Recognition of sedimentary environments using handheld gamma-ray spectrometry in Pleistocene Fennoscandian Ice Sheet glaciogenic basin, northern and central Poland

Gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) is a widely applied method in geological research, useful in, e.g., stratigraphical correlation, determination of basic lithological features, and weathering processes. This paper aims to put a new perspective on the handheld gamma-ray spectrometry method, concentrated on application to the glaciogenic depositional systems in contemporary exposures. The study was held in northern and central Poland within the limit of successive Fennoscandian Ice Sheets (FIS) advances and retreats. Fifteen profiles comprising sediments deposited in typical Pleistocene environments were subjected to handheld GRS measurements. The study indicated vertical, lateral, and lithofacies variability of results and revealed the potential for determining particular sedimentary palaeoenvironments with handheld GRS. Aeolian deposits showed the lowest concentration of K, U, and Th radionuclides. Relatively low radioactivity was revealed for fluvioglacial and fluvial deposits. Notable radionuclide concentrations were indicated for glaciogenic and subaqueous fan deposits, while the highest radioactivity was found in lacustrine and loess successions. K, U, and Th concentrations also indicated weathering processes and soil profile development within glacial tills.