Indigirka River Research Articles

Mummy of a juvenile sabre-toothed cat Homotherium latidens from the Upper Pleistocene of Siberia

The frozen mummy of the large felid cub was found in the Upper Pleistocene permafrost on the Badyarikha River (Indigirka River basin) in the northeast of Yakutia, Russia. The study of the specimen appearance showed its significant differences from a modern lion cub of similar age (three weeks) in the unusual shape of the muzzle with a large mouth opening and small ears, the very massive neck region, the elongated forelimbs, and the dark coat color. Tomographic analysis of the mummy skull revealed the features characteristic of Machairodontinae and of the genus Homotherium. For the first time in the history of paleontology, the appearance of an extinct mammal that has no analogues in the modern fauna has been studied.

Habitation conditions of the cave lion in the middle Indigirka River basin, North-East Siberia, during the Middle and Late Pleniglacial: Reconstruction based on palynological data

Pollen analyses of the sediment from skulls cavities of two cave lions Panthera spelaea from the middle Indigirka River basin, North-East Siberia, were performed to reconstruct the habitat conditions of the animals and to estimate changes in vegetation and climatic conditions in the region. Composition of the pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs indicates that the predators most likely died on the river floodplain or near the shore of the thermokarst lake, where grass/sedge meadows and shrub thickets, providing rich grazing grounds for large herbivores, existed. Palynological data indicate that both in the early Middle Pleniglacial and in the LGM the regional vegetation included forest, shrub tundra, meadow, mire and steppe communities similar to modern cold steppes in central Yakutia. During early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, the participation of arboreal vegetation was greater than in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) due to higher summer temperatures. In MIS 2, the role of open herbaceous cryoxerotic communities was greater, which is associated with a higher continentality of climate and a decrease in winter temperatures. This reconstruction is consistent with the general sequence of landscape and climatic changes in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Siberia in the Middle and Late Pleniglacial, based on paleobotanical studies of the locations of mammoth fauna and multidisciplinary studies of the Late Pleniglacial sediments from a broader area.

<i>Parnassia kotzebuei</i> (Parnassiaceae) at the western limit of its distribution

During a floristic survey of the territory of the mountain site "Sokol" of the Ust-Lensky Reserve, new localities of Parnassia kotzebuei were found at the western limit of its range, in the lower reaches of the Lena River. Previously, the limit of this species range was believed to be in the lower reaches of the Indigirka River. Parnassia kotzebuei is included in the list of rare and specially protected plants of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is listed in the regional Red Data Books, and its presence on the territory of the Ust-Lensky Reserve will serve as an additional factor in ensuring the preservation of its populations. Hypotheses of the species appearance in this territory and its distribution in the adjacent area are expressed. Two possible versions are assumed: the relict (Pleistocene) origin of the populations, and the introduction of seeds by waterfowl beards. In both cases, the probability of its hydrochoric dissemination in the vicinity is allowed.

Material characteristic of Vetvisty creek placer gold and prospects for atypical-source deposits in the middle course of the Selennyakh river (Momsky and Abyisky district, Yakutia)

Background. The lower-middle course of the Selennyakh River in the Momsky and Abyisky districts of the Republic of Sakha, Yakutia, is characterized by a wide distribution of alluvial gold placers. The absence of obvious potential primary sources of these placers raises the question of their identification. Aim. To identify sources of gold placers found in interfluve area of the Selennyakh and Indigirka rivers, as well as to assess the gold-bearing potential of this area.Materials and methods. The data on the studied area obtained in previous works was analyzed. Microprobe analysis (CSRF IGEM RAS) was used to study the composition of alluvial gold grains sampled during field works in the Vetvisty Creek, the right tributary of the Selennyakh River, conducted in 2020–2021. The mineral composition of heavy concentrate was also studied.Results. The source of the gold placer under study was established to be an intermediate reservoir, i.e., Neogene coarse sand and gravel. Possible paths of gold transit within the placer were revealed. Theoretically, this allows enriched layers in the sediments feeding the placer to be localized.Conclusion. In order to replenish the gold mineral base of the country, including in such hard-toreach regions as the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, regional research projects should be resumed. In addition, new models should be developed for forecasting and prospecting of atypical placer deposits, with gold sources from Tertiary sediments filling large Cenozoic depressions in the western rim of the Yano-Indigirskaya lowland).

Biological characteristics for the spawners of chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta caught in the Indigirka River in 2023

Biological characteristics for the spawners of chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta caught in the Indigirka River in 2023

Sediment provenance of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf and evidence of Holocene climate-driven fluvial events in the Indigirka River based on detrital mineral analysis

Analysis of sediment provenance in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf is crucial for the understanding of source to sink pathways and their link to climatic and environmental changes. In this paper, we conducted detrital mineral analysis on surface sediments and one sedimentary core (LV77–41-1) from the eastern Laptev Sea and the western shelves of the East Siberian Sea. Based on the results of light and heavy mineral analysis in surface sediments, two distinct zones were identified in the eastern Laptev Sea: an eastern zone is characterized by sources from the Lena River and a northern zone is characterized by sources that transition from riverine dominance to more sea-ice transported sources in an offshore direction. In the western part of the East Siberian Sea, detrital mineral assemblages in the outer Indigirka River mouth region are influenced by polygenic sources comprising sediments mainly derived from the river itself, and some material supplied by the Siberian Coastal Current, and the erosion of coastal permafrost and nearby islands. In the outer shelf and basin region, detrital mineral assemblages contain signatures of apatite, garnet, and hypersthene, indicating various material sources are represented, including the Lena River, Taimyr Peninsula, and Kamchatka Peninsula. Integrating this understanding of the sources and transport pathways of surface sediments, detrital mineral analysis of core LV77–41-1 indicate that coarse-grained Holocene sediments were mainly transported by the Indigirka River, with subordinate sources from coastal permafrost erosion, materials carried by Siberian Coastal Current, and island erosion. Since 7 ka BP, four distinct fluvial events have occurred, with the most prominent fluvial event occurring between 4.6 and 4.3 ka when the depocenter shifted significantly toward the sea. The fluvial events occurred following the onset warm periods and the high frequency of volcanic glass observed in layers marking these fluvial events serves as evidence of the influx of glacial meltwater into the Indigirka River basin during these warmer episodes.

Classification of lakes of the Indigirka River basin and their current state

Currently, classification plays an important role and importance as a method of scientific cognition and is one of the mandatory attributes in the knowledge of the world. Classification or typification are ways of grouping objects of research or observation according to their common characteristics. Currently, there are many different classifications in the scientific literature according to one or another feature, most of which are single-criteria or developed for a specific region. This paper presents the development of a regional ecological and limnological classification of the lakes of Yakutia on the example of the Indigirka River basin (RELK) according to the leading parameters (geographical, physico-chemical and hydrobiological). The development of the classification made it possible to study a large amount of factual material on the lakes of the Indigirka River basin, as a result of which data on the current state of the lakes of the poorly studied limnological region of the study were obtained.

Континентальность климата и теплообеспеченность почв степных склонов в верховьях Индигирки и Колымы

Steppe biotopes on the southern slopes of the Indigirka and Kolyma headwaters, judging by vegetation and invertebrate population, are analogous to South Siberiaвs mountain steppes. At the same time, the area of steppe slopes and the number of steppe plant and animal species decrease from the Indigirka to the Kolyma. Climate continentality decreases in the same direction, which permits to consider it the main factor impacting the distribution of thermophytic steppes in Northeast Asia. Measurements of temperatures in thermophytic steppe soils in the named river basins revealed no soil heat supply differences related to climate continentality. Comparison of the measurement results with long-term observation data on xeromorphic biotopes of southern slopes in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River permitted to extend this conclusion to the soils of all open dry southern slopes in the headwaters of the Kolyma and Indigirka rivers. Thus, the role of climate continentality and summer soil temperature regime in the long-term preservation of "islands" with a large number steppe species of plant and animal surrounded by permafrost mountain-taiga ecosystems in the upper reaches of the Indigirca River is questioned. It is shown that restrictions in the spatial distribution of some steppe invertebrate species are not determined by differences in the summer temperature regime of soil in the headwaters of the Indigirka and Kolyma Rivers, either.

БЫЛИННАЯ ТРАДИЦИЯ РУССКОГО УСТЬЯ

Russian epic tradition of the village Russkoe Ustye, standing on the Indigirka River, is the subject of the study. The relevance of the research lies in the need to describe one of the regional epic traditions of Siberia at the modern stage in connection with the work of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the series “Bylinas” of the Russian Folklore Code. Accordingly, the purpose and objectives of the study are determined by a systematic approach to material, meaningful in connection with the history of inhabiting the region, the history of the recording epics in the region, and the consistent characteristics of each recorded epic plot. The article reviews the history of inhabiting the Russian Estuary: the discovery of the mouth of the Indigirka by the Cossack Ivan Rebrov in 1638, the construction of the town of Zashiversk in the middle reaches of the Indigirka, inhabiting the mouth of the river from Zashiversk and from the sea. The oral family traditions of the Russkoustians are given. The article also describes the history of the recording epics in Russkoe Ustye and from its inhabitants: political exile I. A. Khudyakov (1867–1869); V. M. Zenzinov (1912); graduate of the ethnographic department of Leningrad State University D. D. Travin (1928); Yakut local historian M. A. Krotov (1931–1932); Yakut writer, member of the ethnographic and linguistic expedition of the Institute of Language, Literature and History of the Yakut branch of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences N. A. Gabyshev (1946); major Moscow bylinologist Yu. I. Smirnov (1982) and famous ethnomusicologist T. S. Shentalinskaya (1985). The main content of the article is the characteristics of local epics (25 texts). There is an almost complete absence of epics about Ilya Muromets (the only text is “Ilya Muromets and the Idolishche”). The popularity of the plot “Dobrynya and the Serpent” (six variants) is indicated, in which the name of Maria Izyaslavna, absent in European Russia, appears (instead of the traditional Zabava Putjatichna), linking (through the patronymic Izyaslavna) the epics of Russkoe Ustye with the onomasticon of Ancient Russia. The epic “Mikhail Danilovich – the minor hero” (six variants) is analyzed, in which the enemy Titus appears, unknown in the Russian North. It is assumed that this name in Russkoe Ustye was borrowed from the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus Flavij, a monument of late Antique literature (75–79 A.D.), known in Russia in translation and very popular in the manuscript tradition. Probably one of the lists was brought to Russkoe Ustye. Josephus' Titus is the son of Emperor Vespasian, an enemy of Judea. In the “Arrival of the Lithuanians” (three variants), the names of “our” heroes – Tsar Elizar and his sister Maria Elizarovna (names that are absent in the Russian North) – may also be echoe of the “History of the Jewish War”, where several characters with the name Eleazar are called among the Jews. Other epic plots are also considered – “Surovets”, “Duke Stepanovich”, “Sadko”.

On aquatic macrophytes in the ultracontinental climate conditions of the Upper Indigirka River

The first results of the study of aquatic macrophytes of the Upper Indigirka River area are presented. The species composition includes ~84 species (~74 vascular plants and more than 10 cryptogamous macrophytes). 47 water bodies of different age, size and origin (tectonic, glacial, river, thermokarst and artificial) were studied. For each type of water bodies, the main ecological characteristics, features of the species composition and vegetation cover are given. The most common type of water bodies of the territory is thermokarst, and the greatest floristic diversity (54 species of macrophytes) is found here. There are 40 species in tectonic lakes, 37 - in rivers lakes, 35 - in glacial lakes, the lowest diversity was for small artificial waterbodies. For the Oimyakon District, new records of protected species are reported: macroalga Tolypella canadensis, vascular plants Isoetes echinospora, Nuphar pumila, Nymphaea tetragona (common and its rare pink-flowered form) and Subularia aquatica. Possible consequences for aquatic ecosystems while maintaining current trends in climate change (increase in average annual temperature, shift to earlier periods of spring warmth, changes in the amount and distribution of precipitation, depth of seasonal thawing of soils) leading to degradation of permafrost and their impact on the biodiversity of aquatic macrophytes in the region are discussed. The most vulnerable aquatic ecosystems of the Oimyakon Highlands are the mature thermokarst lakes.

Sedimentation Processes and the Holocene Evolution of the Indigirka Paleovalley (Coastal Shelf Area of the East Siberian Sea)

Problems of the paleogeographical evolution and changes in sedimentation environment within the Indigirka River paleovalley (the East Siberian Sea) are discussed. Based on the results of geophysical and geological research and a high-resolution study of sediment cores (grain size analysis, geochemistry, macro- and micropaleontology, pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating) the development of the Holocene marine transgression has been reconstructed, sedimentation rates have been calculated, and the basic principles of changes in sedimentation processes have been established.

Fossils of the Wolf (Canis sp.) from the Middle Reaches of the Indigirka River from the Late Pleistocene in Yakutia

Fossils of the Wolf (Canis sp.) from the Middle Reaches of the Indigirka River from the Late Pleistocene in Yakutia

Local Features of Ballads in Northeast Siberia: Plots of ‘The Mother-in-Law Held Captive by Her Son-in-Law’ and ‘Prince Volkonsky and the Gatekeeper’

This article aims to clarify the characteristics of the ballad genre among other works in Northeast Siberia (in Yakutia and a separate settlement in the Magadan region). It examines the local features of ballad song variants recorded from long-time residents of Northeast Yakutia. The source materials used are texts published in the collections “Folklore of Russian Ustye” (1986) and “Russian Epic Poetry of Siberia and the Far East” (1991). The article presents ballad songs of Russian settlers from the lower reaches of the Indigirka River and the Kolyma River basin. Recordings by D. I. Melikov and V. G. Bogoraz are also utilized. The study is conducted using descriptive and comparative methods, as well as some techniques of lexical-semantic analysis. The work continues the research related to specifying the repertoire, genre, and stylistic features that constitute the uniqueness of epic poetry in Northeast Yakutia recorded in the 19th-20th centuries. The specifics of their dissemination are characterized. The first recordings made in the 19th century are compared with ballad texts documented in the 20th century. Special attention is given to the ballad song “The Mother-in-Law Held Captive by Her Son-in-Law.” It is noted that this folklore specimen reflects certain historical realities related to the area where the song was circulated. It is reported that ballad texts were lost by the 1970s.

The Genetic History of the Russian Old Settlers of the Arctic Coast of Yakutia from the Village Russkoye Ust’ye

There are various hypotheses on the origin and time of the appearance of Russian settlements in the Arctic Ocean shores of Eastern Siberia. In order to study the history of the formation of the russian old-settlers of Yakutia, we analyzed the lineages of the Y-chromosome in three groups of residents of the village of Russkoye Ust’ye, located in the delta of the Indigirka River (“Pomors”, “Cossacks” and “Zashivertsy”), comparable with the main migration waves of settlement of Russians on the Arctic coast of Eastern Siberia. For the first time, the characteristic features of the genetic structure of the population of Russkoustinans are described by the data of a genome-wide analysis of 740,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms. The results of the study to a greater extent testify in favor of the “Pomor” hypothesis of the origin of the Russkoustinians.

Recent Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages in the Western Part of the East Siberian Sea

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were studied in twenty surface sediment samples collected in the western part of the East Siberian Sea in the framework of the expedition of the R/V “Ivan Kireev” in 2004. Rose Bengal treatment allows us to separate “living” and “dead” individuals. Taxonomic analyses reveal that “living” calcareous foraminifers dominate in the study region with the exception of the New Siberian Islands area and area to the northeast from the Indigirka river mouth where agglutinated tests constitute up to a half of the assemblage. Little amount of dead individuals points to a rapid dissolution of calcareous tests immediately after death of organism. Taxonomic composition of the studied assemblages is similar to river-proximal benthic foraminiferal assemblage previously determined for the Kara Sea. In the East Siberian Sea, the most commonly occurred species are E-lphidium clavatum, Elphidiella groenlandica, Haynesina orbiculare, E. incertum и Lagenammina atlantica. Less abundant species are Gordiospira arctica, Buccella frigida, E. bartletti, Reophax curtus, R. scorpiurus and polymorphinids. As a result of statistical treatment, four areas with specific BF assemblages have been distinguished: area of the Indigirka River mouth, zone affected by Siberian Coastal Current, area located to the north of the Siberian Coastal Current and zone situated close to the New Siberian Island archipelago together with an area located to the northeast from the Indigirka river mouth. Such a distribution of BF assemblages in the study area seems to be related to the distance of the river discharge area, type of sediments and fresh organic matter content.

Вопрос о происхождении русскоустьинцев и разведочные работы в дельте Индигирки

The origin of the group of Russian Arctic old-timers living in the lower reaches of the Indigirka River in the village of Russkoe Ustye is still a subject of discussions. Despite the official version, the version about their origin from the Novgorod boyars, who allegedly settled in those places already in the 16th century, is being actively promoted. Written sources deny rather than confirm the legend with a complete lack of information. The article substantiates an attempt to verify the legend by means of ethnoarchaeological complexes, for which purpose archaeological prospecting works were carried out in the Indigirka delta in order to find predecessors of the contemporary village Russkoe Ustye and to assess their relevance for research. As a result, it became clear that the Staroe Russkoe Ustye tract could become the main source of archaeological material. Dating can also be attempted on the basis of materials from burials located in the Gulyanka area.

Cellulose δ18O as a hydrological proxy: A case study for willows growing in Indigirka river lowland, Northeastern Siberia

During the last few decades, stable oxygen isotopic composition of cellulose (δ18Ocell) has been employed as a potential tool for understanding hydrological cycles on modern and past environments. In the present study, we measured the δ18O values of stem water (δ18Osw) and the δ18Ocell values of willows, which are growing on transects along the river with multiple water sources and different levels of humidity in Northeastern Siberia, further to evaluate the contribution of (1) the δ18Osw values, (2) the ratio of ambient/intercellular water (i.e., ea/ei), and (3) the δ18O values of water vapor (δ18Ov), to the δ18Ocell values. The results well demonstrate that the cross-plot of δ18Ocell/δ18Osw can be used to evaluate the contributions of δ18Osw values and ea/ei to the variation of δ18Ocell values. Also, the contribution of the δ18Ov values on the δ18Ocell values are significantly increased, where the water vapor near the plants is isotopically equilibrated to large water pools (e.g., rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.) rather than the source water (e.g., precipitation) of plants. Based on these findings, we predict that full consideration of the above (1)–(3) permits us to enhance accuracy in our understanding of plant δ18Ocell values with respect to hydrological cycles.

Composition and gold-bearing potential of Neogene deposits
 in the middle reaches of the Selennyakh river,
 Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Because of significant exhaustion of known easily accessible gold placers, revealing new such objects is becoming increasingly important. Several gold placer clusters are situated in the region of the Selennyakh River in the middle course of the Indigirka River. They are mainly located along the left bank of the Selennyakh River, in its upper reaches. The right banks of the Selennyakh River, especially in its middle course, remain poorly studied. However, the presence of halos of panned gold concentrates with no obvious relation to probable primary sources of gold, revealed in the 1970s-80s, is a reason for this area to be studied as a gold-bearing one. The article presents results of the 2020-2021 panned heavy mineral concentrate sampling within the Vetvistyi site in the middle reaches of the Selennyakh River, provides a characteristic of the alluvial gold typomorphism, and gives a description of the Neogene deposits drained by the Vetvistyi Stream. The belonging of the Neogene deposits to the Uyandina Formation that fills the Momo-Selennyakh depression has been confirmed. Potentially commercial gold-bearing potential of the Vetvistyi Stream and its tributaries has been substantiated, and gold particles (signs) have been revealed in the Neogene deposits of the Uyandina Formation

Geochemistry of the Laptev and East Siberian seas sediments with emphasis on rare-earth elements: Application for sediment sources and paleoceanography

Deciphering the origin of sedimentary material in the Arctic can contribute to a deeper understanding of modern transport and sedimentation processes. Here, the application of rare earth elements (REEs) is particularly promising, as they can serve as indicators of sources as well as chemical and physical conditions and processes. This study aimed to determine the distribution of REE sources in the bottom sediments and the forms of their occurrence on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf. The concentrations and distributions of the REEs and major and trace metals, grain size, and mineral composition of 72 surficial sediment samples and two sediment cores that were collected from the Laptev and East Siberian seas were studied. Increasing REE content, the predominance of light REE, and close correlation with Zr, Nb, Y, Sc, and Ti were revealed in the Laptev and western East Siberian sea sediments in the zone of influence of the Lena River runoff. The source of the REEs was the eroded Yedoma complex along the coast. The REE content in the sub-colloidal fraction of the sediments was comparable to the REE concentration of the bulk bottom sediments and varied in the East Siberian Sea from 104 to 220 mg kg−1, with the maximum content around the submarine valley of the Indigirka River, in the Laptev Sea, ranging from 124 to 197 mg kg−1. The findings could be used to study ice dynamics and to conduct lithostratigraphic and paleoceanographical reconstructions of the Central Arctic.

Sediment sources and transport pathways on shelves of the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas: Evidence from the heavy minerals and garnet geochemistry

Study of sediment sources and transport pathways in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas is vital for understanding the interaction of fluvial, ocean, and sea-ice dynamics. In this study, 42 samples were analyzed for heavy minerals and 23 were analyzed for garnet geochemistry. These analyses suggest that the surface sediment is mainly sourced from the surrounding rivers. There are distinctive performances between the heavy minerals and garnet geochemistry of sediments in the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea. The content of hypersthene increased significantly on the outer shelf of the Chukchi Sea. The garnet was derived from volcanic rocks of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic province and transported from the Gulf of Anadyr by the Pacific inflow. Coastal erosion materials dominated in the inner shelf of the Chukchi Sea. A significant amount of river input occurred in the western, middle, and eastern parts of the East Siberian Sea. The inputs from the Indigirka River and Kolyma River tend to be distributed eastward. The garnet geochemistry shows that there was a mixed sedimentary zone located south of Wrangel Island. The sediments in the outer shelf of the East Siberian Sea show a stable mixed sedimentary environment.