The provenance of erratic pebbles from a till in the vicinity of the city of Radom, central Poland

Abstract

Petrographic analysis, including the indicator erratics count method of coarse pebbles (20–60 mm), was performed for the first subsurface layer of the glacial till in the vicinity of the city of Radom. Crystalline rocks comprise 60% of the sample, whereas carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks total 18% and 15%, respectively. Among the crystalline rocks, 14% clasts were identified as indicator erratics. The majority of the indictor erratics originated from the Aland region (63%). Significant contributions were also derived from the central Baltic Basin (12%), Angermanland (9%) and Uppland (9%) regions. Trace amounts are recorded from the northern Baltic, Dalarna and Smaland regions. The spatial distribution of crystalline erratic source areas suggests material incorporation into an ice sheet mainly from central-eastern Fennoscandia. The indicator assemblage composition indicates the Odranian (MIS 6) origin of the till. The majority of the erratic sedimentary rocks were derived from the central and southern Baltic Basin while local rocks comprise a minor proportion. The relatively low carbonate clasts content indicates that the till was affected by partial decalcification resulting from post-depositional chemical weathering. This study supplements the results on erratic pebble provenance in the glacial tills of Middle Polish Glaciation Complex in Poland.