Palaeowind directions recorded in the youngest loess in Poland and western Ukraine as derived from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility measurements

Studies of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) were carried out in order to define the directions and strength of palaeowind during the sedimentation of the youngest loesses in Poland and western Ukraine. These sediments, like the Chinese and Alaskan loesses, appear suitable for application of the AMS method. The inclined mean minimum axes were considered as reflecting the prevailing palaeowind direction at the time of loess sedimentation. The majority of the sections studied indicate a palaeowind direction from W - SW to E - NE, with a mean azimuth of 258 degrees. This direction corresponds to the strike of the Weichselian ice-sheet margin and is parallel to the axis of the lowland between the ice-sheet margin to the north and the Carpathian Mountains and the Podole Upland to the south. Further AMS studies of the oldest parts of loess sequences in Poland and western Ukraine may help in reconstruction of the atmospheric circulation in this part of Europe since c. 900 kyr BP.