The paper concerns the complex study of pedogenic and magnetic characteristics of unpolluted soil profiles from Ukraine (3 profiles, of which two represent chernozem and one kastanozem) and Poland (1 profile of chernozem), all with loess parent material. Two of the profiles were situated further south than the other two. The "southern" zone is characterized by lower precipitation rate and higher annual temperatures than the "northern" zone. Depth variations of magnetic properties obtained with various methods were compared with pedogenic characteristics. The common characteristic of all profiles is enhancement of susceptibility in their upper parts related to the presence of superparamagnetic/single-domain grains of maghemite/oxidized magnetite of pedogenic origin. However, variations of magnetic characteristics measured down depth profiles differ between profiles probably due to differences in climatic conditions and, perhaps, parent loess.

Ground squirrels were an important member of the Pleistocene steppe-tundra mammal community. They evolved ecological specialisations and exhibit behaviours that make them particularly informative subjects to study palaeoenvironmental constraints affecting species distribution and speciation. Interspecific competition and isolating geographical barriers are considered as the principal factors that define species range boundaries.The present paper provides a first comprehensive compilation of the living and extinct Spermophilus species in Europe. These data suggest 'patchwork quilt' model for the expansion and spatial distribution of ground squirrel species. Here we consider mainly small-sized Spermophilus species because large-sized (e.g., S. superciliosus) ground squirrels consist another 'patchwork quilt', which overlap the first one. This overlapping of the species ranges is possible because of the size difference that lowers interspecific competition (Hutchinson's rule).We consider two main types of range boundaries. One type includes roughly 'sub-parallel' boundaries that oscillate in concert with climatic and vegetational changes (a case of climatically controlled competitive exclusion). The other type consists of roughly 'sub-meridional' boundaries corresponding to geographical barriers (e.g., water barriers, mountain ridges); these boundaries are rather stable. Examples of 'sub-parallel range modifications include: oscillations of boundaries between S. pygmaeus and S. suslicus; the immigration of S. citellus into the Pre-Carpathian area; the branching of S. suslicus from S. pygmaeus; the regional appearance of the Late Pleistocene species S. severskensis and S. citelloides. Examples of 'sub-meridional events' are: the crossing of the Danube by S. citellus; the appearance of an isolated population of S. pygmaeus on right bank of the Dnieper during the Late Pleistocene to Middle Holocene; a crossing of the Dnieper river by S. pygmaeus, which resulted in the appearance of S. odessanus; the intrusion of eastern populations of S. pygmaeus into the Trans-Volga areas.

The set of geophysical methods employed above ground and inside Verteba Cave Eneolithic Trypillian Culture Site (Ukraine) includes magnetic survey, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and ground‐penetrating radar (GPR). The above‐ground geophysical study was aimed at the recognition of lateral and vertical distribution of sulfate karst landforms and archaeological targets. In‐cave measurements were made to prospect archaeological remains in loose infill and unknown voids. The round and oval‐shaped magnetic anomalies with dimensions of 10–25 m and maximum intensity of 15–20 nT are caused by old refilled collapse dolines that were discovered over the cave. The magnetic survey proved the absence of Trypillian culture houses on the surface and the presence of buried archaeological objects in the cave. 2D ERT imaging revealed the vertical structure of karstic collapse dolines, the thickness of the sedimentary layer over gypsum, as well as loamy cave infill. ERT was capable of detecting the void in gypsum by resistivity enhancement up to several thousand ohm‐meters. The underground GPR survey of cave walls provided information about possible vertical air−gypsum and loam−gypsum interfaces within the gypsum layer. The prospective areas for future archaeological excavations and the possible location of undiscovered cavities were outlined on the basis of geophysical results.

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The paper presents the results of palaeomagnetic studies of Quaternary noncemented deposits from the section of Neporotove on the VIIIth terrace of the Dniester River valley with abnormal thickness (more than 20 m) of the channel alluvium near the village of Neporotove, located on the right bank of the Dniester River. Alluvial facies of river terraces’ deposits are valuable palaeogeographic archives but not quite complete. They are affected by denudation and often do not contain fossils. The possible way for their dating is provided by a palaeomagnetic method performed on suitable for sampling underlying and overlying beds. The alluvial sequence consists of four units. Unit I is composed of inclined gravel-pebble layers with the sand filler with a visible thickness of about 8 m. Unit II has bedded over the denudated surface of Unit I; it consists of light-yellow laminated aleurit loam, 5-30 cm thick underlaid by 0.5-1.5 bed of fine sand. We consider Unit II to be lacustrine deposits accumulated in quiet water. Unit III is represented with inclined or sub-horizontally layered gravel-pebble-boulder deposits with up to 10 m of visible thickness. It includes boulders and blocks of sedimentary rocks up to 1.0 in diameter, considered as drop-stones. In the roof of the gravel-pebble Unit III, there is the white carbonate layer, probably, the illuvial horizon of the palaeosol (mr1), which transited up into the brownish-red horizon A (Unit IV). Unit IV – dark-red sandy-gravel horizon, pedosediment, probably partly the reworked material washed into ice wages in the roof of Unit III. As a result of alternating field stepwise demagnetisation of natural remanence of sediments, we determined that loamy Unit II, which separates members of gravel stratum, and sandy Unit IV, which overlays packs of gravel alluvium, bear characteristic remanent magnetisation (RM) with normal geomagnetic polarity. Taking into consideration lithology and two-fold structure of terrace gravel alluvium as well as palaeomagnetic results, we assume the lacustrine deposits of Unit II was formed during Jaramillo palaeomagnetic subchron corresponding to the end of Shyrokyne Stage, and a pedosediment of Unit IV was formed during Martonosha Stage. The upper alluvial suite of a terrace (Unit III) was generally deposited during a cold stage,directly prior to the onset of lacustrine loam sedimentation, while the lower alluvial member (Unit I) dates from the preceding warm stage. Thus, we defined the geological age of the whole channel alluvium strata of the VIIIth Dniester terrace as Shyrokyne-Pryazovya Stage.

The paper presents the outcome of the magnetic survey at the settlement and cemetery of the production center of the 3rd—5th centuries, Komariv (Khotyn district, Chernivtsi region), which is located on the right bank of the Dniester. The settlement has about seventy anomalies that may have an archaeological origin. The archaeological study of individual anomalies has confirmed, as expected, the reliability of geophysical interpretation of thermal structures (kilns, furnaces) and living and production dugouts deepened into the loess parent rock. Magnetic imaging at the cemetery showed about eight tens of local anomalies with an intensity of 1.5—4.5 nT. Excavations of some anomalies revealed the Early Iron Age dugout and two Late Roman graves. However, the other two excavated graves did not cause disturbance of magnetic field. Laboratory measurements of magnetic susceptibility, natural remanent magnetization and other concentration-dependent and grain-size-dependent parameters of the ferromagnetic phase, as well as magnetic mineralogy examination have shown that grave pits, which appeared on a magnetic map, are refilled almost exclusively with humus soil material. Magnetic modeling proved graves can create measured anomalies if their magnetization is equal to the magnetization of the humus horizon of the soil. Thus, these grave pits were left open and gradually refilled with moist soil material. In particular, conditions have been created for the formation of detrital remanence. When restoring the spatial structure of Komariv sites based on magnetic prospecting results, it is necessary to take into account probable multilayered structure of monuments, geomorphological features of the area, which can be misinterpreted as archeological objects, and the fact that important examples of ancient architecture constructed of non-magnetic materials and grave pits refilled immediately after digging will be absent on magnetic maps.