New Data on the Middle–Late Holocene Evolution of Vegetation Cover in the Northern Baikal Region

Abstract

A continuous peat bog section from a barely accessible mid-mountain area in the northwestern Baikal region has been obtained for the first time. The materials were studied by methods such as pollen–spore analysis, analysis of plant cell remains, and radiocarbon dating (calibrated data). The smallest peat accumulation rates in East Siberia during the Holocene are revealed. In accordance with the calculated peat accumulation rates, the time resolution is 100 years in the lower part of the section, it is while up to 800 years in the upper one. Six local palynozones and five botanic zones have been distinguished using factor analysis. The vegetation cover changes and environmental moisture conditions for the last 7670 years are reconstructed. The altitude of the forest line is specified for the first time in a quarter of a century.