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A representative mollusc fauna attributed to the late phase of the Karginian Interstadial (MIS 3) has been found in the Bol'shoj Naryn Palaeolithic site (Fore-Baikal region). The general organization of the strata at the Bol'shoj Naryn site has been established through excavations realized during the previous field seasons. It shows a modern soil made of sandy loess deposits 1 m thick, dated from the Sartan glacial stage, and underlined by a high viscosity paleosol layers which is up to 1 m thick developed during the Karginian Interstadial. The “cultural layer” has been correlated with the upper Karginian soil contains numerous stone tools and animal fossils. This paper focus on the mollusc assemblage attributed to the upper Karginian sediment. The mollusc assemblage (2460 determined specimens) consists of six species and five genera of terrestrial molluscs. Succinella oblonga , Pupilla muscorum and Vallonia tenuilabris are the best represented species. The molluscs suggest the existence of landscapes corresponding with humid meadows and forests located in the relief depressions or along banks of the river. Molluscs of the Bol'shoj Naryn site have been compared with equivalent mollusc complexes from Siberian and Southern Fore-Uralian localities. They display a distinctive poverty in the species composition and show similarity with the complex of the Gornovo locality (Southern Fore-Urals region). Comparison of the mollusc complex from the Bol'shoj Naryn locality with molluscs from the last glacial period also showed similarity with the complex of the Gornovo locality (Kudashevo period in the Southern Urals – last phase of the Late Valdai equivalent MIS 2). The climatic conditions which prevailed in the surroundings of the Bol'shoj Naryn locality during the late phase of the Karginian interglacial period (32–25 ka BP) of the Fore-Baikal region were cooler than those existing at the same time in Europe and Southern Urals. Correlation between the data obtained after malacological investigations and other paleontological data obtained from palynology and vertebrate records suggest a moderate cold and humid climate in the Fore-Baikal region during the second part of MIS 3, with predominance of open landscapes of steppes and relatively limited taiga forest, tundra, and wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper is a synthesis of the previously published and unpublished materials dealing with the stratigraphy of the Upper Pleistocene (Upper Neopleistocene according to the Russian stratigraphic scheme) of the Southern Urals. It is the second review about the characteristics of the Pleistocene deposits of the easternmost part of Europe. It follows a previous paper concerning the biostratigraphy of the Late Middle Pleistocene of this region. The deposits which constitue the regional stratigraphic units are characterized. The results of the mammalian, malacological and palynological investigations as well as the radiocarbon data provide the basis for the stratigraphical subdivision and the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironments. The main geological and biotical events of the Southern Urals region which took place during Late Pleistocene are characterized in the paper. Erosional processes became active at the beginning of Kushnarenkovo time when uplift took place in the Urals and when the Late Chosarian regression began on the Caspian Sea basin territory. Fluvial deposits can be observed at the base of the second terrace which developed above the floodplain. A soil was formed on the subhorizontal surfaces. Forest-steppe and steppe landscapes characterized this interval. The climate was warm and humid. The Saigatka horizon formed under cold conditions. Slope processes and solifluction were the main relief-forming processes and fluvial erosion processes became weaker. Floodplain sediments accumulated in the river valleys and formed the upper parts of the second terraces above the floodpain which were intensively eroded. The plains were covered by steppe and the mountainous areas were occupied by tundra and forest–tundra landscapes. The next erosional cycle began during the following Tabulda period, because of the lowering of base level of the erosion and increased uplift of the territory. The fluvial sediments now form the lower parts of the first terraces above the floodplain. A soil was formed on the watersheds. Sites contain Late Palaeolithic artifacts. The floral association was close to Southern Uralian flora of the present-day. The climate was moderately warm in the plains and drier and cooler in the mountains. The subsequent Kudashevo event can be correlated with the Late Glacial when the climate became colder. Loess-like sediments and floodplain deposits form the upper parts of the first terrace above the floodplain and cover the watersheds, where they contain cryogenic structures. The climate was moderately cold. Late Palaeolithic sites attributed to the Kudashevo time are known in the Southern Urals region. The stratigraphical positions of the main Upper Neopleistocene localities of the Southern Urals are discussed. The Southern Urals subdivisions are correlated with the Western European stratigraphical scheme (Eemian–Weichselian interval). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Batajnica loess section is one of the most complete Middle and Late Pleistocene records known in the Vojvodina region (Serbia). The main aim of the malacological investigations was to study the latest Middle Pleistocene cold interval and to see how the mollusc successions reacted to the climate changes during the cold–warm transition. The deposits which belong to the upper part of pedocomplex V-S2, V-L2 loess and partly to the V-S1 soil were sampled. The penultimate glacial loess V-L2 of the Batajnica site corresponds to the cold interval Marine Isotope Stage (MIS 6). The molluscs indicate moderate or sometimes warm climate and dry or moderate steppe-like environment composed of adjacent mosaics of drier and humid habitats. The mollusc complexes of V-S2 soil (MIS 7c), V-L2 loess (MIS 6) and V-S1 paleosol (MIS 5e) show almost the same species composition, which suggests the existence of a comparatively moderate or warm climate during the late Middle Pleistocene cold interval. In contrast, the mollusc complexes (MIS 6) from Western and Eastern Europe have less species and few individuals compared with the Batajnica section. Comparison with the late Middle Pleistocene mollusc associations from the northern and southern margins of the Fruška Gora Mountain confirms its environmental originality. The northern side of the mountain was characterized by a humid and relatively colder environment than the other areas of the Vojvodina region (Batajnica, Irig and Ruma). The mollusc fauna obtained in the Batajnica site suggests that this adjacent area represented a refugium for the thermophilous and arid tolerant species where they were able to survive during the cold periods of the Pleistocene and thus confirms the hypothesis of P. Sümegi. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Multilayer sections in lake bottom sediments and continental sections of loose sediments in Mongolia and the Baikal region provide rich palaeontological material and radiocarbon dating for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of the Late Pleistocene (Late Glacial) to Holocene. Multidisciplinary data from lacustrine bottom sediments provide evidence of past lake level and vegetation dynamics in the watersheds. Palaeontological data from terrestrial deposits indicate a mosaic landscape structure and a temperate warm and humid climate during the Late Glacial and Holocene, with some regional variability. Global and regional climatic changes at the end of the Pleistocene resulted in the mass extinction of components of the Mammoth faunistic complex, such as the woolly mammoth, cave lion, cave hyena, and big-horned deer; the number of tundra species decreased and migrated to the north, and arid animal species migrated to the south. During the Holocene, four vegetation types (steppe, forest, taiga, and desert) did not show radical changes, but their ratio and spatial distribution changed. Steppe landscapes were replaced by desert steppes during the arid phases of the Holocene. In contrast, the area of taiga forests expanded during humid Holocene phases, but the steppe landscapes remained dominant in the studied territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As a result of integrated researches on two Paleolithic sites of the Fore-Baikal region – Bol'shoj Naryn and Gerasimov's, the first representative mammal fauna of the Karginian interstadial been dated and characterized. That provided the basis for reconstructing the paleoenvironments in the Fore-Baikal region during MIS 3. The species composition of the faunal remains recovered from the Bol'shoj Naryn site in the course of five-year excavations since 2003 was examined in details. Since 2010, the cultural layer was studied layer-by-layer (at 5 cm intervals), all the artifacts and faunal remains (of mollusks, birds, and mammals) being described. In addition, the lower, middle and upper parts of cultural layer were sampled for palynological analysis. The geological and paleontological data thus obtained suggest a moderately cold and humid climate in the Fore-Baikal region during MIS 3, with predominant open landscapes of steppes and relatively limited areas under taiga forest, tundra, and wetlands. There are abundant data on significant environmental changes in the Fore-Baikal region during MIS 3 previously obtained by investigators, such as pollen spectra recovered from the Lake Kotokel bottom sediments or faunal remains (including small mammals) excavated from the Bol'shoj Naryn site. The present study, however, differs from the earlier ones in that it included multidisciplinary analysis of a large number of faunal and floral remains recovered from the same section and characterizing the same region. The data thus obtained from the Bol'shoj Naryn site are extremely important for better understanding of the Late Pleistocene environments of the Fore-Baikal region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]