See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320215443

Evolution of fluvial system during the

Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage
7) - A case study from the Błądzikowo...

Article in Quaternary International · October 2017

DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042

CITATION READS

1 169

4 authors:

Robert J. Sokołowski Łukasz Janowski

University of Gdansk University of Gdansk
56 PUBLICATIONS 145 CITATIONS 14 PUBLICATIONS 16 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Anna Hrynowiecka Anatoly Molodkov

Polish Geological Institute -National Researc… Tallinn University of Technology
40 PUBLICATIONS 72 CITATIONS 105 PUBLICATIONS 841 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

High resolution mapping of the Venice Lagoon View project

Multiproxy study on the MIS 11c lacustrice sediments from East Poland View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Robert J. Sokołowski on 04 October 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Quaternary International
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint

Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine

Isotope Stage 7) e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N
Poland
Robert J. Sokołowski a, *, Łukasz Janowski a, **, Anna Hrynowiecka b, Anatoly Molodkov c
a
Department of Marine Geology, Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdan
sk, Gdynia, Poland
b
Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, Marine Geology Branch, Gdan
sk, Poland
c
Research Laboratory for Quaternary Geochronology, Institute of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper discusses successive changes in the evolution of the fluvial system observed throughout the
Received 29 March 2017 Bła˛ dzikowo Formation at the Mrzezino key site in northern Poland. The study focuses on the develop-
Received in revised form ment of fluvial sedimentation during Marine Isotope Stage 7. The sedimentary record of the Pleistocene
23 July 2017
at the study site shows a well-developed sequence that is over 30 m thick. The Bła˛ dzikowo Formation
Accepted 28 September 2017
Available online xxx
shows a quick evolution of the fluvial system from a high-energy sandy braided river, to a meandering
sandy river and, finally, to a low-energy meandering/anastomosing river with significant suspension
settling. This transition is explained as a decrease in flow energy, increase in aggradation ratio and
Keywords:
Meandering river system
expansion of accommodation space during deposition time. A change in the fluvial system has not been
Sea-level rise manifested in the variations of the plant cover. Palynological analysis indicates that climate conditions
Baltic Sea transgression were generally stable, cool and humid (boreal). Sediment transport occurred towards the N-NW, through
IR-OSL dating a valley with a NW-SE axis. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) dating shows the
Penultimate interglacial sequence formed from 225.6 ± 17.2 to 210.5 ± 16.6 ka. Well preserved fluvial cycles and 35 m of thickness
suggest the intensive accumulation of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation with decreasing ratio of lateral erosion.
It suggests an increasing influence of base level rise on evolution of fluvial system, mostly during MIS 7.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction €rnqvist et al., 2000; Macklin et al., 2002; Vandenberghe, 2003

Spatial and temporal changes of the fluvial sedimentation style
are immanent features of fluvial systems. Factors that influence it
have autogenic (i.e. erosion/filling of river valleys, changes in the
longitudinal profile of rivers; Lewin and Macklin, 2003; Skelly et al.,
2003; Erkens et al., 2009) as well as externally forced reasons:
mainly climate changes, changes of base level, tectonic movements
or vicinity of (de)glaciation margins of Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS)
(Miall, 1996; Blum and To €rnqvist, 2000; Bridge, 2003; Marks and
Pavlovskaya, 2003; Busschers et al., 2007; Allen et al., 2014;
Peeters et al., 2015). Quaternary fluvial archives have an impor-
tant recording role in the study of these changes (Fuller et al., 1998;
* Corresponding author.
** Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: r.sokolowski@ug.gda.pl (R.J. Sokołowski), ocelj@ug.edu.pl
(Ł. Janowski), anna.hrynowiecka@pgi.gov.pl (A. Hrynowiecka), anatoli.molodkov@
ttu.ee (A. Molodkov).
To
and papers cited therein), as many studies have shown for the
Russian, Polish and German North Sea and Baltic Sea coastal plains
of central and eastern Europe, in the periphery of the Fenno-
Scandinavian ice mass centres in the fluvial Pleistocene se-
quences (i.e. Mol, 1997; Starkel, 2002; Vandenberghe, 2002;

ski, 2007; Panin et al., 2015; Starkel et al., 2015). Particularly
Zielin
the lowermost parts of the fluvial systems, where they interdigitate
with coastal marine sediments, have great importance for the
direct land-sea correlation (Busschers et al., 2007; Hijma et al.,
2012).
Fluvial systems are among the most widespread terrestrial
depositional environments. They host diverse deposits, with
coarser grained and fine grained architectural elements, that allow
them to play a major role in the reconstruction of changes in
Pleistocene depositional environments based on multidisciplinary
studies. Architectural record of river style changes can be found in
the textural and structural characteristics of fluvial sediments (Mol
et al., 2000; Zielin
ski and Go
zdzik, 2001; Vandenberghe, 2002;

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
1040-6182/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
2 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11
Woronko, 2012). Despite their discontinuous record, a semi-
continuous palaeoenvironmental record can be extracted from
the fluvial archives (i.e. Starkel, 1991; Vandenberghe, 1995; Kasse
et al., 2010; Terpiłowski et al., 2014). For these two reasons, the
investigation of remnant river sediments deposited during cold and
warm periods has an important role in reconstructions of terrestrial
palaeoenvironments (Vandenberghe et al., 1994; Blum and
To€rnqvist, 2000; Vandenberghe, 2001; Zielin
ski and Go
zdzik,
2001; Vandenberghe and Woo, 2002; Zielin
ski et al., 2016). Most
authors (especially those working in relative upstream reaches
where rivers are smaller and valleys confined) assume that climate
change is the main factor responsible for changes in river sedi-
mentation in tectonically stable regions (Mol et al., 2000; Lewis
et al., 2001). However, the not majorly glaciated phases of Pleisto-
cene glacial cycles were characterized by relatively long periods (of
the order of tens of thousands of years) with fluctuating cool/cold
climatic conditions. Because of inertia of fluvial systems in the
middle and downstream reaches of relatively larger river systems,
minor climate swings were usually not recorded in their sediments
(Fuller et al., 1998; Busschers et al., 2007; Erkens et al., 2009).
Therefore, changes of the fluvial sedimentation style in Pleistocene
glacial periods may have had other causes resulting from changes
in relative sea level/base level or successive filling of valleys.
The Bła˛ dzikowo Formation is a series of Pleistocene fluvial
sediments from the Gdan
sk Pomerania region. According to
Skompski (1997), the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation is a complex of fluvial
sandy sediments with intercalations of fine-grained and organic
beds. Based on one TL date from deposits which cover the Bła˛ dzi-
kowo Formation (73 ka) and palynological analysis, Skompski
(1997) correlated the deposits to the Eemian interglacial/early
Weichselian. The base of the sediments in the Bła˛ dzikowo Forma-
tion reaches 10 m b.s.l. while their top reaches 30e35 m a.s.l. This
formation crops out in sites within the Puck Hillock (Ke˛ pa Pucka)
(cf. Skompski, 1997). The Bła˛ dzikowo Formation sediments have
been identified in the outcrop of a gravel pit in Mrzezino near Puck
(Fig. 1). The succession of Pleistocene sediments exposed there is up
to 35 m thick. The lowermost unit identified there (U1) contains a
silty-sandy fluvial succession of Pleistocene age (Sokołowski and
Janowski, 2014; Sokołowski, 2016). A change of the sedimentary
environment from a sand-bed braided river to a meandering river
was found in the profile with a thickness of approximately 30 m.
Study area is located ca. 10 km to W from the former extent of
eemian Baltic Sea (Fig. 2). Marine Pleistocene sediments (estuarine
sand with silt and offshore silt and clay) have known in the
numerous drilling profiles of the Gdansk Pomerania region to the
south-east from study area (Makowska, 1986; Marks et al., 2014).
The altitude of the top of marine sediments identified as Emian
series is between 28 m b.s.l. up to 1,4 m a.s.l. (E complex in tab. 3,
Makowska, 2009). They are accompanied by a series of Pleistocene
river sediments that had their estuaries in the southern part of
Gdansk Pomerania during the Eemian (Marks, 2005; Makowska,
2009). The maximum sea level rise during the last interglacial
was þ6 to þ8.5 m higher than at present (Dutton et al., 2015; Long
et al., 2015).
Assuming this age of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation and comparing
it with the palaeogeography of the study area, it can be observed
that a bay of the Eemian sea existed in close proximity of studied
formation (Fig. 2). In addition, Skompski (1997) established that the
rivers flowed to the NW, i.e. in the opposite direction in relation to
the position of the bay of the Eemian sea. Moreover, the top of this
formation is located ca. 35 m above present day sea level. Such a
situation is unlikely. Hence, a need arose to verify the existing views
on the age and origins of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation because of their
palaeogeographic significance.
The Bła˛ dzikowo Formation sediments have been identified in
Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
the outcrop of a gravel pit in Mrzezino near Puck (Fig. 1). Mrzezino
key site is located in N Poland, in the south-eastern part of Puck
Hillock within the Mrzezino II gravel pit (Fig. 2a; 54 390 30.900 N
18 260 11.900 E). The succession of Pleistocene sediments exposed
there is up to 35 m thick. The lowermost unit identified there (U1)
contains a silty-sandy fluvial succession of Pleistocene age
(Sokołowski, 2016). A change of the sedimentation style from a
sand-bed braided river to a meandering river was found in the
profile with a thickness of approximately 30 m.
The aims of this paper are to: (i) identify sedimentary environ-
ments in vertical and lateral succession; (ii) establish their chro-
nostratigraphic position; (iii) reconstruct the rate and manner
(rapid or gradual) of fluvial sedimentation style changes; (iv) to
identify the main factors that influence the evolution of the
depositional environment at the Mrzezino site.
2. Geological setting
Study area is located in northern Poland, in coastal part
(Kashubian Coast) of Gdan
sk-Pomerania region (Fig. 1). This area
was covered by all main advances of SIS, which systematically
rebuilt the landscape (Lindner et al., 2013). Puck Hillock is part of
the Kashubian Coast. It is an isolated hillock (erosion remnant),
surrounded by valleys formed in the last deglaciation, approx. 15 ka
ago (Mojski, 2005; Wo
zniak, 2014). Neogene formations, mostly
Miocene coal-bearing sediments, underlying the Pleistocene de-
posits, at the depth of 70 to 10 m b.s.l. The thickness of Pleistocene
deposits ranges from 40 to 130 m (Pikies and Zaleszkiewicz, 2003).
At the Mrzezino site, four main units were identified within the
Pleistocene sediments. These units formed as a result of different
depositional processes: fluvial, fluvioglacial and glacial (units U1-
U4, Sokołowski, 2016). The lowest unit (U1) correlates to the
Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, identified by Skompski (1997) in the area of
Puck Hillock.
This article presents the investigation results from unit U1
whose total thickness reaches 26 m. Detailed lithofacies studies
were carried out for two profiles located about 150 m apart from
one another (MRZ-I and MRZ-II, Fig. 1).
3. Methods
Field work included a detailed study of sediments (lithofacies
logging, measurements of current elements, sampling for labora-
tory analyses). Lithofacies logging followed procedures proposed
by Miall (1978, 1996) and its subsequent modifications (Zielin
ski,
1998a). Laboratory work on samples included: (i) grain-size ana-
lyses (using sieving and laser methods) and calculation of grain size
parameters (cf. Folk and Ward, 1957), (ii) pollen analysis, (iii)
infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) datings.
Nine samples were collected for palynological analysis: four
from the MRZ-I profile (one sample was empty) and five from the
MRZ-II profile. 5 cm3 of material from each sample were processed.
Typically, it was fine- and medium-grained sand containing some
organic matter. Preparation for laboratory analysis proceeded ac-
cording to standards set by Erdtman (1960) and Berglund and
Ralska-Jasiewiczowa (1986). The density of pollen was deter-
mined by adding one tablet of Lycopodium per sample. The method
used by the authors differed from the standards above in that a
smaller number of pollen grains per sample was counted than it is
generally accepted. Due to their low frequency, there were from 29
to 106 pollen grains (AP þ NAP) per sample in all the three glass
slides (20  20 mm). Palynological diagrams were drawn based on
POLPAL software (Nalepka and Walanus, 2003).
Potassium feldspar-based IR-OSL dating was carried out at the
Research Laboratory for Quaternary Geochronology (RLQG) at the
 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11 3

ski
Fig. 1. a e location sketch of the Mrzezino site with the study profiles; b e description of the study profiles. Modified lithofacies code according to Miall (1978, 1996) and Zielin
(1998a). c e profile MRZ-I; d - profile MRZ-II; e e a general view of MRZ-I profile; f e a general view of MRZ-II profile.

Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
4 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11

Fig. 2. Location of the Bła˛ dzikowo formation exposures and southern limit of Eemian Sea (after Makowska, 1986, 2009; Funder et al., 2002; Marks, 2005; modified).

Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia (Molodkov and Bitinas,
2006). For typical samples from Polish-German formations, the
upper limit of the method is expected to be 300e500 ka, depending
on the burial conditions and the physical properties of the mineral
used for luminescence analysis. The reliability of the dating tech-
nique used in the present study is proved by a number of
comparative results obtained using both the numerical dating
methods (K-feldspar-based IR-OSL, mollusc shell-based electron
spin resonance (ESR), quartz-based optically-stimulated afterglow
(OSA), UeTh, 14C) applied to the same sedimentary samples, and
relative ones (Molodkov, 2012). A remarkable consistency between
the IR-OSL, OSA, ESR, UeTh and 14C dating results obtained on K-
feldspar, quartz grains and mollusc shells taken from the same
enclosing sediments, confirms the accuracy and validity of the re-
sults reported in this paper.
4. Description of sedimentary succession
Archival drillings and Skompski's research (1997) in the neigh-
bouring of the Mrzezino site show the base of the Bła˛ dzikowo
formation to locally occur at the shallow depth of approx. 28 m b.s.l.
This would mean that the whole succession reaches a thickness of
approximately 40e50 m. Contact with the units lying above is
erosional and deformational.
In view of the lithofacies differences within unit U1, two sub-
units have been distinguished: U1a (lower) and U1b (upper, Fig. 1c
and d). Their total thickness visible in the profiles is at least 26 m.
4.1. Subunit U1a
The subunit U1a is at least 8 m thick. Sands with large-scale
planar cross-stratification predominate in the basal part of this
subunit (Fig. 3a and b). Towards the top, they change into sands
with medium scale trough-cross stratification. Laminae and small
clasts of organic matter occur inside all lithofacies (Fig. 3a). Two
samples of organic matter were obtained for pollen analysis.
Palaeocurrent analysis indicate flows to the N with a deviation to
the NW (Fig. 1c).
4.2. Subunit U1b
The sediments of subunit U1b in profile MRZ-I are separated
from subunit U1a by clear erosive contact in many places (Fig. 3b).
The vertical succession and horizontal variability of lithofacies of
subunit U1b made it possible to recognise a number of sedimentary
cycles, mostly of the fining-upward (FU) type (Figs. 1 and 3d). The
basal boundary of each cycle is mostly erosional. Above the basal
boundary, there are fine and medium sands with trough cross-
bedding stratification (St) of medium and large scale. Occasionally
large clay intraclasts are found in the cross-bedded strata (Fig. 3e).
The top of the FU cycles is formed by fine-to medium-grained sands
Si with a thickness of 2.5 m. Laminae are arranged parallel to each
other and are inclined at an angle of 10e20 . Within the fine-to
medium-grained sands, there are small ripples, often enriched
with plant detritus that was subjected to pollen analysis. Ripples

Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11 5

Fig. 3. MRZ-I profile: a e subunit U1a, record of migrating transverse bar. Black arrows indicate organic matter clasts; b e upper part of subunit U1a cut erosionally by subunit U1b
sediments (bed filling). Black arrow indicates streaks of organic matter, white arrowe erosional boundary between subunits. MRZ-II profile: c e filling of a deep erosional cut
(lithofacies St) with a sedimentary transition to subunit U1b (lithofacies Sr); d epoint bar sands (lithofacies Si, lower part) with reactivation surfaces (black arrow) dissected by
overflow channel, covered by floodplain deposits (lithofacies Fm) and expanding crevasse splay (lithofacies St); e e erosion contact of the top part of point bar (Sr(c)) and bottom
part of another point bar with a large clay intraclast (black arrow); f e transition from the bottom (Si) to the top (Sr) part of point bar, covered by fine-grained floodplain and river
levee sediments; g efloodplain and river levee sediments covered by the lower part of point bar; h e deposits deformed by gravity flow of the upper part of point bar.

frequently climb parallelly or diagonally to the slope of the lateral
accretion form. Individual laminae packages are separated by
reactivation surfaces (Fig. 3d). Si facies fill asymmetric palae-
ochannels several meters deep and at least 50e70 m wide. Si facies
transits gradually upwards into silty sands with ripple lamination.
Sometimes Sp or St lithofacies occur in the central part of the Si
units as infills of troughs several dozen cm thick and 3e4 m wide.
Ripple lithofacies transit into silts with climbing ripple lamination
(SFr (c); Fig. 3f) and wavy lamination (Fw). Most of the cycles end
with silty clay sediments with horizontal lamination or massive
structure. Sandy lenses, 20e40 cm thick and 2e4 m wide, some-
times occur within them. Sediments in these lenses have mostly

Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
6 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11

cross-bedding or low-angle lamination (Fig. 3g) and represent 5. Pollen analysis

sedimentary cycles of the coarsening-upward (CU) type. Some
upper parts of the cycles are eroded or deformed in the form of
gravitational landslides (Fig. 3h).
The measurements of palaeocurrent orientation in the sedi-
ments of subunit U1b show considerable variation. The western
orientation with a deviation to the SW is prevalent. The southern
orientation predominates in the top part (Fig. 1c and d). These
differences are mainly visible within the particular sedimentary
cycles between Si lithofacies and the overlying Sr lithofacies, and
they can reach an angle of 90 .
4.3. IR-OSL dating results
Four IR-OSL dates between 208.7 ± 15.7 and 307.2 ± 24.2 ka have
been obtained from sediments of subunit U1b (Fig. 1, Table 1). This
allows us to conclude that the deposition of the dated sediments
most likely took place successively during MIS 7 and perhaps MIS 9
(the lowermost part of profile MRZ-II). Chronological succession of
the luminescence ages from about 226 ka to 209 ka may suggest the
continuity of sedimentation processes without a major strati-
graphic gap. True, an older date, 307.2 ± 24.2 ka (Table 1), from the
bottom of the subunit U1b of MRZ-II profile seems overestimated.
Most likely, according to analytical data, this date is due to
uncomplete bleaching of the mineral grains occurred prior to
deposition rather than an indication of older (MIS 9) age of the
sediments. It is evident that the problem of the age of the lower
part of unit U1 requires further studies, and this work is in progress.
5.1. MRZ-I profile
Samples for pollen analysis were collected from both types of
subfacies, channel zone (St, Sp) and floodplain deposits (Sr and
FSr(c); Fig. 1c and d). The frequency of pollen was very low. Woody
plant (arboreal plants, AP) sporomorphs occur in proportions
indicating the lack of a forest cover (50% and less; Iversen, 1954,
Fig. 4). Damaged (crumpled) and redeposited elements: Dinophy-
ceae cysts, redeposited sporomorphs, both of Tertiary and Pleisto-
cene origin, occur in significant quantities, which indicates that
they were transported by water and originated from and under
unstable environment. Indicator taxa of trees are also considerably
damaged, especially Alnus which, unfortunately, could not be
distinguished from Alnus glutinosa and Alnus viridis. The climatic
conditions that prevailed at the time of deposition of the described
sediments were similar to those occurring in the modern park
tundra with dwarf-shrub and mosses typical of the period after the
last ice age ended (Ralska-Jasiewiczowa et al., 2004). This is indi-
cated by the preserved Betula nana pollen and many spores of
Musci and Calluna vulgaris, Bruckenthalia spikulifolia, Lycopodium
annotinum, Koenigia islandica and other numerous and widely
represented taxa of herbaceous plants preferring a humid envi-
ronment. An important role in the landscape of this area was played
by steppe-like communities (especially in sample MRZ-I-PAL-01,
Fig. 1b) with a significant proportion of pollen Poaceae, Artemisia,
Helianthemum nummularium, Cichorioideae et al. Such a large
percentage of pollen from dry area plants may indicate a relatively

Table 1
Results of IR-OSL dating.

Depth (m b.t.l.) Lab. No. U (ppm) Th (ppm) K (%) P (Gy) Water (%) Dsed (mGy/ka) Dc (mGy/ka) Age (ka)

1.2 RLQG 2301-094 0.33 1.81 0.93 418.3 0.80 1.12 0.16 208.7 ± 15.7
13.0 RLQG 2340-035 0.45 1.21 0.96 402.7 0.91 1.12 0.16 210.5 ± 16.6
15.8 RLQG 2341-035 0.85 2.03 0.96 460.6 1.75 1.27 0.11 225.6 ± 17.2
21.7 RLQG 2342-035 0.34 0.93 1.06 592.2 1.38 1.17 0.08 307.2 ± 24.2

Fig. 4. Pollen diagram of the MRZ-I and MRZ-II profiles.

Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11
continental climate (Magyari et al., 2014). A small number of pollen
grains of trees, mainly Pinus sylvestris and Betula alba, probably
originate from clusters/clumps of trees scattered in the area,
possibly comprising Juniperus, and Hippopha€ e rhamnoides as well.
However, a vast majority of tree pollen originates from long-
distance transport. The bank of the flow basin in which the
described sediment formed was probably waterlogged and peaty,
as indicated by the Sphagnum spores. Communities with Alnus,
probably viridis, Salix glauca, and rushes with Cyperaceae and
Ranunculus acris also grew on the banks of the river creating ri-
parian communities.
5.2. MRZ-II profile
Five samples from the MRZ-II profile have been subjected to
palynological analyses (Fig. 4). Four samples were taken from
floodplain deposits (Sr, Sr(c)), and one sample was obtained from
the lower part of a point bar unit (Fig. 1c). Pollen frequency was also
very low. Similarly to samples from the MRZ-I profile, the propor-
tion of woody plant (AP) sporomorphs indicate a deforested area
(approx. 50%; Iversen, 1954) while a large number of destroyed and
redeposited sporomorphs indicates intensified solifluction pro-
cesses (Fig. 4). However, unlike the sediment described above, the
MRZ-II profile represents a basin resembling a lake, perhaps an
isolated still water pool. It was probably a shallow (less than 1 m
deep) seasonal, wide lake on the floodplain. The lack of remains of
aquatic plants, perhaps caused by frequent floods, does not allow a
reliable estimation of the size and depth of the lake. This is evi-
denced by colonies of Botryococcus and Pediastrum algae. There was
no pollen of aquatic plants (as in the MRZ-I), which may confirm
the thesis of unfavourable conditions for their development. The
bottom of the reservoir was unstable for aquatic and shore plants
due to continuous or frequent deliveries of mineral material. The
vegetation in the lake and its surroundings was so poor that a very
small amount of organic matter remains in the sediment. A single
layer of organic matter could arise even within a single inflow of
matter from the catchment. The source of this inflow shore of the
reservoir could also be peaty bog (Sphagnum) and waterlogged bog
in the immediate surroundings of the river valley. The valley edge:
it was a habitat where riparian communities with Alnus (probably
viridis) and Salix glauca and sedge-reed with Cyperaceae and
Ranunculus acris could develop. The surrounding landscape looked
like a mosaic of dwarf-shrub and moss tundra with Betula nana,
Salix herbacea, Calluna vulgaris, Bupleurum, with numerous Musci
and varied herbaceous vegetation. It was interspersed with patches
of steppe-like grasslands with the predominance of Poaceae, Arte-
misia, Helianthemum nummularium, Aster, etc.
Only individual pollen specimens of Pinus sylvestris and Betula
alba trees and the accompanying Juniperus were encountered.
6. Interpretation of sedimentary environments
Sp lithofacies, sometimes with sigmoidal laminae geometry,
predominate in the lower subunit (U1a). They represent foresets of
transverse bars. They migrated down the channel in the lower flow
regime, creating mid-channel bars (Hjellbakk, 1997; Zielin
ski,
1998b). Lithofacies of the St type formed primarily in the thalweg
zone as a result of the migration of three-dimensional megaripples
in high-energy conditions of turbulent flows (Nemec, 1984;
Ashworth et al., 2011). The moderately and well-sorted sandy
sediments indicate the frequent redeposition and long-distance
transport of material in the river channel.
The Sp⇨St⇨Sr succession (Fig. 3a) was formed by the over-
lapping of sand bars and migration of sinuous megaripples and
then the ripples across their surface. Such a succession of
Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
7
depositional forms (sand bars, megaripples, ripples) is character-
istic of compound transverse bars (Miall, 1996; Bridge, 2003;
Ashworth et al., 2011). Taking into account the thickness of the
entire succession of about 1.5 m, it can be assumed that the channel
flow was twice as deep, i.e. about 3 m (Zielin
ski, 1992).
Results of palaeocurrent measurements indicate that transport
in this region occurred towards the N-NW, matching the probable
axis of the valley as well (NW-SE). Subunit U1a (St, Sp) can be
interpreted as the riverbed sediments of relatively a deep sand-bed
braided river with a predominance of transverse bars (Cant and
Walker, 1978; Miall, 1978, 1996; Jones et al., 2001; Weckwerth,
2011). The lack of fine-grained sediments (typical of overbank
zones) indicates the predominance of sandy sedimentation, trans-
ported mainly in the bedload. The channel sedimentation style can
be compared to the present-day South Saskatchewan River sensu
Cant and Walker (1978) and Schuurman and Kleinhans (2015).
Subunit U1b sediments can be interpreted as deposited in a
fluvial environment with a well-developed, separated channel and
floodplain zones. The channel zone is represented by sand and silty
sand cycles with a clear fining and thinning upwards. The thickness
of these cycles reaches 3 m. The succession of lithofacies
(St⇨Si⇨Sr⇨SFr(c)⇨Fh) in cycles as well as a high variability of
palaeocurrent directions are considered to be characteristic of a
point bar formed in a sand-bed meandering river (Miall, 1996;

ski, 1998a; Ghazi and Mountney, 2009; Ielpi and Ghinassi,
Zielin
2014). Si⇨Sr lithofacies sets (Fig. 3d) represent the central parts of
point bars. Si lithofacies constitute the core part of the point bar
during high water level. The upper parts of the point bar (St and Sr
facies) formed as a result of the rise and fall of a large flood (Hickin
and Nanson, 1975). Silty clay lithofacies (partially with synsedi-
mentary deformation) with scattered plant detritus occurring in
the middle of the subunit may indicate a transition to the envi-
ronment of a fine-grained meandering river, close to the modern
Narew River in its middle reaches (Gradzin
ski et al., 2003).
The deposition of thick packages of climbing ripples with
common organic detritus indicates a considerable role of flow
separation zones in the distal parts of meanders (Taylor et al., 1971).
Taking into account the relatively large thickness of Sr(c) lithofacies,
in comparison with floodplain sediments, together with the pre-
dominance of the silt over the sand fraction, as well as the
perpendicular or almost opposite directions of sediment transport
in relation to the thalweg flow, these sediments can be regarded as
counter point bar deposits (CPBD; Smith, 1987; Smith et al., 2009).
CPBD are considered to be indicative of highly sinuous meandering
rivers in valleys with erosion-resistant banks or in low-gradient
near-coastal environments (Makaske and Weerts, 2005).
Coexisting Sr, Sr(c) lithofacies represent levees while the Sp, St
(Sh) lithofacies separating them are fillings of small crevasses and
crevasse splays (Fig. 3g; Miall, 1996; Brodzikowski et al., 1997;
Bristow et al., 1999). They form a transition zone to the floodplain
and, according to Brierley (1996), can be classified as channel-
marginal elements. They form distinct facies of heterolithic grain
size, small thickness of beds inclined at 15e20 and often
coarsening-up (Fig. 1d). Levee sediments pass gradationally into
finer floodplain sediments. The relatively small amount of sedi-
ments of crevasse splays, in comparison to the levees, as well as the
good preservation of levee deposits suggest that the valley was
relatively broad and the meander belt could develop freely
(Ferguson and Brierley, 1999). This interpretation is confirmed by
the almost completely preserved cycles of point bars (Fig. 3d).
Deposits from the floodplain zone are represented mainly by
laminated silt and clay enriched with plant detritus interbedded
with thin (a few centimetres), fine and silty sands. Silty-sandy in-
terbeds were formed during maximum flood flows as a result of
overlapping with levee facies and distal parts of crevasse splays
8 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11
(Bridge, 2003). A more fine-grained lithofacies (Fh, Fm) were
forming as a result of the settling of fine grains during flow stag-
nation. The thickness of the fine-grained lithofacies (Fh, Fm), up to
40 cm, was a result of repeated frequent flood episodes reaching
the distal part of the floodplain (Zwolin
ski, 1992).
The dispersed plant detritus and even wood fragments (espe-
cially in the upper part of the profile) attest to the presence of the
vegetation cover in the valley and its vicinity. Lateral channel
migration is manifested in the occurrence of numerous fine-
grained intraclasts. The amount of clay clasts clearly decreases to-
wards the top of the profiles, which presumably results from the
decreasing rate of lateral migration of meanders and higher cohe-
sion of increasingly finer deposits building the banks. It suggests a
slow however permanent aggradation in the lower reach of the
river system with a wide valley gradually filled by sediments.
Sedimentological analysis does not give intrinsic evidence about
whether unit U1 was deposited during one climate cycle (inter-
glacial or at least interstadial). Nevertheless, a gradual transition
from a braided system (subunit U1a) into a meandering system
(subunit U1b) visible in the MRZ-II profile as suggest continuity of
the depositional processes.
7. Causes of the evolution of the fluvial system
Given the vicinity of the site to the (former) Baltic Sea, for the
style transition in our succession the question is: was it due to base
level change, climate change, or both of them? Analysis of the
sediments of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation at the Mrzezino site proves
that the fluvial system evolved from a relatively high-energy sand-
bed braided river to a meandering sandy river and, finally, to a low-
energy meandering river with the predominant sedimentation of
suspended sediments. This indicates a successive decrease in the
energy of flow. Fully preserved profiles of point bars and floodplain
zone show increase of the effective aggradation ratio in the valley.
Stacking and preservation of the sequence (35 m of thickness)
suggest that main role could have played a rise of the base level
and/or tectonic subsidence. Palynological analysis present rather
stable, but cool and humid climate. Therefore climate changes
rather have not influenced on river system. In the Pleistocene,
fining-upward fluvial successions formed primarily during inter-
glacial periods. Successions of this type, within the extent of the
Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS), are known, for example, in western
Europe or Poland, both for the Eemian interglacial (Peeters et al.,
2016 and the studies cited therein) as well as the late Weichse-
lian/early Holocene (Vandenberghe et al., 1994; Huisink, 2000;
Hijma and Cohen, 2011). The evolution of the Warta River in
Poland during the late glacial to early Holocene resulted in the
transition from an aggrading braided river system to an erosional
(in the first phase) meandering river system. In the case of the
Warta River, the transition to the meandering system resulted in
vertical erosion (downcutting) and development of valley terraces.
It resulted from the development of the vegetation cover and
decreased supply of sediments to the channel (Kozarski, 1983;
Vandenberghe et al., 1994; Kozarski and Nowaczyk, 1995). It was
a near-field of glacio-isostasy system without the direct influence of
the sea level change. The evolution of the fluvial system of the
Lower Rhine in the Netherlands was characterized by consistent
aggradation, which was caused mainly by the rapidly-increasing
level of the nearby sea and tectonic subsidence (Cohen et al.,
2002; Busschers et al., 2007; Peeters et al., 2015).
The potential presence of SIS before the deposition of the
Bła˛ dzikowo Formation and its impact on the development of this
formation is debatable. The last potential SIS advance (MIS 8,
referred to as the Krznanian glaciation in Poland; Lindner and
Marks, 1999) before the deposition of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation
Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
ended ca. 245 ka ago (Railsback et al., 2015). The potential presence
and extent of the SIS during MIS 8 is significant for determining the
amplitude and time of decay of the glacial forebulge on its mar-
ginal zone. The SIS advance during this period was found in Nor-
way (Olsen et al., 2013). However, the scale of the cooling, reflected
in marine sediment cores, does not indicate the extent of the SIS
comparable to that from the end MIS 6 and MIS 2 (Lisiecki and
Raymo, 2005; Toucanne et al., 2009). Glacial sediments from MIS
8 were not recorded on the territory of Germany (Eissmann, 2002),
but the till (Trelde Till) of this age is noted in Denmark and prob-
ably terminated south of the Danish-German borderland
(Houmark-Nielsen, 2004). In Polish territory, the Krznanian glaci-
ation was dated at MIS 8. The extent of that glaciation was deter-
mined only in eastern Poland (Lindner et al., 2013). Successions of
that glaciation with a well-defined stratigraphic position are
missing. Therefore, the SIS presence on the territory of Poland
should be regarded as hypothetical in this case. This is reflected in
the recent publication by Marks et al. (2016) where the SIS advance
during MIS 8 is not taken into account at all. The glaciation during
MIS 8 ended about 20 ka before the deposition of the Bła˛ dzikowo
Formation began. According to Fjeldskaar (1994) and Fjeldskaar
et al. (2000), the forebulge crest was 60 m in compare to a geoid
at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum at about 15 ka, and
decreased to 40 m later, ca. 11 ka. What is also significant is that the
zero uplift isoline in Fennoscandia was relatively stationary over
time and that the forebulge collapsed smoothly without any
migration. Zero uplift line was located in northern Poland, close to
the Mrzezino site and of the Bła˛ dzikowo formation area
(U
scinowicz, 2003; Lambeck et al., 2010). These ideas on magni-
tude of forebulge are in agreement with relative sea-level data
along the Baltic Sea and with geophysical understanding of crust-
rheology and ice-mass distributions (Steffen and Wu, 2011). The
forebulge crest was located approximately 100 km away from the
former ice front. The glacio-isostatic relaxation after the advance of
the SIS advance during MIS 8 took the same time as that of MIS 2
(of the order of several thousands of years; cf. U
scinowicz, 2003).
Nevertheless, the forebulge crest was located slightly more to
north than where it was in MIS-2 because of smaller extent of SIS
during MIS 8 (Houmark-Nielsen, 2004). This means that just a few
thousand years after the deglaciation, the study area did not show
appreciable vertical movements that could have impacted the
depositional processes in valley systems. In this case, a significant
role of tectonics in sedimentation fluvial processes should hardly
be ruled out, especially in comparison with the Central Graben
region in the Netherlands where the processes of tectonic subsi-
dence of the sedimentary basin played some role in the deposition
of fluvial series (Houtgast et al., 2002; Cohen et al., 2005; Hijma
et al., 2012).
Palynological analysis results indicate that stable, cool (but
relatively humid) climatic conditions prevailed during the deposi-
tion period of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation (unit U1). They were
conducive to the development of the dwarf-shrub and moss tundra
type of vegetation along with herbaceous vegetation (Fig. 4).
Related (interstadial) climatic conditions have been reported in the
Folwark profile from the Widawka lobe area where the climatic
optimum indicates a boreal climate, preceded by tundra conditions
similar to those that prevailed in the study area (Balwierz and
Go
zdzik, 2000). The presence of rushes suggests that the banks
were stable while basins with peat sedimentation could form on
the floodplain. However, there is a lack of periglacial structures and
hence no positive indication for the existence of permafrost typical
of the tundra zone. However, periglacial structures (ice-wedge
pseudomorphs and cryoturbations) were reported from the
Bła˛ dzikowo Cliff section (Skompski, 1997). This coincides with the
important role of fine-grained sediments that formed stable
 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11
channel banks. The presence of the vegetation cover, especially
peatlands, on the floodplain, favoured the retention of water and
reduced the amplitude of annual discharges. Plants also reinforced
the river banks and hindered lateral erosion (Vandenberghe and
Woo, 2002). The stable, cool and relatively humid climate prob-
ably was not the main reason for the evolution of the fluvial system
although it was conducive to the development of the vegetation
cover on floodplain. On the other hand, the development of the
vegetation cover on the floodplain and by implication also the
hillslopes upstream caused a reduction of the material supplied to
the channel, stabilization of the banks and decrease of flood crests.
All these factors concurred to the evolution of the fluvial system
from braided to meandering.
Based on the dating results and reconstruction of the vegetation
cover, it can be assumed that the mentioned part of unit U1 sedi-
ments was deposited sometime between ca 226 and 209 ka or
slightly beyond this time interval, i.e. most likely during substages
7d-7c, mainly interglacial MIS 7 (Lisiecki and Raymo, 2005; Gibbard
and Cohen, 2008; Railsback et al., 2015). This means that the
Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, which includes unit U1 deposits, is older
than previously assumed (Skompski, 1997). During MIS 7d, there
was a significant and rapid rise in sea level (Termination III), from
80 m to 18 m below the present sea level (Dutton et al., 2009). If this
eustatic sea-level rise affected the Baltic Sea of the time too, it can
explain a considerable part of the thickness of 35 m and the fact
that the bottom of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation sediments is below
the present sea level. The relatively cool flora suggests that the
Bła˛ dzikowo Formation sediments contain mainly a record of the
older part of the MIS 7d because at the end of it (MIS 7c) at least
interstadial climatic conditions prevailed and a rapid expansion of
forest communities occurred (Bintanja et al., 2005; Desprat et al.,
2007). The climatic conditions at that time were probably similar
to those of the boundary of the late glacial/early Holocene when
boreal forests and tundra residues prevailed (Kasse et al., 2010;
Apolinarska et al., 2012) or to those of the middle pleniglacial,
with only sporadic or discontinuous permafrost (Vandenberghe,
1992).
The rise of the base level caused a flattening of the longitudinal
profile of river systems and a decrease in their flow energy. Inde-
pendently of the base level rise, improvement of the climate
occurred and this resulted in the observed development of vege-
tation and decrease in sediment supply. The transformation of
fluvial regimes from braided to meandering systems was the effect
of these processes. This change was reflected in the erosion phase
and numerous fine-grained intraclasts in the basal part of subunit
U1b (Fig. 3b and e). The increasing accommodation space and
flattened longitudinal profile of the valley were marked by an
increased aggradation of fine-grained facies with the growing role
of the floodplain subenvironment. These processes resulted in a
rapidly increasing amount of sediments filling the valley (approx.
15e20 m) within a relatively short period of time (the order of a
few thousand to just over ten thousand years). The further evolu-
tion of the river system was already characteristic of mature fluvial
systems (MIS 7c), which is evidenced by the dominance of lateral
erosion over aggradation and by lithofacies with many fine-grained
intraclasts. Thus, the appearance of CPBD can be interpreted as a
sign of a transgressive sea or, alternatively, rising level of the
postglacial lake in the southern Baltic region. All these features are
characteristic of Highstand Systems Tract (HST, Catuneanu, 2006).
This resulted in a strong aggradation of deposits in the valley, which
is quite unusual for meandering rivers. The reason we invoke
additional control of base level rise on top of climatic change, is
because of the vicinity to the Baltic Sea basin and because a very
great thickness of fluvial deposits (stacked, rather than self-
dissecting) is to be explained at the site.
Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
9
8. Conclusions
The present study verifies some aspects of the current views on
the age and origins of the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation and present a new
interpretation concerning these issues. The sedimentary succession
exposed at the Mrzezino site is a record of the evolution of the
fluvial environment over MIS 8 (Termination III). Based on the in-
vestigations, several conclusions can be drawn:
 Unit U1 deposits can be correlated with the Bła˛ dzikowo For-
mation sensu Skompski (1997). Their succession shows the
evolution of the fluvial system from a sand-bed braided deep
perennial river to a sand-bed meandering river to, finally, a fine-
grained meandering river.
 The results of IR-OSL dating indicates that the analysed deposits
are much older than previously assumed. Their deposition is
confidently dated at MIS 7.
 Palynological analysis suggests that during the deposition of the
Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, a relatively humid, cool climate pre-
vailed. Presumably, this was one of the early stages of a climate
warming during MIS 7.
 The thickness, stacked nature and preservation of fluvial cycles
might be attributed to a rapid and significant rise of the base
level during MIS 7c.
 Evolution of the river system showing a decrease in the energy
of the river, increase in the accommodation space and increase
in sediment aggradation in the middle section of the profile. At
the end of the analysed sedimentation, the role of lateral erosion
increased, which was a response to the use of the accommo-
dation space by the river.
 The change of the river style might be explained as an effect of
development of floodplain vegetation. It was enhanced by
lowered gradient in the vicinity of the sea (backwater effect).
Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to Polgravel company for the help provided
during the fieldwork. We also wish to thank two anonymous re-
viewers for invaluable comments which have enabled the authors
to upgrade this manuscript.
References
Allen, J.P., Fielding, C.R., Gibling, M.R., Rygel, M.C., 2014. Recognizing products of
palaeoclimate fluctuation in the fluvial stratigraphic record: an example from
the Pennsylvanian to lower Permian of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Sedi-
mentology 61, 1332e1381.
Apolinarska, K., Woszczyk, M., Obremska, M., 2012. Late Weichselian and Holocene
palaeoenvironmental changes in northern Poland based on the Lake Skrzynka
record. Boreas 41, 292e307.
Ashworth, J.P., Sambrook Smith, G.H., Best, J.L., Bridge, J.S., Lane, S.N., Lunt, I.A.,
Reesink, A.J.H., Simpson, C.J., Thomas, R.E., 2011. Evolution and sedimentology
of a channel fill in the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River and its com-
parison to the deposits of an adjacent compound bar. Sedimentology 58,
1860e1883.
Balwierz, Z., Go
zdzik, J., 2000. Jeziorno-bagienne osady organiczne interstadiału
prewarcian
skiego w odsłonie˛ ciach kopalni „Bełchato
w” [Lacustrine-boggy
organic sediments of the Odrian/Wartian interstadiał in outcrops of the
“Bełchato
w” open-cast (Central Poland)]. Przegla˛ d Geol. Geol. Rev. 48, 320e324
(in Polish with English summary).
Berglund, B.E., Ralska-Jasiewiczowa, M., 1986. Pollen analysis and pollen diagrams.
In: Berglund, B.E., Ralska-Jasiewiczowa, M. (Eds.), Handbook of Holocene
Palaeoecology and Palaeohydrology. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester - New
York, pp. 455e484.
Bintanja, R., van de Wal, R.S.W., Oerlemans, J., 2005. Modelled atmospheric tem-
peratures and global sea levels over the past million years. Nature 437 (1),
125e128.
Blum, M.D., To €rnqvist, T.E., 2000. Fluvial response to climate and sea-level change: a
review and look forward. Sedimentology 47, 2e48.
Bridge, J.S., 2003. Rivers and Floodplains: Forms, Processes, and Sedimentary Re-
cord. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, pp. 1e491.
10 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11
Brierley, G.J., 1996. Channel morphology and element assemblages: a constructivist
approach to facies modelling. In: Carling, P.A., Dawson, M.R. (Eds.), Advances in
Fluvial Dynamics and Stratigraphy. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 263e298.
Bristow, C.S., Skelly, R.L., Ethridge, F.G., 1999. Crevasse splays from the rapidly
aggrading, sand-bed, braided Niobrara River, Nebraska: effect of base-level rise.
Sedimentology 46, 1029e1047.
Brodzikowski, K., Van Loon, A.J., Zielin
ski, T., 1997. Development of a lake in a
subsiding basin in front of a Saalian ice sheet (Kleszczo
w Graben, central
Poland). Sediment. Geol. 113, 55e80.
Busschers, F.S., Kasse, C., van Balen, R.T., Vandenberghe, J., Cohen, K.M.,
Weerts, H.J.T., Wallinga, J., Johns, C., Cleveringa, P., Bunnik, F.P.M., 2007. Late
Pleistocene evolution of the Rhine-Meuse system in the southern North Sea
basin: imprints of climate change, sea-level oscillation and glacio-isostacy.
Quat. Sci. Rev. 26, 3216e3248.
Cant, D.J., Walker, R.G., 1978. Fluvial processes and facies sequences in the sandy
braided South Saskatchewan River, Canada. Sedimentology 25, 625e648.
Catuneanu, O., 2006. Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy. Elsevier, Amsterdam,
pp. 1e375.
Cohen, K.M., Stouthamer, E., Berendsen, H.J.A., 2002. Fluvial deposits as a record for
Late Quaternary neotectonic activity in the Rhine-Meuse delta, The
Netherlands. Neth. J. Geosci. 81, 389e405.
Cohen, K.M., Gouw, M.J.P., Holten, J.P., 2005. Fluvio-deltaic flood basin deposits
recording differential subsidence within a coastal prism (central Rhine-Meuse
delta, The Netherlands). In: Blum, M.D., Marriott, S.B., Leclair, S.F. (Eds.),
Fluvial Sedimentology, VII: Special Publication 35. International Association of
Sedimentologists. Blackwell Scientific, Cambridge, pp. 295e320.
Desprat, S., Sanchez Goni, M.F., Naughton, F., Turon, J.-L., Duprat, J., Malaize, B.,
Cortijo, E., Peypouquet, J.-P., 2007. Climate variability of the last five Isotopic
interglacials: direct landeseaeice correlation from the multiproxy analysis of
north-western Iberian margin deep-sea cores. In: Sirocko, F., Claussen, M.,
Sanchez Goni, M.F., Litt, T. (Eds.), The Climate of Past Interglacials, De-
velopments in Quaternary Science, 7. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 375e386.
Dutton, A., Bard, E., Antonioli, F., Esat, T.M., Lambeck, K., McCulloch, M.T., 2009.
Phasing and amplitude of sea-level and climate change during the penultimate
interglacial. Nat. Geosci. 2, 355e359.
Dutton, A., Carlson, A., Milne, G., Long, A.J., Clark, P.U., DeConto, R., Horton, B.P.,
Rahmstorf, S., Raymo, M.E., 2015. Sea-level rise due to polar ice-sheet mass loss
during past warm periods. Science 349 (6244). https://doi.org/10.1126/
science.aaa4019.
Erdtman, G., 1960. The acetolysis method. A revised description. Sven. Bot. Tidskr.
54, 561e564.
Eissmann, L., 2002. Quaternary geology of eastern Germany (Saxony, SaxoneAnhalt,
south Brandenburg, Th. Uringia), type area of the Elsterian and Saalian stages in
Europe. Quat. Sci. Rev. 21, 1275e1346.
Erkens, G., Dambeck, R., Volleberg, K.P., Bouman, M.T.I.J., Bos, J.A.A., Cohen, K.M.,
Wallinga, J., Hoek, W.Z., 2009. Fluvial terrace formation in the northern upper
rhine graben during the last 20 000 years as a result of allogenic controls and
autogenic evolution. Geomorphology 103, 476e495.
Ferguson, R.J., Brierley, G.J., 1999. Levee morphology and sedimentology along the
lower Tuross River, south-eastern Australia. Sedimentology 46, 627e648.
Fjeldskaar, W., 1994. The amplitude and decay of the glacial forebulge in Fenno-
scandia. Nor. Geol. Tidsskr. 74, 2e8.
Fjeldskaar, W., Lindholm, C., Dehls, J.F., Fjeldskaar, I., 2000. Postglacial uplift, neo-
tectonics and seismicity in Fennoscandia. Quat. Sci. Rev. 19, 1413e1422.
Folk, R.L., Ward, W.C., 1957. Brazos River bar. A study in the significance of grain size
parameters. J. Sediment. Petrol. 27, 3e26.
Fuller, I.C., Macklin, M.G., Lewin, J., Passmore, D.G., Wintle, A.G., 1998. River
response to high-frequency climate oscillations in southern Europe over the
Past 200 k.y. Geology 26, 275e278.
Funder, S., Demidov, I., Yelovicheva, Y., 2002. Hydrography and mollusc faunas of
the Baltic and white SeaeNorth Sea seaway in the Eemian. Palaeogeogr.
Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 184, 275e304.
Ghazi, S., Mountney, N.P., 2009. Facies and architectural element analysis of a
meandering fluvial succession: the Permian Warchha Sandstone, Salt Range,
Pakistan. Sediment. Geol. 221, 99e126.
Gibbard, P., Cohen, K.M., 2008. Global chronostratigraphical correlation table for the
last 2.7 million years. Episodes 31, 243e247.
Gradzin
ski, R., Baryła, J., Doktor, M., Gmur, D., Gradzin
ski, M., Ke˛ dzior, A.,
Paszkowski, M., Soja, R., Zielin _

ski, T., Zurek, S., 2003. Vegetation-controlled
modern anastomosing system of the upper Narew River (NE Poland) and its
sediments. Sediment. Geol. 157, 253e276.
Hickin, E.J., Nanson, G.C., 1975. The character of channel migration on the Beatton
River, northeast British Columbia, Canada. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 86, 487e494.
Hijma, M.P., Cohen, K.M., 2011. Holocene transgression of the Rhine river mouth
area, The Netherlands/Southern North Sea: palaeogeography and sequence
stratigraphy. Sedimentology 58, 1453e1485.
Hijma, M.P., Cohen, K.M., Roebroeks, W., Westerhoff, W.E., Busschers, F.S., 2012.
Pleistocene Rhine-Thames landscapes: geological background for hominin
occupation of the southern North Sea region. J. Quat. Sci. 27, 17e29.
Hjellbakk, A., 1997. Facies and fluvial architecture of a high-energy braided river:
the upper Proterozoic Seglodden member, Varanger Peninsula, northern Nor-
way. Sediment. Geol. 114, 131e161.
Houmark-Nielsen, M., 2004. The Pleistocene of Denmark: a review of stratigraphy
and glaciation history. Dev. Quat. Sci. 2, 35e46.
Houtgast, R.F., Van Balen, R.T., Bouwer, L.M., Brand, G.B.M., Brijker, J.M., 2002. Late
Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
quaternary activity of the feldbiss fault zone, roer valley Rift system, The
Netherlands, based on displaced fluvial terrace fragments. Tectonophysics 352,
295e315.
Huisink, M., 2000. Changing river styles in response to Weichselian climate changes
in the Vecht valley, eastern Netherlands. Sediment. Geol. 133, 115e134.
Ielpi, A., Ghinassi, M., 2014. Planform architecture, stratigraphic signature and
morphodynamics of an exhumed Jurassic meander plain (Scalby Formation,
Yorkshire, UK). Sedimentology 61, 1923e1960.
Iversen, J., 1954. The Late-glacial flora of Denmark and its relation to climate and
soil. Danm. Geol. Unders. 2 (80), 87e119.
Jones, S.J., Frostick, L.E., Astin, T.R., 2001. Braided stream and flood plain architec-
ture: the Rio Vero formation Spanish Pyrenees. Sediment. Geol. 139, 229e260.
Kasse, C., Bohncke, S.J.P., Vandenberghe, J., Gabris, G., 2010. Fluvial style changes
during the last glacialeinterglacial transition in the middle Tisza valley
(Hungary). Proc. Geol. Assoc. 121, 180e194.
Kozarski, S., 1983. River channel changes in the middle reach of the Warta Val-
ley,Great Poland Lowland. Quat. Stud. Pol. 4, 159e169.
Kozarski, S., Nowaczyk, B., 1995. The BoVlling Interstadial at Z_ abinko and Late
Vistulian environmental changes in the middle reach of the Warsaw-Berlin
pradolina. Quat. Stud. Pol. 13, 43e54.
Lambeck, K., Purcell, A., Zhao, J., Svensson, N.-O., 2010. The Scandinavian ice sheet:
from MIS 4 to the end of the last glacial maximum. Boreas 39, 410e435.
Lewin, J., Macklin, M.G., 2003. Preservation potential for Late Quaternary river al-
luvium. J. Quat. Sci. 18, 107e120.
Lewis, S.G., Maddy, D., Scaife, R.G., 2001. The fluvial system response to abrupt
climate change during the last cold stage: the Upper Pleistocene River Thames
fluvial succession at Ashton Keynes, UK. Glob. Planet. Change 28, 341e359.
Lindner, L., Marks, L., 1999. New approach to stratigraphy of palaeolake and glacial
sediments of the younger Middle Pleistocene in mid-eastern Poland. Geol. Q.
43, 1e8.
Lindner, L., Marks, L., Nita, M., 2013. Climatostratigraphy of interglacials in Poland:
middle and Upper Pleistocene lower boundaries from a Polish perspective.
Quat. Int. 292, 113e123.
Lisiecki, L.E., Raymo, M.E., 2005. A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57 globally
distributed benthic d18O records. Paleoceanography 20, PA1003.
Long, A.J., Barlow, N.L.M., Busschers, F.S., Cohen, K.M., Gehrels, W.R., Wake, L.M.,
2015. Near-field sea-level variability in northwest Europe and ice sheet stability
during the last interglacial. Quat. Sci. Rev. 126, 26e40.
Macklin, M.G., Fuller, I.C., Lewin, J., Maas, G.S., Passmore, D.G., Rose, J.,
Woodward, J.C., Black, S., Hamlin, R.H.B., Rowan, J.S., 2002. Correlation of fluvial
sequences in the Mediterranean basin over the last 200 ka and their relation-
ship to climate change. Quat. Sci. Rev. 21, 1633e1641.
Magyari, E.K., Veres, D., Wennrich, V., Wagner, B., Braun, M., Jakab, G., Karatson, D.,
Pal, Z., Ferenczy, Gy, St-Onge, G., Rethemeyer, J., Francois, J.-P., von Reumont, F.,
Sch€abitz, F., Rethemeyer, J., 2014. Vegetation and environmental responses to
climate forcing during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in the East
Carpathians: attenuated response to maximum cooling and increased biomass
burning. Quat. Sci. Rev. 106, 278e298.
Makaske, B., Weerts, H.J.T., 2005. Muddy lateral accretion and low stream power in
a sub-recent confined channel belt, Rhine-Meuse delta, central Netherlands.
Sedimentology 52, 651e668.
Makowska, A., 1986. Pleistocene seas in Poland e sediments, age and palae-
ogeography. Pr. Inst. Geol. 120, 1e74 (in Polish with English summary).
Makowska, A., 2009. Mie˛ dzymorenowa formacja dolnopowi
slan
ska na tle budowy
osado
w plejstocen
skich Pomorza Nadwi
slan
skiego i jej rozwo
j w młodszym
plejstocenie [Intermorainic Lower Vistula formation against the background of
geological structure of Pleistocene deposits in Vistula Pomerania and its
development during the Younger Pleistocene]. Biul. Pan
stwowego Inst. Geol.
437, 59e124 (in Polish with English summary).
Marks, L., 2005. Pleistocene river systems in the southern peribaltic area as indi-
cation of interglacial sea level changes in the Baltic Basin. Quat. Int. 130, 43e48.
Marks, L., Gała˛ zka, D., Krzymin
ska, J., Nita, M., Stachowicz-Rybka, R., Witkowski, A.,
Woronko, B., Dobosz, S., 2014. Sea transgressions during Eemian in northern
Poland; a high resolution proxy record from the type section at Cierpie˛ ta. Quat.
Int. 328e329, 45e59.
Marks, L., Pavlovskaya, I.E., 2003. The Holsteinian Interglacial river network of mid-
eastern Poland and western Belarus. Boreas 32, 337e346.
Marks, L., Karabanov, A., Nitychoruk, J., Bahdasarau, M., Krzywicki, T., Majecka, A.,
Pochocka-Szwarc, K., Rychel, J., Woronko, B., Zbucki, Ł., Hradunova, A.,
Hrychanik, M., Mamchyk, S., Rylova, T., Nowacki, Ł., Pielach, M., 2016. Revised
limit of the Saalian ice sheet in central Europe. Quat. Int. xxx, 1e16. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.07.043.
Miall, A.D., 1978. Lithofacies types and vertical profile models in braided rivers: a
summary. In: Miall, A.D. (Ed.), Fluvial Sedimentology, vol. 5. Canadian Society of
Petroleum Geologists Memoir, pp. 597e604.
Miall, A.D., 1996. The Geology of Fluvial Deposits. Sedimentary Facies, Basin Anal-
ysis and Petroleum Geology. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 1e582.
Mojski, J.E., 2005. Ziemie polskie w czwartorze˛ dzie. Zarys morfogenezy. Pan
stwowy
Instytut Geologiczny. Warszawa 1e404 (in Polish).
Mol, J., 1997. Fluvial response to Weichselian climate changes in the Niederlausitz
(Germany). J. Quat. Sci. 12, 43e60.
Mol, J., Vandenberghe, J., Kasse, C., 2000. River response to variations of periglacial
climate in midelatitude Europe. Geomorphology 33, 131e148.
Molodkov, A., 2012. Cross-check of the dating results obtained by ESR and IR-OSL
methods: implication for the Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental
 R.J. Sokołowski et al. / Quaternary International xxx (2017) 1e11
reconstructions. Quat. Geochronol. 10, 188e194.
Molodkov, A., Bitinas, A., 2006. Sedimentary record and luminescence chronology
of Lateglacial and Holocene Aeolian sediments in Lithuania. Boreas 35,
244e254.
Nalepka, D., Walanus, A., 2003. Data processing in pollen analysis. Acta Palaeobot.
43, 125e134.
Nemec, W., 1984. Warstwy wałbrzyskie (dolny namur) w Zagłe˛ biu Wałbrzyskim.
Analiza aluwialnej sedymentacji w basenie we˛glowym [Wałbrzych Beds (Lower
Namurian, Wałbrzych Coal Measures): analysis of alluvial sedimentation in a
coal basin]. Geol. Sudet. 19, 7e73 (in Polish with English summary).
Olsen, L., Sveian, H., Bergstrøm, B., Ottesen, D., Rise, L., 2013. Quaternary glaciations
and their variations in Norway and on the Norwegian continental shelf. Special
Publication. In: Olsen, L., Fredin, O., Olesen, O. (Eds.), Quaternary Geology of
Norway, vol. 13. Geological Survey of Norway, pp. 27e78.
Panin, A., Adamiec, G., Filippov, V., 2015. Fluvial response to proglacial effects and
climate in the upper Dnieper valley (Western Russia) during the Late Weich-
selian and the Holocene. Quaternaire 26, 27e48.
Peeters, J., Busschers, F.S., Stouthamer, E., 2015. Fluvial evolution of the Rhine during
the last interglacial-glacial cycle in the southern North Sea basin: a review and
look forward. Quat. Int. 357, 176e188.
Peeters, J., Busschers, F.S., Stouthamer, E., Bosch, J.H.A., Van den Berg, M.W.,
Wallinga, J., Versendaal, A.J., Bunnik, F.P.M., Middelkoop, H., 2016. Sedimentary
architecture and chronostratigraphy of a late Quaternary incised-valley fill: a
case study of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene Rhine system in The
Netherlands. Quat. Sci. Rev. 131, 211e236.
Pikies, R., Zaleszkiewicz, L., 2003. Szczego
łowa Mapa Geologiczna Polski w skali 1:
50 000, Ark. Rumia [Detailed Geological Map of Poland, 1:50000, sheet Rumia].
Polish Geological Institute, Warsaw (in Polish).
Railsback, L.B., Gibbard, P.L., Head, M.J., Voarintsoa, N.R.G., Toucanne, S., 2015. An
optimized scheme of lettered marine isotope substages for the last 1.0 million
years, and the climatostratigraphic nature of isotope stages and substages. Quat.
Sci. Rev. 111, 94e106.
Ralska-Jasiewiczowa, M., Latalowa, M., Wasylikowa, K., Tobolski, K., Madeyska, E.,
Wright Jr., H.E., Turner, C., 2004. Late Glacial and Holocene History of Vegetation
in Poland Based on Isopollen Maps. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish
Academy of Sciences, Krakow.
Schuurman, F., Kleinhans, M.G., 2015. Bar dynamics and bifurcation evolution in a
modelled braided sand-bed river. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms 40, 1318e1333.
Skelly, R.L., Bristow, C.S., Ethridge, F.G., 2003. Architecture of channel-belt deposits
in an aggrading shallow sandbed braided river: the lower Niobrara River,
northeast Nebraska. Sediment. Geol. 158, 249e270.
Skompski, S., 1997. Eemska formacja bła˛ dzikowska pod Puckiem. Przegla˛ d Geol.
Geol. Rev. 45, 1279e1281 (in Polish with English summary).
Smith, S.A., 1987. Gravel counterpoint bars: examples from the river Tywi, south
Wales. In: Ethridge, F.G., Flores, R.M., Harvey, M.D. (Eds.), Recent Developments
in Fluvial Sedimentology, vol. 39. SEPM Special Publication, pp. 75e81.
Smith, D.G., Hubbard, S.M., Leckie, D.A., Fustic, M., 2009. Counter point bar deposits:
lithofacies and reservoir significance in meandering modern Peace River and
ancient McMurray Formation, Alberta, Canada. Sedimentology 56, 1655e1669.
Sokołowski, R.J., 2016. Middle and Late Pleistocene fluvial to glacio-deltaic suc-
cession in the Mrzezino site, northern Poland. In: Sokołowski, R.J. (Ed.), Qua-
ternary Geology of North-central Poland: from the Baltic Coast to the LGM
Limit. Uniwersytet Gdan
ski, pp. 35e52.
Sokołowski, R.J., Janowski, Ł., 2014. Zmiany
srodowisk sedymentacyjnych w
po


znym plejstocenie w stanowisku Mrzezino [Changes of sedimentary envi-
ronments during the Late Pleistocene in the Mrzezino site]. In: Sokołowski, R.J.
(Ed.), Ewolucja Srodowisk sedymentacyjnych regionu Pobrzeza _ Kaszubskiego.
[Evolution of Sedimentary Environments in Pobrzeze _ Kaszubskie Region].
Uniwersytet Gdan
ski, Gdynia, pp. 73e84 (in Polish).
Starkel, L., 1991. The Vistula river valley: a case study for Central Europe. In:
Starkel, L., Gregory, K.J., Thornes, J.B. (Eds.), Temperate Palaeohydrology. Wiley,
New York, pp. 171e188.
Starkel, L., 2002. Younger Dryas d preboreal transition documented in the fluvial
environment of Polish rivers. Glob. Planet. Change 35, 157e167.
Starkel, L., Michczyn
ska, D.J., Ge˛ bica, P., Kiss, T., Panin, A., Persoiu, I., 2015. Climatic
fluctuations reflected in the evolution of fluvial systems of Central-Eastern
Europe (60e8 ka cal BP). Quat. Int. 388, 97e118.
Steffen, H., Wu, P., 2011. Glacial isostatic adjustment in Fennoscandiada review of
data and modelling. J. Geodyn. 52, 169e204.
Taylor, G., Crook, K.A.W., Woodyer, K.D., 1971. Upstream-dipping foreset cross-
Please cite this article in press as: Sokołowski, R.J., et al., Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7)
e A case study from the Bła˛ dzikowo Formation, N Poland, Quaternary International (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.09.042
View publication stats
11
stratification: origin and implication for paleoslope analyses. J. Sediment.
Petrol. 41, 578e581.
Terpiłowski, S., Zielin
ski, T., Kusiak, J., Pidek, I.A., Czubla, P., Hrynowiecka, A.,
Godlewska, A., Zielin
ski, P., Małek, M., 2014. How to resolve Pleistocene strat-
igraphic problems by different methods? A case study from eastern Poland.
Geol. Q. 58, 235e250.
Toucanne, S., Zaragosi, S., Bourillet, J.F., Cremer, M., Eynaud, F., Turon, J.L.,
Fontanier, C., Van Vliet Lanoe €, B., Gibbard, P., 2009. Timing of massive ‘Fleuve
Manche’ discharges over the last 350 kyr: insights into the European Ice Sheet
oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2. Quat. Sci. Rev.
28, 1238e1256.
€rnqvist, T.E., Wallinga, J., Murray, A.S., De Wolf, H., Cleveringa, P., De Gans, W.,
To
2000. Response of the Rhine-Meuse system (west-central Netherlands) to the
last Quaternary glacio-eustatic cycles: a first assessment. Glob. Planet. Change
27, 89e111.
U
scinowicz, S., 2003. Relative sea level changes, glacio-isostatic rebound and
shoreline displacement in the Southern Baltic. Pol. Geol. Inst. Spec. Pap. 10,
1e80.
Vandenberghe, J., 1992. Geomorphology and climate of the cool oxygen isotope
stage in comparison with the cold stages 2 and 4 in The Netherlands. Z. für
Geomorphol. 86 (Suppl.), 65e475.
Vandenberghe, J., 1995. Timescales, climate and river development. Quat. Sci. Rev.
14, 631e638.
Vandenberghe, J., 2001. A typology of Pleistocene cold-based rivers. Quat. Int. 79,
111e121.
Vandenberghe, J., 2002. The relation between climate and river processes, land-
forms and deposits during the Quaternary. Quat. Int. 91, 17e23.
Vandenberghe, J., 2003. Climate forcing of fluvial system development: an evolu-
tion of ideas. Quat. Sci. Rev. 22, 2053e2060.
Vandenberghe, J., Kasse, C., Bohncke, S., Kozarski, S., 1994. Climate related river
activity at the Weichselian-Holocene transition: a comparative study of the
Warta and Maas rivers. Terra Nova. 6, 476e485.
Vandenberghe, J., Woo, M.K., 2002. Modern and ancient periglacial river types.
Prog. Phys. Geogr. 26, 479e506.
Weckwerth, P., 2011. Palaeoslopes of Weichselian sandbed braided rivers in the
Torun
Basin (Poland): results of palaeohydraulic analysis. Geologos 17,
227e238.
Woronko, B., 2012. Zapis Proceso
w eolicznych w osadach Piaszczystych na
wybranych obszarach Polski
srodkowej I Po
łnocno-wschodniej [Records of
Aeolian Processes in the Pleistocene sandy sediments in selected Areas of
Central and North-eastern Poland]. Warsaw University Press, Warszawa,
pp. 1e130 (in Polish with an English abstract).
Wo
zniak, P.P., 2014. Kształtowanie sie˛ rze
zby i profilu osado
w na Pobrzezu_ Kas-
zubskim w czasie zlodowacenia wisły e zarys gło
wnych problemo
w [Devel-
opment of morphology and sedimentary profiles on Kashubian Coastline
during the Vistulian glaciation e an outline of main problems]. In:
Sokołowski, R.J. (Ed.), Ewolucja Srodowisk sedymentacyjnych regionu Pobrzeza _
Kaszubskiego. [Evolution of Sedimentary Environments in Pobrzeze _ Kaszubskie
Region]. Uniwersytet Gdan
ski, Gdynia, pp. 17e26 (in Polish).
Zielin
ski, T., 1992. Proglacial valley facies of the Silesian Upland e genetic factors
and their sedimentological effects. Geol. Sudet. XXVI, 83e118.
Zielin
ski, T., 1998a. Litofacjalna identyfikacja osado
w rzecznych [Lithofacial iden-
tification of alluvial sediments]. In: Mycielska-Dowgiałło, E. (Ed.), Struktury
sedymentacyjne i Postsedymentacyjne w osadach Czwartorze˛ dowych i ich
warto
s
c [Sedimentary and Postsedimentary Structures in Quaternary Sedi-
ments and Their Value for Interpretation]. University of Warsaw Press,
pp. 195e260 (in Polish with English summary).
Zielin
ski, T., 1998b. Cykliczno
s
c w osadach rzek roztokowych [Cyclicity in braided
rivers sediments]. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Sla
˛ skiego. Geologia 14, 68e119
(in Polish).
Zielin
ski, T., 2007. The Pleistocene climate-controlled fluvial sedimentary record in
the Bełchato
w mine (central Poland). Sediment. Geol. 193, 203e209.
Zielin
ski, T., Go
zdzik, J., 2001. Palaeoenvironmental interpretation of a Pleistocene
alluvial succession in central Poland: sedimentary facies analysis as a tool for
palaeoclimatic inferences. Boreas 30, 240e253.
Zielin
ski, T., Terpiłowski, S., Zielin
ski, P., Pidek, I.A., Godlewska, A., Czubla, P., 2016.
What was the interglacial river like? Sedimentological investigation of Hol-
steinian fluvial deposits in eastern Poland. Geol. Q. 60, 149e166.
Zwolin
ski, Z., 1992. Sedimentology and geomorphology of overbank flows on
meandering river floodplains. Geomorphology 4, 367e379.