European Sand Belt Research Articles

Chronostratigraphy of the Late Glacial Żabinko site (western Poland) and investigation of the dose rate variability

The Żabinko exposure (western Poland) reveals the classic fluvio-aeolian succession known from studies in the European Sand Belt. Previous chronostratigraphic studies were mainly based on uncalibrated radiocarbon dates from organic sediments and thermoluminescence dating. The picture visible from these studies indicated a number of discrepancies between these methods. The new research in this exposure was based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and calibrated radiocarbon dates. The results obtained indicate a general discrepancy between the results achieved by these two methods. While the radiocarbon dates provide some meaningful picture and allow correlation with previous studies, the results of OSL dating do not allow for a chronological model of sedimentary processes. The OSL dates show large inversions of the results and are clearly younger than the other dating results. Detailed analysis of OSL measurements shows radioactive disequilibrium and variability linked to differential stratification of sediments, significantly impacting the assessment of environmental dose rates. We believe that this atypical variability is presumably the result of postdepositional processes, such as changes in groundwater levels, chemical weathering and radionuclide migration.

OSL-based chronology of the cold-climate aeolian sand dunes, Moravian Sahara, lower Morava Basin, Czechia

The Moravian Sahara dune field located in southeastern Czechia represents a unique aeolian system preserving the Late Glacial environment. Until now, the main focus has been concentrated on defining its multigenerational development and examining the environmental factors controlling its formation. However, current studies have failed to bring robust chronologies, so environmental and temporal comparisons with the main aeolian phases in Europe could not be made. Here, we present a study combining chronological and environmental interpretations. To do so, four boreholes were drilled to obtain the samples for optically stimulated luminescence, quartz grain morphoscopy and sediment maturity estimation. The results show that the Moravian Sahara dune field developed episodically between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Younger Dryas, with the peak occurring during the Oldest Dryas. Quartz grain analysis revealed that the phases of wind-blown sand deposition were short and that the dune sediments had three different sources. Furthermore, it appears that the katabatic winds propagated to the study area during the LGM and Late Pleniglacial and were replaced by westerlies since the Oldest Dryas. Finally, the chronology of aeolian activity in the study area shows that Moravian Sahara dune field development was antecedent to the European Sand Belt and shares more similarities with the landforms in the Carpathian Basin located further south.

Record of aeolian processes in Pleistocene deposits in the foreland of the European sand belt

Abstract This article presents the degree of aeolization of Pleistocene deposits in the foreground of the European sand belt in southern Poland. Ten of the 13 sites were established in the Oświęcim Basin and three in the south part of the Silesian Upland. Attention was focused on four types of deposits formed during three glaciations (Sanian, Odranian, Vistulian): boulder clay, fluvioglacial sands and gravels, end moraine deposits, and aeolian sands. Quartz grain abrasion (for the 0.8–1.0 mm fraction) was examined by mechanical graniformametry and the morphoscopic method. The record of aeolian processes in analyzed deposits is the presence of quartz grains RM (very well-rounded and mat) and EM/RM (moderately rounded and mat). They were found in deposits of various origins and ages but in variable proportions. Considering only the average percentage of grains RM, it should be regarded that abrasion of deposits is low in the case of fluvioglacial deposits, moderate in the case of glacial deposits, and good in the case of aeolian deposits. However, the key factor in determining the degree of abrasion is the share of EM/RM grains, which in the abovementioned deposits are seven, three, and twice as many as RM grains. Therefore, the most noteworthy research result is the very high total share of grains with aeolian abrasion (RM + EM/RM), amounting on average to 84.1% for Odranian fluvioglacial deposits, 86.7% for Sanian glacial deposits and 92.6% for Late Glacial aeolian deposits. It means that in the study area, glacial and fluvioglacial transport included deposits with good aeolian abrasion obtained in the periglacial environment before the transgression of the ice sheets. Probably due to the longer persistence of periglacial conditions in southern Poland, compared to its central and northern parts, the degree of aeolization of fluvioglacial and glacial deposits is better. At the same time, there is a significant differentiation in the aeolization of fluvioglacial deposits within the outwash plain in the foreland of the maximum extent of the Odranian ice sheet. In its proximal part, near the front of the ice sheet, fluvioglacial deposits are characterized by much worse abrasion of quartz grains than in the distal part.

Morphometry of the cold-climate Bory Stobrawskie Dune Field (SW Poland): Evidence for multi-phase Lateglacial aeolian activity within the European Sand Belt

Abstract Aeolian dunes have been widely identified in the European Sand Belt, which was formed during the Pleniglacial and Late Glacial when cold and dry climatic conditions were favorable for intense Aeolian processes. In this study, we mapped and analyzed the fixed Bory Stobrawskie Dune Field (SW Poland) to determine factors that drive the evolution of dunes, expressed by the occurrence of different dune types and their spatial patterns. The study identified the longitudinal zonation within the dune field, as shown by the changeable proportion of specific dune types comparable to low-latitude dune fields. However, climatically controlled periodic and low sand supply combined with a changing vegetation cover caused the non-continuous and multi-phase evolution of the dune field. Additionally, we found that a dense pattern of streams has controlled the extent of the dune field. The trapping of sand by rivers led to a limitation of the dune field expansion; on the other hand, the supply of sand into rivers led to overloading of the fluvial system, affecting their transformation into braided rivers.

Sand sources and migration of the dune fields in the central European Sand Belt – A pattern analysis approach

Long-standing studies of the fixed late-glacial dune fields of the European Sand Belt (ESB) indicate that its development was driven by the degradation of permafrost and the widespread incision of rivers. Ice-marginal valleys, smaller valleys and limnic sediments are considered to be the main sand sources for dune fields within the ESB. However, the provenance of particular dune fields has not been independently assessed. Hence, discussion on the dynamics of the ESB dune fields has been limited to general statements about the distance and duration of aeolian transport. This problem was addressed through the geomorphological (pattern) analysis of 40 dune fields located within the central ESB. Using the calculated construction times and assumed migration rates, we identified the distances covered by the dune fields and their potential sand sources. The study confirmed that fluvial and fluvioglacial sediments were the main sand sources for the ESB dune fields. Most dune fields were found to have migrated over distances of 5–15 km during their development, confirming the short and local aeolian transport. At the same time, long-distance migration of dunes in areas located far from the Fennoscandinavian Ice Sheet was not ruled out. Results indicate dune migration rates as low as 0.5–3.5 m/yr. comparable to contemporary dune fields in cold regions. The methods used have the potential for use in studies in dune fields of other climatic zones, although the results need further verification based on geochemical studies.

Buried Podzols as a pedostratigraphic marker for the Medieval Climatic Optimum: Grębociny soil in the dune deposits of the European Sand Belt

The paleopedological record documented in aeolian dunes of the eastern European Sand Belt comprises predominantly Arenosols and only occasionally well-developed Podzols. There are several Late Pleistocene pedostratigraphic marker horizons of varied soil types designated in the European dune and loess deposits, but none falls within the range of the Holocene. Buried Podzol occurrences found recently in 10 inland dune sites dispersed throughout Central and Eastern Poland share similar pedological properties, geomorphological setting, and age in the 5th–15th century AD range of the historical Middle Ages. Therefore, they meet the criteria for distinction as a pedostratigraphic marker under the name Grębociny soil, after a locality with the most advanced podzolization of the paleosol dated to the High Middle Ages (1000–1300 AD). Preservation of the soils was enabled by burial during anthropogenically induced dune remobilization. At least some of the investigated dunes were used as pasture during soil development, as evidenced by tetrapod hoofprints recorded in and above the buried Podzols. Prevalent podzolization during the Middle Ages, in contrast to preceding and later times, could be facilitated by not only an impact of agriculture and forestry, but also relative warmth and humidity of the Medieval Climatic Optimum (ca. 900–1400 AD).

Climate change records in coversand deposits from the eastern margin of the Tarnów Plateau (southeast Poland)

AbstractCoversands (CSs) are one of the most distinctive sediments within the European Sand Belt. Their extraordinary thickness, exceeding 6 m, was recorded at the Góra Motyczna site located at the edge of the Wisłoka River valley in the Tarnów Plateau (southeast Poland). The sedimentary record of the studied CSs sets their arrangement into one of two sedimentary cycles. Each consists of sandy (A1 and A2) and silty (B1 and B2) lithofacies, forming an A1 ⇒ B1 ⇒ A2 ⇒ B2 sequence that is considered to be a record of climate change during the Weichselian Late Pleniglacial. Sandy lithofacies accumulation occurred under dry and snow‐free climatic conditions, whereas silty lithofacies accumulation marks an increase in humidity as a result of the presence of snow‐cover. Sediment optical dating indicated that the studied CSs were deposited in a period from ~18–17 to ~16–15 ka. The period of accumulation was therefore short, which is confirmed by the analysis of quartz‐grain shape and surface type. Due to this brevity of aeolian processes during this period, the only change expressed is in grain‐surface microrelief; thus, the quartz grains had already inherited their shape and degree of rounding from their source environments and earlier processes. The source sediments could have been artefacts of Miocene and Quaternary deflationary sediments associated with blowouts.

Factors controlling the development of cold-climate dune fields within the central part of the European Sand Belt – Insights from morphometry

The central part of the European Sand Belt is an area where intense aeolian processes led to the development of large dune fields in the Lateglacial. They have been studied principally in terms of their stratigraphy, with less attention given to their evolution and geomorphology. It is also uncertain whether large dune fields in cold areas arise analogously to those formed in other climatic zones. To fill this gap, we performed a morphometric analysis of 31 stabilized dune fields in Poland using high-resolution LiDAR data. We related the outcomes to the morphological zones associated with the extent of the ice sheet during the LGM, the position and basement shape of the dune fields. The results indicate that dune fields in cold areas evolve in the same way as in other climatic zones, as expressed in the preserved relation between crest length, spacing, and defect density. The study found that the investigated dune fields have simple patterns composed of single populations of transverse to parabolic dunes facing E-ESE, suggesting their simultaneous formation in the Younger Dryas. At the same time, the varying degree of dune fields pattern development indicates the different duration of aeolian processes that shaped individual dune fields. The dominance of transverse dunes transformed partially or completely into parabolic dunes reflects the increasing role of vegetation over time and the decreasing supply of sand. The development of the dune field patterns was not found to be correlated with the extent of the ice sheet during the LGM, the morphological position, and the basement shape of the dune fields.

Mammal tracks record anthropogenic environmental influence in late-Holocene inland dunes of the European Sand Belt, Poland

Structures previously suggested to be footprints or tracks, but which have been little described, were observed within Quaternary inland dunes of the European Sand Belt. Excavation of these in several localities of the eastern part of the belt in Poland reveal that they are hoofprints of various ungulate mammals, both wild and domestic, as well as footprints of humans, ranging from potentially as early as the fifth to sixth century to the 19th century or later. Trample grounds and horizons with high densities of tracks are associated with other signs of intensifying usage of dune habitats for pasture and farming, including constrained movement of livestock, relatively well-developed paleosols, and evidence of ploughing. The presence of such abundant life traces not only reflects the presence of individual animals and people in an area, but sheds light on the potential processes and feedbacks that the tracemakers were involved in, in terms of maintaining and modifying the habitats themselves, which were dynamic and changeable. Footprints and their associated sedimentological records can be integrated with archaeological and historical data to analyse anthropogenic influence through time on physical landscapes and on the wild biota.

Holocene insect pioneer colonization of post-glacial dune sands exemplified by tiger beetle burrows

Many ecosystems today in temperate zones are the result of colonization of barren substrates deposited or exposed as a result of deglaciation, around the start of the Holocene. Direct evidence of post-glacial colonization, in the form of life traces such as tracks and burrows, is typically rare and erased by later succession unless buried deeply within a short time interval, as is possible in dune sands. Tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are an example of early successional tracemaking colonists widely distributed in open habitats worldwide and are well known from coastal and inland dunes in Europe today. Coastal dunes at the Vistula Spit in Poland, dating back to the time of post-glacial stabilization of modern Baltic Sea levels, contain buried long, narrow, subfossil burrows, which are variable in shape. Some of them resemble linear or J-shaped burrows made by living cicindelids both in situ in exposed drift sands within the inland European Sand Belt and in laboratory settings after being wild-caught. A new locality for the modern Viennese tiger beetle Cylindera ( Cicindela) arenaria viennensis, Schrank, 1781, whose larval burrowing was examined for reference, is reported at Mnin in the Przedbórz Upland, Poland, where there was a suitable substrate made up of aeolian sand deposited earlier in the Holocene but opened up by mining. The subfossil burrows at the Vistula Spit, if they were made by cicindelids and other early successional species, could represent similar colonization of comparable pioneer habitats dating back millennia when those coastal dunes were young. Although the body fossil record of tiger beetles is very poor, ichnological evidence of their potential presence may be useful for inferring their biogeographical history, complementing prior knowledge from modern distributions or phylogenetic histories.

An Impact of Short-Term Climate Oscillations in the Late Pleniglacial and Lateglacial Interstadial on Sedimentary Processes and the Pedogenic Record in Central Poland

Environmental studies based on analyses of fluvio-aeolian successions with paleosols in central Poland, forming the central part of the European Sand Belt, are presented. Paleogeographic reconstruction was based on high-resolution analyses of four sites using sedimentological and paleopedological methods as well as forty-four optically stimulated luminescence and fourteen radiocarbon dating measurements. Age-identified individual lithological and soil units were first correlated between sites, emphasizing the differences between them. The results were then correlated with Greenland ice-core stratigraphic units reflecting global environmental changes in the Late Pleniglacial and Lateglacial interstadial, thus ranging from GS-2.1a, through the GI-1 complex (seven subunits), to GS-1. Studies revealed considerable sensitivity of fluvio-aeolian succession to climate changes and oscillations. Climate ameliorations are recorded in fossil soil horizons developed beneath different types of vegetation cover. We detected that the climate cooling GI-1d (the Older Dryas) was not the main phase of dune formation as had been claimed earlier. It is postulated that dunes in the extraglacial zone were formed mainly in GI-1c2 (the Early Allerød). Preexisting dunes were transformed in GS-1 (the Younger Dryas) and in the Early Holocene, locally interrupted by soil formation.

Environmental factors controlling the Last Glacial multi-phase development of the Moravian Sahara dune field, Lower Moravian Basin, Central Europe

Aeolian sediments and landforms represent a unique source of proxy data allowing the detailed research of palaeoenvironmental changes. For example, dune morphology and dune field patterns could reflect an influence of a wide range of conditions from palaeowind directions to topography. The Moravian Sahara dune field located in southern Moravia represents a unique archive reflecting the effects of these environmental variables, lying far away from the European sand belt which is the main area of interest for aeolian research in Europe. Here, we present the complex geospatial analysis of the dunes and their topography performed on Digital Terrain Models (DTM) from which their basic morphometrics (crest orientation, spacings between the dunes, and others) were obtained. Two groups of differently oriented transverse dunes have been distinguished, suggesting a significant twist in atmospheric circulation connected with the retreat of ice sheets following the Last Glacial Maximum. In addition, other local conditions such as the topography and sediment supply were found to exert a strong influence on the formation of dune field patterns. Thus, the results of the high-resolution DTMs presented here show their applicability to the highly detailed study of the influence of environmental conditions on the development of the aeolian dune fields.

REINTERPRETATION OF FLUVIAL-AEOLIAN SEDIMENTS FROM LAST GLACIAL TERMINATION CLASSIC TYPE LOCALITIES USING HIGH-RESOLUTION RADIOCARBON DATA FROM THE POLISH PART OF THE EUROPEAN SAND BELT

ABSTRACTThis paper presents 66 radiocarbon (14C) dates obtained at 33 key sites from the Polish part of the European Sand Belt. These calibrated dating results were compared to 34 high-resolution 14C dates obtained from a fluvial-aeolian sediments to identify pedogenic phases from the late Pleniglacial interval to the early Holocene. These identified pedogenic phases were correlated with Greenland ice-core records, revealing high sensitivity of the fluvio-aeolian paleoenvironment to climate changes. Two pedogenic phases were identified from the late Pleniglacial interval (Greenland Stadial GS-2.1b and GS-2.1a), three from the Bølling-Allerød interstadial (Greenland Stadial GI-1), one from the late Allerød–Younger Dryas boundary, and at least one from the Younger Dryas. The ages of these pedogenic phases reveal a distinct delay of 50–100 calendar years after the onset of cool climate conditions during GI-1, reflecting gradual withdrawal of vegetation. Soil horizons from the early Holocene do not show any clear relation with climate change, where breaks in soil formation were caused by local factors such as human activity.

Factors Controlling the Development of Cold-Climate Dune Fields within the Central Part of the European Sand Belt – Insights from Geomorphology and Pattern Analysis

Factors Controlling the Development of Cold-Climate Dune Fields within the Central Part of the European Sand Belt – Insights from Geomorphology and Pattern Analysis

Archaeological features and absolute dating of historical road tracks in the North-western European Sand Belt.

ABSTRACT It is very difficult to obtain absolute historical datings of road features found at archaeological excavations. Nevertheless, various physical dating methods have been developed for this purpose, including Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). After a small-scale archaeological campaign, samples from a medieval trading route in the Veluwe area (central Netherlands) on sandy soils have been dated with OSL, in order to compare these with archaeological and historical data of the same route. The absolute datings of tracks of this so-called Harderwijkerweg appeared to correspond largely with the archaeological interpretations and historical sources (datings between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries). The soil profiles also revealed new insights into the diachronical development of the excavated tracks. It was concluded that the combination of archaeological excavation, OSL dating and historical archive research could be a reliable method for the dating and contextualisation of historical roads on Pleistocene sandy soils.

Extra-large grains in Late Glacial – Early Holocene aeolian inland dune deposits of cold climate, European Sand Belt, Poland: An evidence of hurricane-speed frontal winds

Only exceptionally, grains larger than 2–3 mm are involved in dune-forming processes. In 16 Late Glacial – Early Holocene inland dunes deposits from three regions of the northern and central Poland, beds, layers, laminae and lenses containing extra-large grains, up to 20.5 × 12.5 × 11 mm in the longest axes, are present. Occurrences of the extra-large grains are documented in the dunes dispersed in three distinct physiographic regions, Biebrza Basin, Central Poland Lowlands, Przedbórz Upland and the adjacent part of the Włoszczowa - Nida Basin. An aeolian genesis of these deposits is proven by sedimentary features and morphology of the landforms, including simple forms of parabolic, longitudinal and transverse dunes, as well as large, complex depositional forms. The extra-large grains occur at various depths in the sandpit sections, ranging from a few tens of centimetres just the above contact of dune deposits with the substrate up to a few tens of centimetres below the top of the dune section. Outcrops with the extra-large grains are located on both lee and stoss sides in the dune landforms. Deposits bearing extra-large grains show nearly horizontal and low angle lamination, which is typical of the dune stoss sides, to high angle foresets, which are typical of lee sides of dune landforms. Several sites display up to seven layers of the extra-large grains, indicating a few episodes of extremely strong and relatively steady wind during the dune-forming period. Estimation of the wind velocity threshold for such coarse material shows values between 23 and 82 m s−1, for speeds 1 m above the surface. On the basis of measured dimensions and volumes of particular pebbles, a principal component analysis demonstrates that the distribution of grain dimensions is clearly heterogeneous between the three physiographic regions of northern and central Poland. The concentration of values from the Central Poland Lowlands dataset is significantly higher than in the other two regions. This might have been caused by the lack of wind-flow terrain constraints in the mostly flat area of the Central Poland Lowlands. In contrast, the relatively high variance of grain dimension parameters could have been caused by the inconstancy of wind velocity and direction over the undulated morphology of the other two regions. The prevailing western direction of transportation points to frontal, episodically hurricane-speed winds (>20–40 m s−1), which were able to transport the extra-large grains during Late Glacial – Early Holocene times, in the area south of the Scandinavian ice sheet. The relatively rare occurrence of layers and laminae with extra-large grains in the investigated dune deposits suggests specific processes leading to their formation. However, reports of 16 outcrops with the extra-large grains imply that aeolian transport of very coarse material is not only a scientific curiosity, but a process occurring on a broader scale.

Adding another piece to NE European Aeolian Sand Belt puzzles: a sedimentary age case study of Pērtupe site, eastern Latvia

The NE European Sand Belt spreads over three Baltic States and consists of dunefields usually lying directly atop former glacial lakes. Some of these dunefields have so far been investigated in terms of their sediment properties and chronology. Nevertheless, there is a limited number of profiles where both glaciolacustrine and aeolian sediments co-occur and thus provide a unique environmental record where wet and dry conditions alternate. In this study, we investigated the Pērtupe profile, eastern Latvia, that represents sediment transition from glaciolacustrine silt to aeolian sand and along with a few known profiles helps to distinguish three sediment units as glaciolacustrine, transitional, and aeolian. This is most likely typical of the sediments of the NE European Sand Belt. A microstudy of sediments revealed that both aeolian and periglacial conditions alternated. However, this seems to be better expressed through prevalence of weathered quartz grains with some fracturing in the transitional unit. Aeolian deposition did take place in drier conditions, but micaceous interlayers argue for occasional watertable-controlled events. This study provides one more support regarding a start of aeolian deposition at ca. 11.3 ka in the NE European Sand Belt, which took place instantly after deglaciation rather than after a few-thousand-year hiatus. Enhanced aeolian activity is known from the region at a similar time frame, but mostly as its maximum or termination, meaning that aeolian activity must had been asynchronous.

Topographically induced variation of microclimatic and soil conditions drives ground vegetation diversity in managed Scots pine stands on inland dunes

The goal of this study was to determine the topographically induced pattern of ground vegetation in managed Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands on inland dunes and to link the pattern to the spatial variation of environmental agents (microclimatic and soil conditions). The study was conducted in the Toruń Basin (N. Poland), which is located in one of the biggest inland dune fields of the European sand belt. We investigated ground vegetation in 151 plots situated in 3 topographical variants (intra-dune depressions, north- and south-facing dune slopes). Environmental variables were examined in the 3 studied relief positions both with indirect (Ellenberg Indicator Values – EIVs) and direct approaches (measurements of air temperature and humidity as well as soil temperature and moisture). The relationship between the pattern of species composition and environmental controls was investigated using redundancy analysis (RDA).We evaluated the persistence of topographic patterns under the potentially homogenizing influence of forest plantations by sampling pine stands at different stages of growth. Intra-dune depressions were revealed as positions of the highest richness in herbaceous species. This was primarily linked to soil fertility and secondarily to moisture, which were both higher in these positions than on both slope aspects. The affinity of the species richness to low-situated locations was the strongest in mid age classes of pine stands, where stress conditions, resulting mainly from shadowing, were of the highest importance for understory throughout the stand development. However, the results showed that finally in old-growth stands, typical herbaceous species appeared for each of the studied topographical positions. Our study showed that intra-dune depressions could be used in forest management to introduce admixtures of broadleaved species into extensive pine mono-stands. This potentially could increase ecological stability of pine stands growing on inland dunes as well as support forest productivity of such ecosystems.

An open strip-field system at its tipping point in the German-Dutch River Dinkel catchment. Part 2

ABSTRACTThree questions have been addressed. Firstly, where in the pre-nineteenth-century landscape did farmers hold strips, camps, meadows and shares in the commons? Secondly, did farmers each own strips and camps or were some specialised strip and others exclusively ‘camp’ farmers? Finally, can we corroborate or reject one of the alternative hypotheses: strip-field-first versus camp-first.The area of interest is the current cadastral district cum medieval parish Epe at today’s German-Dutch border as pars pro toto for the surrounding area of about 100 km diameter in the North-West European cover sand belt. Our key data source was the 1827 cadastre complemented by the historical topographic map and geological, soil and elevation maps. For population estimates, we used six tax registers from 1499–1750. All parcels per farmstead were identified in the cadastral registry, farms located on parcel maps and hamlet territories delineated as the aggregate of its farms. The following farm features were extracted from the cadastre and averaged per settlement: number of strips and strip-fields, parcel type, farm size, tenure, number of meadows, oak camps, crop camps, and pasture camps. Next, the following landscape features were identified from the map set per settlement: farmstead pattern, type of settlement, commons, strip-field, soil, and watercourse. In Part 1, we provided the introduction, the materials & methods section, and the historical and landscape context (Gils & Mölder 2019a). In this Part 2, we present our findings, a discussion, a hypothetical narrative consistent with our findings, and answers to our research questions.

Macro- and micro-scale study and chronology of Late Weichselian aeolian sediments in Estonia, north-eastern European Sand Belt

Patchy aeolian landforms, representing the NE part of the European Sand Belt, occur in NE Estonia, between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Peipsi. The dunes are restricted to the former glacial lakebed, thus lying directly in contact with glaciolacustrine sediments, and have so far prompted different opinions regarding their genesis and age. This study aims to answer these open questions regarding the age and origin of these landforms and to provide information on the associated past sedimentary processes. To achieve this, we combine macro-scale (sedimentary structures and ground-penetrating radar survey) and micro-scale (grain-size, shape and character of quartz grain surfaces and mineral composition) studies with optically stimulated luminescence dating. The glaciolacustrine fines in the study area are wavy stratified, with the occurrence of mica horizons and prevalence of quartz sand grains with aeolian characteristics. Therefore, these sediments argue for near-standing/low-energy water conditions in the glacial lake, where allochthonous material was delivered by wind. A fall in the lake level and the occurrence of dry land on the northern coast of the regressive Late Weichselian Lake Peipsi favoured aeolian activity from ca. 13.5 to 10.5 ka in the region. The aeolian accumulation was brief—as apparent from the results of the micro-scale study—and lacks evidence of sediment recycling. Only easily-removable mica was deflated at the end of the aeolian depositional phase. Aeolian activity terminated ca. 10.5 ka due to a rising groundwater level that is apparent from the onset of paludification in the region.