Evidence of Late Quaternary environmental changes preserved within the Privlaka pedo-sedimentary complex at the eastern Adriatic coast, Croatia

Abstract

The Privlaka pedo-sedimentary succession (Eastern Adriatic coast, Croatia) is a promising archive of palaeoenvironmental changes as it shows a clear alternation of (a) palaeosol(s) and glacio-fluvial deposits. The objective of this study is to describe the palaeosols and sediments, and unravel the nature, magnitude and timing of environmental change preserved within this terrestrial record. To this end, a more than 12 m thick section was investigated in detail, which is divided into four different units of which one is represented by a reddish palaeosol, and the other three by sediment packages, each indicating a different pedosedimentological context. For the purpose of delineating the absolute thickness and lateral extent of the complex, geoelectrical soundings and remote sensing techniques were deployed. The profile was thoroughly described and sampled for the purpose of conducting high-resolution palaeoenvironmental research using mineralogical, geochemical, pedophysical and micromorphological properties. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed in the light of the Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental evolution of the region and surroundings. The research is funded by the Croatian Science Foundation under the projects ACCENT (IP-2020-02-3274) and DOK-2021-02-9476