The Estimation of the relative intensity of different cold periods occurring during the Late Quaternary is a difficult task, particularly in non-glaciated mountain landscapes and where high- to medium-resolution archives for proxy data are lacking. In this paper, we study a Holocene polycyclic soil sequence in the central Alps (Val Cavargna, Northern Italy) to estimate climatic parameters (specifically Temperature) changes in non-glaciated, high altitude environments. We investigate this key site through palaeopedological and micromorphological analyses in order to understand phases of soil development and detect hidden evidence of cold conditions during its formation. Three phases of pedogenesis can be recognized and attributed in time to different periods during the Holocene. Pedogenetic phases were separated by two truncation and deposition episodes related to the reactivation of slope processes under cold conditions at the onset of the Neoglacial and the Iron Age Cold Epoch, respectively. Micromorphological evidence of frost action in the soil can instead relate to pedogenetic processes acting in the Little Ice Age. The different expression of these three cold periods corresponds to changes in climatic conditions, pointing to the Little Ice Age as a cooler/drier period in comparison to the preceding ones.

中文翻译：

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小冰河时代是意大利中部阿尔卑斯山最冷的全新世气候时期吗？

估计晚第四纪发生的不同寒冷时期的相对强度是一项艰巨的任务，特别是在非冰川山地景观中，并且缺乏用于替代数据的高到中分辨率档案。在本文中，我们研究了阿尔卑斯山脉中部（意大利北部瓦尔卡瓦尼亚）的全新世多环土壤序列，以估计非冰川、高海拔环境中的气候参数（特别是温度）变化。我们通过古土壤学和微形态学分析调查了这个关键地点，以了解土壤发育的各个阶段并检测其形成过程中寒冷条件的隐藏证据。可以识别三个阶段的成土作用，并及时将其归因于全新世的不同时期。成土阶段被两个截断和沉积事件分开，分别与新冰期和铁器时代寒冷时期开始时寒冷条件下斜坡过程的重新激活有关。土壤中霜冻作用的微形态学证据可能与小冰河时代的成土过程有关。这三个寒冷时期的不同表现对应于气候条件的变化，表明小冰期与之前的时期相比是一个更冷/更干燥的时期。