Abstract  This study makes an attempt to characterise Quaternary sediments in terms of their heavy minerals (HM) composition. Authors focus on the Mazovian Lowland, Central Poland, where a number of clastic sediments of different age and origin overlap. Five sedimentary settings, covering the Saalian-Holocene (MIS 1-6) time frame, have been studied to reveal whether these sediments have single or multiple source areas and to decipher sediment transformations. In the glacial setting either garnet- or amphibole-dominated sediments occur. This unequivocal mineral combination likely reflects a multi-sourcing resulting from multi-directional ice advance. The HM taken from fan-like forms and aeolian sediments are closely related; these sediments are largely multicyclic and likely derived from pre-existing recycling sediments. Similar mineral suite is also typical for long-lasting aeolian processes and is observed in dune sediments. Ultrastable components are less frequent in the coversand, which points at a shorter-lived aeolian process. Finally, the fluvial setting reveals multi-sourcing largely depending on local geological conditions.
Keywords • garnet • amphibole • fan-like forms • glacial • aeolian • fluvial • Saalian • Vistulian • Holocene
http://dx.doi.org/10.5200/baltica.2017.30.01
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