Origin and palaeoclimatic significance of the Pleistocene slope covers in the Cracow Upland, southern Poland

Periglacial slope covers in the southern part of the Cracow Upland, S Poland can be grouped in five genetic categories: slope loess, washed loess, weathered debris, scree deposits, low-density flow deposits, and solifluctites or high-density flow deposits. They differ from each other with respect to their morphological position in relation to the slope, and in lithological characteristics. It was found that successive generations of slope deposits can be distinguished according to their degree of chemical weathering, which can be estimated on the basis of the presence and morphology of limestone clasts, on the content and colour of the colloid clay, and on the Fe₂O₃ and CaCO₃ content of the clay particles.This paper contributes to a discussion on the possibility of palaeoclimate reconstruction based on slope deposits analyses.