Loess-palaeosol sequences as archives for Late Pleistocene environmental conditions in central Spain

该项目的目的是利用西班牙中部的黄土-古土壤序列重建晚更新世的环境条件。在这一地区，从陆地档案中获得的关于晚更新世的信息很少。塔古斯盆地巨大的黄土和类似黄土的沉积序列具有弥合这一科学鸿沟的巨大潜力。重点放在原始黄土沉积(真正的黄土)上，这使得人们可以直接得出风沙迁移的过程和时间框架的结论。此外，重新定位的黄土沉积物以及冲积黄土被认为是地貌活动较高的时期。被包括的古土壤被用来探测气候或水文有利的时期。近期目标是利用沉积学和土壤发生学方法研究至少5个沉积物剖面，为西班牙中部塔古斯上游集水区的黄土沉积物编制复合剖面。地层重要位置的OSL测年确保了年代学上的分辨率。编制的标准剖面将是推断晚更新世环境条件和环境变化的基础。特别是与研究Jarama河晚第四纪河流动力学的项目结果的比较，Jarama河排水了大量黄土堆积的地区，这将有助于开发西班牙中部晚更新世地貌演变的高分辨率模型。进一步的重点将放在黄土沉积物的来源上，以区分局部成分和长距离输送，以及探测主导风向。

The aim of the project is to reconstruct Late Pleistocene environmental conditions by using loess-palaeosol sequences in central Spain. In this area information about the Late Pleistocene derived from terrestrial archives is rare. Huge sequences of loess and loess-like sediments in the Tagus Basin have a great potential to close this scientific gap. The focus is on original loess deposits (true loess), which allow direct conclusions about processes and time frames of the aeolian translocation. Furthermore, relocated loess sediments as well as alluvial loess are considered to detect periods of higher geomorphic activity. Included palaeosols are used to detect climatically or hygrally favourable periods. The immediate objective is to study at least 5 sediment profiles by using a sedimentological and pedogenetic approach to develop a composite profile for the loess deposits of the upper Tagus catchment in central Spain. A chronological resolution is ensured by the OSL-dating of stratigraphically important positions. The compiled standard profile will be the basis to derive Late Pleistocene environmental conditions and environmental changes. Especially the comparison with the results of the project, dealing with Late Quaternary fluvial dynamics of the Jarama River that drains areas with huge loess accumulations, will facilitate the development of a high-resolution model of the Late Pleistocene landscape evolution in central Spain. A further focus will be on the provenances of the loess sediments to differentiate between the local component and long distance transportation, as well as to detect dominant wind directions.