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Acta Geologica Polonica
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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Online) 2300-1887
Published by Polska Akademia Nauk

[2 journals]

Professor Leszek Lindner – scientific profile and achievements
- Authors: Jan Dzierżek, Robert Janiszewski
  Pages: 263 - 288
  Abstract: Born on July 10, 1938 in Warsaw, an outstanding Polish geologist, expert in Quaternary geology, stratigraphy and palaeogeography, and geological mapping, a polar explorer, full professor of the University of Warsaw, the long-term vice-chair of the Committee for Quaternary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and a member of the Central Qualification Committee for Scientific Degrees and the Title. Chair of the Department of Quaternary Geology (1976–2010), vice-director (1981–1984) and director of the Institute of Geology at the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw (1984–1987).
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Evolution of Professor Leszek Lindner’s ideas on the Quaternary
stratigraphy of Poland
- Authors: Jan Dzierżek, Bogusz Kulus
  Pages: 289 - 306
  Abstract: This contribution characterises the stratigraphic schemes of the Quaternary as constructed and published by Leszek Lindner in 1967–2019. The oldest schemes assume the subdivision of the Pleistocene into three glaciations (i.e., Cracow, Middle-Polish and Baltic) separated by two interglacials (Great and Eemian). The scheme published in 1992 comprises eight glacial and seven interglacial units. The most recent scheme for the Quaternary contains seven advances of the Scandinavian ice-sheet on the area of Poland during the Nidanian (MIS 22), Sanian 1 (MIS 16), Sanian 2 (MIS 12), Liviecian (MIS 10), Krznanian (MIS 8), Odranian (MIS 6), and Vistulian (MIS 2–5d) glaciations. They are separated by six interglacials: Podlasian, Ferdynandovian, Mazovian, Zbójnian, Lublinian and Eemian. The ranges of glacial transgressions, and key interglacial and preglacial sites are assembled in a cumulative scheme for the area of Poland. We review the main study methods on which the subsequent versions of the stratigraphic scheme were based. These include Prof. Lindner’s own detailed field research in glaciated and extraglacial areas, and paleofloristic, paleontological and paleomagnetic studies of major interglacial sites carried out by numerous researchers, as well as thorough literature studies.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Quaternary stratigraphy of Poland – current status
- Authors: Leszek Marks
  Pages: 307 - 340
  Abstract: A critical verification of the previous stratigraphic Quaternary subdivisions has updated the setting of the stratigraphic units in Poland. Inconsequently applied classification and terminology in the Polish Quaternary stratigraphy has been accompanied by arbitrary correlation with marine isotope stages. This has resulted in the creation of several stratigraphic units, occasionally with ambiguous stratigraphic setting and chronology, and usually devoid of the type sections. A record of most of the Early and Middle Pleistocene is full of sedimentary hiatuses. The detailed stratigraphic setting of 5 glaciations (Nidanian, Sanian 1, Sanian 2, Odranian and Vistulian) and 4 interglacials (Podlasian, Ferdynandovian, Mazovian and Eemian) has been established in the Pleistocene of Poland. The palaeomagnetic Brunhes/Matuyama boundary was determined within the Podlasian Interglacial and therefore, the oldest glaciation (Nidanian) has no equivalent anywhere in Europe. The stratigraphic units distinguished are correlated with those in Western Europe and with the marine isotope stages. The Quaternary stratigraphy in Poland is faced with the necessity of how to define regional stratotypes of the main stratigraphic units and boundaries. A crucial issue is to change the approach from a qualitative description of the stratigraphic units to one based also on selected quantitative criteria.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Climate and vegetation changes recorded in the post Holsteinian lake
deposits at Ossówka (eastern Poland)
- Authors: Krzysztof Bińka, Marcin Szymanek, Jerzy Nitychoruk
  Pages: 341 - 354
  Abstract: Due to the long sedimentation period (about 70 000 years) and the unique quality of the lake deposits represented by very long, monotonous layers of lacustrine chalk, the sequence at Ossówka is exceptional. We conducted highly-resolved pollen and isotope analysis of the 27-m-long, upper part of the sequence of the lake sediments covering the final stage of the Holsteinian and the early phases of the Saalian Complex (Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 11–10). In the pollen profile three main forest interstadials (L PAZ O-3, O-5, O-7) and the intervening steppe – tundra stadials (L PAZ O-2, O-4, O-6, O-8) as well as numerous units of lower rank were identified. Interstadials were characterized mainly by the presence of well-established pine forest. Stadials in turn, represented steppe – tundra vegetation with very pronounced continental influences. Also, three clearly established phases of forest fires starting at the beginning of interstadials and gradually disappearing are interesting feature of the sequence. Fires of that scale are very rarely noted in the palynological spectra. The examined sequence is characterized by the high dynamics of changes in the post interglacial part of the profile. It provides, coupled with clear features of the Holsteinian succession and its duration, a reliable correlation with other terrestrial and marine archives.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
A palaeohydrological record of a complete Eemian series from Żabieniec
Ża-19 (Garwolin Plain, Central Poland) with reference to palaeoclimate
data
- Authors: Kamil Kultys, Joanna Mirosław-Grabowska, Abdelfattah Zalat, Anna Hrynowiecka, Karolina Łabęcka, Sławomir Terpiłowski, Marcin Żarski, Irena Agnieszka Pidek
  Pages: 355 - 378
  Abstract: The aim of this study was to reconstruct the evolution of the Eemian palaeolake in the Żabieniec site (Garwolin Plain, Central Poland); it identifies changes in the water level and the trophic status of the lake resulting from panregional factors, including climate changes occurring during individual phases of the last interglacial, and local geologic-geomorphological factors shaping the palaeoenvironment using multi-proxy methods (palaeobotanical analyses, subfossil Cladocera and diatoms analyses as well as determinations of the stable isotopes). A record was obtained of all seven Regional Pollen Assemblage Zones (RPAZs) according to Mamakowa’s description of the Eemian pollen succession (1989), and of the changes in microfossil assemblages and isotopes in palaeolake sediments associated with lake evolution. Special attention was paid to the Middle Eemian RPAZ 4 (i.e. hazel phase) of the climatic optimum; all proxies associate this with the highest water level and a warm humid climate. During the E5/E6 RPAZs, the eutrophic lake transformed very quickly, and a transitional peatbog was formed. The higher humidity of the late Eemian resulted in another increase in water level. The multi-proxy record of the Żabieniec palaeolake which we obtained was compared to those of other Eemian water bodies in the Garwolin Plain and in Central Poland that exhibit sedimentation gaps especially during the younger part of the E5 RPAZ.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Environmental conditions across Poland during the Eemian Interglacial
reconstructed from vertebrate remains
- Authors: Krzysztof Stefaniak, Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Adrian Marciszak, Artur Sobczyk, Paweł Socha
  Pages: 379 - 410
  Abstract: Knowledge on the Eemian (MIS 5e) fauna of Poland is based on vertebrate remains from 16 open-air localities and 8 cave sites. Considering the short period of time covered by MIS 5e, the amount of data is surprisingly large. There is still an ongoing debate on whether the age of some assemblages is Eemian, latest Saalian or even earliest Weichselian. There are faunal assemblages or stratigraphically isolated finds with some disputable evidence. The full picture of the evolution of the Eemian vertebrate fauna in the present-day territory of Poland is still far from being complete. The finds of various groups of vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) from the Eemian Interglacial of Poland are analysed in terms of their environmental preferences. A number of thermophilic species or forms which preferred temperate climate conditions are known from this period. Among them, Clethrionomys glareolus, Glis glis, Meles meles, Martes martes, Lynx lynx, Felis silvestris, Sus scrofa, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, and Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis indicate a forest environment. The presence of species that preferred more open environments (Cricetus cricetus, Mammuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, and Equus ferus) is also recorded for the Eemian Interglacial of Poland. Characteristic
  was the presence of the large broad-toothed and flat-headed Ursus arctos taubachensis, which additionally often outnumbered remains of Ursus spelaeus sensu lato in the contemporary layers. The Eemian vertebrate fauna of Poland consisted of about 150 species (representing 61 genera and 26 families), most of which were recorded earlier from other localities of this age in central and eastern Europe.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Are several profiles better than one' Multi-profile palynological study of
the Eemian lacustrine sediments at the Wola Starogrodzka site (Garwolin
Plain, Central Poland)
- Authors: Mirosława Kupryjanowicz, Magdalena Fiłoc, Edyta Żuk-Kempa, Marcin Żarski
  Pages: 411 - 431
  Abstract: Pollen analysis was performed on 14 profiles of fossil biogenic sediments from different parts of the vast depression near the Wola Starogrodzka village (Central Poland). The results allowed the determination of the time of their accumulation for the period from the end of the Odra Glaciation (Warta Stage, Saalian, MIS-6), through the Eemian Interglacial (MIS-5e), to the first interstadial of the Early Vistulian (Brørup, MIS-5c). In many studied profiles, we noted the incompleteness in the pollen record of the Eemian vegetation succession – hiatuses occur usually in the hornbeam (E5) and/or spruce phase (E6). Moreover, the thickness of the same pollen zone and the development of its palynological record are strongly differentiated between individual profiles, e.g. the hornbeam zone (E5) is contained in an exceptionally thick sediment layer (3.7 m) in the PWS1-19 profile, and the oak zone (E3) in the WH-123 and PWS2-19 profiles (1.0 and 1.2 m, respectively), while in other profiles they are represented only by single pollen spectra. If we only had a single profile with a hiatus and/or a poorly developed pollen record, it would be impossible to reconstruct a complete interglacial succession of vegetation. However, having several such imperfect profiles which complemented each other enabled us to do it.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Pre-LGM loess deposits in caves of Polish Jura – occurrence and
stratigraphic importance
- Authors: Maciej T. Krajcarz
  Pages: 433 - 452
  Abstract: Loess is an important component of cave deposits. Loess and loess-like strata in caves and rock shelters may serve as stratigraphic correlative units and paleoclimate indicators. For the Polish Jura (southern Poland), one of the key regions of cave deposits studies in Europe, the published information concerning the stratigraphic importance of loess is limited to the sequences from around the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In this paper, a review of the archival data about loess deposits situated below the LGM strata in caves and rock shelters of the Polish Jura is presented. The paper discusses the occurrence, lithology, stratigraphy, chronology and paleoecology of the pre-LGM cave loess. The most important sites of the pre-LGM cave loess in the region include: Biśnik Cave, Nietoperzowa Cave, Mamutowa Cave, and Ciemna Cave (only the outer zones). The loess strata in these sites correlate with cold Marine Isotope Stages (MIS): mid-3, 4, 5b–d, 6, and possibly 10. They represent all the main facies of cave loess: typical eolian loess, colluviated loess-like deposits, loess with bedrock debris, and loams of complex grain-size composition but with the predominance of a loess component. Stratigraphic correlations with loess-paleosol sequences are proposed.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Development of the alluvial fan of the Stryi River and its Late Glacial
incision in the foreland of the Eastern Carpathians (Western Ukraine)
- Authors: Andrij Yatcyshyn, Piotr Gębica
  Pages: 453 - 465
  Abstract: The article presents the stages of development of the alluvial fan of the Stryi River (tributary of the Dniester River), which is the largest alluvial cone in the foreland of the Eastern Carpathians. The alluvial fan has a diverse morphology and complex structure, and its formation is the result of the accumulation and erosion activity of several rivers. In order to reconstruct the evolution of the alluvial fan, geological cross-sections of the Stryi, Svicha and Dniester river valleys were made on the basis of archival drillings and field research. The stratigraphy of the alluvial fills is based mainly on morphological (morphostratigraphic) criteria and the correlation of terrace levels with those of adjacent areas. Fluvial sediments from the Late Glacial and Holocene were dated by the radiocarbon method, which allowed the determination of the age of fan dissection. The main factor controlling the course of accumulation and erosion on the alluvial fan was climate change. The accumulation of alluvial covers was preceded by phases of erosion, which generally fell at the end of the glacial periods (late glacial) and the beginning of the interglacials. Differences in the depth of dissection of the strath and the thickness of the accumulated alluvial sediments in the northern and southern parts of the fan may be the result of different tectonic movements and/or the transport capacity and size of river discharges. In the Late Glacial (Alleröd-Younger Dryas) and the Early Holocene the alluvial fan was dissected to a depth of 10–15 m due to the erosion of the Stryi and Dniester rivers.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)
Human impact recorded in lake environment (Charzykowskie Lake, N Poland)
during the last 6,200 years
- Authors: Joanna Mirosław-Grabowska, Edyta Zawisza, Milena Obremska, Joanna Kowalczyk, Łukasz Zbucki, Kazimierz Tobolski
  Pages: 467 - 478
  Abstract: Based on geochemical and biological investigations of a 6-m-long sediment core, a reconstruction of the environmental conditions in Charzykowskie Lake (northern Poland) is presented. The analyzed sediments consist of fine calcareous detritus gyttja interbedded by lake marl. The results of palynological analysis document the vegetation development around and in the studied lake and confirm the middle and late Holocene age of the sedimentation of the deposits. The identification of 22 taxa of subfossil Cladocera shows the biodiversity of the fauna and reflects the changes in the trophic and water level. The concentrations of various chemical elements suggest the origin of the sediments. Geochemical, including isotope, and biological data, made it possible to reconstruct the environmental conditions, as well as traces of human influence over the last ca. 6,200 years. Four stages of human impact have been documented by the pollen data. The first traces of human groups in the vicinity of Charzykowskie Lake are preserved in sediments from about 4,000 years ago. The human activity is poorly recorded in the Cladocera and in the geochemical compositions of the lake sediments, probably due to the size and depth of the lake and its isolation.
  PubDate: 2023-09-26
  Issue No: Vol. 73, No. 3 (2023)