The structure and formation conditions of the early Pleistocene paleosols in the loess-paleosol sequence of the Alchak-Sedlovina section (Republic of Crimea)

Paleosols are one of the main paleoecologic indicators that record changes in the environment in loess-paleosol sequence. Understanding the peculiarities of the structure of paleosols and the natural processes that caused them makes it possible to reconstruct the landscape and climatic conditions in the desired territories. The article presents new studies of the loess-paleosol sequence of the Alchak-Sedlovina section located in the mountainous area of the southern part of the Crimean Peninsula. The section exposed two automorphic paleosols (PS1-AS and PS3-AS) and one hydromorphic paleosol (PS2-AS), which we correlate with the paleosols of the Vorona pedocomplex (MIS13/15). This assumption is based on data obtained from the results of a comprehensive analysis, including a morphological description of paleosols and their physical-chemical parameters. It has been established that the loess-paleosol sequence of the Alchak-Sedlovina section under study was formed on deposits of V Perchem marine terrace, which corresponds to the MIS 17 interval. The paleosols PS2-AS and PS3-AS developed according to the Cambisols under conditions of warm steppes or forest-steppes with periodic moistening and often local moisture stagnation; during the cold season, a slight freezing of the surface was observed. The PS1-AS paleosol profile also corresponds to the Cambisols, but it was formed in a drier climate under steppe vegetation similar to the modern one. In the study area, during periods of accumulation of loess material and soil formation, they were accompanied by constant erosion processes. As a result, in the loess-paleosol sequence of the Alchak-Sedlovina section, layers of large rock fragments are fixed, and the surface horizons of paleosols are eroded. The obtained material allowed us to take a fresh look at the development of the paleosol cover in the mountains of Crimean Peninsula. The revealed characteristics of the paleosols of the Alchak-Sedlovina section can later be compared with other paleosols of the Crimean Peninsula to interpret their age and formation conditions. 

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