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Investigations of the unconsolidated Upper Pleistocene – Holocene cave deposits of the Northern Urals resulted in detailed biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental data. The article summarizes data from important stratigraphical levels exposed in 19 cave localities, most part of which represent several layers dated to different periods. These data cover the period from the beginning of the Upper Pleistocene (MIS 5-4) to the end of the Upper Holocene. At the beginning of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3), open woodlands were distributed, which at the end of MIS 3 were replaced by Forest–steppe landscapes. At the beginning of MIS 2 (LGM), Periglacial steppe landscape was distributed. At the end of MIS 2 and at the beginning of the Holocene (MIS 1), semi-open landscapes were common. At the beginning of the Middle Holocene, they were replaced by taiga landscapes. Fish were present in the fauna of the Northern Urals in the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene. Amphibians in the Upper Pleistocene as part of the fauna of the region appear only at its beginning (MIS 5-4) and end (Bølling – Allerød period). Since the beginning of the Holocene (MIS 1), they have been constantly present in the fauna of the Northern Urals. Reptiles appear in the fauna of the region only in the Middle Holocene. During the Upper Pleistocene, the avifauna and fauna of small mammals were dominated by species of open landscapes, and the fauna of large mammals was dominated by species of open and semi-open landscapes. At the beginning of the Holocene, the avifauna and theriofauna increased the number of species associated with tree and shrub vegetation and near-aquatic species. Since the beginning of the Middle Holocene, the avifauna and theriofauna have been dominated by species of taiga landscapes. Palynological data and data on the fauna of small and large mammals allow us to separate the deposits of the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene. These data also allow us to separate the deposits of the beginning (MIS 5-4), middle (MIS 3), end (MIS 2)) of the Upper Pleistocene, Lower, Middle and Upper Holocene (MIS 1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the comprehensive study of zoogenic deposits in the Makhnevskaya-2 Cave (the north of the Middle Urals) made it possible to reconstruct gradual changes in the flora and fauna of the local territory during the Middle Valdai (Briansk) interstadial (MIS 3). The formation of deposits passed through three stages, which differ in proportions of tundra, steppe, and forest vegetation components as well as in proportions of multiple taxa Dicrostonyx torquatus , Microtus gregalis , Lemmini gen. The dental morphological characteristics of two species of rodents (Dicrostonyx torquatus , Microtus gregalis) helped identify biostratigraphic markers of the studied period of the Late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents data on the enamel characteristics (thickness, enamel differentiation coefficient (SDQ)) of the first lower molars of the European water vole (based on the conditional groups "juvenile" and "adult") from fossil and modern samples from the Perm Pre-Urals (Russia). Among the "adult" group teeth, samples from the Eemian (Mikulino) interglacial deposits had the highest mean SDQ values (91.5–94.8), while samples from the end of the Bryansk Interstadial, the Late Glacial, the Early Holocene deposits had the lowest (76.3–84.9). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of large mammal fauna from the Imanay Cave in the Southern Urals (53°02' N, 56°26' E) is described in the present study. The paper aims to provide an preliminary description of the large mammal remains from the Imanay Cave in order to establish their taxonomic status, geological age and to detect the factors that led to accumulation of the bone remains in the cave. An analysis of species composition of vertebrate fauna, archaeological finds and radiocarbon dates has shown that accumulation of fossils in the Imanay Cave spanned the whole period of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Remains of the small cave bear (Ursus " savini ") and cave lion (Panthera ex gr. fossilis-spelaea) are prevalent in the Pleistocene groups: 9414 (93%) and 536 (5%) bone specimens, respectively. The cave is the only site in the world where mass bone assemblages of two large terrestrial Carnivora species - small cave bear and cave lion – were found simultaneously. The composition of the skeletal samples for both species was described and the age and sex distributions were determined. Though Mousterian stone tools were found in the cave, no trace of the hunt of the bears and lions by humans was detected. The period during which the accumulation of the fossils took place can be broadly determined as the first half of the Late Pleistocene (MIS5–3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations of the unconsolidated Upper Pleistocene – Holocene cave deposits of the Southern Urals resulted in detailed biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental data. Landscapes of this area have a mosaic character. The forests have regional features developed at the transition of Eastern European broadleaved-dark-coniferous taiga and the Southern-Uralian light coniferous forests. The modern mountain mixed forests appeared during the end of the Holocene. The forest-steppes were widespread during Late Neopleistocene – Holocene. The forest vegetation existed during the warm periods (Tabulda, Middle-Late Holocene) and areas covered by forest were reduced during the cold intervals (Kudashevo, Early Holocene). However, refugia of broad-leaved flora existed in the territory of the Southern Urals even during coldest periods. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene mollusc species are Holarctic species that occur in forest-steppe, forest and intrazonal (river banks) ecological biotopes. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene amphibian associations found in caves are characterized by species that prefer forest biotopes. The reptile faunas contain species which inhabited open areas. The Pleistocene and Holocene fish fauna is a characteristic freshwater fauna occurring in a temperate zone: all species currently inhabit the European rivers. The Pleistocene and Holocene avifaunas include species that occur in the modern ornithological faunas of Northern Asia, Central and Northern Europe. The Late Pleistocene fauna was dominated by species that inhabited open and semi-open landscapes whereas, during the Holocene, species that preferred closed biotopes dominated the bird fauna. During the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene disharmonious small-mammal faunas existed in the central and northern parts of the Southern Urals. These faunas included steppe and semi-desert species; lemmings are rare. In the southern part of the Southern Urals and in the Trans-Urals lemmings are absent. Starting from the Middle Holocene there is a gradual change of small-mammal communities. In the Southern Urals forest species replace the predominance of steppe species, and only in the Trans-Urals the steppe small mammal fauna preserved. The modern small-mammal faunal community appeared in the latitudinal part of the Belaya River valley at the end of the Late Holocene. There were relatively little changes in the Southern Urals large mammal fauna at the end of the Late Neopleistocene – beginning of Holocene. The large mammal fauna consisted of eurybiotic species and species that inhabit open landscapes. Species that prefer forest landscapes appeared at the end of the Early Holocene – beginning of the Middle Holocene. Modern large mammal species appeared during the second half of the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen and fossil mammals of the terrigenous deposits in the Makhnevskaya Ledyanaya Cave (59°26′ N 57°41' E), located in the northern part of the Middle Urals and on the border with the Northern Urals, were studied. The spore-and-pollen spectra are divided into four pollen zones. In all the spectra, pollen concentrations of tree species amount to 50–70%. The presence of pollen in thermophilic (Quercus robur -type, Tilia cordata -type, Ulmus sp., Carpinus betulus, Corylus avellana- type) and moderate boreal (Abies, Picea, Pinus, Betula, Alnus) species and a lack of any tundra flora elements indicate their interglacial nature. The following have been identified as small mammal fauna: 8 taxa of insectivorous mammals, 4 taxa of bats, 2 taxa of lagomorphs, 4 species of carnivores, 16 species of rodents, 1 species of odd-toed ungulates and 4 species of even-toed ungulates. The remains of cryoxerophilous (Dicrostonyx sp., Lasiopodomys gregalis) and steppe (Ochotona sp.) species are scarce in the studied fauna. Species typical of forests (genus Sorex , genus Craseomys , genus Myodes , Myopus schisticolor , Microtus agrestis) are dominant. Remains of Erinaceus sp., Talpa sp., Crocidura leucodon, Sciurus vulgaris , Hystrix brachyura , Dryomys nitedula , Apodemus flavicollis , Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis have been found. The morphology and dimensions of the teeth of Panthera spelaea fossilis , Hystrix brachyura , Dryomys nitedula , Arvicola amphibius, mice of genus Apodemus are described. The compositions of the palynocomplexes and mammal fauna as well as the SDQ values for m1 of Arvicola amphibius allow us to date the deposits from the Makhnevskaya Ledyanaya Cave to the Eemian interglacial period (MIS 5e). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on previous molecular and morphological analyses, Eurasian badgers are currently classified into Meles meles distributed in Europe, M. canescens in the Caucasus and Middle East, M. leucurus in continental Asia and M. anakuma in Japan. The precise locations of their distribution boundaries are still unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we clarified the phylogenetic relationships in the genus Meles around its distribution boundaries, based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosomal genes. From 71 badgers examined, 29 mtDNA haplotypes were identified, including new 26 types. Multiple haplotypes of SRY and CAN-SINEs were identified from 23 males, including two new haplotypes of SRY . The mtDNA phylogeny showed that the Ural Mountains were not a current distribution boundary between M. meles and M. leucurus . In addition, our results supported the hypothesis that the Bosphorus Strait is a geographical barrier between M. meles and M. canescens . The badgers from Bulgaria north of the Bosphorus Strait shared haplotypes with M. meles . On the other hand, badgers from Far Eastern Russia distributed in the eastern peripheral region of the Asian Continent had haplotypes of M. leucurus . The badgers from Norway and Finland shared haplotypes with M. meles . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several new finds of the Late Pleistocene porcupine ( Hystrix brachyura vinogradovi ) in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia and the Urals occur far north of previously assigned range for porcupine. These finds have necessitated a renewed study of this species's chronology and spatial distribution. We conclude that the oldest records of this porcupine in the Ural Mountains date to MIS 5e, and its geographic range possibly included also the Altai at that time. Directly radiocarbon-dated porcupine bones in the Altai fall in MIS 3 (ca. 32,000–41,000 cal BP). It is the northernmost record of this species and the youngest find outside its current geographic range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Tanalyk River valley (Trans-Uralian area, Bashkortostan Republic, Russia) between the Late Pleistocene and the Late Holocene has been established through biostratigraphic investigations. The Tanalyk Bronze Age settlement is located on the first overflood terrace of the Tanalyk River. From the base to the top, this terrace consists of fluvial and lacustrine deposits of the Tabulda horizon, water-slope deposits of the Kudashevo horizon (Late Pleistocene), and subaerial deposits of the Middle and Upper Holocene. During the Late Pleistocene, open landscapes covered by herbs-Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae meadow-steppe associations with Ephedra sp. admixture dominated. Betula and Pinus forests grew in small areas. Picea with Polypodiaceae understory grew in humid valleys. The climate was warm and dry during the Tabulda and cold during the Kudashevo. The subaerial Holocene deposits (soil and cultural layer) were correlated with the Boreal and Subboreal periods of the Blytt–Sernander scale. The late Subboreal climate was cold and dry. The vegetation of this period was represented by Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae steppe and by small Pinus forests with Betula, Tilia and Alnus. The climate of the Subatlantic was wet at the beginning and drier at the end. The vegetation of this period was represented mainly by the Artemisia steppe associations. Small mammals, and land and freshwater mollusc remains have been discovered in the same deposits and complete the palaeoecological characteristic of these periods. A cultural layer has been dated at 2830 ± 110 BP LU-3713 on bones of Equus sp. Numerous Holocene large mammal remains have been found in the cultural layer deposits, dated to Subboreal-3. The large Holocene mammal fauna is constituted of eurybiotic species and species of semi-open landscapes. Bone remains of domestic animals dominate in the collection. Pastoral farming constituted the base of the economy of this ancient people, and the role of hunting was small. The investigated area is now covered by the waters of the Tanalyk water reservoir. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Remains of a male woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799), radiocarbon dated to cal. 18,370 14C BP, were discovered in perennially frozen deposits in northern West Siberia (Gydan Peninsula, 72°10′ N, 79°35′ E). Microfossil and macrofossil samples from the inner part of the mammoth intestinal content, samples of the coat and skull taken from the mammoth carcass and samples of frozen deposits enclosing the carcass were studied for the purpose of reconstructing the mammoth’s diet, season of death, and its living environments. Pollen, biomorphs and plant macrofossils indicate that grasses and sedges were the main food items, supplemented with small amounts of dwarf birch and larch twigs and a variety of herbs and mosses. The plant remains found in the intestines indicate that the animal died in the middle of summer. The mammoth lived in a cold tundra-like environment with sedge-grass and dwarf shrub communities and scattered larch stands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The article presents the results of a complex investigation of the intestinal content of the frozen mummy of a baby woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799) found in 2007 in the Yamal Peninsula (Western Siberia). The mummy belongs to a female mammoth calf approximately 1–1.5 months of age, and it has been named “Lyuba”. Analysis of bone tissue yielded a 14C date of 41,910 (+550/−450) years ago. Analysis of detritus material from the large intestine yielded a 14C date of 41,700 (+700/−550) years ago. These dates practically coincide, thus denoting synchronism of the time of the baby mammoth’s death and the formation of its intestinal contents. This time correspond to the middle part of MIS 3, or the Middle Weichselian Pleniglacial. Pollen, phytolith, plant macrofossil and mineral analyses of the intestinal content were carried out. Reconstruction of the environment where the baby mammoth lived is given based on the intestinal content analyses. The data suggest that the baby mammoth lived in tundra-like landscapes dominated by grass–sedge communities with forbs and Betula nana. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Data from the mammal fauna of the North Urals during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene are synthesised. Analysis of differentiation the degree of small- and large-mammal faunas during this time has been undertaken. Only differences of mammal species composition were significant between the Late Pleistocene and Holocene complexes, and within these complexes, the distinction between faunas was insignificant. The transition from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene complex small-mammal faunas occurred in the Middle Late Valdai due to expansion of the forest species. In large-mammal faunas, the process was recorded later (in Dryas 3-Early Holocene) because of the extinction of some species and others that changed their areas of occupation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 121 local faunas of large mammals from Late Pleistocene sites of the South (56–51°N), Middle (59–56°N) and North (64–59°N) Urals have been studied. All local faunas were combined into eight chronological groups on the basis of radiocarbon dates and the evolutionary level of rodents present in them. On the basis of species composition analysis of the faunas, three chronological complexes have been distinguished: Mikulino, Early–Middle Valdai and Late Valdai. The first is characterized by the presence of Hystrix vinogradovi and Ursus thibetanus; the second, by the presence of a large form of horse (Equus (E.) cf. latipes), Crocuta crocuta, Ursus spelaeus and U. savini; the third, by the presence of a small horse (E. uralensis) and absence of U. spelaeus, U. savini and C. crocuta. The latter two complexes were represented by three geographical variants: southern (South Urals), northern (North Urals) and transitional (Middle Urals). Differences between theriocomplexes are related to changes in morphology and areas and extinctions of a series of species. The existence of chronological theriocomplexes and their geographical variants was determined by chronological and geographical change in structure of paleophytocoenoses. It should be noted that the role of human in changes of chronological complexes and species extinctions in the Late Pleistocene has not been demonstrated in the Urals. In the Urals U. savini probably became extinct at the end of the Middle Valdai, C. crocuta at the beginning of the last glacial maximum (LGM), U. spelaeus at the end of the LGM, Coelodonta antiquitatis at the beginning of the Preboreal and Megaloceros giganteus at the middle of the Atlantic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Seven species of red-toothed shrews (Sorex araneus, Sorex isodon, Sorex tundrensis, Sorex caecutiens, Sorex minutus, Sorex minutissimus, Neomys fodiens), white-toothed shrews (Crocidura sp.), moles (Talpa sp.) and hedgehogs (Erinaceus sp.) were found in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits of the southern part of the western slope of the Ural Mountains. In the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits, the red-toothed shrews were dominated by S. tundrensis. This species disappeared from the area by the Late Holocene, when S. araneus became the predominant species. Smaller mandibular sizes have been registered for S. araneus in the Middle and Late Holocene, as compared to the sizes of older samples. The morphometric criteria have been established for a species differential diagnosis of the Late Pleistocene – Early Holocene mandibular samples of S. araneus and S. tundrensis , found in local deposits of the southern Pre-Urals area studied. • Bones of insectivorous mammals (10 taxons) were found in the deposits of caves and grottoes in the southern Pre-Urals. • Sorex tundrensis was dominant species in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits. • Fossil Sorex araneus and Sorex tundrensis are well differentiated by three morphometric parameters. • Temporal variability was traced within the samples of mandibles of Sorex araneus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A well-preserved woolly mammoth calf found in northwest Siberia offers unique opportunities to investigate mammoth anatomy, behavior, life history and taphonomy. Analysis of the fluvial setting where the specimen was found suggests it was derived from eroding bluffs during ice-out flooding in June 2006. It then lay exposed on a point-bar surface until recovery the following May. AMS dating of bone collagen and plant tissues from the intestine provide age estimates that average about 41,800 14C yrBP. Anatomical features of interest include a hemispherical mass, apparently composed of brown fat, on the back of the neck. This may have functioned in thermoregulation for the neonate mammoth, born before onset of spring. Abundant subcutaneous fat and milk residues in the alimentary tract demonstrate that this animal was in good nutritional condition before death, making other features of its life history relevant for general studies of mammoth paleobiology. Plant remains from the intestine (mixed with milk residue in a manner consistent with frequent, small meals) show evidence of mastication by adult mammoths, suggesting that this calf ingested fecal material, probably from its mother and presumably to inoculate its intestinal tract with a microbial assemblage derived from a healthy adult. Discrepancies between the season of death we infer (spring) and seasonal indicators from the intestine implicate coprophagy (involving old fecal boli) by the mother. This animal’s trachea and bronchi are completely occluded with fine-grained vivianite (hydrated iron phosphate) such as occurs in some lacustrine settings. Because this vivianite does not penetrate the lung beyond the bronchi, we infer that it must have entered as a viscous mass that occluded the airway, causing asphyxia. Nodular vivianite in the cranial region and interiors of long bones must have originated postmortem, but its distribution may be partly controlled by peripheral vasoconstriction, a physiological response to asphyxia. Nodular vivianite may have formed from iron derived from hemoglobin and phosphate liberated by partial demineralization of bones. Demineralization could have been caused by lactic acid, for which the main evidence is loss of tissues dominated by Type 1 collagen (denatured in lactic acid). We propose that this was consequent on postmortem colonization of the body by lactic acid-producing bacteria. These bacteria and their metabolites may have promoted preservation during the time before the body was incorporated in permafrost and could also have inhibited scavenging and bacterial decomposition following recent exposure of the specimen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Body size is correlated with many critical behavioral and developmental patterns in carnivores, including domestic dogs. The body masses and bite forces of archaeological dog remains from Siberia and the Russian Far East were estimated to make inferences regarding their behaviors and capacitis. The dogs date from ∼10,000–100 cal. BP and derive from archaeological sites spanning from steppe environments in the south to tundra regions of the northern Arctic. The dogs exhibit a four-fold difference in body mass, ranging from 7.6 to 32.5 kg, but have a mean body mass of only 16.4 kg. Bite forces are around only half those of modern wolves, indicating that the dogs had greatly reduced abilities to grasp and masticate prey and food items. The dogs exhibit a slight decrease in body size through time, perhaps due to human selection or greater survival rates for smaller individuals in human-dominated food environments. Dog body size variance within individual archaeological sites was as high as in a sample of modern wolves from throughout the study area, suggesting little strict human control over body size. No correlation was found between body size and site latitude, suggesting that Bergmann's rule does not hold for these canids. Human shelters may provide a buffer against low temperatures that might favour larger body sizes at high latitudes. About 90% of the analyzed dogs have estimated body masses less than 21.5 kg, suggesting most were best adapted for procuring prey smaller than themselves—the dogs were not capable of taking down larger prey without the assistance of humans. Estimated dog body masses cannot eliminate the possibility that many of the animals were used for pulling sleds, and nearly all were capable of packing modest loads on their backs. Livestock guarding dogs are not well-evidenced by the body mass data, but herding dogs are a possibility in all of the pastoral or agricultural settings analyzed. Image 1 • Body masses and bite forces were estimated for 199 archaeological dog remains from Siberia and the Russian Far East. • The dogs' body masses range from 7.6 to 32.5 kg, with a mean of 16.4 kg. • The dogs' bite forces are around half those of modern wolves. • The dogs exhibit a slight decrease in body size through time. • Many of the dogs were of sufficient size to pull sleds, and all could have carried packs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remarkable and intriguing is the discovery of Desman remains in Sed'yu-1 (Komi Republic, Russia) in the far northeast of Europe; finds that are dated to the Bølling Interstadial. Mammalian communities including desman are dominated by the Siberian lemming. A review of Lateglacial desman finds in Europe and the Urals as well as the contemporaneous mammalian communities in northeastern European are presented and the possible migration ways desmans used during the Lateglacial expansion are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Yamal mammoth calf “Lyuba” and the Oimyakon mammoth calf are two recently collected, mummified woolly mammoth calves both dating to around 41 ka. They offer opportunities to study the earliest parts of mammoth life history through microstructural and compositional analyses of tooth dentin. Understanding mammoth paleobiology is critical for assessing how populations might have responded to ecological changes in the late Pleistocene, and such assessment will aid in determining the likely cause(s) of extinction. The state of tooth eruption and wear in Lyuba suggests that she died quite young. Prominent constrictions in the roots of the dP2s and dP3 correspond to neonatal lines in the dentin of each tooth, marking the time of birth. The neonatal line in dP2 allowed us to estimate the duration of prenatal development, determine Lyuba’s age at death, and place birth in the context of variation in isotopic and elemental composition of the dentin. Growth increments and seasonal variation in δ15N indicate that Lyuba’s dP2 records over a year of prenatal development, suggesting duration of gestation was similar to that observed in elephants. Death occurred at about 30–35 days, and birth appears to have occurred in spring. The Oimyakon specimen represents an individual older (biologically) than Lyuba. The dP2s have been lost, and most plates of the dP3s are in wear. An unerupted permanent tusk is present, but no deciduous tusk is present in the single recovered premaxilla. The tusk exhibits a circumferential ridge at mid-length that represents the surface expression of a prominent growth line in the dentin. Based on its prominence and elevated dentin Zn/Ca in its vicinity, this is interpreted as a neonatal line. Its occurrence in the tusk is of interest because this implies initiation of permanent tusk mineralization months before birth— yet permanent tusks are not present in Lyuba. Differences in timing of tusk development may result from individual, population, or sexual variation. Growth increments in the tusk indicate death at an age of about 7 months with both δ15N and δ13C generally declining postnatally. The increment-based age at death is less than an estimate based on the state of cheek tooth eruption and wear (using extant elephants as references), implying that ages based on comparisons to elephants may be inaccurate. Counts of dentin growth increments combined with identification of seasonally varying aspects of dentin composition could be used to calibrate the cheek tooth aging system for Mammuthus primigenius. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Patterns in the spatial or temporal distribution of genotypes may be indicative of natural selection. Previous work on the woolly mammoth melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r) gene identified three polymorphic positions that suggest Pleistocene populations may have harboured both light- and dark-haired mammoths (, 313: 62). Here, we extend this work and present the first population-level analysis of a functional gene in an extinct species. We genotyped the Mc1r gene in 47 woolly mammoth samples excavated from sites across the central portion of the woolly mammoths’ former range to examine the extent of variation of this polymorphism through time and across space. Only one individual was found to be heterozygous, indicating that the frequency of the ‘light’ mutant allele was very low. We conclude that light-coloured woolly mammoths would have been very rare, and may even have been non-existent if the ‘light’ mutant allele was strongly selected against in its homozygotic form. With the increasing availability of large-scale sequencing technologies, population-level datasets capable of identifying local adaptation will become increasingly attainable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cave and terrace localities containing Upper Pleistocene and Holocene deposits have been biostratigraphically investigated in the mountainous part of the Southern Urals, in the latitudinal oriented valley of the Belaya River (Russian Federation). The main fieldwork was undertaken in 1999–2000. Its purpose was to save all the possible geological information before the building of the Yumaguzino reservoir. Nowadays, most of the localities described in the paper are under water. Biostratigraphical and archaeological data were studied at the same time (artefacts from the Late Palaeolitic to the Early Iron Age were found in the caves). The main characteristics of the Upper Quaternary terraces and of the cave deposits as well as the results of the paleontological investigations are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Numerous caves and terraces with late Late Pleistocene (Upper Neopleistocene according to the Russian stratigraphic scale)–Holocene deposits are located in the Lemeza River valley in the surroundings of the Atysh waterfall, the native reserve territory of the Bashkortostan Republic. Lemeza River runs in the southern part of the western slope of the Urals and belongs to the Belaya River valley system (Russian Federation). A summary of the biostratigraphical investigations between 1992 and 2007 in this area is given. Deposits of cave and fluvial origin are characterized in the framework of the regional stratigraphy. The results of mammalian investigations and radiocarbon dating provide the basis for the stratigraphical subdivision. Palynology, mollusca, fishes, amphibian and reptiles are used for the reconstruction the palaeoenvironments. The Southern Urals stratigraphic subdivisions are correlated with Western European (Weichselian-Holocene), Eastern European (Russia) (Leningrad–Ostashkov–Shuvalov) and Uralian (Nevyansk–Polar Urals–Gorbunovsky) stratigraphic schemes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]