Are talus flatiron sequences in Spain climate-controlled landforms?

Abstract

This study provides chronological evidence of the influence of climatic variability in the generation of late Quaternary talus flatiron sequences in Spain. The temporal clustering of the OSL and radiocarbon dates obtained from talus flatiron deposits indicates that warm/wet and cold/dry periods controlled the accumulation and incision processes in the slopes, respectively, that led to the development of talus flatirons. These results strongly suggest that talus flatiron sequences constitute valuable paleoclimatic records. Additional and more accurate geochronological data from Spain and other regions of the world would improve the potential of these poorly-known landforms in paleoenvironmental studies.