THE LATE PLEISTOCENE LOESS DEPOSITS AND PALEOSOLS OF EASTERN BELGIUM - NEW TL AGE-DETERMINATIONS

Fourteen samples from the Pleistocene loess exposures at Kesselt (Belg ian Limbourg) have been dated with the thermoluminescence method. Usin g the regeneration technique and a double analysis with two types of b lue transmittant filters, reproducible age estimates were obtained up to about 130-140 ka. For the basal part of the late Weichselian (Braba nt) loess and the underlying cryorurbated Nagelbeek Horizon we arrived at ages of 20-22 ka, which is consistent with the radiocarbon age of this horizon (22.3 ka). Our TL dates further constrain the formation o f a lower luvisol profile, the Bt horizon of which has been correlated with the Rocourt palaeosol, to the period 50-60 ka. These dates, howe ver, may overstimate the true age of the sediment because they were ob tained on reworked loess. They indicate that this palaeosol was formed during a Middle Weichselian interstadial and not during the Eemian as is generally accepted. The boundary between the Weichselian and the o lder loess is situated at a lower level in the Kesselt profile. The lo ess bracketing the deeper tundra gleysols yielded TL ages up to 130-14 0 ka and the ages further rapidly increased with depth, indicating tha t the sediments may even be much older than Saalian. (C) 1998 John Wil ey & Sons, Ltd.