Palynological and stratigraphic record from Löddigsee in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

A Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediment core from the nowadays terrestrialised portion of the Löddigsee in Southern Mecklenburg, Germany was palynologically investigated. The lake is situated in the rarely investigated Young moraine area at the transition from the Weichselian to the Saalian glaciation. The high-resolution pollen diagram contributes to the establishment of the north-eastern German Late Pleistocene pollen stratigraphy. The vegetation distribution pattern after the end of the Weichselian is in good agreement with other studies from North-eastern Germany, but also has its own characteristics. The Holocene vegetation development reveals features from the north-eastern and north-western German lowlands. A special focus was laid on the environmental history of the two settlements on an island within the lake (Late Neolithic and Younger Slavic period), which were preserved under moist conditions. Both settlements were constructed during a period of low lake level. Although there is evidence of agriculture in the area during the respective periods, the two island settlements seem to have served other purposes.

Abundance of plant macrofossils, mollusca and ostracoda in sediments obtained near Tessin, north Germany

A depression filled with Late Glacial and Holocene sediments was excavated during the geological exploration and recovery of a dump area near Tessin close to Rostock, and initiated the studies of the present paper. Pebble analysis of three exposed or respectively drilled till horizons as well as pollenanalytical, carpological and faunistical studies carried out allow the stratigraphical subdivision of the Quaternary sequence of the dump area. The basal till was probably the result of dead ice decay, and was lithostratigraphically assigned to the Pomerian Stage (qw2). The palynological results of boreholes RKS 19/93 and A/92 reveal pre-Allerod and other sediments instead of the expected interweichselian deposits. Based on the palynological and carpological findings, we correlated the beginning of the late glacial development in the locality with the end of the Meiendorf-lnterstadial sensu Menke in Bock et al. (1985, doi:10.3285/eg.35.1.18). The limnic-telmatic sedimentation could be observed pollen floristically probably starting with the Meiendorf-lnterstadial (Hippophae-Betula nana-phase) followed by the Bolling-(Betula nana-B. alba s.l.-Artemisia-Helianthemum-Poaceae-phase) and the Allerad-lnterstadial [Betula alba s.l.-(Pinus)-Cyperaceae-phase] lasting up to the Younger Dryas (Juniperus-Artemisia-Poaceae-phase). Sedimentation closed during the Younger Dryas with the accumulation of fine sands. It was reactivated later during the Holocene due to the anthropogene influence (Older and Younger Subatlantic, dampness of the depression by clearing).