The paleo- and petromagnetic record in the Polish and Ukrainian loess-paleosol sequences

718 samples from five loess-paleosol sections located in the Black Sea region, the western Ukraine and Poland (Lublin Upland) were the subject of paleomagnetic and petromagnetic study. Strong magnetic enhancement is observed in the cambisols, chernozems and iluvial horizons of the forest (podzolic) and leached brown type (brownerde) soils. Distinct magnetic depletion or dilution occurs in the gley soils and the leached horizons of podsols and brown type soils. Magnetic enhancement in the section from Black Sea region was not simply dependent on paleotemperature. Soils from the interstadial periods could be magnetically enhanced to the same degree as soils which were formed during interglacials. In the Polish and Ukrainian loess-palesol sequences, paleorainfall could be a significant factor controlling the susceptibility signal in addition to paleotemperature. The degree of warming of paleoclimate can be expressed by the amount of secondary maghemite that was formed in the studied paleosols. All sections were deposited after the Brunhes/Matuyama paleomagnetic reversal. No remarkable paleomagnetic event was encountered. However, very distinct directional changes associated most probably with the secular variations were observed in the Polish and western Ukrainian sections. These changes can serve as a stratigraphic correlation tool for comparison with petromagnetic data.