New perspectives on the dating of prehistoric soil erosion in loess areas

• Authors: Grzegorz J. Poreba , Zbigniew Śnieszko , Piotr Moska

Title variants

PL

Nowe perspektywy datowania pradziejowej erozji gleb w obszarach lessowych

• Languages of publication: EN PL

Abstracts

EN

This study presents the results of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of colluvial sediment profiles from Biedrzykowice and Świerklany in the archaeologically well documented loess area of southern Poland, The method, the criteria for site selection and the limitations of the interpretation of the dates obtained are discussed. It is shown that Holocene colluvial sediments containing grains of quartz can be approximately dated using OSL. Despite its many limitations, it remains the only method suitable for direct dating of colluvial sediments. The obtained OSL dates are consistent with the archaeological evidence. The Biedrzykowice profile, located 6 km from the Neolithic settlement at Bronocice, contains two layers of Holocene colluvial sediments.The older layer, OSL dated to 6–5 ka BP, is separated from the younger, medieval layer dated to 1,0–0,5 ka BP by a fossil soil. In Świerklany, where there are no known prehistoric settlements, the accumulation of colluvial sediments only started in the medieval period. The OSL dating confirms earlier assumptions that in natural Holocene ecosystems in loess areas of the moderate climate forest zones, mineral material was not transported by slope wash, or only to a minimal extent. This work is the first direct isotopic dating of colluvial sediments in Poland.

Keywords

EN

luminescence dating; colluvial sediments; Holocene; soil erosion; Neolithic

• Publisher: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Sprawozdania Archeologiczne
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 64
• Pages: 113-147

Contributors

author

Grzegorz J. Poreba

• Institute of Physics, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka st. 2A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

author

Zbigniew Śnieszko

• Katowice School of Economics, Harcerzy Września st. 3, 40-659 Katowice, Poland

author

Piotr Moska

• Institute of Physics, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka st. 2A, 44-100 Gliwice