LOESSFEST'09 | Aug. 31st – Sept. 3rd, 2009 |Novi Sad-Serbia
New OSL Dates and Lithological Characteristics of Loesses from Biały Kościół (Niemczańsko-Strzelińskie Hills)
Moska, P.1, Jary, Z.2, Adamiec, G.1, Ciszek, D.3, Novothny, Á.4
1Department of Radioisotopes, Institute of Physics, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
2Institute of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wroclaw, 50-137 Wroclaw, Poland
3Polish Geological Institute, Lower Silesian Branch, 53-122 Wroclaw, Poland
4Department of Physical Geography in the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Absolute dating by luminescence methods is widely applicable in geology, geomorphology, paleogeography and in archaeology to establish ages of sediments and archaeological artefacts. By creating absolute time scales for different events in the history of Earth scientists are able to reconstruct changes in climate and environment in the past, and the history of colonization and development of culture.
Grain size is the most important loess lithologic property. Grain size composition depends mainly on factors connected with depositional processes(i.e. variety of source areas, distance from source areas, frequency and intensity of dust transporting winds). The influence of post depositional processes on changes in grain size composition seems to be of less importance with the exceptions for warm and long periods of intensive pedogenesis, which are favorable for formation of clay minerals. Therefore the grain size differentiation within thick loess sections may by used as a proxy record of climate changes during loess cover development.
We collected 21 samples from loess profiles located in Biały Kościół. OSL dates were obtained by the Institute of Physics Laboratory at the Silesian Technical University. Institute of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wroclaw made all lithological characteristics.
Obtained OSL results in some cases are quite different as compare with the OSL and TL dates obtained during last 10 years by other authors and presented in previous publications relating to this loess profile.