Loess-like Deposits Research Articles

Sub- and supra-moraine loesses in the Vistula catchment (Poland) with regard to the age and extentof the Scandinavian ice-sheets

The study focuses on the geochronology and correlation between loesses and glacial tills in the Vistula catchment in Poland, in an area covered by all Scandinavian ice-sheets and characterized by thick loess successions. The basis for this correlation was a litostratigraphic analysis of selected loess sites in the uplands, which are well-documented in the literature, and the occurrences of loess and loess-like deposits under the cover of glacial deposits in the lowland part of the Vistula catchment, characterized by a much sparser documentation. The nomenclature of loess horizons follows Maruszczak (2001) and Kukla (1987), but sometimes is significantly changed, according to modern Quaternary stratigraphical schemes. According to the analysis, accumulation of almost all loess horizons distinguished so far has been documented in the Pleistocene succession of the Vistula catchment: the oldest – lower (LNd), middle (LNs), and upper (LNg); older: lower (LSd), middle (LSs), and upper (LSg); and younger: lowest (LMn), lower (LMd), middle (LMs), and upper (LMg). In most cases loess accumulation took place in steppe-tundra conditions preceding the maximum ice-sheet development during the succeeding Scandinavian glaciations. For selected sites, the loess occurrence is presented in superposition to glacial tills and interglacial deposits. The distinguished loesses and glacial tills are tied to the stratigraphic schemes of the Pleistocene in Poland (Marks et al. 2016, 2019) and correlated with Ukrainian loess horizons (Łanczont et al. 2019).

Loess doll from Pleistocene loess-like sediments in the Vishera diamond-bearing area (Perm region)

The purpose of the study is to investigate the cranes from loess-like deposits as indicator formations for the glacial epochs of the late Pleistocene – Holocene using current lithology methods. The motivating reason for the study was that loess-like deposits directly “seal” the industrial placer of the Silurian diamond-bearing reservoir in the Vishera diamondiferous region.Loess doll (loess pupae, dutiki) are concretions weakly cemented by iron hydroxides, consisting of quartz grains with an admixture of fine-silty feldspars. In terms of granulometry and mineral composition, the cranes correspond to the loess-like deposits that host them and are the frame of the root system of tundra-type grass vegetation. In the center of the concretion, in place of the disappeared grass root, a hollow tubule is preserved, sometimes filled with silty sand from the surrounding rocks.The granulometric composition of loess-like deposits was studied using an Analysette 22 MicroTec plus laser diffraction analyzer. Mineral composition of the heavy fraction of loess-like and underlying sediments – using quantitative mineralogical analysis. Quantitative gross mineral composition and the ratio of clay minerals in the pelitic fraction – using a D2 Phaser X-ray powder diffractometer (Bruker, Germany).The data obtained can be used for geological surveying and exploration of diamond-bearing placers in the Urals and in regions with a similar geological structure. It must be borne in mind that in the study area the described loess-like deposits do not have a direct connection with industrial placer diamond content.

Природные особенности и ландшафты района дельты Селенги (Байкальская природная территория)

The article presents the data of landscape studies of the territory of the Ust-Selenginsk depression. It was formed at the beginning of the Paleogene period and became the historical core of the development of the Baikal rift zone. From the north and west, the research area is limited by large tectonically active faults, along which ascending geothermal flows seep. In the areas of their impact, changes in air and soil temperatures are recorded. The widespread development of mud volcanoes has also been noted here. The research area is characterized by peculiar and contrasting natural conditions, which determines the high degree of vulnerability of landscapes and the possibility of their irreversible transformations. It has been established that the modern tectonic lowering of the area contributes to its waterlogging. The drainage system in the area of the foothills of KhamarDaban and the left bank of the Selenga enhances the processes of soil salinization. Sands and loesslike deposits on ancient terraces and the right bank of the Selenga are influenced by Aeolian processes and turn into dunes when vegetation is destroyed. The high tectonic activity of the territory and the weak stability of the landscapes exclude the possibility of active economic activity within its borders.The problem associated with the implementation of environmental protection measures and human activities is characteristic. Its solution can be implemented based on knowledge about the features of landscape transformation.

По следам П.А. Кропоткина: Изучение юных базальтовых лав в районе Сайлагского водопада, Восточный Саян

Field observations were performed on the Ust-Zhom-Bolok lava cover of the Oka basin in the southeastern part of Eastern Sayans. In the Sailag and Nomto-Gol sections, loess-like deposits, underlying and overlying the lava cover, were identified. It is inferred that the lava cover erupted in conditions of a dry cold climate at the end of the Pleistocene and was dissected by the Oka River in conditions of a warmer climate and abundant water content of the territory in the Holocene.

The influence of topography on the subsidence processes of loess-like deposits from Sălcuța Plain (South-Western Romania)

This paper aims to establish the role of the local topography of Sălcuța Plain (subdivision of the Oltenia Plain) in the subsidence process of loess-like deposits. The relevant features of the topography, especially the slope, were generated using SAGA GIS v.7.8.0 and QGIS v.3.22 software based on an altimetric terrain model. The results obtained highlight the fact that 303 microdepressions were formed following the chemical and mechanical subsidence of the loess deposits. The most important characteristic, which conditions the genesis of the subsidence process and implicitly the formation of microdepressions, is the slope; in this case, the subsidence process occurs in areas where the slope has values lower than 2 degrees. The research advanced by generating the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) in order to identify areas with moisture excess, the moistening of loess-like deposits being one of the basic conditions in the genesis of the subsidence process. The highest values of the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), over 10, were recorded in the areas with microdepressions.

LOESS FORMATION IN NEW ZEALAND DURING THE LAST GLACIAL EPOCH AND UNDER MODERN CONDITIONS<a href="#FN1"><sup>1</sup></a>

The main territories for the development of Late Pleistocene loess are located in the inland regions of the Northern Hemisphere, so the very existence of loess in New Zealand, a region with a temperate maritime climate, is of undoubted scientific interest. The analysis of geological, geomorphological, paleogeographical and geochronological data on the distribution, structure and formation conditions of loess in New Zealand in the Late Pleistocene has been carried out. The study showed that in New Zealand, as in other regions of the temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, the accumulation of loess occurred mainly in the cold phases of the last climatic macrocycle: in the Early Pleniglacial, 80 (75)–(60) 55 ka BP; (2) during cooling within MIS 3, 45–40 ka BP on the South Island and 40–30 ka BP, with a peak of about 30 ka BP, on the North Island; (3) in the Late Pleniglacial, from 25 to 17–12 cal ka BP. Comparison of these stages with the Antarctica ice cores data shows their close relationship with global climate change. The article reviews data on the current conditions for the development of eolian processes and the formation of loess-like deposits in New Zealand. In contemporary conditions, eolian processes in New Zealand are concentrated within geomorphologically active territories, e. g. in river valleys with glacier feeding and an abundance of loose sediments, in areas with widespread coastal sand dunes, and in those territories where vegetation and soil disturbances promote wind erosion of the surface layers of unconsolidated sediments. Large-scale anthropogenic impact (destruction of forests, disruption of the herbaceous cover due to intensive grazing of livestock, especially sheep, ploughing of slopes on light weakly cohesive soils, etc.) to some extent makes the present interglacial conditions for the development of eolian processes in New Zealand similar to periglacial ones.

Research on the Physico-Chemical Properties of Soils Locality Dobrosloveni, Olt County for Sustainable Agriculture

The studied territory located in the central-western part of Olt County, belongs to the Caracal Plain and extremely little in the Leu-Rotunda Field in the SW part, both as divisions of the Romanati Plain.Locality presents a predominant relief of plain low altitude that is characterized by alluvio-proluvial plains moderately fragmented with local terraces, covered with loess-like deposit but relief of saucer.The soil cover of the territory under study is the direct reflection of all environmental factors, each having a role in the pedogenetic processes. Climate, as a pedogenetic factor, acted by its components, namely: temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, global radiation.Forest steppe vegetation was the supply of organic matter and biomass, because the hydrological regime is deficient, but especially the lithological substrate (loess-like complex) to steer solification to types characteristic of the cernisols class.Under the influence of environmental factors and pedogenetic processes within the locality Dobrosloveni it formed a wide range of soils, namely: protisols, cernisols, luvisols and hydrisols.

Middle to Late Pleistocene faulting history of the Heerlerheide fault, Roer Valley Rift System, influenced by glacio-isostasy and mining-induced displacement

Faults of the Roer Valley Rift System (RVRS) are characterized by seismicity, scarps and displaced fluvial terraces, showing that they are active. The Heerlerheide fault is part of the southern boundary fault system of the RVRS, the Feldbiss fault zone (FFZ). During the late 19th and first half of the 20th century coal was mined in the subsurface south of the FFZ. As a result, general subsidence, sinkholes, and fault scarplets appeared on the surface. One of the induced fault scarps coincides with the location of the Heerlerheide fault, indicating that the upper part of the fault was reactivated by the mining. A trench was opened across the fault to study the mining-induced fault reactivation as well as the tectonic fault displacement history.The Heerlerheide fault offsets a 340 ka Meuse river terrace overlain by loess and loess-like deposits of Eemian to Late Pleniglacial age, including the Rocourt soil, the Eben/Patina discordance and the Nagelbeek soil complex. At least three tectonic faulting events were reconstructed, which are most likely surface rupturing earthquakes. However, the two oldest displacements could represent multiple faulting events. The age of the youngest event is well constrained between 17 and 15 ka. The duration of the time interval between the penultimate and youngest events is at least 8 ky (the inter-event time is an important parameter for assessing seismic hazard). The vertical coseismic displacement of the youngest event was around ∼0.25 m; the estimated moment magnitude is around 6.2. This event is more or less synchronous with the age of events found in other fault trench studies of the FFZ. The timing is roughly contemporaneous with surface rupturing earthquakes along the northern boundary fault zone of the RVRS, the Peel Boundary fault zone (PBFZ), and a phase of volcanism in the nearby Eifel area, suggesting a common mechanism. The timing also corresponds to the start of the glacio-isostatic forebulge collapse, which has been invoked before to explain earthquake events in the RVRS, and in northern Germany and Denmark.Previous studies provided evidence for a Holocene surface rupturing earthquake with an offset of about 1 m at the Geleen fault in the Meuse valley on Belgian territory, taking place between 2.5 ± 0.3 and 3.1 ± 0.3 ka. The Geleen and Feldbiss faults on Dutch territory experienced faulting during the Late Glacial – Holocene. The incision and deposition history of a brook crossing these faults suggests an age around 7.5 ka for this event. However, in contrast, our results for the Heerlerheide fault show no evidence for Late Glacial – Holocene tectonic fault activity.We also observed 0.34 m of vertical displacement of the base of the plough layer, which corresponds to the amount to what was observed at the surface during the mining in 1936, indicating that no fault motions have occurred afterwards, despite re-flooding of the mines and consequent surface rebound. However, the fact that the fault was reactivated by subsurface mining shows that it is a weakness zone in the subsurface, and therefore fault reactivation might occur due to still ongoing rebound. In contrast to the tectonic fault displacement, the mining-induced offset was accompanied by downslope movement of the upper part of the hanging wall, resulting in splaying of the fault tip and crack formation.

The Soils Within the Perimeter of the Archaeological Site no. 1, Caracal-Ring Road (Agricultural Research-Development Station) and the Possible Influence of Roman Dwelling on Them

Soils represent that superficial deposit from the land surface in a continuous evolution, but with a high vulnerability to climate change and anthropogenic interventions. The current soil was born in a long period of time (numbering hundreds of years) through pedogenetic factors and processes, but also anthropogenic influences on the parent material.The purpose of this article is to investigate the soil on the territory of a Roma village (vicus), located on both sides of the Caracal Municipality Ring Road. This is located near the Roman road from Romula (Resca village, Dobrosloveni commune, Olt County), the residence of the Dacia Inferior (Malvensis) Roman province’s governor and Sucidava (Corabia-Celei, Olt County), in a region where there was a fertile land favourable to agriculture.The parental materials (carbonate loess-like deposits loamy-clayey loam) belonging to that period are well represented in the soil horizons starting 25-30 cm from the surface to a variable depth, a fact which will be validated by on-going geophysical studies. The dominant soil is argic chernozem, belonging to the cernisols class specific to the plain area, but with a higher amount of clay. It is important to note that in the 4 soil profiles analysed in detail we find differences in soil texture within the horizons, even if there are traces of the Roman period.

Loessoids of Russia: Varieties and distribution

This review serves as an explanatory note to the sketch map of loessoids, i.e. loess and various loess-like deposits. The map is a byproduct of the ongoing project of Quaternary Map of the Russian Federation, scale 1:2,500,000 in GIS-format. The primary information is derived from the standard National Geological Map scale 1:1,000,000 of the last two generations supplemented by literary data. The map polygons present all mappable loessoid units, including thick southern carbonate loess with paleosols, loess-like silts of northern terrains, intercalations of loessic sediments with waterlain facies and icy silts of the Arctic and Subarctic type. The loessoid formations are classified according to their stratigraphic intervals: 1) the radiocarbon dated Upper Pleistocene of northern terrains, 2) the Middle plus Upper Pleistocene of central Russia, 3) the late Lower Pleistocene to Upper Pleistocene series of southern regions and 4) the Lower Pleistocene red clays of the south. The distribution of diverse loessoids is an imprint of: i) the diverse sedimentary environments of the basically arid periglacial zones of the Pleistocene and ii) the modern geographical zonality changing from subtropics to the icy High Arctic and responsible for post-depositional alteration of subaerial dust. Whatever the origin of the primary dust and geographical varieties of the diagenesis, all loessoids share the same fundamental feature – paleosols, whether numerous and expressive or scarce and weak. They underline the climatically driven intermittent process of loessoid formation – basically subaerial and independent of any aqueous agencies.

Environmental geochemical characteristics and the provenance of sediments in the catchment of lower reach of Yarlung Tsangpo River, southeast Tibetan Plateau

Loess-like deposits and soils distribute extensively along the wide valleys across the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YTR) catchment in southern Tibetan Plateau. They provide insights into pedogenetic processes and environmental changes. The climate of the low reach area of the YTR catchment is currently relatively wet and warm compared with the middle and upper reaches. To reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the source region, we carried out major and trace elements measurements on various types of sediments collected from the catchment of the lower part of YTR and its tributaries, i.e., Nyang, Po, Yigong and Parlung Tsangpo river (YPT). We find that CaO and MgO are more enriched in the YPT catchment than in the upper continental crust (UCC). Surface and profile sediments across the lower reach of the YTR show elevated As, Cd, Pb and Cs levels, which present potential health risks to local residents and should be considered in health policies. We also found that the sediments are predominantly sourced from local felsic bedrocks. Across the lower part of the YTR, surface sediments only underwent incipient chemical weathering. Steep slopes and heavy precipitation likely removed the sediments quickly and minimized the exposure of minerals to chemical weathering. Elevated As, Pb and Cs contents were found in sediments deposited during the wetter and warmer period from the early-middle Holocene compared with those deposited in modern times. Thus, climate might be an important factor for heavy metals release into the soils of southern Tibetan Plateau by modulating the extent of chemical weathering of their parent rocks.

Palaeoenvironmental conditions of the Palaeolithic–Neolithic transition in the Fergana Valley (Central Asia) – New data inferred from fossil mollusсs in Obishir-V rockshelter (Kyrgyzstan)

In the Fergana Valley and the surrounding territories, the number of archaeological sites increased during the Early Holocene. The coincidence of this cultural event, represented by the Obishirian archaeological unit with the onset of the Holocene, suggests that this growing intensity of human activity was driven by climate change, in particular warming and/or wetting. To test this hypothesis, we used fossil terrestrial molluscs from Obishir-V, the eponymic Obishirian site in southern Kyrgyzstan, as a proxy of palaeoenvironmental conditions. We studied pre-Obishirian loess-like deposits from the final Pleistocene and the Early–Middle Holocene sequence of Obishirian-bearing deposits. We analysed taxonomic composition of the mollusc assemblages and used it to infer palaeoecological characteristics, namely preferences in temperature and humidity as well as in differing habitats. Our results showed that the palaeolandscapes and the vegetation during the accumulation of the studied deposits remained almost unchanged. The mollusc assemblages reveal constant dry and warm climatic conditions and stable steppe-like vegetation. Our observations of rather stable climatic conditions in the Fergana Valley during the Pleistocene–Holocene turnover suggests that climate was only a minor driver of the rapid demographic change in Central Asia during those times. Some other factors beyond the changes of humidity must have played an important role. On the basis of our data derived from fossil mollusc assemblages at Obishir-V, we propose to consider the hypothesis that the factor responsible for the intense human occupation of the Fergana Valley during the Early Holocene had not an environmental, but rather a cultural background, such as the neolithization process, such as introduction of domestic livestock.

Research on the Physico-Chemical Properties of Soils Locality Daneasa, Olt County for Sustainable Agriculture

The territory studied is situated in the South-Eastern part of Olt County, it is part of the great unit of the Romanian Plain, that is, from the subunit of Boianu Plain (Calmatui Plain), being located on the left bank of Olt River. Locality presents a predominant relief of plain low altitude that is characterized by alluvio-proluvial plains moderately fragmented with local terraces, covered with loess-like deposit but relief of saucer.The soil cover of the territory under study is the direct reflection of all environmental factors, each having a role in the pedogenetic processes. Thus, the climate conditions have ensured the solification direction, taking into account the temperature regime and the specific precipitation of the Boianu Plain.Steppe vegetation was the supply of organic matter and biomass, because the hydrological regime is deficient, but especially the lithological substrate (loess) to steer solification to types characteristic of the cernisols class.Under the influence of environmental factors and pedogenetic processes within the locality Daneasa it formed a wide range of soils, namely: protisols, cernisols, luvisols, hydrisols and salsodisols.

Heavy Minerals as Indicators of the Source and Stratigraphic Position of the Loess-Like Deposits in the Orava Basin (Polish Western Carpathians)

This study is focused on the loess-like deposits accumulated on glaciofluvial fans of the Czarny Dunajec River in the Orava Basin (Southern Poland). The deposition of these sediments took place during three cold intervals of the Pleistocene: Würm, Riss, and Günz/Mindel. So far, the provenance and age of the deposits has not been precisely defined, even though the development of each fan is believed to be related to the successive glacial periods in the Tatra Mountains. Heavy minerals were studied to determine the source of the deposits. Heavy mineral analyses revealed that zircon, tourmaline, rutile, garnet, amphibole, epidote, and apatite are the typical constituents of the heavy mineral fraction. Abundances of heavy minerals differ in each of the Pleistocene fans of the Czarny Dunajec River, especially the amphibole content. However, the chemical composition of garnet, amphibole, and tourmaline is rather uniform. This research showed that mainly medium-grade metamorphic rocks with a subordinate share of high-grade metamorphics, and granitic rocks are the dominant source rocks of the deposits studied. Such rocks are exposed in the Western Tatra Mountains, which most probably supplied the Orava Basin with clastic material. Change in abundances of heavy minerals in the succession may reflect the progressive erosion of the source area. Grain-size distribution and textural features of the sampled sediments suggest fluvial and aeolian modes of transportation. Additionally, this study indicated that heavy minerals may be used to correlate the loess covers in the Orava Basin.

Analysis of loess sediment texture in Golestan province according to the microstructure parameters

This study was performed to recognize the loess texture in Golestan Province, Iran using the microstructure analysis according to the electron microscopic images. Loess microstructure study allows for investigating the characteristics of particle shape, fabric, cement and porosity in microscopic images. In recent years, computer analysis has been replaced with manual calculation due to its high speed, precision and ease of use. Since the scanning electron microscope (SEM) digital image analysis method can quantitatively determine the loess microstructure and identify the microstructure changes, it was used to analyze the loess texture. The obtained results showed that the loess microstructure changed from north and northeast to south and southwest of Golestan Province. According to microstructural and sedimentology parameters, Golestan Province loess can be divided into 4 zones. The results also showed that microstructural study of loess sediments in Golestan Province could be a useful tool for loess zoning and separating loess sediments from loess-like deposits.

The Late Pleistocene soils as indicators of the impact of environmental changes on development of pedogenic processes (the study case from the Kryva Luka site, Donetsk area)

The aim of this paper is to reveal connections between Upper Pleistocene soil types and the vegetation, which existed during their formation. Palaeovegetation was reconstructed on the basis of pollen analysis, whereas morphological description of palaeosols and the data from their laboratory study (grain-size and bulk chemical analyses, contents of Corg., CaCO3 and dry salts) were used to reconstruct palaeopedological processes. The Kryva Luka sedimentary sequence was accumulated in a deep palaeogully (the incision of which occurred in early Kaydaky times), where, as a result of high sedimentation rates, welldeveloped Upper Pleistocene pedocomplexes formed, on one hand, and very good preservation of pollen was thus guaranteed. Several phases of soil development occurred in Kaydaky, Pryluky and Vytachiv times (the Ukrainian Quaternary framework), all represented in the section by individual palaeosols, separated by loess-like beds, or by erosional surfaces. The data collected demonstrates a cyclic pattern of short-period palaeoenvironmental changes during the Late Pleistocene. The last interglacial is related by paleopedological and pollen data to the Kaydaky unit. The pre-temperate stage of the interglacial is revealed in the gully deposits of subunit ‘kd1a’. The early-temperate stage corresponds to the Luvisol of subunit ‘kd1b’, which was formed under broad-leaved woods dominated by oak. The late-temperate stage is recorded in the Greyzemic Phaeozem of the soil ‘kd3b1’ (by the appearance of hornbeam) and the Mollisol ‘kd3b2’. The post-temperate stage of the interglacial and the transition to the early glacial occurred during formation of the uppermost bed of thelatter and the incipient soil ‘kd3c’. (pedosediments were also accumulated at this time). Both vegetational composition and the soil types reflect a warmer and wetter climate for the temperate part of the last interglacial, as compared to that existing in modern times. The soils of different phases of Pryluky and Vytachiv times were formed during interstadials, with cooler climates than at present. As recorded both in soil types and pollen assemblages, the climates during the early interstadials of Pryluky and Vytachiv times were wetter than now (particularly during the ‘pl1b1’ phase), but during their late interstadials, the climate was drier than the modern one (particularly during the phase ‘pl3b2’). On the basis of TL-dating obtained in sections in western Donetsk area and Central Ukraine, Pryluky times correspond to interstadials and stadials of the early glacial, whereas Vytachiv unit may be related to the middle pleniglacial. Types of cryostructures, connected with loess-like deposits of the stadials, indicate that the studied area in those times was under a severe continental climate, with deep seasonal freezing of the grounds. Nevertheless, the absence of ice pseudomorphs and of pollen of arctoalpine plants indicates that permafrost was not present. Changes in palaeopedogenic processes (as well as in types of sedimentation) mainly paralleled changes observed in the palaeovegetation. The extent of wooded areas, the role of broad-leaved trees in the forest composition, and the spread of xeric herbal associations had particularly notable effects on the development of pedogenic processes.

A source of loess-like deposits and their attendant palaeoenvironment – Orava Basin, Western Carpathian Mountains, S Poland

Abstract Loess-like deposits in the Orava Basin are aeolian sediments that were laid down during Pleistocene three cold periods: MIS 2-5d, MIS 6-10, and MIS 12-19. These deposits lie at the upper portion of glaciofluvial fans associated with the Czarny Dunajec River in the Orava Basin and are the youngest lithostratigraphic division that is present there. Results of granulometric analyses place their modal grain size in the coarse silt and fine sand fractions (sediment type 1.a). Geomorphic interactions between local topography, aeolian movements of sand and distribution of dust played the leading role in formation of these deposits. Two series of sediments have been distinguished: Series A which represents proximal depositional provenance, and Series B – distal depositional provenance. The source of the loess-like deposit material must have been local as the Orava Basin is isolated from foreland by highly elevated mountain ranges. Glaciofluvial sediments were deflated then laid down on fans at the bottom of the Orava Basin by rivers draining the western Tatra Mountains. Also ‘cannibalized’ were top portions of loess-like deposits that had accumulated during earlier Pleistocene cold periods. Fine sediment was also deflated from regolith mantle that formed on the slopes of surrounding hills. This conclusion is based on the results of analyses of microtextures of sand- and silt-sized grains. Grains with surfaces that were primarily shaped by chemical weathering (coated) and by mechanical weathering (fresh fractured) predominate both fractions. These sand grains were transported over a short distance; they were not subject to repeated redeposition.

Desert loess: a selection of relevant topics

Abstract In discussions on loess, two types are often demarcated: glacial loess and desert loess. The origin of the idea of desert loess appears to lie with V.A. Obruchev who observed wind-carried silt on the Potanin expedition to Central Asia in 1895. It might be considered that desert loess would be defined as loess associated with deserts but it came to be thought of as loess produced in deserts. This led to some controversy as no mechanism for producing silt particles in deserts was readily available. Bruce Butler in Australia in particular cast doubt on the existence of desert-made loess. Butler indicated loess-like deposits in Australia which he called Parna; these are very like loess but the silt sized particles are actually clay mineral agglomerates of silt size- formed in dry lake regions. At the heart of the desert loess discussion is the problem of producing loess material in deserts. It has been suggested that there are no realistic mechanisms for forming large amounts of loess dust but there is a possibility that sand grain impact may produce particle shattering and lead to the formation of quartz silt. This would appear to be a reasonable mechanism for the African deposits of desert loess, but possibly inadequate for the huge deposits in China and Central Asia. The desert loess in China and Central Asia is loess associated with a desert. The material is formed in cold, high country and carried by rivers to the vicinity of deserts. It progresses then from deserts to loess deposit. Adobe ground may be defined as desert loess. Adobe occurs on the fringe of deserts, notably in the Sahelian region of Africa, and in SW USA. The use of adobe in construction represents the major utilization of desert loess in a social context. More understanding of adobe is required, in particular with respect to the adobe reaction, the low order chemical reaction which provides modest cementitious properties, and can be likened to the pozzolanic reactions in hydrating cement systems. The location of loess and loess-like ground on the peripheries of deserts is aided by the observation of the nesting sites of bee-eater birds. These birds have a determined preference for loess ground to dig their nesting tunnels; the presence of nest tunnels suggests the occurrence of desert loess, in desert fringe regions. We seek amalgamation and contrast: ten main topics are considered: words and terms, particles, parna, geotechnical, adobe, people, birds, Africa, Central Asia, Mars. The aim is some large generalizations which will benefit all aspects of desert loess investigation.

Late Glacial environment and human settlement of the Central Western Carpathians: A case study of the Nowa Biała 1 open-air site (Podhale Region, southern Poland)

Nowa Biała 1 is a unique site of the Federmesser culture in the area of Carpathian Mountains, and also one of the few Final Palaeolithic sites known from this territory. From taxonomic point of view the artefacts represent the Federmesser culture as an element of Arch-backed points technocomplex (APT) – well known from the European Plain and practically quite unknown from the mountains till now. Hunters’ camp, with the dwelling structure and workshop, was situated on a terrace of the Białka River close to its gorge, and in the proximity of a rocky hill (the Obłazowa Rock) – which itself was a great observation spot. The cultural layer found in the site was connected with an initial soil, the presence of which was observed within the aeolian loess-like deposits. Thie age of pedogenic processes (based on OSL dating) was undoubtedly younger than 14.7 ka and older than 11 ka. Radiocarbon dating suggests the Late Allerød age of the site. The present paper contains the results of fieldwork as well as geological and palaeobotanical analyses, provided data on the natural environment at the time when prehistoric hunters settled and also in the preceding period.According to study results, in the Late Glacial, during the time of this settlement in the vicinity of the Białka River gorge the patches of coniferous forests grew, in the valley habitats – alder and willow, and mires formed in the wetlands, rocky hills were covered with open plant communities with steppe and tundra elements. Variability of surrounding environs resulted in diversity of animal species and allowed Final Palaeolithic people to explore differentiated geoecosystems. Access to water and possibility of fishing was provided by the proximity of the river.

Aeolian influx and related environmental conditions on Gran Canaria during the early Pleistocene

AbstractThe island of Gran Canaria is regularly affected by dust falls due to its proximity to the Saharan desert. Climatic oscillations may affect the Saharan dust input to the island. Geochemical, mineralogical, and textural analysis was performed on a well-developed and representative early Pleistocene paleosol to examine Saharan dust contribution to Gran Canaria. Significant and variable Saharan dust content was identified in addition to weathering products such as iron oxides and clay minerals. Variations in quartz and iron oxide concentrations in the paleosol likely reflect different Saharan dust input in more/less-contrasted rhexistasic/biostatic climatic conditions. Linking the quartz content in Canarian soils, the Ingenio paleosol, and two Canarian loess-like deposits to different ages from the Quaternary, we hypothesized that the dust input should be lower (about 33–38%) throughout the early to middle Pleistocene than during the late Quaternary. The Saharan dust input to the Gran Canaria profile in the Pleistocene persisted in spite of climatic variations.