ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE MONGOLIAN ALTAI DURING THE HOLOCENE

Based on palynological and diatom analyses of the sediment core from Lake Hoton Nuur situated at 2083 m asl, environmental changes in the Mongolian Altai during the Holocene are described. The results suggest that the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene (11.5–10.7 ka) climate of that area was cold and arid, and plant associations were of a steppe type. The Middle Holocene (9.3–6.5 ka) climate was warm and humid, resulting in the expansion of forests. After 6.5 ka, the climate became increasingly continental, and forests were largely replaced by tundra and steppe landscapes. Over the last 3000 years, the forests disappeared and the steppes expanded. The causes were likely not only climatic, but also anthropogenic.