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The characteristics and climatic implication of paleosols widely distributed in the Thakkhola basin, upper Kali Gandaki, central Nepal, were investigated. The paleosols were buried in surficial deposits of eolian or colluvial origin. They were composed not only of humus, but also included abundant inorganic matter. Some of them yielded charcoal fragments, pollen, and phytoliths. Radiocarbon dating suggested that the paleosols formed between 6200 and 4500 yr B.P., i.e. during the middle Holocene. The paleosols are interpreted to indicate stronger summer monsoons and increased rainfall at the time of their formation. The vegetation cover at that time is thought to have been relatively dense. Charcoal, plant fossils, and carbon isotope data suggest that grasslands were dominant in the northern part of the basin while trees grew in the southernmost part during the period of paleosol formation. The paleosols were buried by surficial deposits under drier climatic conditions after 4500 yr B.P. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]