Soil formation and environmental reconstruction of a loess-paleosol sequence in Zmajevac, Croatia

Loess-paleosol sequences are widely recognized in the Pannonian region from a sedimentological perspective; however, fewer studies are focusing on the soil formation processes within these paleosols. We present a detailed pedological study of one of the sequences in Zmajevac, aiming to complete the paleoenvironmental information related to these paleosols, particularly to decipher the nature and environmental conditions that formed the thick, slightly developed (cumulus) Bw horizons on top of the three paleosols in the selected sequence. Chemical, physical, mineralogical, and micromorphological analyses, as well as ¹⁴C dating of shells, were performed on samples from the three paleosols and the recent soil of the Zmajevac sequence. The results suggest that a discontinuous but rather rapid supply of aeolian and partly alluvial materials led to weak soil formation in all paleosols, limited to calcium carbonate mobilization. The sedimentary accretion processes and milder climatic conditions account for the lack of significant rubefaction and the absence of clay illuviation. The most recent (ZN REC) soil is a paleoclimatological archive of the Bølling–Allerød interstadial period. Each older paleosol section represents three sedimentological and pedological events from MIS 3 (ZN 1), MIS 4 interglacial (ZN 2) and MIS 5e (ZN 3). In general, the younger the age of the horizons within each succession, the lower the level of development. These top horizons of investigated sequences are Bw (cumulus) horizons. Thus, this study enhances our understanding of paleoenvironmental conditions in the Pannonian region.