Deciphering the pedo-sedimentary complex of the eastern Adriatic coast: A case study from Privlaka, Croatia

This study provides the first analysis of the Quaternary pedo-sedimentary complex to understand the succession of palaeosol and sediments, the mechanism of deposition, and the source and age of the material. Each distinctive layer was sampled. Palaeosols are rich in fine-grained components, predominantly silt. Quartz dominates in the light mineral fraction, suggesting that the sediments underwent more redeposition than for typical continental loess. The increase in weathered quartz grains with increasing depth could indicate that the proportion of fluvial sediments has increased compared to the aeolian sediments. Mineralogical and petrographic analyses confirmed the presence of chromite, serpentinite, and serpentinized olivine basalt, indicating an area of origin with ultramafic rocks, which could be the Dinaric ophiolitic zone in the hinterland. The carbonates are polygenetic in origin and consist of equal parts of highly spherical upper Cretaceous rudist limestones, Eocene nummulitic limestones, and low spherical pedogenic carbonate concretions, indicating local transport. According to the OSL dating results, the glacio-fluvial material is either early Weichselian or Saalian in age, while the palaeosol most likely cannot be younger than the Eemian and may even have a Middle Pleistocene age.