Cliff-Front Dune Development During the Late Pleistocene at Sa Fortalesa (Mallorca,Western Mediterranean)

Abstract

[eng] This study presents the first detailed analysis of a Late Pleistocene cliff-front dune in northern Mallorca (Western Mediterranean). The research is based on sedimentological fieldwork conducted in a disused coastal quarry, where stratigraphic columns were recorded and facies were described in detail. Grain size analysis was performed using image-based measurements from representative samples, and palaeowind conditions were reconstructed through the analysis of cross-bedding orientations and empirical wind transport equations. The dune, corresponding to Unit U4, exhibits three distinct evolutionary stages: initial, intermediate, and final. During the initial stage, sediment mobilisation required wind speeds of approximately 10 m/s from the south-southwest (SSW). The intermediate stage was characterised by variable wind velocities between 5 and 8 m/s from the west-southwest (WSW). In the final stage, average wind speeds reached 7 m/s from the west (W), with intermittent peaks up to 10 m/s. These findings underscore the critical influence of wind regime and topographic constraints on aeolian sedimentation processes. By reconstructing wind dynamics and analysing sedimentary architecture, this work provides key insights into the interplay between climatic drivers and geological context in the development of coastal aeolian systems.