The geochemical characteristics of loesses and paleosols in the South-Eastern Transdanube (Hungary)

This paper deals with a study on loesses and paleosols in the South-Eastern Transdanube. Four types of the sediments (loess, derasional loess, humic loess horizon, chernozem-like steppe soil) from the profiles of the Dunaûjvâros-Tâpiôsiily and the Mende-Basaharc loess formations were examined. Loesses can be divided into two groups (weakly weathered loess and weathered loess) on the basis of the element composition, which is also affected by paleoclimatic circumstances and weathering processes. Beside an average element composition, the weakly weathered loess is characterized by high carbonate content and low calcite-dolomito ratio. The characteristic element composition of the loesses is considerably changed during the weathering because some elements accumulate and others decrease. There is characteristically lower carbonate content in paleosols than in loesses, but they have higher calcite-dolomite ratio. The humic loess horizons have geochemically an intermediate character between loesses and paleosols. Mineral and element composition of the chernozem-like steppe soils prove that their pedogenesis was more intensive than that of the humic loess horizons