Northwestern Mongolia Research Articles

Lake water storage changes and their cause analysis in Mongolia

Lake is an important water resources in Mongolia, which has undergone a large variation in past decades. However, it is still challenging to monitor long-term changes in lake water storage (LWS) due to the lack of lake level monitoring and long-term satellite altimetry data for Mongolian lakes. According to the Advanced Land Observing Satellite Digital Elevation Model (ALOS DEM) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) dataset, we estimated the LWS changes of 55 Mongolian lakes (> 10 km2) from 1991 to 2020. The results showed that the LWS increased by 40.24 km3 from 1991 to 1997, especially for northwestern Mongolia with 31.47 km3. However, the LWS decreased by 32.44 km3 from 1998 to 2010, and the lakes in the northwestern and southern decreased by 20.24 km3 (62%) and 7.38 km3 (23%), respectively, and then the LWS continued to decrease by 10.22 km3 from 2011 to 2020. The precipitation was the primary cause of lake change, which could explain 45.13% of LWS change based on Generalized Linear Model, followed by temperature (26.33%) and irrigated area (16.72%). Analyzing the changing characteristic and driving mechanisms of LWS can provide a scientific basis for local water resources management and planning.

New Petroglyphs of the Baga-Oygur River (Right Bank) in Northwestern Mongolia

Purpose. The prehistory of the Mongolian Altai is represented by chronologically various archaeological sites, especially the rock art ones. In 2023 (as part of 2019 season), the Russian-Mongolian expedition continued to study the rock art complexes in northwestern Mongolia.Results. On the right bank of Baga-Oygur River, 7 new petroglyphs locations were discovered; the photo and graphic documenting of multi-temporal compositions was performed. In particular, the earliest petroglyphs of the “Kalguty” style were studied. Conclusion. Dozens of images refer to the Bronze Age; images and scenes of the Early Iron and Medieval periods are also discovered. Along with the points where petroglyphs are concentrated and strictly localized, a wide distribution of petroglyphs was noted on boulders lying on coastal terraces, as well as on rocky outcrops and on the peaks of the mountain frame of the river.

Sanctuary with “Kalguty” Style Images in Northwestern Mongolia (Preliminary Data)

Sanctuary with “Kalguty” Style Images in Northwestern Mongolia (Preliminary Data)

Fauna of the Cladoceran and Copepods Crustaceans (Crustacea: Cladocera, Copepoda) of Dood Tsagaan Lake (Darhad Basin, Mongolia) in Modern Times

The paper presents the results of the study the qualitative and quantitative composition of the planktonic Crustacea of Dood Tsagaan Lake (northwestern Mongolia) (Cladocera, Diaptomidae, Cyclopidae) in modern times. Comparative analysis of the species composition of crustaceans according to new data and data obtained in the last century (1962–1963) showed that during our studies the composition of crustaceans was increased by five species of Cladocera and by three species of Copepoda, 2 species of them are from the order Cyclopoida and one from the order Calanoida. Ultrastructural studies of the main morphological parts of the copepods crustaceans Mixodiaptomus incrassatus (Sars, 1903), Acanthodiaptomus paulseni (Sars, 1903) and Cyclops glacialis Flossner, 2001 were carried out for the first time using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Detailed study of morphometric and morphological characters including the use of SEM showed that C. glacialis inhabiting Dood Tsagaan Lake is identical to the species described in lakes (Turgun Kharhiraa Uvs aimag and Nogoon nuur) in northwestern Mongolia. The biomass of M. incrassatus, an important food object for whitefish and other fish species, was found to reach 1100 mg/m3 in the modern period.

He Isotopic Composition of Alkaline Intrusions of the Hovsgol Area, Northwestern Mongolia

The He isotopic composition of fluid inclusions in magnetite of alkaline and subalkaline intrusion of the Hovsgol region, Northwestern Mongolia, is studied. The measured 4He content varies from 6.6 × 10–7 to 114 × 10–7 cm3/g. The 3He/4He isotope ratio of most samples is 0.23–0.59 Ra indicating the presence of He from different sources in magmatic fluid. The maximum of mantle He (2.51 Ra) is observed in magnetite of subalkali gabbro. The mantle He component was ~40–60% during the generation of parental magma with possible involvement of subcontinental lithospheric mantle material or a plume-like reservoir less enriched in 3He. The mantle He component did not exceed 10–15% during the evolution of the foidoitic and alkali-syenitic melts because of mixing with crustal radiogenic He. We suggest the interaction of intrusions with fragments of the Precambrian accretionary–collision complexes of the Tuva–Mongolian Terrane. This mixing of He isotopes in melts and fluids can serve as indirect evidence of the development of mantle magmatism at the active continental margin.

Rare Earth Element Deposits in Mongolia

In Mongolia, rare earth element (REE) mineralization of economic significance is related either to the Mesozoic carbonatites or to the Paleozoic peralkaline granitoid rocks. Carbonatites occur as part of alkaline silicate-carbonatite complexes, which are composed mainly of nepheline syenites and equivalent volcanic rocks. The complexes were emplaced in the Gobi-Tien Shan rift zone in southern Mongolia where carbonatites usually form dikes, plugs or intruded into brecciated rocks. In mineralized carbonatites, REE occur mainly as fluorocarbonates (bastnäsite, synchysite, parisite) and apatite. Apatite is also present in the carbonatite-hosted apatite-magnetite (mostly altered to hematite) bodies. Alkaline silicate rocks and carbonatites show common geochemical features such as enrichment of light REE but relative depletion of Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta and Hf and similar Sr and Nd isotopic characteristics suggesting the involvement of the heterogeneous lithospheric mantle in the formation of both carbonatites and associated silicate rocks. Hydrothermal fluids of magmatic origin played an important role in the genesis of the carbonatite-hosted REE deposits. The REE mineralization associated with peralkaline felsic rocks (peralkaline granites, syenites and pegmatites) mainly occurs in Mongolian Altai in northwestern Mongolia. The mineralization is largely hosted in accessory minerals (mainly elpidite, monazite, xenotime, fluorocarbonates), which can reach percentage levels in mineralized zones. These rocks are the results of protracted fractional crystallization of the magma that led to an enrichment of REE, especially in the late stages of magma evolution. The primary magmatic mineralization was overprinted (remobilized and enriched) by late magmatic to hydrothermal fluids. The mineralization associated with peralkaline granitic rocks also contains significant concentrations of Zr, Nb, Th and U. There are promising occurrences of both types of rare earth mineralization in Mongolia and at present, three of them have already established significant economic potential. They are mineralization related to Mesozoic Mushgai Khudag and Khotgor carbonatites in southern Mongolia and to the Devonian Khalzan Buregtei peralkaline granites in northwestern Mongolia.

Сравнительная динамика отдельных ледников массива Мунку-Сардык (Восточный Саян) и хребта Цаст-Ула (Монгольский Алтай)

Continuing the study of modern glaciation on the example of individual mountain ranges of the inland part of Asia along the latitudinal transect from the Kodar Mountains to the Himalayas, this work considers the Tzast-Ula massif in the Mongolian Altai. These glaciers, as objects of the transect, represent its western part. The glaciers of northwestern Mongolia are studied by glaciologists, although not as detailed as the glaciers of the central part of Altai and the Tien Shan. It is interesting to consider their dynamics in comparison with other glacial massifs of the transect. In the Eastern Sayan, the most studied (more than 100 years) are the nival-glacial objects of the Munku-Sardyk range. In this paper, changes in glaciers at the main peaks of the Munku-Sardyk mountain range and the Tzast-Ula ridge are considered. Throughout the transect there is a reduction in glaciers and an increase in the intensity of armor by surface moraines. Moraine reservation of the lower part of the small glaciers of Tzast-Ula occurs, similar to the glaciers of Munku-Sardyk. According to the remote sensing data (Landsat), a comparison of the dynamics of both the entire massif and individual glaciers No. 7, 8 Tzast-Ula and glaciers No. 31 (Peretolchina) and No. 30 (Radde) was made, which shows that glaciers are shrinking to varying degrees. Since the mid-1970s, Glacier No. 7 has shrunk in area by 19 %, in length by about 5 %, No. 8 by 58 % and 31 %, respectively. The decrease in the area of the entire Tsambaragav massif on average took place at a speed of 0.31 km2/year. The glaciers of Tzast-Ula were shrinking unevenly at an average speed of 0.32 km2/year, losing 22 % of their area. The glaciers of the Munku-Sardyk massif are shrinking about 4 times slower. Over the past 20 years, the Peretolchina glacier has been shrinking in area at a rate of 0.005 km2/year, and for the entire observation period since 1900—0.004 km2/year. In length, during the same period, the glacier was shrinking at a rate of 5 m/year. The open part of the Peretolchina glacier from the final moraine of the end stage of the Little Ice Age decreased both in area and length by about half. Anomalous changes were detected in the glaciers under consideration in 2013–2015, both for the Tzast-Ula ridge and for Munku-Sardyk. By 2013–2014, there was an increase in the area of the open part of glaciers and the area of perennial snowfields and a sharp decrease after 2015, in some cases in the form of a descent of parts of glaciers.

Проблемы прародины и этнических корней бурятской группы сэгэнутов

The article is devoted to the consideration of the origin of one of the main components of the tribal composition of the Western Buryats, known as “Segenut”. The relevance of this study is due to the insufficient study of the ethnic origins of the ancestral group, the territory, and the time of the formation of the West Buryat group. The study is based on general scientific research methods. Comparative historical and textual methods are also used. Analysis of ancestral traditions and texts of shamanic invocations of Buryats shows that the origin of the Buryat group of Segenuts was associated with the territory of northwestern Mongolia and adjacent areas of southeastern Tuva. These territories are located within the boundaries of the biosphere reserve, called the Ubsunur basin. This is indicated by the analysis of toponymic names found in folklore and texts of the sacred tradition of the Segenuts. This is also evidenced by the ethnonymy reflected in the legends of the Buryats. This made it possible to identify the ethnic origins of the Segenuts, going back to the Uriankhai/Turkic basis. This basis makes up a significant layer of the original population of the Ubsunur basin. A significant argument in favor of this is the reference to the Uighur language of the ancestors of the Segenuts. This language is captured by the shamanic folklore of the Buryats. It is known that language is one of the basic elements in ethnic identification. Language stands out as a key factor in the definition of an ethnic group in various scientific concepts. At the same time, it is impossible not to note the marking of the Segenuts as Uriankhais in folklore, representations and traditions of the Buryats. This also gave reason to believe that the Segenuts are not autochthons of the Cis-Baikal region, but a migrated part of the Turkic-speaking society, close in origin to the Tuvan groups Soyan and choodu. That is, the Segenuts are the descendants of the Turkic-speaking ethnic group who became Buryats. In this regard, a version has been put forward about the time of their migration. It was provoked by the unstable situation in Western Mongolia and Southern Siberia in the 15th–16th centuries. Perhaps the situation was connected with the desire of the Oirats as a leading ethno-political association, who tried to expand their zone of influence to neighboring territories. This led to civil strife, military actions and the outflow of the population to other regions.

Geochronology and Petrogenesis of the Gol Mod Massif: Implications for the Geodynamic Evolution of the Orkhon-Selenge Belt, Northwestern Mongolia

The Orkhon-Selenge Belt is a Late Permian to Early Triassic volcanic plutonic belt located in northern Mongolia and is part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The Selenge Complex, which is a part of the Orkhon-Selenge Belt, is a key area for studying the tectonic and magmatic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. This study aims to contribute to understanding of the geodynamic evolution of the Orkhon-Selenge Belt by investigating the petrology, geochemistry and geochronology of the rocks in the region. Our results indicate that intrusive rocks were characterized as high-K, Calc-alkaline series and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous I-type granite affinities and their geochemical characteristics are indicating as arc-like geochemical signatures with depleted in elements such as Nb, Ta, Ti and Y and enriched in elements such as Rb, Cs, Th, K and light rare earth elements. Using zircon U-Pb dating, we determined an age of 257.3±0.73 Ma for the alkali granite, suggesting that south-western part of the Orkhon-Selenge Belt formed during the Late Permian time. The Selenge pluton, which is closely related to Erdenet-Ovoo porphyry type mineralization, is a composite intrusion. However, the zircon grains display magmatic and low oxygen fugacity conditions, which characteristics are likely the effect of weak mineralization of magma ascent with Late Permian tectonothermal event in the south-west part of the Orkhon-Selenge Belt. The results of this study will provide insights into the formation and evolution of the north-western segment of the Mongol-Okhotsk Belt, and will have implications for our understanding of the tectonic history of this region.

Soil conditions and vegetation cover of the «Oruku-Shynaa» cluster of the «Ubsunurskaya Hollow» reserve (southern part of the Republic of Tyva)

The paper presents the results of the study of soils and vegetation cover of the Oruku-Shynaa cluster, a natural feature of the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Reserve, which is a possible acquisition of the UNESCO heritage. The Ubsunur Hollow, the northernmost of the inland basins of Northwestern Mongolia, is the destination of Inner Asia, where nature preserves an exceptional parade of landscapes of unusual diversity, which predetermines the creation of biosphere reserves in Russia and Mongolia by a cluster approach. Nine clusters have been created on the territory of the Republic of Tuva (Russia). One of them is Oruku-Shynaa. The purpose of creating the Oruku-Shynaa cluster is to study natural complexes and objects, preserve biodiversity, and carry out long-term environmental monitoring of the reference territories of the Ubsunur Hollow. The background soils are brown desert-steppe soils, which have local hydromorphic manifestations of meadow, saline, and solonetsous soils. The study of the temperature of soils in the middle of summer showed that the most mobile dynamics of soil temperature is observed at a depth of 5 cm from the surface. The reaction of meadow-peaty soil is neutral, in solonchak soils it is strongly alkaline, the humus content in solonchak soil is negligible (0,42%), and in meadow-peaty-humus soil it is quite high (9,24%). There is quite a lot of magnesium in saline soils (up to 29 mmol/100 g of soil), and nitrogen (1,10%) in meadow-peat-humus soil. There is a lack of phosphorus in all soils. The cluster is characterized by a high complexity of vegetation cover, expressed in a combination of phytocoenoses of real (glycophytic), saline (halophytic) meadows, steppes, reed beds and woody shrub vegetation. The soil and vegetation cover of the Oruku-Shynaa cluster of the Ubsunur Hollow Nature Reserve generally reflects the regional specifics of the natural situation of floodplain-channel complexes of arid Central Asian territories. The largest areas are open spaces occupied by halophytic vegetation under brown meadow-desert-steppe soils on lake-alluvial deposits. The introduction of the protected regime caused a restructuring in the structure of phytocoenoses, where signs of waterlogging are observed, peat accumulation in the upper horizon of the soil profile, an increase in dead mass (mortmass) in plant communities; an active salinization process is underway in the soil cover.

Occurrences of Niobium and Tantalum Mineralization in Mongolia

Niobium and tantalum are two rare metals that have similar physical and chemical properties and occur together in nature. They are considered to be strategic and critical materials for the economy and national security of many industrial countries. Both elements are on the 2022 List of Critical Minerals of the USA as well as on the European Union’s List of Critical Raw Materials. They rarely substitute for common elements in rock-forming minerals but are essential components in a range of rare minerals, particularly oxides and subordinately silicates. The economically important minerals are oxides. The columbite-tantalite and pyrochlore-microlite groups are the most common Ta- and Nb-bearing minerals. In Mongolia, primary niobium and tantalum mineralization includes two main types. The first type is mineralization associated with alkaline to peralkaline granites, pegmatites and syenites whereas the second type is related to the lithium-fluorine-rich peraluminous granites and related rocks (pegmatites and ongonites). The host rocks of both types of mineralization are the fractionated felsic rocks, which contain the primary magmatic ore assemblages associated with fractionation of magma rich in rare metals. Both assemblages were subsequently overprinted by the late magmatic to hydrothermal fluids, which remobilized and enriched the original mineralization. The newly formed ore mineral assemblages display complex replacement textures. In the case of peralkaline felsic rocks the processes produced the mineralization of Zr, Nb, heavy REE, Y, U, Th and Ta whereas peraluminous Li-F felsic rocks contain mainly mineralization of Sn, W, Ta, Li, and Nb. Mongolia hosts several promising occurrences of both types of Nb-Ta mineralization. However, they have not yet been sufficiently explored. Currently, the most promising is the occurrence in the Devonian Khalzan Buregtei peralkaline granites in northwestern Mongolia, where Nb-Ta is associated with REE and Zr mineralization. Mesozoic carbonatites of southern Mongolia do not host significant Nb and Ta mineralization.

FINER-SCALE MONITORING AND ANALYSIS OF 2016–2021 DUST STORMS DISASTERS IN CHINA BASED ON HIMAWARI-8 SATELLITE IMAGERIES

Abstract. Today, remote sensing is one of the important techniques for natural disasters monitoring. Using the Himawari-8 new generation of geostationary meteorological satellite image data, we identified and monitored 2016–2021 dust storm disasters in China at the finer scale, and compared the object-oriented classification, supervised and unsupervised classification methods. Taking the dust storm on May 5, 2016 as example, the average accuracy and kappa coefficient of the supervised classification were 0.78 and 0.68, while the object-oriented classification were 0.81, 0.73. We used the object-oriented classification method to classify the 2016-2021 dust storm incidents across China. In 2021, the largest area affected by sandstorms was about 68.33km2, the smallest area was about 2.08km2, and the average area was about 22.25km2. During 2016–2021, the most severe and wide-spreading sandstorm occurred on March 14–18 2021. The dust storm first appeared in northwestern Mongolia on March 14, and then spread southeast to China. The dust area covered Beijing on the 15th, and then spread from eastern China to the western regions of North China and Northeast China, including most of the Hexi Corridor. On the 16th and 17th, the influence of the dust storms narrowed to central and western Inner Mongolia, northern Gansu and southern Mongolia. The dust storm gradually disappeared on the 18th.

Paleolakes, archaeology, and late Quaternary paleoenvironments in northwestern Mongolia

AbstractThe climatic, hydrographic, and environmental regimes of terminal Pleistocene and Holocene northwestern Mongolia are reconstructed using archaeological and pedological data sets at Bayan Nuur, a lake on the northwestern perimeter of the Altan Els dune field in eastern Uvs Province, Mongolia. The archaeological data consist of land-use patterns controlled for time via time-sensitive, diagnostic artifacts. The pedological data consist of soil classifications and radiocarbon dating of paleosols that track lake levels and water table. These data are combined using a geographic information system (GIS) to ascertain site and paleosol geographic relationships to modern lake levels at Bayan Nuur. They point to a more xeric Younger Dryas than previously recognized, significant Holocene lake regressions, and to Mid- to Late Holocene lake standstills/transgressions, the scale of which had previously been unrecognized. Combined, these data point to a complex late Quaternary picture of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment across the region and the importance of using multiple proxies, including archaeological data, in paleoecological reconstructions.

Phylogeography of the Steppe Bat, Myotis davidii (Chiroptera; Vespertilionidae) in Eastern Part of the Species Range.

Phylogeography of the steppe bat, Myotis davidii in the eastern part of its broad range, was explored for the first time using mitochondrial genetic markers. The presence of two main intraspecific clades, Eastern and Western, was confirmed. Definite inner structure inside the Eastern group was shown. We discovered genetic diversity hotspot in northwestern Mongolia and neighboring regions, where highly divergent haplotypes are found. Presumably, this can be explained by Pleistocene refugial structure shaped by the ridges of the Mongolian Altai. The haplogroups from the southeast of Mongolia and Transbaikalia found to be related, while populations of the Kerulen valley located between these regions carry more distant haplotypes.

The 2021 M<sub>w</sub> 6.7 Khankh earthquake in the Khuvsgul rift, Mongolia

A Mw 6.7 occurred at Lake Khuvsgul in northwestern Mongolia at 05:32:56 AM Ulaanbaatar time on the 12th of January 2021. The epicenter of the event was offshore south of the Doloon Uul peninsula around 30 km SSW of Khankh village. Shaking was felt within most of central and western Mongolia, including the capital city Ulaanbaatar ~600 km from the epicenter. The earthquake appears to have ruptured the Khuvsgul fault along the western coast of Lake Khuvsgul. The earthquake is the largest in Mongolia since the Mw 6.3 Busiin Gol earthquake in 1991. Our research team from the Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Mongolian Academy of Sciences visited the epicenter area for 5 days soon after the earthquake and installed four broad-band seismic stations and searched the area for geological evidence of the earthquake. The location, azimuth, dip and depth of this earthquake defined by moment tensor solutions calculated by the international seismological centers and analysis of InSAR interferograms and field observations. The projected intersections of the east-dipping nodal planes with the surface for solutions of the international seismological centers and researchers correlate relatively well with the mapped strike and location of the old tectonic scarp of the Khuvsgul fault although we have not discovered any primary co-seismic surface rupture. The InSAR interferogram demonstrates the sharp discontinuity and fringes in the area between the Western Range and Doloon Uul peninsula which implies surface deformation. Aftershocks that have continued during the three months subsequent to the earthquake define overall strike of the mainshock rupture.

Необычный сюжет в петроглифах Хара Джамат Гола – охота на медведя (Монгольский Алтай)

The petroglyphs left by the inhabitants of the mountains and steppes of Eurasia are very numerous. The main subjects include hunting, warfare, weaponry, wheeled vehicles, and many more. For thousands of years, the most common subject was wild animals. The article presents a rare subject of petroglyphs from the Mongolian Altai. During the survey of the Khara Jamat Gol valley, accumulation of petroglyphs was found on the left bank of the river in the Sabi-Salaa area in the northwestern Mongolia near the Mongolian-Russian border. A multifigured composition of bear hunt with dogs chasing and attacking bears was pecked on a vertical slate slab. Hunters are armed with bows and clubs. The manner of rendering people and animals points to the Bronze Age as the time when this composition was created. In the mountains and steppes of Eurasia, bears were represented on the petroglyphs much less often than other animals, such as mountain goats, red deer, bulls, elks, wild boars, feline predators, and wolves). The interaction of bears and humans was reproduced only in two places in the Mongolian Altai. This rare subject finds parallels in the rock art of Fennoscandia. The composition of hunting bear with dogs is known from Pegtymel - the northernmost place of the Asian petroglyphs. Unusual subjects on the rocks of the Sabi Salaa in the Mongolian Altai and in the Tsagaan-Gol valley reflect the hunting practices of cattle breeders from the Sayan-Altai region in the Bronze Age. Obviously, brown bears would appear from time to time in high-mountain valleys of the Mongolian Altai and were hunted by the local population.

"ОСОБНЯК КРИЧЕВЦЕВА" В БИЙСКЕ - ПРИМЕР ЖИЛОГО ДОМА С ЭЛЕМЕНТАМИ УСАДЬБЫ КОНЦА XIX В., ВЫПОЛНЕННОГО В ФОРМАХ ЭКЛЕКТИКИ С ЭЛЕМЕНТАМИ БАРОККО И ПСЕВДОРУССКОГО СТИЛЯ

On the ground of archival and bibliographic materials, the author has prepared a historical certificate for the Biysk merchant dwelling mansion within the development of the draft of the territory boundaries and the land-use regime for the object of cultural heritage. This article provides information about the history and first owner ofthe building, as well as the further use of this object from the end of the XIX century and to the present. There is also information about another estate property of entrepreneur V.A. Krichevtsev and his relatives, located in Biysk, as well as about the type of activity of the owner of the mansion, who traded with North-Western Mongolia with various goods, was engaged in cattle- and horse-breeding. The building consists of several one-, two-story volumes of one height, has a basement, and a complex attic roof. The pronounced angular facade composition is richly decorated along the street and part of the courtyard facade and at the front entrance. The object has value as an urban building with eclectic decoration, also has urban planning significance, formalizing the intersection of streets. Keywords: merchant mansion, dwelling house, brick building, cultural heritage object, architectural monument

Копрофильные грибы как индикатор пастбищной нагрузки и плотности населения Убсунурской котловины (Монголия) за последние три тысячелетия

Spores of coprophilous fungi are well preserved in various paleoarchives, including bottom sediments in lakes. The coprophilous fungi spend part of their life cycle on the dung of herbivorous animals, where they produce spores. Due to this feature, the coprophilous fungi are used as a qualitative indicator of the presence and density of the population using domestic livestock. This paper is aimed at testing the hypothesis that fluctuations in the spore contents of coprophilous fungi are independent from climate, i.e., the possibility of using this indicator as an independent one for the qualitative reconstruction of population density in the eastern part of the Uvs Nuur basin. To do this, we have attempted to link global historical processes in Central Asia over the past three millennia with fluctuations in the contents of the coprophilous fungi spores in the bottom sediments in Lake Bayan Nuur located in the Uvs Nuur basin. Spores of the coprophilous fungi were counted on palynological slides along with other palynomorphs. Concentrations and accumulation rates (number of spores per 1 gram per year) were calculated for the coprophilous fungi. Only two genera of coprophilous fungi, Sporormilella and Sordaria, were abundantly found in the paleorecord of the lake. Comparison of historical evidence of the population of North-Western Mongolia during the last three millennia andfluctuations in the contents of the coprophilous fungi spores in the bottom sediments of the lake revealed remarkable coincidence, which allows using coprophilous fungi as a qualitative indicator of the density of the population engaged in cattle breeding. However, no relationships between the coprophilous fungi spore contents and the climate change were revealed, which characterizes this indicator as being independent of the climate change.

Образ оленя-солнца и этноним бурятского племени Хори

Введение. Статья посвящена этнониму самого многочисленного племени в составе бурятского этноса ― племени Хори. Установлено, что отсутствие в этнографических исследованиях общепринятого мнения о происхождении племенного названия вызывает сложности в изучении его этногенеза и ранней этнической истории. Целью исследования является выявление языковых и историко-культурных индикаторов происхождения термина «хори» как этнонима бурятского племени Хори и выявление этимологии племенного этнонима. В качестве материала использованы тексты шаманских призываний хори-бурят, сведения монгольских письменных источников, сюжеты петроглифов северного берега Байкала. Результаты. Историко-сравнительный и историко-сопоставительный анализ материала с аналогичными фактами в культуре тюрко-монгольских народов Центральной Азии и Южной Сибири показал, что словесное описание оленя-матери в шаманских текстах хоринских родов возводит его образ к скифо-сибирской канонической традиции изображения животных на каменных плитах, сопровождающих курганные захоронения в Западной и Северо-Западной Монголии, на Алтае и в Северной Туве. Историко-культурный и языковой этнические индикаторы возводят этимологию этнонима Хори к лексеме «хор» как названия солнца и его символа ― оленя у кочевых ираноязычных племен бронзового и раннего железного века степей Центральной Азии и Южной Сибири. Общее культовое отношение к лебедю ― тотемной птице со стороны материнского происхождения у хори-бурят, западных монголов и телеутов в сравнительно-сопоставительном анализе определяют этно- и культурную связь этнических предков племени Хори с тюркскими племенами с культом лебедя через этническое объединение «тумат», территориально связанное с Саяно-Алтаем. Выводы. Выявленные в исследовании сведения указывают на происхождение этнонима племени Хори в едином историко-культурном пространстве с кочевыми народами степей Центральной Азии ― носителями культуры плиточных могил с культом солнца и культом оленя-предка в его женской ипостаси.

Compositional relationship between the source-to-sink segments and their sedimentary response to diverse geomorphology types in the intrabasinal lower uplift of continental basins

Investigating on new method for Source-to-Sink study by integrating modern system and subsurface interpretation, establishment of the quantitative coupling model from source to sink, and form industrial application standard have long been the research trends of Source-to-Sink system in continental basins. Here the symmetrical and asymmetrical conceptual source-to-sink coupling models (i.e., Symmetrical Dumbbell Type and Asymmetrical Dumbbell Type) are proposed to respond to diverse geomorphology types (i.e., convergent and unitary incised type) based on the morphological and digital proportion between catchment-drainage unit of upstream and sediment-fan of downstream, then summarize and extract the two models by contrasting a modern source-to-sink system of Hovd Central Uplift in northwestern Mongolia as well as an ancient source-to-sink system of Huizhou-Lufeng Lower Uplift in Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea. In the practical study, the satellite remote sensing and Google geological map are used to deconstruct the modern case and combine the Google-topographic-map, well log data, core data and seismic-geomorphology analysis to dissect the ancient case analogously. This paper mainly discusses morphological proportional ranges of catchment acreage (Asource) and sediment fan acreage (Ssink), the relativity between topographic gradient (Gsource) and the source ratio (Rsource=AsourceAsource+Ssink), and the physical properties of sedimentary sand-body associated with diverse geomorphologic types in continental lacustrine basins. Therefrom, it is concluded that the proportion (P=Asource:Ssink) between catchment-drainage segment of source area (Asource) and sediment-fan of depositional sink (Ssink) is over 1:1 in Symmetrical Dumbbell Type source-to-sink coupling model, which is commonly between 1:1.1 and 1:1.6; However, it is below 1:1 in Asymmetrical Dumbbell Type source-to-sink coupling model, which is generally between 1:0.6 and 1:0.9; and there is an evident negative correlation between topographic gradient (Gsource) and the source ratio (Rsource). Finally, these results reveal that the reservoir formed by Symmetrical Dumbbell Type source-to-sink coupling model performs much more superiority. In summary, the two coupling models have not only supplied a new insight into the research on sandy-sediments transport and distribution, but also defined the directions for better finding favourable sand bodies (reservoir) when exploring oil and gas.