Loess landscapes of Europe – Mapping, geomorphology, and zonal differentiation

Lehmkuhl, Frank; Nett, Janina J.; Pötter, Stephan; Schulte, Philipp; Sprafke, Tobias; Jary, Zdzisław; Antoine, Pierre; Wacha, Lara; Wolf, Daniel; Zerboni, Andrea; Hošek, Jan; Marković, Slobodan B.; Obreht, Igor; Sümegi, Pál; Vereș, Daniel; Zeeden, Christian; Boemke, Bruno; Schaubert, Viktor; Viehweger, Jonas; Hambach, Ulrich

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103496

Cited by 150 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 301 publications

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“…The basin is mainly covered by detrital Late Neogene to Pleistocene/Holocene deposits of predominantly marine, fluvial, and aeolian origin (Krézsek and Olariu, 2021). The aeolian sediments consist of loess, sandy loess, and Pleistocene to Holocene sand dunes, particularly in the western part of the basin, and essentially loess and loess derivates in the central and eastern part (Lehmkuhl et al, 2021).…”

Section: Regional Setting and Study Sites The Lower Danube Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling Sedimentary Pathways for the Pleniglacial Lower Danube Loess Based on Geochemical Signatures

et al. 2021

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The source of aeolian sediments such as loess has been investigated since decades. Reliable knowledge on potential dust sources is crucial to understand past climatic and environmental conditions accompanying the dispersal of early modern humans (EMH) into Europe. Provenance studies are usually performed on small sample sets and most established methods are expensive and time-consuming. Here, we present the results of high-resolution geochemical analyses performed on five loess-palaeosol sequences from the Lower Danube Basin (LDB), a region, despite its importance as a trajectory for EMH, largely underrepresented in loess provenance studies. We compare our results with geochemical data of loess-palaeosol sequences from Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Ukraine. Based on published literature, we thus evaluate five plausible sedimentary pathways for the LDB loess: 1) the Danube alluvium (DA) pathway, which constrains the transport and re-deposition of detrital material by the Danube and its tributaries; 2) the Carpathian Bending (CB) pathway, where sediment is mainly transported from the Cretaceous to Neogene flysch of the Eastern Carpathian Bending; 3) the Eastern Carpathian (EC) pathway, in which sediment is eroded from the flysch of the Outer Eastern Carpathians, transported by rivers, and deflated by northwesterly to westerly winds; 4) the glaciofluvial (GF) pathway, where dust is deflated from glacial outwash plains in nowadays Ukraine, and 5) the Black Sea (BS) pathway, where dust originates from the exposed shelf of the Black Sea. Based on geochemical data, we consider the DA pathway to be the major sediment trajectory for loess in the LDB. Especially the sequences located close to the Danube and the Dobrogea show similarities to sites in Central and Northeast Hungary as well as Northern Serbia. For the northeastern part of the LDB, we demonstrate that dust input is mainly sourced from primary material from the Eastern Carpathians. Mineralogical estimations and geochemical data render the CB pathway as an additional substantial source of detrital material for the loess of this area. We consider the influence of the GF pathway in the LDB as negligible, whereas some minor influences of the BS pathway cannot be ruled out based on geochemical data.

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Section: Regional Setting and Study Sites The Lower Danube Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling Sedimentary Pathways for the Pleniglacial Lower Danube Loess Based on Geochemical Signatures

et al. 2021

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“…Soil units were described following the World reference base for soil resources (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015 1 ), even though we are fully aware that this system is not designed to classify buried soils also referred to as paleosols. Additionally, we follow the concept of accretionary soil formation characteristic of aeolian landscapes of western Eurasian dry steppe regions (Hambach et al, 2019;Jordanova and Jordanova, 2020;Lehmkuhl et al, 2021). These observations combined with results of laboratory analyses (colorimetric and magnetic parameters) form the base for a genetic interpretation of sediment formation.…”

Section: Profile Setting and Stratigraphymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thick loess-paleosols sequences are spread over the northern hemisphere, located in different geomorphological settings which are influenced by diverse prevailing climate regimes (see Schaetzl et al, 2018;Lehmkuhl et al, 2021). To detect similarities and differences in magnetic and colorimetric properties conserved in loess-paleosol sequences, we compare the Zemun LPS with two well-known reference profiles.…”

Section: Comparison Of the Zemun Lps With Titel-stari Slankamen And Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past decades, many loess-paleosol sequences (LPSs) have been investigated predominantly in the extensive northern hemisphere loess belt (Marković et al, 2015;Schaetzl et al, 2018;Lehmkuhl et al, 2021). Unlike lake and other terrestrial records, which are rather sparsely distributed, the spatial continuity of LPSs makes them valuable archives of past environmental change in the prevailing climatic past regimes that sustained loess formation and preservation (e.g., Basarin et al, 2014;Marković et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Detailed Paleoclimate Proxy Record for the Middle Danube Basin Over the Last 430 kyr: A Rock Magnetic and Colorimetric Study of the Zemun Loess-Paleosol Sequence

et al. 2021

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In mid-latitude Eurasia, loess-paleosol sequences (LPS) provide the most widespread sedimentary records of Quaternary paleoenvironmental evolution. In the Middle Danube Basin (MDB), these archives cover at least the last million years of climate history, and occasionally contain archeological findings. The studied Zemun LPS is located on the right bank of the Danube in Northern Serbia. The site was declared as a protected site, based on Paleolithic artifacts found on the riverbank and stemming from unknown stratigraphic levels of the loess cliffs exposed along the Danube. The present study aims to provide a stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, and temporal context for the Zemun LPS by means of environmental magnetic and colorimetric methods. Our investigations result in a chronostratigraphic scheme allowing direct comparison with other well-established reference records in the MDB and elsewhere. Two potential tephra layers tentatively assigned to the so-called L2 and Bag tephras, which are both widespread in the MDB and beyond were investigated for their bulk magnetic properties. The resulting integrated age model suggests that the Zemun LPS records a detailed history of a quasi-continuous accumulation of mineral dust from Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 11–5a (c. 430–60 ka). The outcome of our integrative approach indicates a continuous aridification over the last four interglacial/glacial cycles and we discuss potential changes in seasonality over time.

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“…Loess materials are widely distributed across the world (Muhs 2013;Schaetzl and Attig 2013;Pasquini et al 2017). In Europe, the most extensive deposits on Earth cover an area from France to Russia, having developed during the Last Glacial period (Haase et al 2007;Lehmkuhl et al 2020). Productive soils have developed on the loess, including Chernozems, Pheozems and Luvisols (Altermann et al 2005;Gerlach et al 2012;Labaz et al 2018;Kabała et al 2019;Loba et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing erosion rates in loess landscape of the Trzebnica Hills (Poland) over time using fallout and cosmogenic nuclides

et al. 2021

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Purpose Loess landscapes are highly susceptible to soil erosion, which affects soil stability and productivity. Erosion is non-linear in time and space and determines whether soils form or degrade. While the spatial variability of erosion is often assessed by either modelling or on-site measurements, temporal trends over decades to millennia are very often lacking. In this study, we determined long- and short-term erosion rates to trace the dynamics of loess deposits in south-western Poland. Materials and methods We quantified long-term (millennial) erosion rates using cosmogenic (in situ 10Be) and short-term (decadal) rates with fallout radionuclides (239+240Pu). Erosion processes were studied in two slope-soil transects (12 soil pits) with variable erosion features. As a reference site, an undisturbed soil profile under natural forest was sampled. Results and discussion The long-term erosion rates ranged between 0.44 and 0.85 t ha−1 year−1, whereas the short-term erosion rates varied from 1.2 to 10.9 t ha−1 year−1 and seem to be reliable. The short-term erosion rates are up to 10 times higher than the long-term rates. The soil erosion rates are quite consistent with the terrain relief, with erosion increasing in the steeper slope sections and decreasing in the lower parts of the slope, while still maintaining high values. Conclusions Soil erosion rates have increased during the last few decades owing to agriculture intensification and probably climate change. The measured values lie far above tolerable erosion rates, and the soils were found to be strongly imbalanced and exhibit a drastic shallowing of the productive soils horizons.

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Loess landscapes of Europe – Mapping, geomorphology, and zonal differentiation

Cited by 150 publications

References 301 publications

Disentangling Sedimentary Pathways for the Pleniglacial Lower Danube Loess Based on Geochemical Signatures

Disentangling Sedimentary Pathways for the Pleniglacial Lower Danube Loess Based on Geochemical Signatures

A Detailed Paleoclimate Proxy Record for the Middle Danube Basin Over the Last 430 kyr: A Rock Magnetic and Colorimetric Study of the Zemun Loess-Paleosol Sequence

Tracing erosion rates in loess landscape of the Trzebnica Hills (Poland) over time using fallout and cosmogenic nuclides

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