analysed. The stratigraphic column of the section represents the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes of the last ca. 7–8 million years. The elevated old strata also comprise the deposits of the Lake Pannon, overlain by Plio-Pleistocene terrestrial sediments. The generalized section consists of shallow freshwater, fl uvial sediments and Pleistocene eolian loess deposits. These strata can be correlated with Austrian outcrops (e.g. at Gollersdorf), situated at the northern margin of the Little Hungarian Plain. The black freshwater clay strata differ markedly from other clay horizons, and can be considered and applied as marker horizons in correlative studies. This black clay is the product of fi rst appearance of rivers in the region. A detailed granulometric analysis has been performed to refi ne the results of paleoenvironmental reconstructions for Transdanubia.