Abstract
Fossil diatoms are an excellent tool for reconstructing the palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographic changes involving lacustrine systems. In this work, the diatom content of Pliocene sediments recovered from a core extracted in the Tunka Basin (Baikal Rift Zone, Russia) is described. Revealed by light and scanning electron microscopy, 170 species of diatoms were found. Benthic, alkaliphilic, indifferent, cosmopolitan, and oligosaprobe species predominated. Ecological, geographical, and stratigraphic analysis of diatoms showed two ecozones, differing in taxonomic diversity of species. From the data obtained, palaeoenvironmental conditions of these zone formations have been reconstructed. It was shown that during the period corresponding to sedimentation in Ecozone II, the reservoir was cooler, as suggested by the increase of arctic-alpine taxa. The absence of Baikal Pliocene endemics and the presence of local endemics in the Tunka core indicate that there was no geographical connection between the palaeolake of the Tunka Valley and Lake Baikal during the Pliocene.
Highlights
Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lacustrine basin in the world
Its waters fill an intermountain basin in the central part of the Baikal Rift System that has developed since the Oligocene [1,2]
Questions arise—what kind of flora developed in Lake Baikal and how was it distributed? The authors [2] suggested that diatom species penetrated into Lake Baikal through river input, mainly from the Transbaikalia and Tunka Valley basins
Summary
Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lacustrine basin in the world. Its waters fill an intermountain basin in the central part of the Baikal Rift System that has developed since the Oligocene [1,2]. Changes in the reservoir over such a long period can be traced through studying the palaeochronicle of diatoms. Global work on the study of the diatom palaeochronicle was carried out within the framework of the “Baikal Drilling” project [2]. The project was aimed at researching global changes in the natural environment and climate in Central Asia. It was shown that during the long history of the lake, the composition of the dominant complex of diatoms was repeatedly changed. Questions arise—what kind of flora developed in Lake Baikal and how was it distributed? The authors [2] suggested that diatom species penetrated into Lake Baikal through river input, mainly from the Transbaikalia and Tunka Valley basins
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