Junjie Zhang, Bernd Zolitschka , Ines Hogrefe, Sumiko Tsukamoto, Franz Binot, Manfred Frechen

The Rodderberg Volcanic Complex (RVC) is well-known for the long and probably continuous climate record archived in its crater basin, which lasts for several glacial-interglacial cycles. However, a detailed chronological framework is still lacking. Here, we perform high-resolution luminescence dating on a 72.8 m-long sediment core with the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal from fine-grained (4–11 µm) quartz and three kinds of post-infrared infrared (pIRIR) stimulated luminescence signals from fine-grained polymineral fractions. Quartz OSL ages align well with pIRIR ages for the last 50 ka, but they underestimate in relation to pIRIR ages for ages beyond 50 ka. The three pIRIR signals, including the pIRIR signal at 225 °C (pIRIR225), the pulsed pIRIR signal at 150 °C (pulsed pIRIR150) and the multi-elevated-temperature pIRIR at 250 °C (MET-pIRIR250), yield consistent ages up to ca. 250 ka at a sediment depth of 37.5 m. Below that depth, dating limits of the protocols are exceeded. Nevertheless, our results indicate that sediments below 37.5 m predate Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7. Altogether, obtained ages reveal continuous dust accumulation during MIS 7 and MIS 6. One erosional event happened at the end of the Eemian (MIS 5e), which eroded the Eemian soil. The sedimentation rate during the Weichselian glacial period is tenfold lower compared to the sedimentation rate observed during MIS 7–6. This low sedimentation rate likely arises from the cessation of slope-wash effects and the occurrence of various erosional events alternating with dust deposition. A notably high sedimentation rate is observed at the transition from MIS 6 to Eemian, marked by the deposition of a 6 m-thick loess layer between 132 and 129 ka. This high sedimentation rate could be attributed to intensified slope-wash and solifluction processes resulting from the thawing of permafrost. Alternatively, it might be a signature of an abrupt cold pulse such as Heinrich event 11.