The Warta River valley was greatly influenced by the ice sheet of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A small peatland located in the Warta drainage system is here used as a palaeoarchive of climatic and habitat changes during the Late Glacial (Weichselian). The Ługi sediment profile was investigated using multi-proxy (pollen, Chironomidae, Cladocera and geochemistry) analyses that recorded changes in a fluviogenic sedimentary depression. After the Poznań Phase (LGM), Ługi functioned as an oxbow lake that was cut off from the active river channel as a result of fluvial erosion. Since that time, the Warta River has flowed only along the section now occupied by the Jeziorsko Reservoir. Sedimentation of lacustrine deposits started at the beginning of the Late Glacial. Summer temperature reconstructions indicate cool Oldest and Younger Dryas, but no clear cooling in the Older Dryas. During the Younger Dryas the palaeolake was completely occupied by a peatland (fen), which periodically dried out during the Holocene. Investigation of this site has tracked the reaction of the habitat to climatic, hydrological and geomorphological changes throughout the Late Weichselian.
The Bełchatów lignite deposits are a rich archive allowing palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic reconstructions from the Neogene and Quaternary periods. We describe the results of palynological studies (including non-pollen palynomorphs) of eight samples from the lower Miocene KRAM-P 211/214 collection of plant macroremains. The results of this palynological analysis are consistent with the results of previous studies of plant macroremains and significantly enrich our knowledge of vegetation and palaeoenvironment. Both studies indicate the presence of a freshwater body (a moderately large and deep lake) surrounded by wetland vegetation (including swamp forests with Glyptostrobus, Taxodium, Nyssa and Osmunda) and upland mesophytic forests. Evergreen or at least semi-evergreen forest communities grew along the ancient shores of the lake and on the slopes of the Mesozoic calcareus rocks surrounding the lake. In the lake, green algae (Pediastrum, Tetraedron and some Botryococcus) and freshwater peridinoid dinoflagellates were major components of the algal community. The same lake was the source of previously identified animal remains: freshwater fishes, molluscs, and mammals, including Megachiroptera bats. Our analysis shows that the climate was subtropical and humid, with an estimated mean annual temperature of 16.8–17.8°C.
The Başkale Basin is located in the easternmost part of Türkiye, within a tectonically active area, and located at the intersection of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In this study, the Dereiçi travertines, one of the most important products of neotectonism in the basin, were investigated sedimentologically, mineralogically and geochemically. To understand the neotectonic evolution of the travertine succession, the sequence was studied from bottom to top as regards morphology, lithofacies and U/Th dates. Crystalline crust, coated gas bubbles, shrub, paper-thin raft and palaeosol lithofacies have been detected in the Dereiçi travertines, which are morphologically of layer type, two ridge types and terrace type. The Dereiçi travertines commenced to precipitate at the intersection of the Işıklı and Ilıcak faults at 255.56 ±9.01 ka, and their deposition continues today. Travertine deposition paused twice between 198.31 ±18–143.07 ±1.5 ka and 96.73 ±8.34–61.59 ±5.4 ka, when palaeosol development took place. According to field and laboratory studies, the Dereiçi travertines developed under climate and tectonic control. The Işıklı and Ilıcak faults played active roles in the development of the travertines. As the travertine ages are linked to movement on both faults, the age of the Işıklı Fault should be 255.56 ±9.01 ka or earlier, and that of the Ilıcak Fault should be 143.07 ±1.5 ka or earlier.
Fossil charcoal is the primary source of evidence for palaeo-wildfires and has gained increasing interest as a proxy in the reconstruction of past climates and environments. Today, increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation/humidity appear to correlate with increases in the frequency and intensity of wildfires in many regions worldwide. Apart from appropriate climatic conditions, sufficient atmospheric oxygen (>15%) is a necessary precondition to sustain combustion in wildfires. The Triassic has long been regarded as a period without evidence of wildfires; however, recent studies on macro-charcoal have provided data indicating their occurrence throughout almost the entire Triassic. Still, the macro-palaeobotanical record is scarce and the study of micro-charcoal from palynological residue is seen as very promising to fill the gap in our current knowledge on Triassic wildfires. Here, the authors present the first, verified records of micro-charcoal from the Triassic of the Germanic Basin, complementing the scarce macro-charcoal evidence of wildfires during Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper (Anisian-Rhaetian). The particles analysed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show anatomical features typical of gymnosperms, a major element of the early Mesozoic vegetation following the initial recovery phase after the PT-boundary event. From the continuously increasing dataset of Triassic charcoal, it becomes apparent that the identification of wildfires has a huge potential to play a crucial role in future studies, deciphering Triassic climate dynamics. The first SEM study of micro-charcoal from palynological residue spanning the entire Triassic period, presented here, is a key technique to further unravel the charcoal record as a puzzle piece in palaeoclimate reconstruction.
Palynological analysis of the 1st mid-Polish lignite seam (MPLS-1) of the Drzewce deposit (Konin region, central Poland) was used as the data source for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic interpretations. Lignites of the 1st group developed in the middle Miocene, during and shortly after the last peak of the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, over a large area of Poland, and they are the youngest of the main Neogene lignite seams in Poland. In the Konin region, these lignites have a relatively significant thickness (up to 20 m) and therefore they are (or were in the past) exploited in several open-pit mines. A total of 36 palynological samples from the 6.3-m-thick seam of the Drzewce opencast mine was studied in detail. Palynological analysis of the lignite seam indicates that the area was overgrown by palustrine wetland communities, similar in composition to modern pocosins. The most characteristic elements of them were shrubs in the Ericaceae family. The climate at that time was warm temperate and humid. The estimated mean annual temperature (MAT) for the lignite seam at Drzewce is 15.7–17.8 °C. Comparison with other palynofloras from the MPLS-1 shows that the climate during the formation of the group of seams was more or less homogenous across the entire Polish Lowlands. Sedimentological data and results of palynological studies (including NPPs) at Drzewce indicate that the palaeomires were relatively distant from the channels of the river system in the Konin Basin. The fossil fungal assemblage indicates dense vegetation on damp, swampy soils and the presence of small, shallow-water bodies, with a variable water level or even periodic reservoirs, existing only during the wet season or after floods. In small, flooded depressions, such as the pools in bogs, filamentous green algae occurred. The presence of zygospores of the desmids Desmidiaceaesporites cosmarioformis most probably indicates relatively nutrient-poor (ombrotrophic) conditions. Fluctuations in the frequency of individual plant taxa (including Sequoia and Sciadopitys) are likely to reflect changes in water level and trophic conditions.
This paper presents the Late Glacial stage of the development of the Białe Ługi peatland in the southern Holy Cross Mountains, based on a comprehensive palaeoenvironmental data. A complex analysis of palynology, Cladocera, sedimentology, geochemistry and 14C dating were used. Organic deposition was initiated during the Oldest Dryas. The sedimentary record of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems reflects considerable difference between cooler (Oldest, Older and Younger Dryas) and warmer phases (Bølling and Allerød). Periods of intensified interaction between Aeolian processes and peatland are related to stages of disappearing vegetation and changes in aquatic invertebrate communities. We therefore suggest that peatlands were created as a result of local lithological-structural, tectonic, hydrogeological and morphological conditions, and the peatland development rate was largely influenced by changing climatic conditions, which determined local vegetation development, intensity of denudation processes and water level changes. The results validate significance of selection and use of several methods, as well as value of biogenic deposits from the Białe Ługi peatland as archives of past climate change in the Małopolska Upland. Relatively stable water conditions and uninterrupted biogenic sedimentation in the Late Glacial that were provided by the geological structure and relief suggest the studied peatland is a leading one in the region.
Deposits formed between the Neogene/Pleistocene transition and into the Early Pleistocene have been studied, mainly on the basis of drillings and at rare, small outcrops in the lowland part of Polish territory. At the Bełchatów lignite mine (Kleszczów Graben, central Poland), one of the largest opencast pits in Europe, strata of this age have long been exposed in extensive outcrops. The present paper is based on our field studies and laboratory analyses, as well as on research data presented by other authors. For that reason, it can be seen as an overview of current knowledge of lowermost Pleistocene deposits at Bełchatów, where exploitation of the Quaternary overburden has just been completed. The results of cartographic work, sedimentological, mineralogical and palynological analyses as well as assessment of sand grain morphology have been considered. All of these studies have allowed the distinction of three Lower Pleistocene series, i.e., the Łękińsko, Faustynów and Krzaki series. These were laid down in fluvial environments between the end of the Pliocene up to the advance of the first Scandinavian ice sheet on central Poland. The following environmental features have been interpreted: phases of river incision and aggradation, changes of river channel patterns, source sediments for alluvia, rates of aeolian supply to rivers and roles of fluvial systems in morphological and geological development of the area. The two older series studied, i.e., Łękińsko and Faustynów, share common characteristics. They were formed by sinuous rivers in boreal forest and open forest environments. The Neogene substratum was the source of the alluvium. The younger series (Krzaki) formed mainly in a braided river setting, under conditions of progressive climatic cooling. Over time, a gradual increase of aeolian supply to the fluvial system can be noted; initially, silt and sand were laid down, followed by sand only during cold desert conditions. These fluvio-periglacial conditions are identified in the foreground of the advance of the oldest ice sheet into this part of central Poland. The series studied have been compared with other fluvial successions which accumulated in the Kleszczów Graben during subsequent glaciations so as to document general changes in fluvial systems as reactions to climatic evolution. Thus, a palaeoenvironmental scenario has emerged which could be considered to be characteristic of central Poland during the Early Pleistocene.
The Udryń PIG 1 research borehole drilled in northeastern Poland (54°14’49”N, 23°03’29”E, 223 m a.s.l.) revealed a permafrost layer, at least 93 m thick, within the sedimentary succession below a depth of 357 m. The base of the permafrost has not been reached at 450 m depth, where the drilling stopped, so its total present thickness remains unknown. The relict permafrost, unexpected in this part of Central Europe, is in the ice-water transition phase at a temperature slightly below the 0°C. Analysis of geophysical and hydrogeological data indicates the possibility of preserving the permafrost in the central part of sedimentary cover of the Suwałki Anorthosite Massif over an area of probably 50 km2. Preliminary results of geothermal modelling indicate maximum palaeothickness of permafrost at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum of probably ~600 m. The development of such a thick permafrost results both from a very low average annual temperature in the Weichselian Glaciation and a very low terrestrial heat flow density. It is very probable that similar zones of deep relict permafrost occurrences, undetected so far, may exist in other areas of the Precambrian Platform not only in Poland, but also in the neighbouring countries.
A number of recent studies dealing with palaeoclimate and environmental reconstruction include the measurement of oxygen isotope composition of mammalian teeth. Some of them analyse a temporal sequence of the changes recorded in bioapatite from enamel layers representing the whole period of tooth development. Enamel samples display large intra-tooth δ18O variations that may reflect a seasonal fluctuation in the δ18O of local palaeoclimate parameters. The present paper provides an effective analytical protocol for sequential δ18O analysis of human teeth using SHRIMP IIe/MC ion microprobe. It is possible to follow the inner enamel layer along enamel-dentine junction on a high spatial scale in a range about 0.02 mm of spot diameter and 0.12–0.14 mm of the distance between spots. Using the methodology described herein, we can achieve an external precision for δ18O analysis <0.2‰ (1σ). The number of 60 to 90 single analyses covering the enamel layer between the incisal and apical ends is enough to obtain temporal resolution of less than one month and to document precisely seasonal fluctuation caused by local environmental and climate factors. The methodology of δ18O in situ measurements has been tested on human teeth from Tell Majnuna, a 4th millennium BCE cemetery in Northern Mesopotamia, which is a relatively arid area with high seasonal differences in precipitation and temperature. Observed pattern of δ18O variations is consistent with expected seasonal fluctuations, although the overall effect is blurred by some inertia in the enamel maturation.
A review of literature data on the degree of peat decomposition – an important parameter that yields data on environmental conditions during the peat-forming process, i.e., humidity of the mire surface, is presented. A decrease in the rate of peat decomposition indicates a rise of the ground water table. In the case of bogs, which receive exclusively atmospheric (meteoric) water, data on changes in the wetness of past mire surfaces could even be treated as data on past climates. Different factors shaping the process of peat decomposition are also discussed, such as humidity of the substratum and climatic conditions, as well as the chemical composition of peat-forming plants. Methods for the determination of the degree of peat decomposition are also outlined, maintaining the division into field and laboratory analyses. Among the latter are methods based on physical and chemical features of peat and microscopic methods. Comparisons of results obtained by different methods can occasionally be difficult, which may be ascribed to different experience of researchers or the chemically undefined nature of many analyses of humification.
Holsteinian fluvial deposits in the Samica River valley in eastern Poland have been studied, in an approximately 12-m-thick succession filling palaeochannels and comprising sandy channel facies succeeded by a package of gyttja, peat and silt deposited in oxbow. Channel belts including palaeochannel fills cut into outwash sands and are overlain by diamictic sands reworked by solifluction under periglacial conditions. Sedimentological and palynological investigations in combination allowed the recognition of glacial and interglacial deposits. The channel belt was formed by a typical sand-bed, meandering river with deposition controlled by abundant point bars. The sedimentary evolution of the Samica valley is interpreted in the context of the glacial-interglacial cycle. Valley-scale erosion and change of river style from braided to meandering occurred coevally with the decay of an ice sheet (deglaciation) and the main phase of meandering river sedimentation is attributed to latest Elsterian and early Holsteinian. The next part of the interglacial, from pioneer stage to established temperate conditions, is recorded in a biogenic oxbow-lake fill. The succession studied has been compared with published data on the European fluvial deposits of Middle Pleistocene interglacials. It is pointed out here that river channel patterns in western and eastern Europe differed. Based on this observation, some general hypotheses regarding the continental-scale climatic distinctness are put forward.
Many terrestrial pollen profiles from Poland (and a few pollen records from other parts of Central Europe) show the end of the last interglacial (Eemian, MIS 5e) to have been characterized by climatic and environmental instability. This is expressed by a strong, rapid cooling in the middle part of the pine phase ending this interglacial (E7 regional pollen assemblage zone), and then a re-warming at the very end of this phase, immediately before the transition to the glacial conditions of the last glaciation (Vistulian, Weichselian, MIS 5d). We have characterized the regional distribution of these climatic fluctuations in Poland on the basis of isopollen maps prepared for the Eemian Interglacial based on palynological data from 31 Polish pollen profiles. These maps show unequivocally that the intra-interglacial cooling at the end of the Eemian Interglacial was a transregional phenomenon, which was reflected very clearly by a temporary openness of vegetation across the whole of Poland. It was associated with a distinct decrease in pine forest areas and an increase in birch forests and open communities of cold steppe type with a domination of Artemisia. The pronounced climate and environment instability during the last phase of the Eemian Interglacial may be consistent with it being a natural phenomenon, characteristic of transitional stages. Taking into consideration the currently observed global warming, coinciding with a natural cooling trend, the study of such transitional stages is important for understanding the underlying processes of climate change.
Two dinosaur footprints: Eubrontes cf. giganteus and Grallator tenuis, both attributed to theropods, have been found in the Lower Jurassic Thaiat Member of the Lathi Formation at the Thaiat ridge, near Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan, India. The footprints were left in sediments of a tidal origin, located in profile a few meters above a marked transgressive/flooding surface. They show different states of preservation – the smaller Grallator tenuis represents a well-preserved concave epirelief footprint on the upper surface of a sandstone containing nerineid gastropod shells, while the bigger Eubrontes cf. giganteus footprint shows a rare state of preservation as a positive epirelief on the top of a calcareous sandstone bed, where recent erosion exposed the footprint cast by removing the mud above and around the footprint. The Thaiat ridge section has been amended in its lower part, to indicate the marked transgressive surface. Geochemical analyses and calculated weathering indices (such as CIA) show that the hinterland climate was seasonal to semi-arid during deposition of that part of the succession.
Latest Eocene plant macrofossils and trace fossils collected a century ago by Wiktor Kuźniar are revised and their stratigraphical and palaeoecological meaning is re-considered. They derive from marine limestones and marls cropping out on the northern slope of the Hruby Regiel mountain in the Western Tatra Mountains. Leaves belonging to the families Fagaceae and Lauraceae and fruits of the palm Nypa are recognized. The co-occurrence of the planktonic foraminifer taxa Chiloguembelina cf. gracillima and Globigerinatheca cf. index and fruits of Nypa suggests a latest Eocene age of the fossil flora. The plant assemblage is typical of paratropical or subtropical evergreen forests in a warm and humid subtropical climate, recent counterparts of which occur in southeast Asia. The presence of Nypa is characteristic of mangroves. The good state of preservation of the leaves suggests coastline proximity during sedimentation of the plant-bearing deposits.
Plant macroremains from five boreholes in Poland were studied. Two of them (Huta OP-1 and Studzianna) from the northern margin of the Holy Cross Mountains, yielded several taxa. In the other three boreholes determinable fossil plants were sporadic, albeit important. Most of the taxa from the Huta OP-1 and Studzianna boreholes are typical of the European Early Jurassic (Hettangian and Sinemurian). Both localities, although close to one another, show quite different taxonomic floral compositions. The Huta OP-1 flora is fern-dominated with the presence of ginkgophytes and conifers (a new species incertae sedis, Desmiophyllum harrisii Barbacka et Pacyna is herein proposed), which would suggest rather wet and warm conditions. This flora is typical of the European Province of the Euro-Sinian Region. In Studzianna the Siberian elements dominate, gymnosperms, mainly Czekanowskiales, which indicate a drier and colder environment.The palaeobotanical data correspond to the results of clay mineral studies, in particular the kaolinite/illite ratio in the source formations. The kaolinite content confirms a decrease in temperature and a reduction in rainfall in the late Early Hettangian and the latest Hettangian in the area.
Praca stanowi pierwsze kompleksowe opracowanie biostratygrafii utworów permu górnego i triasu niecki Nidy. Wyróżniono dziesięć poziomów palinologicznych. Wyniki badań mikroflorystycznych potwierdziły problematyczną dotychczas obecność utworów późnego anizyku i wczesnego ladynu. Pozwoliły także na sprecyzowanie granic między indem i olenkiem oraz norykiem i retykiem. Wyniki zastosowanych w badaniach palinologicznych analiz paleośrodowiskowej i paleoklimatycznej wykazały dominację form sucholubnych w zespołach miosporowych. Wskazują również na przewagę klimatu suchego w późnym permie i triasie na badanym obszarze. Zwiększoną ilość mikroflory wilgotnolubnej obserwuje się w olenku, ladynie, noryku i retyku. Przeważająca w późnym permie i triasie kontynentalna sedymentacja w środowiskach rzecznych, jeziornych, playi i sebki była przerywana przez transgresje morskie, które miały miejsce w późnym wuchiapingu, wczesnym indzie, anizyku i ladynie.
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Ten miospore zones are identified in the Upper Permian and Triassic succession of the Nida Basin. This is the first complete biostratigraphical study of these sediments. The palynological investigation confirmed the presence of the late Anisian and early Ladinian. In addition, they allowed determining more precisely the boundaries between Induan and Olenekian as well as Norian and Rhaetian. Xeromorphic elements dominate the Upper Permian and Triassic palynomorph spectra from the Nida Basin and reflect a mainly dry palaeoclimate. Significant numbers of hygromorphic elements indicating temporarily humid phases, occur in the Olenekian, Ladinian, Norian and Rhaetian. Continental sedimentation in fluvial, lacustrine, coastal, playa and sabkha environments prevailed during most of the Late Permian and Triassic but was interrupted by marine transgressions in the late Wuchiapingian, early Induan, Anisian as well as Ladinian.
After the cooling episode of the Late Pliensbachian, a major oceanic anoxic event occurred during the prominent warming event of the Early Toarcian (183 Myr; Early Jurassic). In this paper, new mineralogical and geochemical data (XRD, XRF, SEM, and TOC) measured on four cores from the Polish Basin are presented in order to document the regional impacts of these disturbances at a high sampling resolution. The results show that the clay mineral assemblages (<2 μm fraction) and vertical variations in kaolinite content are generally similar basin-wide and were controlled by the intensity of chemical weathering and climate changes. However, sea-level changes and variations in terrigenous supply are reflected in the bulk rock data. The spatial variability in clay mineral proportions may also be influenced by the distance from shoreline and the lithology of source areas. Generally, the clay minerals from the Polish Basin confirm the stepped nature of the Early Toarcian warming event. After a predominance of illite in the lower part of the Ciechocinek Fm., which suggests a temperate climate in the early tenuicostatum Zone, rises in kaolinite in the middle part of the Ciechocinek Fm. indicate a stronger weathering rate and high rainfall due to the onset of the warming event in the late tenuicostatum Zone. Importantly, the initial phase of climate change recorded by clay minerals seems to slightly precede the first step of the negative carbon isotope excursion ascribed to massive greenhouse gas releases.
The most representative and long Late Pleistocene pollen sequences covering the late glacial of the penultimate glaciation (Warta/Pripiat), the last interglacial (Eemian/Muravian) and the early glacial of the Last Glaciation (Vistulian/Poozerie) from the territory of Poland and Belarus have been correlated. The resemblance ofpollen spectra in these pollen sequences and a parallel succession of Regional Pollen Assemblage Zones in the considered time intervals suggest that the natural environment of Poland and Belarus underwent synchronous changes under unidirectional climatic transformations. Qualitative and quantitative features of the Regional Pollen Assemblage Zones show similarities and differences in vegetation and climate changes in the study area. A comparison of the pollen spectra from Poland and Belarus suggests that both territories were affected by a similar climate particularly during the cold intervals. Some differences between the compositions of the pollen spectra were noticed as concerns the interglacial period. For instance, Abies and Taxus pollen as well as significantly high percentages of Calluna vulgaris pollen in NE Poland towards the end of the period are present only in the Polish sections. This may suggest a more Atlantic type of the climate during the Last Interglacial in Poland than in Belarus.
The fossil record of the Coleorrhyncha goes back to the Upper Permian. In recent faunas only members of the Peloridiidae are present, restricted in distribution to the Southern Hemisphere. These insects were more diversified in the past, and though their fossil record in the Jurassic is restricted to the Northern Hemisphere, it comprises the families Progonocimicidae and Karabasiidae. The subfamily Progonocimicinae, present in the Jurassic strata of Europe and Asia is a declining lineage. The subfamily Cicadocorinae originated at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary and became dominant during Jurassic times. A review of Coleorrhyncha from European fossil sites is given, with taxonomic and phylogenetic problems highlighted. Their occurrence is linked to a very humid and warm climate, which is in agreement with independent data indicating greenhouse conditions in the atmospheric system and anoxia in the oceans at that time (Toarcian-Oceanic Anoxic Event – T-OAE) and coeval greenhouse climate on land. A new genus and species of the Progonocimicinae – Indutionomarus treveriorum gen. et sp. nov. is described, based on a specimen from the Lower Toarcian of Bascharage, Luxembourg, Western Europe. It is the first record of the Coleorrhyncha from this locality. The morphological features of the new genus in respect to other Progonocimicidae, and its phylogenetic importance, are discussed. Mesoscytina anglica Yu. Popov, Dolling et Whalley, 1994 is transferred to the genus Mesocimex, resulting in Mesocimex anglicus (Yu. Popov, Dolling et Whalley, 1994) comb. nov.
The Pleistocene to Holocene succession in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, consists of an alternation of calcareous sandstones and reddish fine-grained deposits (palaeosols). The palaeosols can be subdivided into two main groups based on the sand-sized versus clay- to silt-sized grains: (1) the sandy hamra palaeosols, and (2) the loess and loess-derived palaeosols. The hamra palaeosols can, in turn, also be subdivided into two main types according to their colour and grain size: (1) light brown loamy to sandy hamra palaeosols, and (2) dark brown sandy clay hamra palaeosols. The hamra palaeosols are polygenetic and originated in humid environments. Their red colour results from ferric oxides coating the sand grains, but also by illuviation. The various pedogenitic units and their gradual transition to loess palaeosols are due to different phases of dust accretion. Both groups of palaeosols developed during the last glacial. They are considered to represent different climate environments: hamra palaeosols represent humid climates, whereas the loess and loess-derived palaeosols represent dry and semi-dry climates.
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