The stratigraphic and spatial aspects of the differentiation of the chemical composition of the Late Pleistocene loess-palaeosol sequences in Poland – a case study of the Tyszowce and Biały Kościół profiles
https://doi.org/10.26485/AGL/2017/106/7
Abstract
The article presents the comparison of the geochemical composition and the degree of chemical weathering between two Late Pleistocene loess-palaeosol sequences of SE and SW Poland. The results of major element (Si, Al, Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Ti, P) and geochemical index (CIA, Ti/Al, K/Al, Mg/Ca, K/Ca, Na/K oraz Si/Al) analyses indicate stratigraphical and spatial differentiation between sequences. The stratigraphic differentiation is connected with palaeoclimatic conditions which control the intensity of pedogenesis. The spatial variability may be attributed to different climatic conditions during the deposition of loess, the loess recycling process, or even to different source areas. The disproportion between the thicknesses of the loess covers can also be important. It can affect the rainwater infiltration effect.