Palaeoclimate and pedosedimentary reconstruction of a middle to late pleistocene loess-palaeosol sequence, prymorske, sw Ukraine

A new investigation and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the loess-palaeosol sequence at Prymorske, SW Ukraine is presented using soil structures, grain size, mineral magnetics, organic carbon and calcium carbonate determinations. Six units of the established Ukraine Quaternary stratigraphical scheme have been identified and analysed above and including the Zavadivka (Holsteinian) marker horizon - Dnieper, Kaidaky, Tiasmyn, Pryluky and Udai. Precipitation and temperature are tentatively reconstructed from soil and sedimentary proxies calibrated by modern analogues. Increased temperatures and precipitation to today are inferred for the red-brown Zavadivka palaeosol. Overlying Zavadivka is the Dnieper loess containing a gley and two chernozems above, possibly representing climatic variations of the Saalian Glaciation. The calcified chernozem Kaidaky is separated by a thin loess from the brown/chestnut Pryluky palaeosol (Eemian) which has features indicating drier conditions to the present. Non-gleyed palaeosols exhibit an enhanced magnetic susceptibility (MS) signal relative to the less weathered loess and highlights the palaeoclimatic potential of the technique. The most well developed palaeosol from this study has the highest MS value (Zavadivka: 80ź10-8 SI units) but this relationship is not always found in the Black Sea region. Previous MS analyses at Prymorske (Nawrocki et al. 1999) report significantly higher values to those of this study. Consequently the MS curve at Prymorske cannot be used with confidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and inter-regional correlation without further investigation and modern analogue study.