The complex of freshwater carbonates at Čerená Hill in northern Slovakia was investigated. The facies recognised are mainly represented by a laminated crust, micritic limestone and phytoclastic boundstone and subordinately by moss boundstone and carbonate-siliciclastic mud. The alluvial sediments present at the base of the complex indicate that it was deposited within a flat stream valley at the foot of the Low Tatra Mts. The growth of the carbonates was controlled by the supply of deep-circulation water, containing geogenic CO2, and its outflow to the marshy floodplain. This area was occasionally invaded by surface stream water, resulting in modification of the sedimentary facies, accompanied by a slight differentiation of the geochemical data (δ13C values and CaCO3 content). The U-series and palaeomagnetic data collectively show that the growth of the spring-related carbonate complex commenced between ca. 300 ka and persisted until 200 ka. Deposition during the warm interglacial phases of the Pleistocene is assumed; this is supported by the presence of a malacofauna assemblage, and a high contribution of calcified floral remains in a part of the studied sediments. Post-sedimentary modifications, mainly mass-wasting processes, resulting from the incision of adjacent valleys, shaped the area of Čerená Hill after it was cut off from a deep-water supply.
