Fossil cryogenic features in paleosols of southern Italy: Characteristics and paleoclimatic significance

The work presents the results of a study of two paleosols located at 1350 m a.s.l. on the Sila massif, in Southern Italy. The purpose of this research is to examine paleoenvironmental conditions during the last glaciation, based mainly on soil morphological, micromorphological, and sedimentological data. These two paleosols contain climatically sensitive cryogenic features including a sand wedge, an ice wedge cast, silt veins, silt lenses, reticulate silt veins, and matrix lenses. These features are interpreted to indicate that during the last glacial maximum this area in southern Italy experienced conditions characterized by very low temperature, little snow cover, and great aridity.