Lyobov A Orlova

Peatlands of the Western Siberian lowlands: current knowledge on zonation, carbon content and Late Quaternary history

The Western Siberian lowlands (WSL) are the world’s largest high-latitude wetland, and possess over 900,000 km 2 of peatlands. The peatlands of the WSL are of major importance to high-latitude hydrology, carbon storage and environmental history. Analysis of the existing Russian data suggests that the mean depth of peat accumulation in the WSL is 256 cm and the total amount of carbon stored there may exceed 53,836 million metric tons. A synthesis of published and unpublished radiocarbon dates indicates that the peatlands first developed at the end of the Last Glacial, with a rapid phase of initiation between 11,000 and 10,000 cal yr BP. Initiation slowed after 8000 cal yr BP and reached a nadir at 4000 cal yr BP. There has been renewed initiation, particularly south of 621N, following 4000 cal yr BP. The initial development of peatlands in the WSL corresponds with the warming at the close of the Pleistocene. Cooling after 4000 Cal yr BP has likely led to increased permafrost and increased peatland development particularly in central and southern regions. Cold and dry conditions in the far north may have inhibited peatland formation in the late Holocene. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiocarbon Chronology of the Siberian Paleolithic

We have compiled 462 C-14 determinations for 120 Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites from Siberia and the Russian Far East. The Mousterian sites are dated to ca. 46,000–28,500 BP. The Middle–Upper Paleolithic transition dates to ca. 43,300–28,500 BP. Although there are a few earlier sites, most of the Upper Paleolithic sites are dated to the time interval between ca. 34,000 BP and 10,000 BP. The earlier Upper Paleolithic stage is characterized by macroblade technology and is radiocarbon-dated to ca. 34,000–20,000 BP. The earliest microblade technology occurs in the late stage of the Upper Paleolithic, dated to ca. 23,000–20,000 BP, but the majority of microblade sites is dated to ca. 20,000–11,000 BP. The Final Paleolithic (Mesolithic) sites date to ca. 12,000–6000 BP. At ca. 13,000–11,000 BP, the earliest Neolithic appeared in both the Russian Far East (Amur River basin) and the Transbaikal. The Paleolithic–Neolithic transition occurred ca. 13,000–6000 BP.

A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE FOR EXTINCTION CHRONOLOGIES FOR FIVE SPECIES OF UPPER PLEISTOCENE MEGAFAUNA IN SIBERIA

A review of the radiocarbon chronology of some late Upper Pleistocene mammals from Siberia is presented. Previously published data has been supplemented by new 14C dates for 5 species (woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, bison, horse, and muskox) to reconstruct chronological extinction patterns. The final extinction of woolly rhinoceros and bison in Siberia can be dated to approximately 11,000-9700 BP, but some megafaunal species (woolly mammoth, horse, and muskox) survived into the Late Holocene, about 3700-2200 BP.

Radiocarbon chronology of the late Pleistocene-Holocene paleogeographic events in lake Baikal region (Siberia)

New radiocarbon dates obtained from Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits of the southern, eastern, and northern shores of Lake Baikal in 1995-2001 are presented, and the most important results of paleoenvironmental studies based on (super 14) C data are discussed. The following paleogeographic events were verified with the help of (super 14) C dating: 1) first Late Pleistocene glaciation (Early Zyryan); 2) Middle Zyryan interstadial; 3) loess formation during the Late Zyryan (Sartan) deglaciation; 4) warm and cold events in the Late Glacial; and 5) vegetation changes and forest successions during the Late Glacial and Holocene.

Lugovskoe, Western Siberia: A Possible Extra-Arctic Mammoth Refugium at the End of the Late Glacial

Eleven woolly mammoth bone samples from Lugovskoe (central West Siberian Plain, Russia) were radiocarbon dated in 3 laboratories: Institute of Geology, Novosibirsk; Oxford University, Oxford; and Christian Albrechts University, Kiel. Each laboratory used its own protocol for collagen extraction. Parallel dating was carried out on 3 samples in Novosibirsk and Oxford. Two results are in good agreement. However, there is a major discrepancy between 2 dates obtained for the third sample. The dates obtained so far on the Lugovskoe mammoths range from about 18,250 BP to about 10,210 BP. The Lugovskoe results thus far confirm the possibility of woolly mammoth survival south of Arctic Siberia in the Late Glacial after about 12,000 BP, which has important implications for interpreting the process of mammoth extinction. The site has also produced the first reliable traces of human occupation from central Western Siberia at the Late Glacial, including unique direct evidence of mammoth hunting.

14C chronology of stone age cultures in the Russian Far East

Ca. 150 unequivocal (super 14) C dates from the prehistoric cultures in the Russian Far East can be used to elucidate chrono-cultural boundaries in that region. Microblade technology started as early as ca. 20,000 BP, and continued to exist in the middle Amur River basin until ca. 10,500 BP, and in Primorye until ca. 7800 BP. The emergence of pottery-making in the lower Amur River basin goes back to ca. 13,300 BP. The transition from Upper Paleolithic to Neolithic took place during the time interval 13,300-7800 BP and pottery was widely spread in the Russian Far East by ca. 6700-8400 BP. The first evidence of shellfish collection is estimated to ca. 6400 BP at Peter the Great Gulf coast, Sea of Japan. The beginning of agriculture in Primorye, based on finding of both millet seeds (Setaria italica L.) and pollen of cultivated cereals (Cerealia), is (super 14) C-dated to ca. 4200-3700 BP (ca. 1980-2900 cal BC). The Neolithic/Early Iron Age boundary was estimated at ca. 3100-3300 BP (1400-1600 cal BC) in the mainland Russian Far East, and to ca. 1800-2300 BP (400 cal BC-200 cal AD) on the Sakhalin and southern Kuril Islands.

CHRONOLOGY OF PREHISTORIC CULTURAL COMPLEXES OF SAKHALIN ISLAND (RUSSIAN FAR EAST)

A chronological framework for the prehistoric cultural complexes of Sakhalin Island is presented based on 160 radiocarbon dates from 74 sites. The earliest 14C-dated site, Ogonki 5, corresponds to the Upper Paleolithic, about 19,500 - 17,800 BP. According to the 14C data, since about 8800 BP, there is a continuous sequence of Neolithic, Early Iron Age, and Medieval complexes. The Neolithic existed during approximately 8800 - 2800 BP. Transitional Neolithic-Early Iron Age complexes are dated to about 2800 - 2300 BP. The Early Iron Age may be dated to about 2500- 1300 BP. The Middle Ages period is dated to approximately 1300- 300 BP (VII - XVII centuries AD).

14C Database and Geographic Information System for Western Siberia

We illustrate here the combined use of geographic information system (GIS) technology and a radiocarbon database for analysis of the environmental components and ancient sites in Western Siberia during the period 10-45 ka BP. In total, 230 (super 14) C dates from 75 Late Pleistocene outcrops and Paleolithic sites were used to generate paleolandscape maps and to establish the features of the spatiotemporal distribution of Paleolithic sites.