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Grain-size analysis of the Neogene red clay formation in the Pannonian Basin

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Abstract

The red clay is a significant deposit underlying the Pleistocene loess-paleosols sequence in the Pannonian Basin. The sedimentary processes involved and the origin of the materials remain controversial. In order to determine the depositional processes of the Pliocene red clay formation we studied many red clay sections in Hungary. Here, we present results of grain-size analyses of the red clay from representative sites. In particular their grain-size distribution is compared with that of typical Pleistocene eolian loess-paleosols, as well as lacustrine and fluvial sediments. It appears from the sedimentological data that the majority of the red clay is of a wind-blown origin. The red clay might be transported by weak westerly winds and has been modified by post-depositional alteration.

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Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Professor F. Schweitzer, G. Szöőr and Thomas Voigt for their most helpful comments and reviews. I also thank my colleagues S.Á. Fábián and G. Varga for the discussions and contribution during the field work. I am grateful to J. Dezső (Sediment Lab) for helping in grain-size analyses.

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  1. Department of Geology, University of Pécs, Ifjúság u. 6, Pécs, Baranya, 7624, Hungary

    János Kovács

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  1. János Kovács
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Correspondence to János Kovács.

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Kovács, J. Grain-size analysis of the Neogene red clay formation in the Pannonian Basin. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 97, 171–178 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-006-0150-2

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