4.1.2.2. Vellereille Member

Authors: P. Haesaerts, S. Pirson & E. Meijs - 07/12/2011

Description: This member starts with ca 2 m of calcareous loesses bearing a few palaeosols (tundra gley and A1 horizons; Haesaerts & Van Vliet, 1974). Reworked carbonated loesses are following up; they are decalcified by of a brown boreal pedogenesis (Les Vaux Soil; Haesaerts & Van Vliet, 1974; Haesaerts et al., 1997). The member ends with a last generation of slightly reworked loess, encompassing several humic horizons developed in valley slope position (Haesaerts & de Heinzelin, 1979; Haesaerts, 2004). It is capped by a thick tundra gley (defined here as the Harveng(1) Soil) with large ice-wedge pseudomorphs filled with carbonated loess of the Hesbaye Member.

Stratotype: Harmignies (Omya Benelux and CBR chalk quarries; respectively at 50°25'08''N / 4°00'35''E and 50°25'13''N / 4°00'56''E); Vellereille-Le-Sec is a village east of Harmignies.

Paratypeat:

- Eben-Emael (western wall of the CBR chalk quarry at Romont; 50°47'27''N / 5°38'37''E);

Area: Middle Belgium, on plateau and valley slopes.

Age: Upper Pleistocene - upper part of Weichselian lower pleniglacial (upper part of MIS 4) and Weichselian middle pleniglacial (MIS 3). The Harveng Soil (tundra gley) ending the member is well dated ca 26 ka BP in several Eurasian loess sections (Haesaerts, 1984, 1985; Haesaerts et al., 2004).