This 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.
The Gliwice Luminescence Laboratory (GLL) is a part of the Institute of Physics – Centre for Science and Education at the Silesian University of Technology, which has gradually evolved since the 1980s. To date, nearly 3500 samples have been dated using luminescence from materials such as ceramics, bricks, and sediments from archaeological and geological sites. Currently, the laboratory is equipped with four luminescence readers and three gamma spectrometers, allowing luminescence dating of approximately 300 samples annually for the needs of research projects. This article focuses on the laboratory procedures used in GLL to obtain luminescence ages. Recent improvements of the GLL's facilities and new equipment, as well as the performance spanning the Laboratory's 30 years of activity, are discussed in terms of obtained results and the involvement in national and international projects.
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