Late Glacial and Holocene aeolian sands and soil formation from the Pomeranian outwash plain (Mecklenburg, NE-Germany)

Abstract

The nature, duration and intensity of Late Glacial and Holocene aeolian sand and soil formation is established for two dune profiles from the Pomeranian outwash plain using a multidisciplinary approach (sedimentology, pedology, palynology, geochronology). During the Late Glacial period, coversands accumulated as thin sheets on plateau areas of the outwash plain, interrupted by the formation of the Finow soil. The spreading of dense vegetation cover during the Early Holocene resulted in stabilisation of the landscape surface and subsequent soil formation. After intensive medieval deforestation, surface destabilisation caused partial reworking of the coversands, resulting in the formation of dunes and a hummocky topography. One of the dunes investigated formed entirely within the Late Subatlantic. This study highlights the spatial and temporal variability of aeolian activity in areas where suitable grain sizes were made available during different periods after deglaciation.