8/6/2019 Loess Deposits in Eastern Srem

1/6

Introduction

Young horizons of the Pleistocene deposits in theeastern Srem area are composed of an eolian loess for-mation, known as the Srem loess plateau (Fig. 1).These deposits were defined as loess earlier, which wasconfirmed by later research. Previously, when describ-ing many loess horizons, researches included not onlytypical loess deposits but also the underlying polyge-netic pre-loess sediments (GORJANOVI]-KRAMBERGER,1921; LASKAREV, 1938; MARKOVI]-MARJANOVI], 1972;RAKI], 1977). Thus, the age of the loess formation ap-peared to be older than it is in fact.

Recent studies (NENADI], 2000; KNE@EVI] et al., 2001;NENADI] et al., 2002; NENADI], 2003), revealed that theeolian deposits usually consist of 24 loess sequences,and a respective number of paleosol horizons. The loessformation is underlain by clayey silts, formerly calledloessal deposits, or marsh loess. These deposits wereascribed as polygenetic fluvial-marshy facies, with typi-cal aquatic marshy fauna of the Mindel age. Both these

sediments and the loess formation are underlain by flu-vial polycyclic and deluvial-proluvial sediments of theEopleistocene to Mindel age (NENADI] et al., 2002).

Stratigraphy and lithology of the loess deposits in eastern Srem (Serbia)

DRA@ENKO NENADI]1 & VLADIMIR SIMI]2

Abstract. Eolian loess sediments in the eastern Srem area, the youngest Pleistocene deposits, occur eitheras a loess plateau, or as a slope-type of loess, formed on the slopes of the Fru{ka Gora Mountain. Lithological,sedimentological, and mineralogical characteristics of these sediments, which were studied from several com-mon clay deposits and boreholes, demonstrated differences between them and the underlying pre-loess sedi-ments, and supported the stratigraphic division of the Quaternary sediments.

Key words: loess, Pleistocene, eastern Srem, Serbia.

Apstrakt. Mla|i nivoi pleistocenskih tvorevina na prostoru isto~nog Srema izgra|eni su od eol-

skih naslaga koje se javqaju u vidu lesnog platoa na zaravwenim delovima terena ili kao padinski tip

ovog sedimenta na obroncima Fru{ke Gore. Sedimentolo{komineralo{ke karakteristike ovih

tvorevina ispitivanih na osnovu podataka sa izdanaka i bu{otina na vi{e lokaliteta ukazuju na bitnu

razliku u odnosu na sedimente u podini, koje neki istra`iva~i jo{ uvek svrstavaju u ni`e horizonte

lesnih naslaga.

Kqu~ne re~i: les, pleistocen, isto~ni Srem, Srbija.

GEOLO[KI ANALI BALKANSKOGA POLUOSTRVAANNALES GOLOGIQUES DE LA PNINSULE BALKANIQUE

66 (20042005) 2126 BEOGRAD, decembar 2005BELGRADE, December 2005

1 Institute for Regional Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Mining and Geology, Kameni~ka 6, Belgrade, Serbia andMontenegro. E-mail: geolog@eunet.co.yu

2 Institute for Exploration of Mineral Deposits, Faculty of Mining and Geology, \u{ina 7, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro.E-mail: simicv@rgf.bg.ac.yu

Fig. 1. Location of the Srem loess plateau with positionsof clay pits and boreholes (solid circles)

8/6/2019 Loess Deposits in Eastern Srem

2/6

In this investigation, the loess deposits from the ^or-tanovci, Zemun, Ruma and Irig areas were studied. The

paleontology and stratigraphy of representative sampleswas investigated. The mineral composition (bulk andclay fraction samples) was determined by X-ray diffrac-tion (XRD) and optical microscopy (coarse fractions).Grain-size analysis was done using standard sieves;fractions

8/6/2019 Loess Deposits in Eastern Srem

3/6

mica, clays, rock fragments, and amphibole (in decreas-ing order of their appearance) are minor. Calcite is the

major carbonate mineral, and occurs either as a finelydispersed matrix, or as nodules of different size. Theclay minerals are illite and chlorite with occasionallytraces of smectite.

^ortanovci area

Several loess samples from the boreholes drilled inthe ^ortanovci area have been studied mineralogicallyand sedimentologically.

The loess formation here is around 25 m thick (Fig.2), and consists usually of 34 loess sequences with the

same number of paleosols. Eolian deposits cover thepolygenetic deluvial-proluvial sediments of the Sremseries, represented by clayey silt or silty clay. Thegrain size distributions of the loess and Srem seriesare completely different, especially when comparing thesand and clay fractions (Table 1).

According to our XRD studies (Fig. 4), quartz, feld-spar, calcite, dolomite, and mica (in decreasing order oftheir appearance) are the main minerals of the loess for-mation. The clay minerals are illite and chlorite, withminor amounts of smectite, which seems to be moreabundant in the lower parts of the loess sequences. Inthe sand fraction, quartz, carbonates, and mica are dom-inant, with minor amounts of feldspar, sphen, ore min-erals, rutile, altered grains, and rock fragments.

Sremski Karlovci In|ija area

In the area between Sremski Karlovci and In|ija, theloess formation consists of 24 loess sequences and thesame number of palaeosol horizons. The total thicknessvaries between 10 and 22 m, depending on the degreeof erosion during the Holocene. Loess sequences aresandy silt or silty sand, with abundant carbonate nod-

ules. Palaeosol horizons are made up of dark grey clay-ey silt, or brown silty clay, with different amounts oforganic matter. The fossil remains are typical for theterrestrial forms of cold biotypes, such as: Vallonia co-stata (MLLER), Punctum pygmaeum DRAPARNAUD,

Succinea oblonga DRAPARNAUD, Chondrula tridensDRAPARNAUD, Vitrea cristalina (MLLER), Arianta ar-

bustorum LINNE, Pupilla sp., and indicate the LatePleistocene (Riss and Wrm).

Ruma area

The loess formation in the area of Ruma consists ofthree loess sequences and two palaeosol horizons (Figs.2, 5), which are underlain by red to brown clayey siltor silty clay (KNE@EVI] et al., 2001; NI]IFOROVI] et al.,2001). The loess sequences are yellow to grey-brownor yellow-brown, usually with small carbonate nodules(up to 2 cm in diameter), while the palaeosols arebrown to red clayey silt. The total thickness of theloess formation is up to 20 m, and the whole forma-

tion dips towards SSE at an angle of~ 10.Both the loess sequences and paleosols consist ofquartz, mica, calcite, feldspar, with minor amounts ofdolomite, and clay minerals (illite and chlorite, withtraces of smectite) (Fig. 6). The clay mineralogy of the

Stratigraphy and lithology of the loess deposits in eastern Srem (Serbia) 23

Table 1. Grain size distribution of the loess formation andSrem series, ^ortanovci area.

Sand(>0.063 mm)

Silt(0.0630.005 mm)

Clay(

8/6/2019 Loess Deposits in Eastern Srem

4/6

pre-loess sediments is quite different: with smectite asthe absolutely dominant clay mineral, with traces of

illite and chlorite.

Grain size analyses of the loess sequences, palaeosol,and pre-loess sediments (Table 2), suggest a differencein the provenance of the material and the depositionalenvironment.

Irig area

In the Irig area, the loess formation is composed offour loess sequences, and four palaeosols (Figs. 2, 7),which are underlain by brown plastic clay of the Sremseries (SIMI], 2004). The loess sequences are yellowto yellow brown, occasionally with levels rich in car-bonate nodules (usually up to 10 mm in diameter). Thecarbonate content of the Irig loess formation is1118%, on average ~ 14%. The average content ofsand, silt, and clay fraction is 2.90%, 78.99%, and18.21%, respectively.

The mineral composition is typical for the loess (Fig.

8): quartz is the dominant mineral, accompanied by cal-cite (as small nodules, shell fragments, and finely dis-persed matrix); feldspar, dolomite, and mica occur inminor amounts; illite and chlorite are the dominantclays, smectite occurs in traces.

Conclusion

Loess is one of the major Quaternary formations inthe Srem area. It formed as a result of eolian transport

and deposition predominantly of silt, either in a wetgrassland environment or on dry land. In the Srem, theloess occurs as the large Srem loess plateau, or as aslope-type, formed along the Fru{ka Gora Mountain, upto 400 m above sea level.

DRA@ENKO NENADI] & VLADIMIR SIMI]24

Fig. 5. Typical cross-section of the loess deposit in Ruma.

Fig. 6. XRD patterns of loess and palaeosol samples, Ruma.For abbreviations see Fig. 4.Sand

(>0.063 mm)Silt

(0.0630.005 mm)Clay

(

8/6/2019 Loess Deposits in Eastern Srem

5/6

Recent studies demonstrated that the loess formation ismade up of 24 loess sequences, and 14 paleosol hori-zons, with a total thickness of approximately 20 m (lessif eroded). The first two horizons are of subaeral and thetwo lower ones of aquatic origin. This can be inferredfrom their lithological and palaeontological contents.

Generally, for the loess fauna of eastern Srem, thefollowing terrestrial snails are characteristic: Succineaoblonga DRAPARNAUD, Pupilla muscorum LINNE,Arian-ta orbustorum LINNE, Choclicopa lubrica MLLER, Cla-usilia pumila PFEIFER, Orcula dolium DRAPARNAUD,Charichium minimum MLLER, etc. Paleoecologically,this association is typical for steppe regions. Accordingto the alternation of cold fauna, such as Chondrulatridens and warm fauna, such asArianta orbustorum,it can be assumed that cold and warm sequences fol-lowed each other during glacial periods.

The malacofauna from all the studied areas is nearlyidentical, and cannot be used for more detailed stra-tigraphic divisions. Comparing these fauna with the oc-currences of remnant of mammals in the loess depositsin the Srem and Belgrade, such asMammuthus primige-nius (BLUMENBACH),Rhinnoceras tichorinus PISCH.,Equ-us cabalus LINNE, andBos primigenius BOJANUS as typ-ical representatives of the Upper Paleolite or Hazar com-

plex (GROMOV et al., 1960), it can be concluded that theloess formation deposited during Riss and Wrm.The mineral composition of the loess formation is

very similar in all the studied areas: quartz, carbonates,feldspar, mica, and clay minerals (illite and chlorite).

Smectite usually occurs in traces. The mineralogy ofthe loess is quite different from that of the underlying

sediments, confirming a totally different source of theprimary material, as well as of the mode of transportand deposition. On the basis of the collected data, itcould be concluded that the underlying units are genet-ically different from the overlying aeolian package.They were not formed by aeolian activity, as was gen-erally thought, but by fluvial accumulation of materialin the floodplains of steppe rivers or by processes oferosion on the slopes of the Fru{ka Gora.

Acknowledgements

This paper is a part of the project No. 1199: Mineralresources of Serbia: minerogenetic characteristics andeconomic importance, financed by the Ministry for Sci-ence and Environmental Protection of the Republic ofSerbia. The authors gratefully acknowledge the help ofProf. Dr. STEVAN \URI] for the XRD analyses. We alsowish to thank the reviewers Prof. Dr. VESSELIN DEKOV,University Climent Ohridski of Sofia and Prof. Dr. ADAMDANGI], Belgrade University for their helpful remarks.

References

DANGI], A., 1995. Geochemical and Mineralogical properitesof loess at Gornji Zemun. Geolo{ki anali Balkanskoga

poluostrva, 59 (1): 261287, (in Serbian and English).GORJANOVI]-KRAMBERGER, D., 1921. Morphological and hy-

drographical characteristics of loess in Srem. Glasnik geo-grafskog dru{tva, 5: 1753, (in Serbian).

GROMOV, V. I., KRASNOV, I. I., NIKIFOROVA, K. V. & [AN-CER, E. V., 1960. Principles of stratigraphical subdivisionof Quaternary (Anthropogene) system and its lower boun-dary.Me`dunarodnij geologi~eskij kongress, 145162, XXISesija, Dokladi sovetskih geologov, Moskva (in Russian).

KNE@EVI], S., SIMI], V., NENADI], D. & JOVANOVI], D., 2001.Loessal deposits in Srem and their importance in structuralceramics. Conference Clay 2001, Yugoslav Opencast Mi-ning Committee, 7075, Ruma (in Serbian, English abstract).

KUZMI], V., JEVREMOVI], M. & TODOROVI], S., 1999. Regula-rity in deposition of aeolian deposits on the Zemun platau.

XII Jugoslovenski Simpozijum o hidrogeologiji i in`enjerskoj

geologiji, In`enjerska geologija, 2: 201207, Novi Sad (inSerbian).

LASKAREV, V., 1938. Third note on Quaternary deposit in thevicinity of Belgrade. Geolo{ki anali Balkanskoga poluostr-va, 15: 135 (in Serbian, French summary).

MARKOVI]-MARJANOVI], J., 1972. Distribution and stratigraphyof loess in Yugoslavia.Bulletin du Museum dHistorie Na-

turelle, 27, ser. A, 93109, (in Serbian, French summary).NENADI], D., 2000. Stratigraphic characteristics of loess de-posits in Belgrade and its vicinity. Vesnik Zavoda zageolo{ka i geofizi~ka istra`ivanja, Serija A, 50: 5174, (inSerbian and English).

Stratigraphy and lithology of the loess deposits in eastern Srem (Serbia) 25

Fig. 8: XRD patterns of a loess and palaeosol sample, Irig(after SIMI], 2004). For abbreviations see Fig. 4.

8/6/2019 Loess Deposits in Eastern Srem

6/6

NENADI], D., SIMI], V. & KNE@EVI], S., 2002. Stratigra-phical and Lithological characteristics of preloess sedi-

ments in eastern Srem (Serbia). Geolo{ki anali Balkan-skoga poluostrva, 64 (2001): 5362, (in Serbian andEnglish).

NENADI], D., 2003. Pleistocene deposits of eastern Srem.Unpublished Doctoral thesis, 224 pp., Faculty of Miningand Geology, Belgrade.

NI]IFOROVI], P., KNE@EVI], S., SIMI], V. & JOVANOVI], D.,2001. Basic exploration of the deposit of raw materialsfor structural ceramics in Ruma. Conference Clay 2001,118124, Yugoslav Opencast Mining Committee, Ruma (inSerbian, English abstract).

RAKI] M., 1977. Pleistocene of Srem and Banat. Geology ofSerbia II3, Stratigraphy (Cenozoic), Univerzitet u Beo-

gradu, 399405, Beograd (in Serbian).RAKI], M., SIMONOVI], S. & HAD@I-VUKOVI], M., 1990.

Several loess sections on the right Danube side and theircorrelativity. Geolo{ki anali Balkanskoga poluostrva, 53(1): 337347, (in Serbian, English summary).

SIMI], V., SIMI], \., RADOJEVI], Z. & JELISAVAC-SIMI], J.,2004: Geological exploration of the common clay depositGornji Batinci near Irig. Conference Clay 2004,344350, Yugoslav Opencast Mining Committee, Aran-

|elovac.

Rezime

Stratigrafija i litoglogija lesnihsedimenata u isto~nom Sremu (Srbija)

Lesne tvorevine na podru~ju Srema predstavqa-ju relativno mlade naslage kvartarne periode od-lagane pod dejstvom vetra tokom glacijalnih epohapleistocena.

Morfolo{ki, izgra|uju dve karakteristi~neceline. U ni`im delovima terena formirale su

veliku sremsku zaravan, dok se na padinama Fru{-ke Gore ovaj sediment javqa u formi padinskogtipa lesa i to u vidu pokriva~a koji pada premaDunavu i Savi sa apsolutne visine od oko 400 m.

U odnosu na starije podatke, novija istra`iva-wa ukazuju da se u lesnom paketu uobi~ajeno nalaze24 nivoa lesa i odgovaraju}i broj pogrebenihzemaqa, a brojni ostaci ki~mewaka i ostaci mala-kofaune najvi{e ukazuju o wegovoj depoziciji zavreme posledwe dve glacijacije risu i virmu(prema alpskoj geohronolo{koj podeli).

U ni`im delovima eolskog paketa le`e lesoid-ne tvorevine, koje sadr`e faunu karakteristi~nu

za akvati~nu, zamo~varenu sredinu (barski les), aza koje je utvr|eno da pripadaju poligenetskimre~nobarskim sedimentima i proluvijalnodelu-vijalnim naslagama starijim od eolske formacije.U podini navedenih tvorevina u domenu re~nih do-lina nalaze se peskovito{qunkoviti re~ni poli-cikli~ni sedimenti mla|eg eopleistocena ilistarijii delovi sremske serije vezane za padinefru{kogorskog masiva, sinhroni~nih sa pomenu-tom jedinicom.

Pored paleontolo{kih, mineralo{kosedimen-tolo{ke analize lesnih naslaga tako|e ukazuju naznatnu razliku u odnosu na sedimente u podini.

Naime, na osnovu dobijenih podataka mo`e se re}ida se podlesne jedinice razlikuju u genetskom po-gledu od eolskog paketa u wihovoj povlati, tj. danisu postale eolskom aktivno{}u, kako je smatra-la ve}ina autora, ve} fluvijalnom akumulacijommaterijala u okviru aluvijalnih ravni stepskihreka ili procesima spirawa i te~ewa na podgori-nama fru{kogorskog masiva.

DRA@ENKO NENADI] & VLADIMIR SIMI]26