Fluvial response to environmental changes during MIS 4-3: a sedimentary record at the Brześnica site, central-western Poland

Abstract

Fluvial deposits subjected to this study are exposed at the Brześnica site, in the south-western part of the Wielkopolska region in Poland, which was close to the ice-sheet limit during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Sedimentological analyses, including lithofacies descriptions, palaeocurrent measurements, grain size and rounding analyses and heavy mineral compositions indicate that the fluvial deposits at Brześnica were deposited in braided river environment. The following fluvial sedimentary processes were inferred: (1) shallow, rapid flow alternating with waning flow, (2) infilling of erosional channels with fluvial sediments during flood events, (3) changes from supercritical to subcritical flows, and (4) shallow sheet floods. The results of OSL dating indicated sediment deposition ~65.2 ±1.5 ka, i.e. in MIS 4, that was here characterized by cold environmental conditions and a general shift from meandering to braided fluvial sedimentation style. This finding contrasts with accumulation/erosion phases interpreted previously in this region for that time interval; however, it is consistent with recent studies of fluvial systems functioning during MIS 5-2 and of factors responsible for sedimentation style.