Record of Depositional and Palaeoenvironmental Conditions of the Vrakúň Palaeomeander (SW Slovakia, Danube Plain)

Peter Pišút; Ewa Smolska; Piotr Szwarczewski; Juraj Procházka; Šárka Mindová

doi:10.48128/pisg-2026-71.3-07

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Record of Depositional and Palaeoenvironmental Conditions of the Vrakúň Palaeomeander (SW Slovakia, Danube Plain)

Prace i Studia Geograficzne

Volume 71 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)

By: Peter Pišút , Ewa Smolska , Piotr Szwarczewski , Juraj Procházka and Šárka Mindová

Open Access

|Sep 2026

Abstract

Former river channels serve as vital geoarchives for reconstructing palaeoenvironmental shifts. This study investigates the Vrakúň palaeomeander, a cut-off bend of the Barč branch (Danube Plain, Žitný ostrov, Slovakia). Based on a sediment core, we conducted grain-size, lithodynamic, and paleobotanical analyses. Textural indices (Visher curves, Passega diagrams, Folk-Ward parameters) differentiated channel and overbank facies. Basal high-energy deposits transition upward into fine-grained overbank layers and organic peat. Mineral interbeddings in gyttja sediments indicate four flood events. Radiocarbon (AMS) dating traces the evolution of the meander from its neck cutoff in the Iron Age (609–448 cal BC) to progressive infilling and a shift from lacustrine to paludic environment. Drainage systems accelerated groundwater decline, inducing peat earthification and soil salinization. These findings provide baseline palaeohydrological data and highlight the meander’s value as an ecological refuge.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.48128/pisg-2026-71.3-07 | Journal eISSN: 2543-7313 | Journal ISSN: 0208-4589

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Language: Polish, English

Page range: 105 - 122

Submitted on: Aug 10, 2026

Accepted on: Sep 3, 2026

Published on: Sep 21, 2026

Published by: University of Warsaw

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

AMS radiocarbon dating,

Related subjects:

History,

Topics in history, other,

Social sciences,

Social sciences, other

© 2026 Peter Pišút, Ewa Smolska, Piotr Szwarczewski, Juraj Procházka, Šárka Mindová, published by University of Warsaw
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 71 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)