Baltrūnas, V., Karmaza, B., Zinkutė, R., Katinas, V., Paškauskas, S., Pukelytė, V.
Inferences from geochemical characteristics of the upper
part of the Middle Pleistocene interglacial deposits in Lithuania
Abstract. The article presents geochemical characteristics
of the Middle Pleistocene interglacials stratotype sections: two from the
Butėnai Interglacial and two from the problematic Snaigupėlė Interglacial.
Geochemical data (the contents of 29 chemical elements, percentages of sediment
components) are related to magnetic susceptibility (MS), bedding, lithology and
previous palaeobotanical results. Higher content of carbonates and clay in
sections of the Snaigupėlė Interglacial can be explained by warmer climate and
calmer depositional environment, though the influence of chemical composition
of the underlying tills is also obvious. The influence of oxic-anoxic
sedimentary environment fluctuations on MS and on the separation between P-Fe
and S-Mn is demonstrated. Many geochemical differences between deposits from
the intervals of the Snaigupėlė-705 borehole and the Snaigupėlė outcrop
sections which presumably include pollen zone S6 Carpinus-Quercus enable the
authors to speculate that these deposits were formed during different
interglacials.