Pollen Record from the Chivyrkui Bay Outcrop on the Eastern Shore of Lake Baikal since the Late Glacial

Summary

Bogs have formed on the shore of Chivyrkui Bay near Svyatoy Nose Peninsula on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Two sediment columns were taken from the outcrop of one of bogs (53°39′N, 109°12′E) to investigate the vegetation history of the eastern shore area of Lake Baikal. The forests around the bog are composed mainly of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus sibirica, Larix sibirica, and Abies sibirica. The results of a palynological study of the cores with 14 radio-carbon dates revealed the following vegetation history since the late glacial. The late glacial and early Holocene vegetation from 12000 to 9000 ¹⁴C years BP was a shrub tundra with spruce and birch trees, thickets of dwarf birch and alder, and herbs such as Gramineae and Artemisia. Between 9000 and 8000 ¹⁴C years BP, spruce forests expanded in the area, accompanied by some fir and pine, indicating the initial development of the dark taiga. Pine trees gradually increased after 8000 ¹⁴C years BP and then started a dramatic increase, to become dominant in 6000 ¹⁴C years BP in the dark taiga forests. The vegetation from 6000 ¹⁴C years BP to the present was mainly composed of pines (Pinus sylvestris and P. sibirica) and birch, accompanied by spruce, fir, and larch.