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This paper discusses the results of siliceous microfossils studies performed in a “staircase” of four isolation basins (33.7 m–2.9 m a.s.l.) on Big Solovetskiy Island (Solovki Archipelago, the White Sea). Diatoms were used as a primary group for paleoinferences, while chrysophyte cysts and sponge spicules also demonstrated high indicative potential. In all study lakes, the siliceous microfossils stratigraphy revealed three main stages of their evolution, i.e. large-basin, transitional and small-lake stages, each characterized by certain composition of the diatom assemblages and floristic diversity, relative abundances of chrysophyte cysts and sponge spicules, and siliceous microfossils concentrations. In the uppermost lake, glaciolacustrine environments unfavorable for aquatic biota existed during the large-basin stage. The proglacial lake stage terminated prior to ca. 10.4 cal ka BP, followed by a (semi)terrestrial episode before the transition to small-lake environments. In the other three lakes, marine environments were inferred at the earlier stage, characterized by the predominance of marine and brackish-marine diatoms, increased proportions of sponge spicules and low “cysts to diatoms” ratio. At the transitional marine-freshwater stage, mass growth of small fragilarioid diatoms and decreased abundances of spicules indicated unstable environments, while increased proportions of cysts pointed to progressive freshening of the basins. The duration of the marine-freshwater transition expectedly prolonged from ca. 200 yr in the upper basin (16.6 m a.s.l) to ca. 500 yr in the lowermost lake (2.9 m a.s.l.). The isolation from the sea took place between ca. 6.3 and 1.4 cal ka BP. At the small-lake stage, siliceous microfossils stratigraphies reflected local specifics of the basins and their catchments. We argue that besides traditionally used diatom data, relative and absolute abundances of siliceous microfossils also possess high indicative value for isolation basin studies. Our study demonstrated that marine waters on Big Solovetskiy Island never reached ca. 34 m a.s.l. during the Holocene, unlike the western coast of the Onega Bay where the Preboreal marine intrusion was recorded even at higher elevated localities. Different rates and amplitudes of shoreline displacement are thus suggested for the inner and outer parts of the Onega Bay. During the mid-Holocene Tapes transgression, before ca. 6.3 cal ka BP, the relative sea level on Big Solovetskiy Island exceeded 17 m a.s.l. The average estimated rates of the shoreline retreat during the second half of the Holocene gradually decreased from 0.28 cm year−1 to 0.2 cm year−1, indicating slowed isostatic uplift.

The Holocene has always been considered a crucial epoch where the major cultural steps of humankind took place. Understanding past Holocene climatic variability, shifts in vegetation, and faunal communities are among crucial challenges in predicting the upcoming changes of the natural environment. In Central Europe, the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland is one of the best study areas for detecting faunal, environmental, and climate shifts. For that reason, we choose to study the small vertebrate and mollusc communities of three archaeological sites with Holocene horizons: Sąspowska Zachodnia Cave, Ciasna Cave, and Male Rockshelter. We analysed the faunal community shifts, and we compared our results with the major Holocene sites in the area with the correspondence and cluster analyses. The environment and climate were reconstructed through Habitat Weighting, Quantified Ecology, malacological spectra and Bioclimatic methods. Environment and climate values showed a temporary replacement of the Late Glacial tundra and grasslands with boreal forest mixed with open wetlands during the Preboreal and then stable landscapes dominated by temperate forests. Models based on rodent data show that temperature and precipitation generally increased, starting from the Boreal, to reach values near, or sometimes overwhelm, the current climate values of the area during the Atlantic and Subboreal. The climate values obtained from herpetofaunal analyses show very slight changes between the Preboreal and the Atlantic (Ciasna Cave layers 3 and 4), except for the winter temperatures, whereas results obtained for Sąspowska Zachodnia Cave are probably biased by a very low number of recovered remains. Among rodents, a major negative oscillation detected in layers related to the edge of Early Holocene was related to the Preboreal Oscillation or long-lasting effect of the Younger Dryas.

7th International Anthracology Meeting, University of Liverpool, UK, 2-6 Sept. 2019; International audience; Previous methodological developments in the field of anthracology have led to the definition of rigorous sampling methods in archaeological contexts, which provide highly accurate and reliable taxonomic frequency spectra as a basis for understanding past woodland vegetation. However, the fuelwood taxon frequency spectra represent a synthetic picture of forest composition in the environs of an archaeological site. Our aim in this paper is to describe the heterogeneity of woodland distribution. The Abeurador cave (Hérault) in the south of France, has previously provided an exceptionally rich palaeoecological study. We further explore the spatial frequency distributions of the charcoal taxa found in charcoal scatters from two layers dated to the Mesolithic (Preboreal). The frequencies of abundant taxa have a unimodal distribution in the sampled grid squares, close to the normal distribution. The ratio s2/m (variance/mean) termed the ‘distribution index’, estimates the regularity of distribution of each taxon in the grid squares. We hypothesized that the frequency distribution of a taxon in a layer could be considered to be its statistical sampling distribution (i.e. probability distribution) in the firewood collection catchment at a given time, since the quantity of this taxon fluctuates in each firewood assemblage according to its probability of collection, relating to its distribution heterogeneity (or accessibility) in the past environment. The distribution index was then used to estimate the heterogeneity of the palaeoenvironmental distribution of each taxon and thus its random, uniform or clustered distribution. On this basis, we propose a mapped restitution of the evolution of the main woodland species in the surroundings of the Abeurador during the Early Holocene, integrated with the whole sequence dynamics.; Les développements méthodologiques précédents de l'anthracologie ont conduit à la définition de méthodes d'échantillonnage rigoureuses en contexte archéologique, fournissant des spectres de fréquences taxonomiques précis et fiables comme base pour la compréhension de la végétation forestière passée. Les spectres de fréquence des taxons dans le bois de feu représentent une image synthétique de la composition des forêts aux alentours d'un site archéologique. Notre objectif dans cet article est de décrire l'hétérogénéité de la distribution des forêts. La grotte de l'Abeurador (Hérault), dans le sud de la France, a déjà fourni une étude paléoécologique exceptionnellement riche. Nous étudions ici la distribution spatiale, par mètre carré, des fréquences des taxons dans les charbons de bois dispersés de deux couches datant du Mésolithique (Préboréal). Les fréquences des taxons abondants ont une distribution unimodale dans les carrés de la grille d'échantillonnage, proche de la Loi normale. Le rapport s2/m (variance/moyenne), ou "index de distribution", estime la régularité de la distribution des fréquences de chaque taxon dans les carrés de la grille. Nous émettons l'hypothèse que la distribution de fréquence d'un taxon dans une couche pouvait être considérée comme sa distribution d'échantillonnage statistique (c'est-à-dire sa distribution de probabilité) dans l'aire de collecte du bois de feu à un moment donné, puisque la quantité de ce taxon fluctue dans chaque assemblage de bois de feu en fonction de sa probabilité de collecte, liée à son hétérogénéité de distribution (ou d'accessibilité) dans l'environnement du site. L'index de distribution est utilisé pour estimer l'hétérogénéité de la distribution paléoenvironnementale de chaque taxon et donc son patron de distribution aléatoire, uniforme ou groupée. Sur cette base, nous proposons une restitution cartographiée de l'évolution des principales espèces forestières dans les environs de l'Abeurador au cours de l'Holocène précoce, interprétée en fonction de la dynamique forestière de l'ensemble de la séquence.

On the basis of statistical analysis of craniometric data relating to Mesolithic and Neolithic samples from northern Eurasia, we discuss the peopling of the Baraba forest-steppe in the Early Holocene. This region is represented by samples from Sopka-2/1 (early sixth millennium BC), Protoka (late fifth to early fourth millennia BC), Korchugan (early-mid sixth millennium BC), and Vengerovo-2A (late sixth millennium BC). The results of the principal component analysis are interpreted in the context of debates over the role of autochthonous traditions in the Neolithic. During the Preboreal period (10 ka BP), large parts of the Baraba forest-steppe were flooded by the transgression of lake systems during climatic warming. This may have caused depopulation, lasting for at least a millennium. The Early Holocene people of Baraba were an offshoot of Meso-Neolithic populations of the northwestern Russian Plain. On that basis, the Early Neolithic populations of Baraba were formed. Direct population continuity is traceable only through the Chalcolithic. Since the late sixth millennium BC, however, the local population had incorporated migrants from the Pit-Comb Ware area in the central Russian Plain and, indirectly (via the Neolithic Altai), from the Cis-Baikal area.

Soft-sediment deformation structures have been indentified in glaciolacustrine deposits of the terrace complexes of the Lake Imandra (Kola Region, NE of the Fennoscandian Shield). According to the paleoseismological criteria, we found that these deformation structures were induced by strong earthquakes. These earthquakes led to the occurrence of secondary deformations of various morphology and sizes in the sandy-sandy sediments, forming a single complex consisting of intensely deformed and destructed deposits and associated clastic dikes and cracks. Among the plastic deformations, the phenomena of liquefaction, boudinage structures, flame structures, irregular convolute stratifications, diapir-like structures and synsedimentary folds are developed. Among brittle deformations, cracks and micro-fractures and dykes, predominate. The spatial and stratigraphic distributions of soft-sediment deformation structures were used to infer about the activation of faults during the Late Glacial and Postglacial period of the sub-latitudinal and north-western strike directions that limit the different-scale blocks of the earth’s crust. According to radiocarbon analysis data and paleogeographic reconstructions, the formation of soft-sediment deformations took place at the end of the Young Dryas – the beginning of the Preboreal period between 12900–11500 cal yr BP, and later, in the Preboreal period – beginning of the Boreal period between 11500– 9900 cal yr BP. It was this period that was accompanied by increased seismic activity not only in the Kola region, but also in the whole of Fennoscandia.

In this paper we present the chronological, environmental and climatic data obtained by analysing the remains of rodents collected from the water-screened sediments of Levels 2 and 3 of the Sector Entrada of Toll Cave (Moià, Barcelona), one of the caves belonging to the karstic system called the Coves del Toll. From these levels a total of 216 rodent remains have been recovered, corresponding to 10 rodent species. The biochronological results indicate a Late Pleistocene/Holocene chronology (13 ka BP), and Level 2 is probably Holocene (

The main stages of the relationship between forest and steppe communities in the southern part of the Volga Upland have been reconstructed. The existence of primary (preagricultural) steppes of all types has been established. The landscape of this area changed as follows: the steppe landscape changed in the Preboreal and Boreal periods (10 300–7500 BP); the forest-steppe landscape (dominated by forests), in the Atlantic and Early Subboreal periods (7500–3200 BP); forest-steppe (dominated by steppes) and steppe landscapes, from the Late Subboreal period to the present (3200–0 BP); and the first agrocenoses appeared from 2500 BP.

This paper presents the first result of a study of two long-term natural archives in the southwestern part of the Western Siberian Plain. Bchron age models based on 17 AMS dates allowed us to determine a chronology of changes in properties of lake and peat deposits. Significant changes in the Holocene were identified according to geochemical indices, accumulation rates, and compositions of the plant macrofossils of sediment cores in Lake Kyrtyma and Oshukovskoe peat bog. Sediments with a low content of organic matter and maximum weathering accumulated in the Late Glacial, below the border of the Holocene. The transition to the Holocene manifested as a black organic gyttja with ostracods and marked warming ∼12–11.2 ka BP. At about 11.2–10.1 ka BP it was replaced by the Preboreal oscillation. Subsequent changes in lake sedimentation were associated with general warming and an unstable hydrological regime. An increase in humidification ∼8.2 ka BP was reflected by lake level rise and contributed to swamping of the watersheds. The aridest Holocene phase at ∼7.1–5.5 ka BP was reliably recorded by geochemical data, but poorly reflected in the stratigraphy of both profiles. Subsequent cooling and the resulting decrease in evaporation began at ∼5.5–4.9 ka BP. A pronounced cardinal shift in sedimentation conditions due to a gradual increase in precipitation was recorded at ∼4.9–2.8 ka BP, though short-term fluctuations towards dryness were also marked at ∼3.5–3.3 ka BP. The most significant increase in humidification and cooling began at 2.8 ka BP. Geochemical indices in the lacustrine sediments are climate sensitive and allowing us to obtain enough reliable data associated with changes in sedimentation environments. The stratigraphy of peat reflected the nuances of climatic changes less clearly and primarily demonstrated the stages of bog self-development; however, sphagnum peat provided a better-resolution record.

Undisturbed sediments are an important source for the reconstruction of the Holocene development of valleys. Wide floodplains with relatively small rivers in a region settled since 5500 BCE offer opportunities for investigations regarding climatic and anthropogenic landscape change. In the context of a motorway construction, excavations were carried out by the Saxonian Heritage Office in the year 2015. At one of the sites it was possible to get a view of the sediments of the Pleiße valley less than 100 m distance from large cross sections described by Neumeister (1964) in a former open cast mine. Archaeological finds and features, plant remains and radiocarbon dating as well as micromorphological and geochemical investigations helped to decipher the age and the characteristics of the Holocene sediments: above Weichselian loamy sands a sedge peat developed in small depressions during the Preboreal and Boreal. The sands and the sedge peat are covered by a “black clay”, which was still the topsoil during the Atlantic period. The sedimentation of 2.3 m thick overbank fines began after 4000 BCE. A depth of 1 m below the surface a medieval Slavic find layer was excavated. These results show that sedimentation processes in the lower Pleiße valley significantly changed after 4000 BCE. It is obvious that the increase in silty material in the floodplain is caused by the land clearance in the Neolithic period. More than half of the silty overbank fines were deposited before the Middle Ages began.

The Barents Sea offers a suitable location for documenting advection of warm and saline Atlantic Water (AW) into the Arctic and its impact on deglaciation and postglacial conditions. We investigate the timing, succession, and mechanisms of the transition from proximal glaciomarine to marine environment in the northwestern Barents Sea. Two studied sediment cores demonstrate diachronous retreat of the grounded ice sheet from the Kvitøya Trough (core S2528) to Erik Eriksen Trough (core S2519). Oxygen isotope records from core S2528 depict a two-step pattern, with lower δ18O values prior to the Younger Dryas (YD), and higher values afterward because of advection of the more saline,18O-enriched AW. At this location, subsurface AW penetration increased during the Allerød and YD/Preboreal transition. In the study area, foraminiferal and dinocyst data from the YD interval suggest cold conditions, extensive sea-ice cover, and brine formation, along with the flow of chilled AW at subsurface and the development of a high-productivity polynya in the Erik Eriksen Trough. Dense winter sea-ice cover with seasonal productivity persisted in the Kvitøya Trough area during the early Holocene, whereas surface warming seems to have occurred during the middle Holocene interval.

Palaeoecological studies in coversand areas are sparse as organic remains generally do not preserve well in sandy deposits. An AMS-dated Holocene peat sequence in a palaeochannel in a natural depression (the Liereman), flanked by coversand ridges proved to be an exceptional and valuable archive of long-term vegetation dynamics in the Campine (N Belgium). Analyses of microfossils, such as pollen, spores and non-pollen palynomorphs, as well as macrofossils of plants and other organisms have given insight in the vegetation dynamics over the past 11,500 years. Grasslands developed during the Rammelbeek phase of the Preboreal at the expense of the birch woodlands that characterized the Friesland phase of the Preboreal. During the Preboreal the depression was ecologically diverse with abundant resources for human subsistence, such as permanent fresh water, game and edible plants. However, to date no contemporaneous archaeological sites are known in the area. In the woodlands on the coversand ridges pines became the dominant regional vegetation towards the Boreal. The resulting lowering of ground water levels led to a decrease of the water availability and associated resources for hunter-gatherer societies. Yet, (early) Mesolithic hunter-gatherers settled in the area, however only temporarily. During the Atlantic coniferous forests were succeeded by mixed deciduous woodlands, while the freshwater availability decreased further. This possibly explains the near absence of middle and late Mesolithic sites in the Liereman area. From the Subboreal onward deciduous woodlands opened, probably as a result of human activity. Finally, through deforestation the area in and around the Liereman depression was partly cleared for agricultural purposes during the Subatlantic.

This chapter explores site-type variability in the course of the Early Mesolithic at the coast of central Norway. The Early Mesolithic was a period of great alterations in climate, landscape and oceanic environment. The Arctic conditions that prevailed on the coast when hunter-gatherers first arrived c. 9500, gradually gave way to a warmer climate. A cold pulse, known as the Preboreal oscillation (PBO), hit Scandinavia and Europe c. 9300–9200 cal bc, before the temperatures rose again. Midway through the Early Mesolithic period, c. 8800 cal bc, the ice melted away from all the large fjords and coastal waters, pushing the cold-tolerant fauna northwards. The parallel establishment of the Norwegian Atlantic Current provided stable and liveable conditions to a new range of marine species. For the coastal hunter-gatherers, these fluctuations must have greatly affected the resource base. Previous studies have pointed out that generalized toolkits and flexible mobility systems seem to have been ways of coping with the changing conditions. Was also site type an active variable of their adaptive strategy within this period? On the basis of Binford’s forager–collector continuum (1980), 18 sites are analyzed in terms of artefacts, tools, size, layout and features to see if there are diachronic trends in the frequency of different site types that can be related to the palaeoenvironmental trajectory of the period. The study points to a development from short visits when hunting activities and gearing up were the focus in the earliest part of the Early Mesolithic, to a more stable site pattern where residential bases were established near predictable food resources. This happens parallel with the environmental and climatic fluctuations, and it is likely that these trajectories are related.

In this study, we focus on the environmental changes recorded in the San River valley (Stubno–Naklo site, south-eastern Poland) at the beginning of the Holocene. This multi-proxy study for the first time in the region of the northern foreland of the Western Carpathians included quantitative thermal reconstruction based on Chironomidae and high-stratigraphic resolution of 14C AMS dating. We hypothesised that (i) climate events during the Early Holocene contributed to ecosystem turnovers via stimulating disturbances related to the river's fluvial activity and (ii) woodland and oxbow lake ecosystems became more resilient to flood disturbances along with the advance of forest succession on the floodplain. The results revealed that the response of ecosystems on the Early Holocene warming was strongly linked with the decrease in fluvial activity of the river. The reconstruction of the mean July temperature based on Chironomidae revealed the exceptionally high rate of warming during the period of ca. 11,490–11,460 cal. BP (at least 1 °C per decade) up to values > 2 °C than modern ones. During this period, the lake trophy and productivity started to increase with a simultaneous spread of Betula woodlands on the alluvial plain. The “Preboreal oscillation” cooling was dated at ca. 11,450–11,250 cal. BP. At that time, an increased climate instability led to a higher rate of extremal events such as flood at ca. 11,400–11,330 cal. BP, which probably led to the disruption of the Betula population. The development of riparian woodlands, initiated by the expansion of Ulmus from ca. 11,100 cal. BP, and further spread of Quercus and Fraxinus excelsior on the alluvial plain and lower river terraces increased plant transpiration and therefore limited the river runoff and its fluvial activity. This, together with the expansion of reed belt communities, probably limited the impact of floods on the oxbow lake. However, ca. 10,010–9880 cal. BP traces of higher fluvial activity, but of lower impact, were recorded.

Recent studies have shown that faunal assemblages from Mesolithic sites in inland Northern Europe contain more fish remains than previously thought, but the archaeological and archaeozoological record does not reveal the dietary importance of aquatic species to hunter-gatherer-fishers, even at a societal level. For example, the function of bone points, as hunting weapons or fishing equipment, has long been debated. Moreover, traditional methods provide no indication of variable subsistence practices within a population. For these reasons, paleodietary studies using stable isotope analyses of human remains have become routine. We present radiocarbon (14C) and stable isotope data from nine prehistoric human bones from the Early Mesolithic-Early Neolithic site of Friesack 4, and isotopic data for local terrestrial mammals (elk, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, aurochs, beaver) and freshwater fish (European eel, European perch). The reference data allow individual paleodiets to be reconstructed. Using paleodiet estimates of fish consumption, and modern values for local freshwater reservoir effects, we also calibrate human 14C ages taking into account dietary reservoir effects. Although the number of individuals is small, it is possible to infer a decline in the dietary importance of fish from the Preboreal to the Boreal Mesolithic, and an increase in aquatic resource consumption in the Early Neolithic.

The studies aimed to reconstruct major phases of litho-morpho-pedogenic processes and past environmental changes in the Baltic coastal zone near Poddąbie (54°37,070′ N, 16°57,897′ E) based on physical, chemical, pollen, and fossil Cladocera analysis of the polycyclic pedocomplex. The polycyclic pedocomplex under study included seven fossil soils developed from the Early Holocene until modern times from various materials. The soils were sampled and analyzed using standard procedures in soil science to determine their physical and chemical properties. Pollen and fossil Cladocera analysis was also carried out in the examined profile. Radiocarbon dates of selected samples were also specified. The studied polycyclic pedocomplex has been developed from materials of varied origin, including glaciofluvial, fluvial, aeolian, and biogenic deposits of the lake. According to the results of pollen and fossil Cladocera analysis and radiocarbon dating, this body of water has evolved from the beginning of Preboreal period to the half of Boreal. The studied soils represent various reference groups and advancement of development. They constitute relics of former geomorphological and soil-forming processes, which have taken place over the last 9500 years, including periglacial processes, wildfires, Baltic Sea shoreline changes, and aeolian activity. The last stage of the coastal relief dynamics was conditioned by the fire which took place about 1472–1637 AD. The lack of plant cover and intensive abrasion due to direct vicinity of the coastline has caused the deposition of aeolian material, which is the parent material of nutrient-poor initial soils. The analysis of fossil soil development with the use of specialized research methods allowed for reconstructing the dynamics of past geomorphological processes and natural environment changes in the study area. The studied polycyclic pedocomplex constitutes a record of environmental changes taking place in the central part of the Polish Baltic coastal zone from the Early Holocene to the present day. The studied soil sequence is located within a land depression developed in place of the former water reservoir created as a result of permafrost degradation, and filled with Holocene deposits.

The rate and magnitude of temperature variability at the transition from the Last Glacial Maximum into the early Holocene represents a natural analog to current and predicted climate change. A limited number of high-resolution proxy archives, however, challenges our understanding of environmental conditions during this period. Here, we present combined dendrochronological and radiocarbon evidence from 253 newly discovered subfossil pine stumps from Zurich, Switzerland. The individual trees reveal ages of 41–506 years and were growing between the Allerod and Preboreal (∼13′900–11′300 cal BP). Together with previously collected pines from this region, this world's best preserved Late Glacial forest substantially improves the earliest part of the absolutely dated European tree-ring width chronology between 11′300 and 11′900 cal BP. Radiocarbon measurements from 65 Zurich pines between ∼12′320 and 13′950 cal BP provide a perspective to prolong the continuous European tree-ring record by another ∼2000 years into the Late Glacial era. These data will also be relevant for pinpointing the Laacher See volcanic eruption (∼12′900 cal BP) and two major Alpine earthquakes (∼13′770 and ∼11′600 cal BP). In summary, this study emphasizes the importance of dating precision and multi-proxy comparison to disentangle environmental signals from methodological noise, particularly during periods of high climate variability but low data availability, such as the Younger Dryas cold spell (∼11′700 and 12′900 cal BP).

Представлены новые данные по литологии, микропалеонтологии и геохронологии донных осадков малых озер, расположенных на западном берегу Онежского залива Белого моря. На основе полученных данных для указанного района реконструирована палеогеографическая обстановка позднеледниковья и голоцена. Установлено, что здесь в позднем дриасе в условиях краевой зоны деградирующего ледника образовывались приледниковые озера. Их осадки в виде палеонтологически немых разнозернистых песков с гравием отмечены в некоторых котловинах побережья до высоты около 140 м над у.м. Спуск этих озер в конце позднего дриаса способствовал формированию единого обширного пресноводного водоема в котловине современного Онежского залива. В начале пребореала при таянии погребенного льда на прилегающей суше происходило заболачивание локальных депрессий и образование низинных болот и торфяников. В конце пребореала - начале бореала при замедлении гляциоизостатического поднятия земной коры, после разрушения ледяной преграды в районе Соловецких островов и притока морской воды в котловину Онежского залива произошло затопление прилегающей к нему территории. Сначала в этом обширном водоеме, а позже в отделившихся от него малых озерах накапливались слоистые алевриты и алевритистые сапропели, перекрывающие торф в разрезах донных отложений. Котловины малых озер отчленялись от основного водоема Онежского залива в разное время на протяжении голоцена по причине гляциоизостатического поднятия и восходящих блоковых движений земной коры.

New data on the structure and geomorphological features of the geological pattern of the Zimniy Coast (Dvina Bay, White Sea) from Keretsky cape to Kuya river was obtained using methods of geomorphological profiling, lithostratigraphic descriptions, radiocarbon dating and diatom analysis, and the history of the relief development of the bottom and coast of the Dvinsky Bay in the Late Glacial and Early Holocene was reconstructed. An approximate estimation of the relative sea level change and the relative vertical movements of the coast is given. It has been established that on the northeastern shore of the Dvina Bay, terraces of 5–20 m height were formed earlier than 9030 ± 80–8410 ± 40 14C (~10.2–9.4 ka cal) years BP, during the Lateglacial transgression, the amplitude of which, according to the approximate estimation, did not exceed 15– 16 m relative to the modern sea level. The north-eastern coast of the Bay (the Zimniy Coast) underwent relative elevation at a rate of about 0.2–0.5 mm/year, less than the Letniy Coast, which cannot be explained only by glacioisostasy. The Severnaya Dvina river delta was relatively stable. At the end of the Preboreal – the beginning of the Boreal, a sea regression occurred on the shores of the Bay, followed by the sharp increase of the Barents Sea waters inflow into the Bay.

The stratigraphic sequence, archaeological content, and location of Cuze de Sainte-Anastasie (Cantal, France), also known as Cuze de Neussargue, makes the site of key importance for clarifying the cultural identities and mobility strategies of Laborian and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in the heart of the Massif Central. The re-evaluation of the site’s lithic assemblages presented here has the dual goal of integrating technological and economic behaviours of these human groups using different forms of evidence (petro-archaeological, techno-typological, functional) within the context of a general revision of the site’s archeostratigraphy. This approach also allows for a better understanding of previous assemblages (the Pierron and Rozoy collections) recovered from the site. The site is situated at 900 metres a. s. l. on the eastern slopes of the Cantalian Massif in the commune of Sainte-Anastasie (Cantal) and comprises two small, adjacent rockshelters developed in volcanic tuffs underlying a thick basalt flow forming an imposing 100 metre-high cliff. Discovered in 1945, subsequent excavations by R. Pierron, H. Derville and R. Rey, who concentrated on the southern rockshelter, identified a three-metre-thick succession of archaeological levels spanning the Mesolithic to Middle Ages. Two decades later, J.-G. Rozoy directed small-scale excavation in front of the rockshelter which yielded little archaeological material but better documented the lower levels identified by Pierron. Finally, A. Delpuech and P. Fernandes worked at the site between 1981 and 1985 following clandestine excavations. After disappointing results for the area in front of the southern rockshelter, work on the porch of the northern cave uncovered stratified Mesolithic and Late Palaeolithic occupations. In order to re-evaluate both the sequence and associated lithic material, we assembled a multi-disciplinary team as part of a project to produce a site monography., La rareté des stratigraphies livrant du Paléolithique final et du Mésolithique fait du Cuze de Sainte-Anastasie (Cantal, France) un site important pour préciser les identités culturelles et les stratégies de mobilité mises en oeuvre par les chasseurs-collecteurs de cette période entre Pléistocène et Holocène. L’objectif de ce travail de réévaluation des industries lithiques est de documenter les comportements des groupes humains au travers des différents volets pétrographique, technologique, typologique et fonctionnel. Le gisement, situé à 900 m d’altitude sur le versant est du massif cantalien, est constitué de deux abris contigus creusés aux dépens de brèches volcaniques. Découvert en 1945, les premières fouilles sont réalisées par R. Pierron, H. Derville et R. Rey qui identifient une succession d’occupations allant du Mésolithique au Moyen-Âge. Vingt ans plus tard, J.-G. Rozoy mène des fouilles limitées devant l’abri sud. Enfin, à la suite de fouilles clandestines, les travaux reprennent à partir de 1981, menés par A. Delpuech et P. Fernandes, permettant de retrouver devant la grotte nord des occupations du Mésolithique et du Paléolithique final. La réévaluation archéostratigraphique des dernières fouilles conduit à discriminer cinq unités archéostratigraphiques (UA). Nous ne traitons pas ici du premier ensemble (UA 1) rapporté pro parte au Néolithique final. Les UA 2 et 3 livrent des assemblages lithiques pauvres pouvant néanmoins être attribués au Mésolithique. Les UA 4 et 5 appartiennent au Laborien. Concernant ces dernières, l’hypothèse fonctionnelle indique deux modes d’occupation différents du site au cours du Laborien récent. L’UA 4 est marquée par une pauvreté en armatures lithiques, l’existence d’activités liées à la boucherie et un litho-espace recentré régionalement. L’UA 5 se différencie par une abondance en pointes lithiques, un travail des matières végétales et un litho-espace étendu jusqu’à 200-250 km du site. De plus, l’hypothèse d’un premier passage de groupes du Laborien ancien, à la base de l’UA 5, demeure envisageable., Langlais Mathieu, Delvigne Vincent, Gibaud Alix, Jacquier Jérémie, Perrin Thomas, Fernandes Paul, Delpuech André. La séquence archéostratigraphique du Cuze de Sainte-Anastasie (Cantal) : variations diachroniques et synchroniques des industries lithiques du Laborien au Mésolithique. In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 115, n°3, 2018. pp. 497-529.

To trace spatial variations in Holocene reservoir ages of surface and subsurface waters we studied narrowly spaced 14C records of planktic foraminifera in three high-sedimentation rate cores from the Nordic Seas, the Barents Sea continental margin and eastern Fram Strait. The two northern cores reveal a distinct Early Holocene 14C plateau in dates on the subsurface dweller Neogloboquadrina pachyderma at 9.3–9.1 14C ka. The plateau was tuned to an atmospheric 14C plateau at 9.0–8.7 14C ka that spans 10.2–9.6 calendar ka. These two plateau boundaries provide robust age control points to estimate short-term changes in sedimentation rate and to correlate paleoceanographic signals over 900 km along the West Spitsbergen Current. The difference between planktic and atmospheric 14C plateau ages suggests local 14C reservoir ages of 370–400 yr. Planktic foraminifera species that inhabit different water masses document different reservoir ages. By comparison, the subpolar N. incompta reveals a reservoir age of 150 yr, probably formed in well-mixed Atlantic-sourced waters during winter. The near-surface dweller Turborotalita quinqueloba shows an age of 290 yr in the Fram Strait, but one of 720 yr at the Barents Sea continental margin. The latter age suggests a calcification within old, meltwater-enriched Arctic surface waters admixed by the East Spitsbergen Current. Likewise, we assign an elevated reservoir age of 760 yr on mixed species at a Norwegian Sea site near 71°N to Preboreal meltwaters that spread from northern Norway far west, also documented by the spatial distribution of a coeval δ13C minimum of N. pachyderma.

Stable isotopic measurements on the upper 168 cm of stalagmite DG24 from southern China, which is annually-laminated above 74.8 cm (∼11.8 ka), reconstruct a history of detailed Asian summer monsoon (ASM) variability and soil processes between 14.8 and 10.3 ka. The climate sequence of Bolling-Younger Dryas (YD)-Preboreal events is evident in δ18O record. In the Preboreal, four-year-resolution and annually-counted δ18O record reveals that the ASM strengthening can be divided into three phases, with a prominent and persistent rise initiated at about 11.2 ± 0.3 ka, likely in response to interactions between ocean, atmosphere, and ice sheets. In contrast, the long-term δ18O depletion is absent in the δ13C and annual layer records, which characterize persistent centennial oscillations and likely represent relative humidity of the soil. At multi-decadal scale, prominent ASM failures are generally consistent with periods of δ13C enrichment and decreased layer thickness. When compared with solar proxies, centennial-scale δ13C changes match well with solar activity regardless of the observed disparity between ASM and solar records, and common cycles of 130 and 300 years are identified in both the atmospheric Δ14C and speleothem δ13C records. This implicates that during the Preboreal local soil humidity budget and CO2 production, indicated by the δ13C and annual layer records, is more sensitive to changes in solar output than the regional hydroclimate variability recorded by the δ18O signal.

Deglacial (12.8–10.7 ka) sea level history on the East Siberian continental shelf and upper continental slope was reconstructed using new geophysical records and sediment cores taken during Leg 2 of the 2014 SWERUS-C3 expedition. The focus of this study is two cores from Herald Canyon, piston core SWERUS-L2-4-PC1 (4-PC1) and multicore SWERUS-L2-4-MC1 (4-MC1), and a gravity core from an East Siberian Sea transect, SWERUS-L2-20-GC1 (20-GC1). Cores 4-PC1 and 20-GC were taken at 120 and 115 m of modern water depth, respectively, only a few meters above the global last glacial maximum (LGM; ∼ 24 kiloannum or ka) minimum sea level of ∼ 125–130 meters below sea level (m b.s.l.). Using calibrated radiocarbon ages mainly on molluscs for chronology and the ecology of benthic foraminifera and ostracode species to estimate paleodepths, the data reveal a dominance of river-proximal species during the early part of the Younger Dryas event (YD, Greenland Stadial GS-1) followed by a rise in river-intermediate species in the late Younger Dryas or the early Holocene (Preboreal) period. A rapid relative sea level rise beginning at roughly 11.4 to 10.8 ka ( ∼ 400 cm of core depth) is indicated by a sharp faunal change and unconformity or condensed zone of sedimentation. Regional sea level at this time was about 108 m b.s.l. at the 4-PC1 site and 102 m b.s.l. at 20-GC1. Regional sea level near the end of the YD was up to 42–47 m lower than predicted by geophysical models corrected for glacio-isostatic adjustment. This discrepancy could be explained by delayed isostatic adjustment caused by a greater volume and/or geographical extent of glacial-age land ice and/or ice shelves in the western Arctic Ocean and adjacent Siberian land areas.

Transitions of glacial-interglacial cycles are critical periods for Quaternary climate shifts. Here, we present new, decadal resolution Asian summer monsoon (ASM) record from three stalagmites obtained from the Dark Cave in southwestern China over 130–114 thousand years ago (ka, before CE 1950). Chronology was anchored by 28 230Th dates with typical uncertainties of ±0.3–1.0 kyr, allowing an assessment of timing and transition of climate changes during the onset and end of the last interglacial. An agreement between this new and previous stalagmite δ18O records supports that summer insolation predominates orbital-scale ASM evolution. A 2–3 kyr-long gradually increasing ASM period, analogous to the classical Preboreal episode in the early Holocene, follows the termination of a weak monsoon interval at 129.0 ± 0.8 ka. This finding suggests a strong influence of high-latitude ice-sheet dynamics on Asian monsoonal conditions during the early interglacial period. An abrupt end of the marine isotope stage 5e at 118.8 ± 0.6 ka was probably caused by the internal climate system threshold effects.

The Late Glacial and early Holocene (ca. 15,000–6,000 cal BP) witnessed major changes in the environmental conditions which led to the establishment of temperate vegetation and animal species, thereby offering new subsistence opportunities to the population of hunter-gatherers. Measurements of the relative abundances in 13C and 15N were applied to large herbivores from northern France to document the change in their habitat. During the early Holocene, red deer show a decrease in δ13C values most likely reflecting the effect of a dense canopy and an increase in δ15N values probably linked to the increased soil activity of soils in foraged territories. Aurochs and roe deer δ13C values also revealed a more densely forested habitat at the end of the Preboreal, while the δ13C values of the wild boar indicate dependence on fruits and underground tubers that were not affected by the canopy effect. Three human individuals from Val-de-Reuil and La Chaussée-Tirancourt dated to the Preboreal period provided relatively high δ15N values when compared with the local fauna and other early Mesolithic humans, which might have resulted from the consumption of freshwater resources especially at Val-de-Reuil. The δ34S values appear to depend more on the geographical location of the individual, as demonstrated by the difference among wild boar δ34S values between sites, rather than related to the protein source of the diet, namely, terrestrial versus aquatic. Our results confirm the influence of the forest ecosystem on the environment and diet of the considered early Mesolithic human of northern France, while the possible contribution of the aquatic ecosystem still needs to be documented.

The Vistytis Upland is a terminal moraine ridge featuring kame hills. There are numerous lakes and wetlands in its depressions. We collected the samples of bottom sediments from a number of lakes and wetlands located at different altitudes. Using the results of the lithological analysis and radiocarbon dating of the lakes’ bottom sediments and those of a loss-on-ignition test, we identified the main stages of sedimentation. We reconstructed the formation and development of the lakes of the Vistytis Upland from the moment of deglaciation to the present. Two groups of lakes were distinguished by genesis: (a) the lakes formed in the inter-moraine or inter-kame depressions flooded by melt water; (b) the lakes formed in the thermokarst processes. The lakes of the first type are located at altitudes over 170 m and date back to the Younger Dryas, whereas the lakes of the second type are located below 170 m and their formation occurred in the Younger Dryas—the Preboreal. We conclude that the wetlands located west of Lake Vistytis were the bays of the lake in the Late Pleistocene.

The last decade increasing evidence of soil erosion by sediment run-off predating agriculture has been found in different areas of west and central Europe. A central discussion is whether pre-agricultural erosion was triggered by vegetational disturbances caused by hunter-gatherer activities (trampling, controlled forest fires) or natural processes (e.g. climatic anomalies, wildfires, wind-throws). This paper contributes to this discussion using data recently gathered during archaeological excavations of a levee, within the floodplain of the River Scheldt in NW Belgium, occupied by hunter-gatherers during the Early Holocene. These excavations revealed the presence of a ca. 40 cm thick slope deposit, which was radiocarbon dated to the late Preboreal and 1st half of the Boreal. A high-resolution, multi-proxy analysis of this deposit demonstrates a close correlation between the type of vegetation, forest fires and erosion intensity. It is concluded that repeated burning of pine-dominated forests was most likely the main trigger. Furthermore, this study provides strong evidence against an anthropogenic origin of these Early Holocene fires as burning and slope erosion already started long before prehistoric hunter-gatherers occupied the levee top and the Scheldt basin. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that pre-agricultural slope erosion was not limited to hilly regions with pronounced topography but also occurred in lowland regions with subtle topographical gradients.

We reconstruct patterns of ice flow and retreat of the southwestern Scandinavian Ice Sheet, from 2900 field observations of glacial striae and elevation measurements of 60 ice-marginal-deltas from a high-resolution LiDAR DEM. During the Last Glacial Maximum, ice flow was towards the west across the entire area, including across several-hundred meter deep north-south oriented fjords. During deglaciation, ice flow adjusted to topography and the dominant flow direction switched towards the south-west. We use a shoreline diagram constructed from relative sea-level curves to establish the age of each delta, which allows us to constrain the timing of retreat with almost decadal precision. Rapid ice sheet retreat commenced at the onset of the Holocene at 11,600 cal years BP. Retreat rates were 160 m a −1 in the deepest fjords, 60–80 m a −1 in shallower fjords, and even slower for land-terminating margins. The fastest retreat rates, 240 m a −1 and 340 m a −1 , were experienced in the largest fjords, Hardangerfjorden and Sognefjorden, which border the study area to the south and north. Crosscutting glacial striae indicate that calving bays developed during retreat along the widest fjords. The combination of complex fjord topography with fast ice-margin retreat by iceberg calving, led to isolation of ice remnants on islands and peninsulas, a process that accelerated the overall rate of deglaciation. Ice-margin retreat paused between 11,300–11,100 cal years BP, probably due to cooling during the Preboreal Oscillation.

Changes in water circulation in the Bering Sea have profoundly impacted biological productivity, carbon cycle and global ocean circulation, especially from the last deglaciation to the Holocene. Grain size and clay mineral composition were investigated in core ARC6-B10, collected from the northern Bering slope, in order to reveal changes in circulation and sediment provenance since the late deglaciation (~13.7 ka). The results highlight changes in sea level and atmospheric circulation as the primary controls on the variations in grain size and clay mineralogy. Deglacial sea level rise deepened the water passages along the Aleutian Arc, enhanced the inflow of North Pacific water that strengthened the circulation of the Bering Sea, and receded the coastline. These changes increased the supply of smectite-enriched sediments from the Aleutian Islands to the core site. A temporary reduction in smectite and an increase in the illite and chlorite contents during the Preboreal period correspond to the opening of the Bering Strait; this is attributed to rapid sea level rise which resulted in increased sediment resuspension from the shelf. During the mid- to late Holocene, when the sea level stabilized, changes in the Aleutian Low (AL) were a major factor modulating changes in ocean circulation. A weakened AL in the mid-Holocene intensified the northward Bering Slope Current and the increased the flow through the Bering Strait, while an intensified AL, along with an expanded sea ice cover during the late Holocene may have weakened the northward flow.

Bottom sediments from Lake Okunozero, located in front of Syamozero marginal formations, were analyzed to better understand the degradation conditions of the Last Glaciation in South Karelia at the Neva (Syamozero) stage and to assess the effect of climate on environmental changes. Paleogeographic reconstructions are based on the study of lake sediments using an integrated approach, which comprises spore-and-pollen, diatom and radiocarbon (14C) analyses. More evidence was obtained for the Late Glacial deposition pattern, the environmental conditions and evolution dynamics of the proglacial ice lake directly contacting the ice margin and of vegetation in that period. For the first time, Lake Glacial sediments were found to contain over 30 redeposited marine diatom alga species and varieties, not reported earlier from rock sequences of that period. The lake separated from the periglacial water body at the end of the Late Dryas. Its evolution after separation from the proto-Onega was traced, evolution stages were recognized, and more light on was shed the paleogeographic conditions in the surrounding area. The vegetation dynamics from the Allerod to the present day was reconstructed. In the Late Glacial Period the study area was occupied by tundra dwarf birch-true moss, sagebrush-wormwood periglacial-steppe and forest-tundra paleocommunities. Meadow-like tall-herb communities and birch forests with an admixture of pine appeared in the Preboreal. In the Boreal time, light-coniferous pine forests with an admixture of birch occupied the area, to be replaced in the Atlantic period by pine-spruce forests with the participation of broad-leaved species. Since the Subboreal, spruce and pine-spruce forests have prevailed in the study area. We observed that diatoms were missing from some horizons in almost every paleoclimatic period and suggested possible explanations for these gaps.

There have been several studies addressing the timing and extension of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Aeolian activity in the Nyirseg, the former alluvial fan of the Tisza River. Some of these already applied numerical dating techniques, however usually focused on one dune form or one site. This paper is an attempt on the one hand to review former age data and on the other hand to add new data from various sites to the landform evolution of the second largest sand dune area of the Carpathian Basin. The paper focuses on the Late Pleistocene–Holocene landform evolution of the second largest sand dune area of Hungary (Nyirseg). Recent age data were obtained from investigations applying several methods (radiocarbon, OSL and palynological examinations) in order to determine the periods of sand movement and paleosoil formation in the area more accurately. According to the results, six sand movement periods can be identified during the Late Glacial and Holocen (Oldest Dryas, Younger Dryas, Preboreal Phase, Boreal Phase, Atlantic Phase, Subatlantic Phase). In between periods with intensive aeolian activity paleosoil formation occurred in the Bolling-Allerod Interstadial and in the Preboreal and Subatlantic Phases.

Major changes in the Holocene were identified based on a diatom and geochemical analysis of sediment cores from Lakes Ufimskoe and Syrytkul (the Southern Urals). The Lake Ufimskoe ecosystem in the Central mountain area is identified to be highly sensitive to variations in temperature. Meanwhile, Lake Syrytkul is more responsive to climate aridization because of its limnological characteristics and less precipitation in the piedmont area. Climate events were the main drivers for lake ecosystems dynamics throughout almost the whole history of the lakes. The records of lake sediments reflect several climate events noted elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere: Lateglacial–Holocene transition (~12,000–11,600), Preboreal oscillation (~11,200–11,000 cal. BP), climate warming and aridization (~9700–9600 cal. BP), warming and increase in precipitation since 9000 cal. BP, climate aridization at ~5800 cal. BP, cooling since 4000 cal. BP, and warming at ~2500 cal. BP. Climate warming of the last hundred years was not reflected in lake sediment records because of the significant human impact on the lake ecosystem. The upper sediments of both lakes are enriched in As, Bi, Sb, Te, Sn, Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb because of the influence of the Karabash copper smelter. However, the significant changes of the Lake Syrytkul ecosystem are not related to the technogenic impact and explained mainly by the dam construction. The changes in diatom communities identified in Lake Ufimskoe, which is located in an area geologically sensitive to acidification, are related to the acidification and heavy metal loading on the water area.

The discovery and archaeological exploration of three Mesolithic sites in the Adige Valley between 1968 and 1975 has allowed the identification of the Sauveterrian and Castelnovian complexes south of the Alpine watershed and enabled the definition of a chrono-stratigraphic sequence of reference for North-eastern Italy spanning from the Preboreal to the first part of the Atlantic. Together with several other findings in the Dolomites, these discoveries led to the development of a model of seasonal migration of the Mesolithic groups settled in the Adige River Basin from the valley-bottom to the Alpine medium-to-high mountain territories.

The Early Mesolithic colonization of the northeastern Italian Alps is well known thanks to the very high number of discoveries that have been made since the 1970's. Rich evidence from the Adige valley, in particular, led to the development of the so-called “vertical nomadism model,” based on the dichotomy of valley bottom and high altitude sites. The Sauveterrian evidence of the Cansiglio plateau, being located at mid-altitude in the Venetian pre-Alps, differs from the former settlement model. Based on the data achieved from the techno-economic and traceological analyses carried out on the lithic assemblage from the Casera Lissandri 17 site, the role and function of this evidence is analysed and contextualised. In particular, raw materials indicate a relation with the Belluno valley as far as provisioning territories are concerned. In accordance with its use-wear data and overall composition dominated by microliths, the site should be considered as a seasonal camp dedicated to hunting activities and to the preliminary processing of games.

The Tröllaskagi peninsula is located in north central Iceland, between meridians 19º30’W and 18º10’W , limited by Skagafjödur fiord to the west and the Eyjafjödur fiord to the east, jutting out into the North Atlantic to latitude 66º12’N and linked to the central Icelandic highlands to the south. The peninsula is a Tertiary basalt plateau topped by flat summits with altitudes of 1000-1500 m, intensely dissected by the drainage network. The aim of this present study is to synthesize the recent advances in our understanding of the landscape and its dynamics in the Tröllaskagi peninsula and find the origin of its significant difference from the rest of Iceland. Results of the most recent research suggest the situation of Tröllaskagi as ice-free, delimited by the two great glacial outlets flowing down from the Icelandic Ice Sheet through the Skagafjödur and Eyjafjödur fiords, from at least the Oldest Dryas to the end of the Early Preboreal. Inland in Tröllaskagi, the glaciers formed in the north-facing cirques without losing their alpine characteristics during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The advances of these glaciers during the Oldest, Older and Youngest Dryas and the Early Preboreal were only a few hundred metres greater than the most important advance in the second half of the Holocene, during the Little Ice Age. Only a few of these glaciers remained debris-free and are sensitive to the minor climate oscillations. The rest, due to the important geomorphological activity on their walls, developed into debris-covered and rock glaciers and lost this significant dynamism.

The Uddelermeer is a unique lake for The Netherlands, containing a sediment record that continuously registered environmental and climatic change from the late Pleistocene on to the present. A 15.6-m-long sediment record was retrieved from the deepest part of the sedimentary basin and an age–depth model was developed using radiocarbon dating, 210Pb dating, and Bayesian modeling. Lake-level change was reconstructed using a novel combination of high-resolution palaeoecological proxies (e.g. pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, chironomids), quantitative determinations of lake-level change (ground-penetrating radar), and estimates of changes in precipitation (lipid biomarker stable isotopes). We conclude that lake levels were at least as high as present-day water levels from the late glacial to 3150 cal. yr BP, with the exception of at least one lake-level lowstand during the Preboreal period. Lake levels were ca. 2.5 m lower than at present between 3150 and 2800 cal. yr BP, which might have been the result of a change in moisture source region prior to the so-called 2.8-kyr event. Increasing precipitation amounts around 2800 cal. yr BP resulted in a lake-level rise of about 3.5–4 m to levels that were 1–1.5 m higher than at present, in line with increased precipitation levels as inferred for the 2.8-kyr event from nearby raised bog areas as well as with reconstructions of higher lake levels in the French Alps, all of which have been previously attributed to a phase of decreased solar activity. Lake levels decreased to their present level only during recent times, although the exact timing of the drop in lake levels is unclear.

The “paraglacial” and “paraperiglacial” concepts were introduced in the second half of 20th Century for describe processes, landforms and deposits directly conditioned by deglaciation (paraglacial), respectively by permafrost degradation (paraperiglacial). They represents theoretical models describing the transition from glacial to periglacial, or more generally non glacial conditions (paraglacial model), and from periglacial to temperate conditions (paraperiglacial model). Evidences of sediment transfer conditioned by these processes were described in particular in the Arctic and Subarctic domains. These evidences are less generalised in the Alps and they consider rarely both concepts, integrating periglacial landforms and deposits in source to sink sediment transfer in a single catchment. Here we present evidences of para(peri)glacial sedimentary crises by quantifying sediment transfer from the periglacial zone to the delta in Lake Maggiore for the Ticino River catchment (southern Swiss Alps). Compilation and revision of chronological data, the assessment of sedimentation rates in the Ticino Valley, of progradation rates of the Ticino River delta and of rockwall erosion rates in the periglacial zone, allowed empirical models of sediment transfer to be produced. These models highlights significant high sedimentation rates in the valley floor during the beginning of the deglaciation, and significant rates of rockwall erosion during periods of intense temperature warming and intense permafrost degradation (such as at the beginning of Bolling and during the Preboreal), showing a very good correspondence with paraglacial and paraperiglacial theoretical models. Sediment transfer evolution during the entire Lateglacial and the first half of Holocene in the southern Swiss Alps may then be explained by a combination of a paraglacial erosion phase related to the deglaciation and of two paraperiglacial erosion phases related with significant periods of temperature warming during the Bolling/Allerod and the first part of the Holocene.

Detailed 10Be and 14C dating and supporting pollen analysis of Alpine Lateglacial glacial and landslide deposits in the Hohen Tauern Mountains (Austria) constrain a sequence-based stratigraphy comprising a major landslide (13.0±1.1 ka) overlain by till and termino-lateral moraines of an advancing (12.6±1.0 ka) and retreating (11.3±0.8 ka) glacier in turn overlain by a minor landslide (10.8±1.1 ka). These results define glacier activity during the Younger Dryas age Egesen stadial bracketed by landslide activities during the Bolling-Allerod interstadial and the Preboreal. In contrast to recent studies on Holocene glaciation in the Alps, no traces of any Holocene glacier advance bigger than during the Little Ice Age are documented. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the advantages of using an allostratigraphical approach based on unconformity-bounded sedimentary units as a tool for glacial stratigraphy in formerly glaciated mountain regions, rather than a stratigraphy based on either isolated morphological features or lithostratigraphical characteristics.

The White Sea is a small semi-enclosed Arctic sea influenced by Atlantic waters. It was completely covered by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the Late Pleistocene and plays a key role in the reconstruction of the degradation of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet and Atlantic Water advection into the Arctic Ocean. We examined the inflow of Atlantic water into the White Sea Basin as the leading feature of postglacial sedimentation processes. Palaeoreconstructions were conducted through detailed studies of diatom assemblages in two sediment cores from the central area (PS-6042) and outer part (PS-6050) of Dvina Bay. Stratigraphic division of the core sediments was performed on the basis of palynostratigraphy and accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates. The composition of diatom assemblages in postglacial sediments from Dvina Bay indicate a change in the environment from a freshwater sea bay to fully marine conditions over the past 12 cal kyr. Based on the obtained results, we established that the Atlantic water started to flow into the central Dvina Bay in the first half of the Preboreal (11.7–11.3 cal ka BP), and the greatest increase in water surface temperatures in central Dvina Bay occurred during the period from the end of the Atlantic to the first half of the Subboreal. We confirmed these conclusions through comparison with previously obtained results of aquatic palynomorphs, pollen and spores, grain size analysis, and measurements of total organic carbon and biogenic silica contents, as well as through correlation with published palaeoreconstructions of the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean.

Straipsnyje aptariama Rytų Baltijos regione aktuali akmens amžiaus archeologijos problema – Svidrų kultūros, egzistavusios finaliniame paleolite ir ankstyvajame mezolite, pabaigos datavimas. Keliamas klausimas, koks kultūrinis vienetas (ar keli) turėtų būti vadinami paskutiniais Svidrų kultūros atstovais Lietuvos teritorijoje ir kokios kultūros žmonės galėjo būti paskutiniai, naudoję įkotinius strėlių antgalius – įrankio formą, paveldėtą iš paleolito laikų. Hipotetiškai svarstomas bene pats plačiausias galimas pirmosios mezolito pusės vaizdas kultūrų įvardijimo prasme: siūloma diskutuoti apie galimai vienu metu egzistavusias dvi Svidrų kultūrą tęsusias kryptis – vėlyvuosius svidrus ir svidrus, perėmusius kai kuriuos įrankių gamybos ypatumus iš toje pačioje socialinėje bei geografinėje erdvėje kurį laiką koegzistavusios Pulli kultūros atstovų (1–4 pav.). Pastarosios šaknų galimai reikėtų ieškoti į rytus ar šiaurę, ko gero, nesiejant jos kilmės su Svidrų kultūra. Į diskusiją įtraukiami ir pastaraisiais metais gauti naujausi duomenys iš Pabartonių akmens amžiaus gyvenvietės Neries dešiniajame krante, Vidurio Lietuvoje (5 pav.). Atlikus anglies mėginių iš įvairių skirtingų objektų AMS 14C datavimą, radinių pasiskirstymo, stratigrafijos analizę bei suskirsčius titnaginę medžiagą pagal tipologinius ir technologinius kriterijus, buvo išskirti keli šios vietos apgyvendinimo etapai: bent du mezolite ir vienas etapas neolite (6–8 pav.). Diferencijavus šių etapų medžiagą ir datavimo duomenis paaiškėjo, kad radiniai, būdingi ir galimai priskirtini vėlyvajai Svidrų kultūrai, yra išblaškyti, ir atskiro būtent šiam apgyvendinimo etapui priskirto radinių horizonto nustatyti beveik neįmanoma. Tarp gautų gyvenvietėje atidengtų objektų datavimo rezultatų išsiskyrė kelios borealio pradžios datos, kurios skyrėsi nuo Pabartonyse rasto vidurinio mezolito radinių horizonto ir datų. Atlikus išsamesnę analizę paaiškėjo, kad šioje gyvenvietėje yra vėlyvųjų svidrų įrankių kompleksas, dvi galimai su vėlyvojo mezolito kontekstu nesietinos dėmės su skaldytais smiltainio luitais ir kelios santykinai ankstyvos datos – elementai, kurie galimai galėtų būti interpretuojami susieti tarpusavyje kaip paties ankstyviausio Pabartonių gyvenvietės apgyvendinimo etapo archeologinė medžiaga (9–11 pav.). Straipsnyje iškeliama kol kas labai mažai pagrįsta hipotezė, kad galbūt vėlyvieji svidrai, nepatyrę Pulli kultūros technologinės įtakos, galėjo egzistuoti ilgiau, nei manyta iki šiol – iki borealio pradžios. Straipsnyje taip pat bandoma analizuoti vadinamosios Kundos kultūros egzistavimo klausimą ir iki šiol „tarpiniu“ inventoriumi tarp Svidrų ir Kundos (ar Pulli) kultūrų vadintus dirbinių kompleksus, kai gyvenvietėje randami tik karklo lapo formos strėlių antgaliai, gaminti iš taisyklingų skelčių, atskeltų nuo vienagalių skaldytinių, su plokščiai retušuota įkotine dalimi bei viršūne reverso pusėje, bet neaptinkama tipiškų Pulli vienašonių ar su ryškiai įsmaugta įkote antgalių. Siūloma plėsti vėlyvosios Svidrų kultūros sąvoką, į ją įtraukiant ir dirbinius, kurie buvo panašūs į gamintuosius Pulli technologija, tačiau skyrėsi nuo klasikinių Pulli dirbinių. Tuo tarpu laipsnišką visų ankstyvojo mezolito kultūrų perėjimą prie vienagalių skaldytinių siūloma suvokti nebūtinai kaip tai, kad viena kultūra perėmė kitos kultūros technologiją vienu ypu, o veikiau kaip į ilgai trukusį netolygaus tam tikros skaldymo technikos įsisavinimo procesą. Straipsnyje pasiūlyta Svidrų kultūros egzistavimo pabaigos vėlinimo hipoteze norėta išprovokuoti diskusiją, ką šiuo metu galima pasakyti apie šios kultūros datavimą, beveik neturint tikslių datų. Taip pat skatinama neignoruoti iš vadinamųjų svidrų paminklų gautų mezolito datų kaip visuomet neįtikinamų ar klaidingų. Siūloma ateityje atlikti kuo daugiau datavimo tyrimų gyvenvietėse, siejamose su vėlyvųjų Svidrų ir Pulli inventoriumi Lietuvos teritorijoje ir taip tikslinti svidrų epochos chronologines ribas. This paper focuses on an issue that was, and still remains, unsolved in Baltic Stone Age archaeology: the dating of the very end of the period of Swiderian culture. This time, the questions raised are what cultural unit (or units) should be considered as the last Swiderians, and who were the last tanged point users in general? In addition, the latest AMS 14C dates from the Mesolithic Pabartoniai 1 site in central Lithuania are taken into consideration within the archaeological context recorded during excavations in 2014–2016. Several archaeological objects – flint artefacts, knapped sandstone pebbles, burnt material and a few archaeological features – that were eliminated from the Late Mesolithic horizon and hypothetically interpreted as preexistant, are discussed as maybe belonging to the Late Swiderian archaeological horizon. This data suggests some alternative insights into what was previously declared about the chronology of the last Swiderians: it brings up the very slight possibility that this culture could have lasted as long as up to the early Boreal period, or around 400 years later than the formerly agreed dating. However, this study should be seen as the very first step in the discussion, which still needs argumentation and other case studies to be carried out until the hypothesis is proven.

Multidisciplinary excavation research carried out in recent years at the site in Bolkow in Western Pomerania have brought many important and interesting results. They include materials, excavated in 2010-2011 and 2015, related to the poorly-recognized problem of Palaeolithic settlements in the Plain at the beginning of the Holocene. The paper is the first presentation of the results and an attempt to discuss them in the broader European context. The settlement cluster defined as Bolkow PF/2011 is dated using the C14 radiocarbon analysis to a period of about 9900–9600 BP and represents the so-called Epiahrensburgian.

Skipsea Withow is well known for producing a barbed point and faunal remains, thought to date to the Early Mesolithic period, over a century ago. More recently bones were recovered from the eroding cliff face and have been analysed. Although it was considered that they might be elk (Alces alces) due to their large size, it was demonstrated that they are red deer (Cervus elaphus). Further examination suggested that they represent two individuals of slightly different ages. They have been dated to the Early Mesolithic period and the dates overlap with those obtained from the well-known site of Star Carr, located further north in the Vale of Pickering. It is considered unlikely that the red deer bones from Skipsea Withow represent two natural deaths on the edge of the mere, and it is possible that they are the remains of humanly deposited bones; a practice seen at Star Carr.

This paper presents reconstructions of ice sheet boundaries, lacustrine and marine paleobasins, as well as the connections of the Barents and Baltic seas with the North Atlantic from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene. The reconstructions are based on original and published data obtained from the northern and western parts of the Barents Sea and Baltic depressions with account for the available regional schematic maps of deglaciation. The early deglaciation of the Scandinavian–Barents ice sheet culminated with the Bolling-Allerod interstadial (14.5–12.9 cal ka BP), which was characterized by a more vigorous Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and a corresponding increase in surface Atlantic water inflow into the Barents Sea through deep troughs. The Baltic Ice Lake (BIL) remained a dammed-up isolated basin during deglaciation from 16.0 to 11.7 cal ka BP. In the Younger Dryas (YD), the lake drained into the North Sea and was replaced by a brackish Yoldia Sea (YS) at the beginning of the Holocene (Preboreal, 11.7–10.7 cal ka BP), due to a limited connection between two basins through the Narke Strait. In the Barents Sea, the next increase in the Atlantic water influx into the deep basins corresponded to terminal YD and Preboreal events with a culmination in the Early Holocene. The Yoldia Sea became a lake again during the next stage, the Ancylus (~10.7–8.8 cal ka BP). Atlantic water inflow both into the Barents and Baltic seas varied during the Holocene, with a maximum contribution in the Early Holocene, when the Littorina Sea (LS, 8–4 cal ka BP) connection with the North Sea via the Danish Straits was formed to replace the Ancylus Lake. The recent, post-Littorina stage (PS, the last 4 cal ka) of the Baltic Sea evolution began in the Late Holocene.

Découverte en 1990, la grotte-abri de Peyrazet (Creysse, Lot, France) se situe dans le Haut-Quercy en bordure du causse de Martel, à quelques centaines de mètres du cours actuel de la Dordogne. Les fouilles menées depuis 2008 livrent une archéoséquence du Tardiglaciaire qui permet de combler certaines lacunes documentaires régionales et plus largement du Sud-Ouest de la France. Au Magdalénien supérieur succède un niveau ayant donné des indices d’un Azilien sensu lato stratigraphiquement séparé du Laborien, ensemble supérieur qui fait l’objet de cet article. Jusqu’alors ce technocomplexe de la fin du Pléistocène et des débuts de l’Holocène demeurait mal connu dans la région. En effet, seuls des travaux anciens menés dans deux gisements permettaient de noter sa présence en Quercy. La découverte d’un ensemble laborien récent (ou Épilaborien) à Peyrazet est l’occasion de conduire une étude collective des divers vestiges dans un cadre archéostratigraphique mieux maîtrisé. L’analyse géoarchéologique met en évidence l’action conjointe du ruissellement et de l’éboulisation comme principaux responsables de la mise en place des dépôts. Dans la partie S-O du site, un lithofaciès de remaniement indique une bioturbation importante en lien avec le creusement de terriers. Bien que leur origine ne soit pas liée aux activités humaines, les rongeurs, les oiseaux, les poissons et les mésomammifères (excepté le lièvre) apportent des données concernant l’environnement des chasseurs-cueilleurs. La grande faune est dominée par le cerf dont les carcasses pourraient avoir été introduites incomplètes sur le site puis traitées pour en extraire la viande et la moelle. Nous avons bénéficié d’une analyse fonctionnelle croisée à l’étude typo-technologique des vestiges lithiques composés pour l’essentiel de silex locaux et régionaux. Ce double regard a permis de mettre en évidence une diversité d’activités mise en œuvre dans la cavité. Une pièce d’ocre rouge, quelques vestiges d’industrie osseuse et des éléments de parure participent également à la description d’une large gamme de tâches effectuées lors d’un séjour prolongé ou de plusieurs occupations successives. La comparaison des pointes de chasse microlithiques avec d’autres gisements sur une vaste échelle géographique conduit à discuter l’attribution de cet ensemble supérieur à différentes phases du Laborien. L’hypothèse d’un Laborien récent (ou Épilaborien) conduit à réfléchir à une perduration de morphotypes ancestraux parallèlement à de nouveaux types d’armatures, observation déjà réalisée notamment à La Borie del Rey dans le Haut-Agenais mais qui demande encore des précisions et de nouvelles découvertes. Discovered in 1990, Peyrazet cave-rock shelter (Creysse, Lot) lies in the Haut-Quercy region at the limits of the Martel limestone plateau, several hundred meters from the current Dordogne River valley. Excavations begun in 2008 produced a Late Glacial archaeo-sequence that sheds new light on several still poorly understood aspects of the archeological record in both the Haut-Quercy region and southwestern France in general. The level overlying the Late Magdalenian occupation produced limited evidence for the Azilian and is stratigraphically separated from the Laborian. This latter techno-complex, dated to the end of the Pleistocene and early Holocene, remains poorly documented in the region, having only been previously identified from two sites in the Quercy. The discovery of a recent Laborian (Epilaborian) occupation at Peyrazet presented the ideal occasion for a collaborative study of the diverse archaeological material recovered from this well-understood archaeo-stratigraphic context. A geoarchaeological analysis produced evidence for both surface runoff and the accumulation of coarse deposits (éboulis) as the principal site formation processes. In the southwest area of the site, a reworked lithofacies demonstrates substantial bioturbation in connection with animal burrowing. Although the presence of rodent, bird, fish, and medium-sized mammals (except hare) cannot be definitively connected to human activity, they nevertheless provide important information concerning the environments exploited by hunter-gatherer groups. Larger species are dominated by red deer whose carcasses were partially processed before being introduced to the site, where meat was subsequently removed and marrow consumed. A functional analysis combined with a typo-technological study of the primarily locally- and regionally-procured lithic material revealed evidence for diverse activities having taken place on-site. An ochre fragment, several bone tools and ornaments equally indicate a large variety of tasks to have been carried out during a single, long occupation or several successive visits. A typo-technological comparison of hunting weaponry (microliths) from sites across a substantial area suggests the assemblage to represent either a Laborian/Epilaborian mix or a unique Epilaborian occupation. This latter case would indicate the persistence of older morphotypes alongside the development of new tools forms, a situation already identified at Borie del Rey in the Haut-Agenais but which requires more detailed study supported by new discoveries.

A high-resolution diatom census coupled with other proxy data from Laurentian Fan (LF) provides a detailed description of the last deglaciation, bringing new insight to that period by revealing directly the timing of sea-ice formation and melting. Cold events Heinrich Event 1 (H1) and the Younger Dryas (YD) were multiphase events. H1 (∼16.8–15.7 cal kyr BP) was defined by a two-pulse release of icebergs promoting sea-ice formation. Melting of sea-ice after H1 corresponds to a cold and fresh anomaly that may have kept the Bolling colder than the Allerod. At ∼13.6 cal kyr BP, a cooling trend culminated with sea-ice formation, marking the YD onset (∼12.8 cal kyr BP). The decrease in sea-ice (∼12.2 cal kyr BP) led to a YD second phase characterized by very cold winters. However, the contribution of warm water diatoms tends to increase at the same time and the YD gradual end (∼11.6 cal kyr BP) contrasts with its abrupt end in Greenland ice cores. The YD cannot be regarded as an event triggered by a fresh water input through the Laurentian Channel since only one weak brief input nearly 1000 yrs after its onset is recorded. Very cold and cool conditions without ice mark the following Preboreal. A northward heat flux between 10.8 and 10.2 cal kyr BP was interrupted by the increased influence of coastal waters likely fed by inland melting. There was no further development of sea-ice or ice-drift then.

The fluvial landforms of the last cold stage are represented in the Sub-Carpathian Basins by a system of 2–3 terraces, which grade into alluvial fans of a height of 15–20, 8–12 and 6–8 m above the present riverbeds in the mountain foreland. In the Vistula River valley the 15–20 m high terrace, covered with loess, extends along the western margin of the Sandomierz Basin and northern margin of the Carpathians. Away from the mountain margin, it passes into the sandy terrace plain with dunes. It is formed of at least two Interpleniglacial alluvial fills: the older one dated at 48–36 ka BP (over 50–40.6 ka cal BP) and the younger one dated 30–25 ka BP (34.1–29.0 ka cal BP) thus pertaining to the Upper Pleniglacial. This latter forms a terrace 15 m high. In general, accumulation of fluvial sediments interrupted with erosion phases dominated in the mountain foreland during the period 60–25 ka BP (over 60–29 ka cal BP). The most significant erosion phase took place before the maximum extension of the Vistulian (Weichselian, Wisconsinian) ice sheet (i.e. before 25–20 ka BP = 29–24 ka cal BP) and was connected with a change from an oceanic to a more continental climate. The next alluvial fill of terrace 8–12 m high (with remnants of braided river channels) was formed at the end of the Upper Plenivistulian. The incision of the river channels below the present channel level was followed by aggradation in the Late Vistulian (15–13 ka BP = 18.2–15.6 ka cal BP) accompanied by a change in river channel system from braided to meandering. In the Wisloka and San River valleys alluvial plains extending by lateral erosion of large meanders were abandoned by rivers mainly in the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal. The Late Vistulian large palaeomeanders are missing along lower Sola and lower Dunajec. These rivers, fed from higher mountains, had still tendency to braiding. The climate cooling of the Younger Dryas brought an increase in the delivery of bedload to the river channels and a tendency to braiding in Vistula valley (Drwinka depression). The expansion of forest in the Early Holocene reduced the water discharge and the size of meanders. As a result, their width fallen by 3–5 times. Alluvial data showed also a distinct humid climatic phase ca. 9.5–8.5 ka cal BP.

L'Arbreda Cave is one of the southernmost of the Reclau Caves (Serinya, Girona, northeastern Iberian Peninsula), located between the west margin of the Pla d'Usall and the Serinyadell river, at an altitude of about 211 m a.s.l. The Pla d'Usall forms part of the Banyoles-Besald Basin, which is bounded by Eocene and Neogene reliefs. It is filled with sediments of Plio-Pleistocene age. The cave is a shelter formed by travertine cascades with a degree of karstification, and contains sedimentary deposits ranging from the end of the Middle Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, thus constituting an important archaeo-palaeontological record for an understanding of the prehistoric occupation of northeastern Iberia. It is one of the most complete and best-dated terrestrial sequences in Iberia from the Mousterian to the Early Holocene period. In this paper we present a palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the sequence based on non-flying small mammals (insectivores and rodents) and pollen analyses. The environmental and climatic results, together with the absolute dating of the sequence and direct comparison with NorthGRIP delta O-18 and the sea-surface temperatures (SST) of the Alboran Sea, allow us to identify various climatic periods within our sequence: a cold period between interstadials 12 and 10 in Level I, probably interstadial 10 in Level H-2 the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in Levels C and B, the Bolling-Allered interstadial (B/A) in Level A, and the Preboreal/Boreal (Pr/B) in the Terra Rossa Level We want to thank the editor Dr. Paul Hesse and the three reviewers (Prof. Gloria Cuenca-Bescos and two anonymous) for their comments that improve the final version of the manuscript. This paper is part of the projects HAR2013-48784-C3-2-P, CGL2012-38358 and 2014-SGR900. Excavations ara funded by "Conselleria de Cultura Generalitat de Catalunya". J.M. Lopez-Garcia is a beneficiary of a Beatriu de Pinos postdoctoral fellowship (2011BP-A200001) from the Generalitat de Catalunya, a grant co-funded by the European Union through the Marie Curie Actions of the 7th Framework Program for R + D

The transition from Late Palaeolithic to early Mesolithic cultures is strongly associated with the major environmental and climatic changes occurring with the shift from the Younger Dryas to the Holocene in northern Europe. In this paper, we present an interdisciplinary study combining archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research in an attempt to examine the relationship between environment and culture during this transition. Lundby Mose is a former kettle hole lake in southern Denmark where the earliest Danish human traces of the Holocene were excavated. Two types of bone deposits were found, 1) ritual offerings of worked, marrow-split elk bones and antler and 2) settlement waste with multiple species. These date to the early Holocene and are affiliated to the early Maglemose culture. The modelled 14 C ages suggest that the bones were deposited in four phases. A pollen based palaeoenvironmental reconstruction suggests that the ritual offerings were deposited in an environment of limited, underdeveloped forest with unstable soils and areas of open grassland. The settlement waste deposit is associated with a more developed Preboreal forest type. This forest type was not fully established until c. 11,250 cal BP and if substantiated by further evidence, may be one of the reasons why there are no known early Maglemose/Preboreal settlement sites in southern Scandinavia.

On the basis of a comprehensive study of soil-sedimentary sequences, we reconstructed the history of soils and landscapes development in the central part of the Selenga midland (Kuitunka river basin). For the Late Glacial and Holocene four stages of deposition and soil formation have been identified: Late Glacial (15.0-11.7 kyr BP), Early- (11.7-8.8 kyr BP), Mid- (8.8-4.7 kyr BP), and Mid-Late Holocene (4.7-0 kyr BP). The Late Glacial period is characterized by short-lasting and contrasting climatic changes, leading to frequent successions of the phases of activation of erosion-accumulation processes and soil formation. We identified three phases of pedogenesis and the corresponding stages of climate warming and humidification (14.5-14.1; 14.0-13.3, and 13.0-12.6 kyr BP). Intensification of exogenous processes occurred in the time intervals 15.0-14.5; 14.1-14.0; 13.3-13.0, and 12.6-11.7 kyr BP. During the Early Holocene period the most optimal conditions for soil formation take place in the first half of the Preboreal (11.7-11.0 kyr BP). Later, there occurred an enhancement in climate aridization whose evidence manifests itself as high-carbonate aeolian-colluvial deposits. Pedogenesis in the second half of the Preboreal (11.0-10.5 kyr BP) and during the Boreal period (10.5-8.8 kyr BP) was proceeding in steppe/forest-steppe conditions under warmer and less humid climate in comparison with soils formed in the Late Glacial and first half of Preboreal. The Mid-Holocene and the Mid-Late Holocene periods were distinguished by relatively stable landscape-climatic conditions, implying formation of well-developed soils and stabilization of erosion-accumulation landforms. Two long-lasting intervals of intense pedogenesis (8.8-6.9, and 4.7-0 kyr BP) can be identified. Soil formation was proceeding under steppe vegetation in rather warm and slight moistening climatic conditions. From the Atlantic to the Subatlantic climate became more arid. Activisation of exogenous processes occurred in interval 6.9-4.7 kyr BP.

International audience; The environmental conditions of the evolution of chernozems in Central Europe have not been satisfactory explained. In this paper, seven buried chernozems were investigated using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in order to get information about the former vegetation cover. Near-infrared (NIR) data were collected from organic matter of recent natural grasslands and forests. The spectra from these two groups of soils were perfectly discriminated by a multivariate statistical analysis. The statistical model was applied on the buried soils. There are four types of vegetation development within the chernozems before the burial. Comparison to other paleoenvironmental proxies shows no major contradiction and confirms the potential of the NIRS as a paleopedological proxy. The identified changes of vegetation are from grassland vegetation to forest vegetation and vice versa. These changes bring new data to the discussion about the pedogenesis of chernozems. According to the radiocarbon dating, buried soils developed and were preserved not only in the Preboreal and the Boreal, but also in later phases of the Holocene.