Valdai Glaciation Research Articles

Paleocryolithopedogenesis and Evolution Sod-Podzolic Soils of the Taiga Zone Northeast of the East European Plain

The results of soil-genetic studies conducted on sod-podzolic soils in the Gryazovetsky district of the Vologda region are presented. The modern soils of the study area are represented by sod-podzolic soils of different variations (Albic Retisols) formed on loamy paleocryogenically transformed soil-forming rocks. The concept of the role of paleocryolithogenic processes that determined the formation and evolution of modern sod-podzolic soils of the north-east of the East European Plain is proposed. The considered set of paleocryolithopedogenic processes in modern zonal sod-podzolic soils allowed us to reconstruct the conditions for the formation of soils located in the periglacial region of the Valdai glaciation. The results obtained have expanded the understanding of the influence of the processes of Late Pleistocene cryogenesis and lithogenesis on the evolution of modern sod-podzolic soils of the northeast of the East European Plain. The obtained data show the processes forming the soils under consideration and for the first time it is proposed to isolate paleocryolithogenic soil combinations in the structure of the soil cover as a result of the combined natural process – paleocryolithopedogenesis.

Natural features and geological history of mount Vottovaara (Russian Stonehenge)

The article deals with the issues of physical and geographical features of the territory of Mount Vottovaara (which is the highest point of the West Karelian Upland) and its geological history. It is compared with one of the most famous attractions in the UK – Stonehenge Jam. Hypotheses of the origin and formation of this area are presented. The mountain keeps a large number of secrets, the main and most interesting among which are up to 1,600 individual stones located on its top – components of an ancient cult complex. They can be fully considered seids, many of which resemble unusual stone buildings, and according to a number of researchers who played a cult role and belonged to the culture of the ancient Sami. One of the hypotheses of the origin of the Votovaara seids connects them with the manifestation of glacial exaration processes during the periods of ancient glaciations. Another explains the presence of numerous traces of paleoseismic dislocations by a strong catastrophic palaeo-earthquake that occurred at the end of the Preboreal – the beginning of the Boreal period due to the degradation of the Late Valdai (Ostashkovsky) glaciation and the тrapid removal of glacial load. There is also a hypothesis, partly related to the ancient mythology of a Worldwide Flood, or a catastrophic flood of universal scale. According to one version, it could have happened due to the fall of a large meteorite in the area of the Philippine Sea. The tangential impact of the meteorite led to a shift of the solid earth’s crust along the surface of the liquid mantle, and the shock wave passing through the earth’s crust (compression wave) formed a ridge on the territory of modern Karelia, which includes Vottovaara. Finally, there is a version of the formation of the massif as a result of a powerful volcanic eruption that occurred several million years ago.

Age and Position of the Maximum Boundary of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the Valdai (Weichselian, Vistulian) Glaciation and Relief in the Peripheral Area of the Ice Sheet

Age and Position of the Maximum Boundary of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the Valdai (Weichselian, Vistulian) Glaciation and Relief in the Peripheral Area of the Ice Sheet

The Palaeoenvironment Of the Central Russian Plain During the End Of the Valdai Glaciation Based on Small Mammal Data From the Late Palaeolithic Site Byki 7 (Seim R. Basin)

The analysis of the Late Pleistocene small mammals’ faunas from the three cultural layers of the Late Palaeolithic site Byki 7 (the Seim River basin) consist of a combination of steppe and tundra species. Steppe species definitely prevail and include Ochotona pusilla, Marmota bobac, Spermophilus sp., Spalax microphthalmus, Ellobius talpinus, Lagurus lagurus and Lasiopodomys (Stenocranius) gregalis. Tundra species (collared lemming and Siberian lemming) are only represented by a small amount of remains. The lack of forest dwellers in the Byki 7 small mammal assemblage indicates of the absence of a continuous forest zone on the Central Russian Plain during the end of the Valdai glaciation. The Eurasian geographical distribution of the Rodentia and Lagomorpha species represented in the Byki–7 assemblages, have been reconstructed for the period of deposition of the site. Radiocarbon dates indicate that the multilayer Late Palaeolithic Byki 7 site correlates with the second part of the Valdai Glaciation Maximum cooling (LGM) (22–17 ka BP). Based on the small mammal data the former palaeoenvironmental conditions of the non-analogue periglacial tundra-steppe are reconstructed.

Late Glacial and Early Holocene lacustrine sedimentation history of the northern Mologa-Sheksna Lowland derived from Lake Beloye sediments (NW Russia)

Few detailed case studies have been devoted so far to the Late Pleistocene palaeogeography of the northern Mologa-Sheksna Lowland (MSL), compared to adjacent regions covering the Valdai glaciation marginal zone. Lake Beloye (Russia, Vologda region, Babaevo district) bottom sediments were studied using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and subsequently were cored in order to build a palaeoclimatic reconstruction for the northern MSL, because lacustrine deposits are considered to be valuable and representative palaeoarchive of the area. Chronology of regional palaeoclimatic and palaeohydrological changes from the Bølling — Allerød warming to the Early Holocene was traced on the basis of inorganic and organic geochemistry, mineralogical proxies, grain-size, magnetic susceptibility, accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating and optical microanalysis. During the Late Glacial and the Pleistocene/Holocene transition in the northern MSL interstadial climatic conditions were determined at ~ 14.0 cal. ka BP (Bølling, stage GI-1e of the GICC05 timescale) and ~ 13.0 cal. ka BP (Allerød, stages GI-1c3 — GI-1a). A pronounced cold period associated with Younger Dryas (stage GS- 1) was registered in the multiproxy record at 12.8–11.7 cal. ka BP. High-resolution x-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning helped to reveal short-term “cold” events at ~ 13.7, ~ 13.1 and ~11.5 cal. ka BP, which were associated with Older Dryas (stage GI-1d), Gerzensee-Killarney oscillation (stage GI-1b) and Preboreal oscillation respectively, and “warm” episodes at ~ 13.2 and ~ 11.8 cal. ka BP, which presumably correspond to the end of the stage GI-1c1 and Greenlandian Stage/Age respectively. Ultimate interglacial (Holocene) climate onset within the MSL was attributed to ~ 11,7 cal. ka BP, which is marked by the sharp rise of total organic carbon content in the sediments and lithological changes to muddy fraction. Numerous water level oscillations occurred in the large proglacial lakeduring the last glacial termination, ending with Its final drainage in the northern MSL by ~ 10.9 cal. ka BP. The reconstructed palaeoclimatic dynamics is in overall agreements with the global reconstructions for the North Atlantic and Fennoscandia regions.

The Origin of Terraces in Buried Valleys in the Northwest of the East European Plain

Abstract —The paper considers the origin of terraces that often complicate the slopes of abnormally deep buried valleys in the northwest of the East European Plain. The Izborsk–Maly valley (Pskov Region, Russia), which is half filled with Quaternary sediments, was chosen as the object of study. Since the upper part of the valley remains unfilled, it is possible to study in detail both geologic and geomorphologic structures of its terraced slopes being of particular interest in the context of the origin of buried valleys and the role of substrate in it. The four denudation-terrace levels that have been identified on the slopes of the Izborsk–Maly valley at absolute elevations of 53, 56–58, 70–72, and 75–77 m formed during the destruction of the preglacial karst landscape under the influence of Pleistocene glaciations. The formation of the terraces was probably linked with several stages of overdeepening of the valley and its expansion by the glacial erosion processes, which corresponded to at least two stages of the ice sheet advance in this area. The last stage may have been the beginning of the Late Valdai (Weichselian) glaciation or the activation of the edge of an ice sheet during its Luga phase (~15.7 cal kyr BP). Results of the study suggest that the Izborsk–Maly valley formed in subglacial conditions. The degree of glacial erosion was determined primarily by the coherence of Devonian carbonate-terrigenous rocks hosting the valley and the degree of the area transformation by karst processes. The cirque shape of slopes is the evidence of karst processes expression in pre-glacial time. Analysis of literature data shows that the origin of denudation terraces in the buried valleys in the northwest of the East European Plain has been paid little attention. The obtained data contribute to the study of this problem and provide insights into the origin of buried valleys.

The role of the Valdai Glaciation in the formation of quaternary deposits of the Novgorod region

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of quaternary deposits formation in the territory of the Novgorod region, under the influence of the first four phases of the last covering Valdai glaciation. The authors show the role of this glaciation as the basis for the formation of genetic types of parent rocks for the soils of this area.

Transformation of the Bryansk Paleosol in Microdepressions in the Center of the East European Forest-Steppe during the Maximum of Valdai Glaciation and in the Holocene

Recent and Late Pleistocene soils of the central forest-steppe in the East European Plain have been studied. The main objective of the work is to reveal changes in the properties of the Bryansk paleosol (final phase of MIS 3), one of the most important geosols of the Late Pleistocene. These changes could be induced by cryogenesis during the Valdai glaciation maximum (MIS 2) and by the Holocene pedogenesis (MIS 1) under different conditions of the modern microtopography. We have studied the catena of Holocene soils underlain by the Bryansk paleosol within a small closed depression in the Kazatskaya Steppe of the V.V. Alekhin Central Chernozemic Biospheric Reserve in Kursk oblast. The depression is supposedly the result of loess subsidence. Haplic Chernozems develop on the microelevation; Luvic Chernozems, on the microslope; and Luvic Chernozems (Stagnic), in the bottom of the depression. The upper humus horizons of the Holocene soils are similar in all parts of the microcatena. On the slopes and in the lower part of the microdepression, the Ah2 subhorizon is replaced by the AE horizon, and the Bk horizon becomes carbonate-free and turns into the Bt horizon. The change in the “normal” profile of the paleosol of the Bryansk Interstadial began already at the latest stages of its formation. The Bryansk soil was strongly deformed by cryogenic processes during the maximum of the Valdai glaciation (Vladimir cryogenic horizon). The secondary diagenesis of the Bryansk paleosol is associated with soil formation in the Holocene. Holocene soils are superimposed on the profile of the Bryansk paleosol, transforming it differently in various parts of the catena. On the microelevation, the diagenesis in the Holocene is regarded as minimal. The Bryansk paleosol is most transformed in the bottom of the microdepression.

The Impact of Paleocryogenesis on the Formation of Gray Forest Soils in Central Russia

The paleogeographic development of the natural process in the Late Pleistocene on the East European Plain had a rhythmic pattern with repeated alternation of cold and warm climatic eras. Continental glaciations arising on the East European Plain, in particular, the Late Valdai (Weichselian) glaciation, were reflected in changes in topography formation. Regional paleoenvironmental conditions of the formation of modern soil cover in the area of gray forest soils in central Russia are discussed. The impact of paleocryogenesis on the features of the Holocene soils is considered by the example of Vladimir and Moscow oblasts. In Vladimir oblast, soils were studied in Suzdal district on the territory of the Kibol-5 archaeological site of the early Middle Ages. In Moscow oblast, studied were conducted at the Pushchino key site. The differentiation of soil profiles related to the specificity of parent materials formed under the impact of the Late Weichselian paleocryogenesis with the development of cryogenic microtopography was demonstrated. It was also found that the surface microtopography is predetermined by the buried paleocryogenic polygonal network of elevated blocks (microhighs) and interblock depressions (microlows). The paleocryogenic genesis of this microtopography caused by cryogenic deformation of large wedge-shaped features was confirmed. Large cryogenic wedge-shaped soil features in the study area formed about 22–14 ka ago, which is confirmed by radiocarbon data. The dependence of the Holocene loamy soils in central Russia on the characteristics of parent materials is manifested at the levels of soil profiles, soil horizons, and particular soil properties. It is argued that the presence of Late Pleistocene paleocryogenic features greatly affects the formation of the profiles of Holocene soils and enhances the action of the anthropogenic factor on soil development. As an environmental factor, Late Weichsel paleocryogenesis differentiates soils at the high taxonomic level contributing to the formation of complex soil cover patterns.

Periglacial gully erosion on the east European plain and its recent analog at the Yamal peninsula

The net of dry valleys, gullies and shallow hollows is typical for the East European Plain. Dense vegetation usually covers their bottoms and slopes, so the modern erosion there is negligible in the pristine conditions. This erosion landscape formed in periglacial conditions during the terminations of the last two glaciations. The same kind of the erosion landscape is typical for the Arctic regions, especially for the Yamal, Gydan, and Tazovsky peninsulas. The size and the density of such valleys and gullies are quite similar to those existing on the East European Plain, but these erosion features are active there, especially in the conditions of natural or anthropogenic deterioration of the vegetation cover. As the density of dry valley network is an indicator of hydrological conditions in the river basin, the landscapes of the Arctic regions can be used as the modern analogs of the territories with the past periglacial erosion.The recent hydrological characteristics of the west-central Yamal Peninsula were used to estimate the parameters of erosion network at the Khoper River basin, formed in periglacial conditions. For these purposes gully erosion and thermoerosion model GULTEM was verified and calibrated based on the observation of the modern processes on the Yamal Peninsula. The meteorological characteristics were taken from ERA-Interim Reanalysis grid. To calculate the flow characteristics a synthetic hydrological model was used. These verified and calibrated models were used to find the most suitable characteristics of climate and vegetation cover, which can explain the structure and density of the Perepolye dry valley in the Khoper River basin. This dry valley with the main trunk length of 6400 m was formed at the end of the Late Valdai Glaciation (MIS 2). The conditions required for the formation of a periglacial gully of such length were estimated with the GULTEM model. The critical velocity of erosion initiation was within the range 0.8-0.9 m/s, and the surface runoff depth was close to the recent one on the Yamal Peninsula (330 mm). The system of shallow hollows in the Perepolye catchment (the gullies formed at the end of the Moscow Glaciation, MIS 6) is denser and longer than the dry valley system, and the modelling estimates showed that the surface runoff during that period was almost 3.3 times more than the recent one on the Yamal Peninsula.

Lake Regions of the Russian Federation and Their Water Resources

An assessment is made of the lake resources of Russia in particular regions identified on the basis of the genetic principle, i. e. an approximate even-aged origin of most lake basins within the territory. It was determined that a little less than two-thirds of all water bodies are located on the coastal plains of the seas of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, which account for one-fifth of the country’s area. The climatic conditions of the coastal zone are favorable for the existence of lakes, most of which owe their origin to relatively recent (on a geological time scale) marine transgressions. The total water surface area of the coastal plains makes up about 40% of the total area of all water bodies of Russia; however, they contains only 1.3% of the total water volume of the country because most of these water bodies are shallow. The territories that were previously under the cover of the Valdai glaciation occupy about 4% of the country, their water surface area is about 18%, and the number of water bodies located there makes up 6% of the total number for Russia. The lakes remaining on the site of the Valdai glaciation contain more than 5% of the total volume of the country’s waters. About 90% of the entire lake waters are concentrated in mountainous regions, where a significant part of the deepest and most capacious lakes including Baikal are located, but the number of water bodies is only 5.6% of the total number in the country, and the water surface area is 13%. It is shown that since the origin of the lakes is primarily determined by the geological history of the region, their distribution over the territory is rather weakly dependent on climatic factors. An increased lake percentage is observed in regions that had ridded themselves of sea waters and glacial cover at the interface of the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene; within these regions, changes in lake percentage are governed by differences in sculptural landforms.

Основные события эволюции поздневалдайского оледенения в Карело-Кольском регионе с дополнением к ранее опубликованным данным о месторождениях строительных материалов

Основные события эволюции поздневалдайского оледенения в Карело-Кольском регионе с дополнением к ранее опубликованным данным о месторождениях строительных материалов

Новые данные по стратиграфии разреза у д. Килешино (Тверская область) – ключ к пониманию границ оледенений на Валдайской возвышенности в верхнем неоплейстоцене

The article presents the lithological and stratigraphic characteristics, the results of paleobotanical studies and radiocarbon dating of the one of the most important and insufficiently studied key sections of the Late Pleistocene in the Upper Volga basin. The Kileshino-2 section locates in the marginal part of the last glaciation in the Valdai Hills (Tver oblast, Selizharovo district). The studied section is a complex sequence of sediments which consists of limnoglacial, limnic, alluvial and fluvioglacial deposits. We identified four main stages of sedimentation on the base of complex investigations: the Late Moscow stage of the Middle Pleistocene, the Mikulino Interglacial of the Late Pleistocene, the Early Valdai stage and probably the Middle Valdai Interstadial of the Late Pleistocene. Local pollen zones distinguished in the lower part of the sequence correspond to initial phases of the Mikulino Interglacial. At that time broadleaf forests began to spread in the study area under conditions of progressive warming. The macroremains of temperate and thermophilic aquatic plants were determined by the carpological method. The deposits of the climatic optimum and the final phases of the Mikulino Interglacial are not represented in the studied section. According to pollen data, the middle part of the sequence consisting of loam and sandy loams with two paleosoils was formed at the beginning of the Early Valdai Glaciation. Against the background of a progressive cooling, two interstadial-type warmings probably corresponding to the Upper Volga (Brorup) Interstadial and Kruglitsky (Odderade) Interstadial were identified. The chronostratigraphic position of both interstadials in the Kileshino-2 section requires further clarification because of the complex structure of sequence and some interruptions in sedimentation. Analysis of the upper part of the section showed that the glacial deposits are absent in the studied section. This allows one to doubt the existence of not only Kalinin Glaciation (MIS 4), but also OstashkovGlaciation (MIS 2) in this region.

Aquatic biota response to climate and habitat changes from the Valdai Glaciation to the Meghalayan (Serteya region, Western Dvina Lakeland)

The Serteyka River valley is one of the most important archaeological localities in North-Western Russia. The State Hermitage Museum has conducted research in Serteya since the 1970s. The pile-dwelling remnants located within the Great Serteya Palaeolake Basin (GSPB) are the most prominent excavation. The investigation using precise underwater techniques recovered many exceptional remains of the Neolithic settlement that were preserved below the groundwater level in biogenic deposits. The large-scale studies focused till now primarily on relicts of the human settlement and only scarce environmental data were available before the last decade. A broad environmental archaelogical project using cores of organic deposits has been conducted since 2016 in the framework of Polish-Russian cooperation. The 8 m long STIIa core from the deepest lake point has been investigated. It gives a full sequence of the lake history from the Late Valdai Glaciation to the Middle Ages. Multi-proxy analysis of the STIIa core aims at the reconstruction of regional and local habitat conditions (e.g. climate, hydrology, trophic state, water chemistry, and plant communities) at the lake side during the MIS1.

HISTORY OF FORMATION OF THE RIVERS OF SOUTH PRILIMENIUM IN HOLOTSEN

The riverbed in the course of its evolution is subject to deformations, manifested in the form of erosion of the channel and floodplain, sediment transport and accumulation. Knowledge of the history of the development of river channels in the conditions characteristic of a given territory allows us to assess their future evolution. The aim of the study was to identify the features of the formation and evolution of the hydrographic network of Southern Priilmenye in the Holocene. These features are mainly associated with the last Valdai glaciation. Firstly, rivers arose only after the retreat of the glacier and are about 11 to 14 thousand years old. Secondly, their development was controlled by a changing erosion basis, depending on the level of the subglacial lake, which formed on the southern periphery of the glacier during its retreat. Thirdly, the evolution of watercourses occurred in conditions of compensatory deformational elevation of the territory. As a result, rivers formed on the territory of Southern Priilmen'e, in the initial stage of their development, meandering freely along a wide and almost flat plain composed of fluvioglacial deposits. Then, as the erosion basis decreased, the channels incised into the water-resistant glacial deposits of the Valdai horizon. In the last millennium, vertical erosion sharply increased, which is associated with overcoming difficult to wash out fluvioglacial Quaternary loamy rocks and the direct impact of the flow on the underlying Devonian sediments, and at present, according to our estimates, it reaches 1-3 cm per year. As the riverbeds cut in, the planned deformations slowed significantly. The channels develop, although not to the full extent, by the type of forced meandering.

Проект відкриття Парку Льодовикового періоду в селі Старуня на Прикарпатті

The Ice Age Geopark (IAG) is a landscape and architectural model of the ancient Late Pleistocene (45-11 kya BP) natural environment of the last epoch of Vistula (Würm, Valdai) glaciation when giant animals of the so-called mammoth fauna inhabited the study area. Today, it is a natural geological landmark ‘Starunia’, which acquired this status in 1984. In addition to fossil mammals, among the IAG’s objects are eleven types of mineralized water sources, the only active mud volcano in the Carpathians, a number of oil volcanoes, a gas flare burning from the 1940s over the borehole ‘Nadiia’, and the remains of concrete foundations of oil boreholes and others. The first carcasses of mammoth Mammuthus primigenius Blum., embalmed with salt and bitumen, and woolly rhinoceros Rinoceros antignitatis Bium were recovered from the depths of 12.5 m and 17.6 м, respectively, from the mine №4 (“Mammoth”) during the development of the ozokerite deposit in 1907 on the SW border of the Starunia village, Bohorodchany district Ivano-Frankivsk region. In 1929, an expedition of the Academy of Arts and Sciences from Krakiw, investigating the mine at the depth of 17 m, found the remains of three woolly rhinoceroses. Such artifacts became the objects of the proposal to create an Ice Age Geopark in Starunia, the project of which was completed in 2006 by Associate Professor D.O. Zorin and Head of Starunia village I.V. Mosiuk. The natural environment of mammoth fauna – periglacial tundra – was reconstructed by joint Ukrainian-Polish expeditions of 2004–2005 and 2007–2009 using the methods of palynological, paleocarpological, malacofauna analyses and determination of the absolute age by 14C dating. (M. Kotarba, R. Stakhovych-Rybka, T. Sokolovskyi, etc.). In 2019, an ecological-cultural project “Small Cities – Great Impressions” of the Starunia Village Council and the Association of Village, Town Councils and United Communities of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine with the participation of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas was implemented. To simulate the figures of mammoth, rhino, deer and hunter-cutter the technique of Topiar Art, known since Roman times was used. On October 26, 2019, the Festival-opening of IAG was held with ca. 17,000 visitors. The real implementation of the scientific idea has begun.

ГЕОМОРФОЛОГІЯ, НЕОТЕКТОНІКА ТА ПАЛЕОГЕОГРАФІЯ ТЕРИТОРІЇ ГЕОЛОГІЧНОЇ ПАМ'ЯТКИ "СТАРУНЯ"

A survey of geomorphological and neotectonic features around "The Starunia paleontological site" allows to produce a complete description of paleogeographic conditions and geological age of the Pleistocene mammals. The floodplain terraces I and II and a redevelopment valley have been distinguished on the geomorphological map and a sketch of cross-section of the Velyky Lukavets River valley. The location of fossil fauna (mammoth and rhinoceroses) has been indicated. The prospect of finding new extinct Pleistocene mammals preserved in bitumen and salt has been substantiated. In the late Pliocene, the northeast macro-slope of the Carpathians was dissected by many parallel river valleys transverse to the main Carpathian direction of structures and longitudinal valleys. The rivers took down coarse-grained material from the mountains that formed the high terraces and debris cones (inland delta) of the ancient Dniester valley. The latter was formed at the foot of the Carpathians, in the area of the modern village of Loyeva and the Dniester, then gradually retreated 30–40 km to the northeast and took its present location on the longitude of the town of Halych. Its block mass alluvium formed two ancient terrace plains – Krasna and Loyeva. The climate was subtropical, the type of the present Mediterranean, as evidenced by the red-brown color of the clayey cement of coarse-grained alluvium and cover clays with active migration of iron and manganese. In the early Pleistocene, in the wide swampy valley of the river Lukavets Velykyi, the winding beds of the last stage of river valleys development were quietly meandered. Monotonous dark gray to black marsh accumulations, silt clays, biogenic silts with numerous plant remains accumulated. Landscapes – tundra with dwarf birch, alder, willow etc. The climate was severe, consistent with Wurm (Valdai) glaciation (59–13 thousand years ago). Perhaps just then herds of mammoths and rhinos grazed in the valleys of the Starunia territory and our ancestors Cro-Magnons lived here. The extremely important practical value of Starunia is that further expansion of research and creation of an international ecological-tourist center – the Geopark of the Ice Age will significantly improve the socio-economic status of the village of Starunia, provide the population with new jobs and raise the level of tourism in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The authors hope that the unique phenomenon of Starunia will be preserved for future generations.

Interrelations of the Bryansk paleosol (end of MIS 3) with the Holocene surface soils in micro-depressions of the central forest-steppe within the Russian Upland

A catena of the Holocene soils and interstadial Bryansk paleosol has been studied within a small closed depression in the Kazatskaya Steppe site on the Central Russian Upland. This depression is located on the territory of the Central Chernozem Biospheric Reserve, Kursk region and presumably originated from suffosion processes. Our research is aimed at understanding of interrelations between the macro- and micromorphological characteristics, certain physical and chemical properties of the Bryansk paleosols, on one hand, and those of the superimposed Holocene soil on another, taking into consideration various conditions of the present-day microrelief. The studied catena is a typical component of the landscape and soil cover structure for watersheds of the Central Russian Upland. On the micro-elevation rising 80 cm above the micro-depression bottom, the Typical Chernozems (Haplic Chernozems) are developed, on the slope – the Leached Chernozems (Luvic Chernozems), and at the bottom – the Meadow Chernozems (Stagnic Chernozems). The upper humus horizons of the Holocene soil present in all sectors of the catena. The thickness of the Ah horizon increases slightly, whereas the AB horizon decreases toward the bottom of the depression. On the slopes and at the bottom of the depression, the Ah2 sub-horizon is replaced with the AE horizon, and the Bk horizon becomes carbonates-free and turns into the Bt horizon.The change of the “normal” profile of paleosol of warm interstadial in final phase of MIS 3 started already in the last stages of its formation. The Bryansk soil is heavily deformed by cryogenic processes during the Valdai glaciation maximum (the Vladimir cryogenic horizon, MIS 2). The secondary diagenesis of the Bryansk paleosol is related to the Holocene soil-forming processes. The Holocene soils are superimposed on the Middle Valdai Bryansk paleosol, transforming it in different ways in different sectors of catena. On micro-elevation the Holocene diagenesis is minimal and consists in fragmentation by mesofauna, additional penetration of carbonates in the upper horizon of the paleosol. At the bottom of the micro-depression the Bryansk paleosol is the most transformed, and the entire profile of the Bryansk soil turned into illuvial horizon of the Holocene meadow-chernozem soil.

НЕОТЕКТОНИЧЕСКИЙ ПРОГНОЗ РАЗВИТИЯ ВИСЛИНСКОЙ КОСЫ БАЛТИЙСКОГО МОРЯ

Any prediction relies on the accepted starting positions. At present with regard to coastal accumulative forms the forecast of their development is usually based on the ideas of increasing the sea level and stocks of the corresponding material. But in regional geosystems neotectonic conditions are an important and often a determining factor. The study of neotectonics of any territory is more productive if its location is considered taking into account the historical evolution and the general geological and geographic situation of the corresponding region. This fully applies to the area location of the Vistula Spit. Geotectonically it is confined to the southeastern wing of the Gdańsk depression, which complicates large hemisyneclise, in the bed of which the Baltic Sea water area was formed as the last stage of the Valdai glaciation receded and subsequently merged with the World Ocean. During the transgression a chain of alongs horebars were formed, that gave rise to the Vistula barrier beach. In connection with the construction of the Baltic (Pillaus) canal the fragment of the transplant located to the north of it is represented by the Pillaus peninsula and its largest southern part functions as Spit. As a result of the performed studies a cartographic model of the neotectonics of the investigated region is drawn up, where the block structure is shown, within which the Vistula Spit was formed. The forecast of its development in this study is based on an analysis of the structural-tectonic environment and the Holocene kinematics of sea level. It is shown that the eustatic factor will not have a noticeable effect on the evolution of the Spit, at least on the engineering (50-60 years) time scale. There are no catastrophic changes in the development of the coastal part of this accumulative form in almost all its extent during this time, as coastal morphogenesis has adapted to the current situation. An exception is the  its distal part by the canal, where the erosion of the shore can be stopped by the implementation of engineering solutions. In the long term we can expect the collapse of the Kaliningrad Gulf into a number of lakes due to the filling of sediments and a weak tectonic uplift of the territory. Assessing the natural environment of the area we can say that the development of the Vistula Spit gives cause for concern, but not for panic.

Genesis, evolution, and catastrophic burying of the Ryshkovo paleosol of the Mikulino Interglacial (MIS 5e)

The results of a hierarchical morphogenetic, physicochemical, and mineralogical study of the Ryshkovo full-profile texture-differentiated paleosol of the Mikulino Interglacial from the section at Aleksandrov quarry in Kursk oblast are discussed. The correlation analysis of the stratigraphy of this section with global geological records made it possible to determine the position of the Ryshkovo paleosol in the chronostratigraphic system of the Late Pleistocene and to attribute it to stage MIS 5e; the duration of pedogenesis for this paleosol was no more than 12–15 ka. The results of the study indicate that the Ryshkovo paleosol is close in its properties to the Holocene soddy-podzolic soils of the East European Plain. No direct evidences in favor of the former interpretation of this paleosol as a lessivated soil genetically close to Luvisols of nemoral broadleaved forest of Central Europe have been found. The difference between the paleosol of the Mikulino Interglacial and the modern soddy-podzolic soils is mainly related to the distribution of clay coatings. In the upper part of the illuvial horizon of Mikulino paleosol, clay coatings are few in number, and typical tongues of podzolized (albic) material are absent in the profile. At the same time, silty coatings (skeletans) are abundant even in the lower part of the illuvial horizon. In general, the Mikulino paleosol is characterized by a smaller diversity of clay pedofeatures. These differences might be related to less contrasting fluctuations of the environmental conditions in the second half of the Mikulino Interglacial, to the periodical renewal of the eluvial part of Mikulino paleosol by erosional and accumulative processes, and to the absence of anthropogenic impacts on the soil during the Mikulino Interglacial. The burying of the Ryshkovo paleosol took place due to the intense development of erosional processes induced by the contrasting climatic events at the end of the interglacial period accompanied by catastrophic forest fires and sharp cooling of the climate upon the transition to the Valdai glaciation.