Variations in geomorphological dynamics in the northern Khangai Mountains, Mongolia, since the Late Glacial period

Klinge, Michael; Schneider, F.; Frechen, Manfred; Sauer, Daniela

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108113

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…This dating indicates the ages of the trees that burned in an upslope position during distinct fire events. Two IRSL ages at around 10 ka from intermediate yellowish sand layers pointed to the time of primary eolian deposition further upslope before this sand was transported downslope by colluvial and/or periglacial processes that occurred after 3.3 ka (Klinge et al, 2022). Permafrost occurred at a depth of > 90 cm.…”

Section: Soil Profiles and Dating Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Carbon-14 dating of charred material and SOM provided calibrated ages of between 2.7 and 0.45 ka, whereas eolian material yielded an IRSL age of 12.1 ka. The time-depth inconsistency of the ages may be due to colluvial, cryoturbation and solifluction processes (Klinge et al, 2022).…”

Section: Soil Profiles and Dating Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to these conditions, tree regrowth on burned sites strongly depends on soil hydrological properties and occurs irregularly (Schneider et al, 2021). Forest distribution in the study area since 9.5 ka has been shown by Unkelbach et al (2021), and fire intensity increased after 4.5 ka (Klinge et al, 2022). Epilobium angustifolium is a common fire indicator that spreads in burned forests (Khapugin et al, 2016).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Organic matter from paleosols and humic layers was used for 14 C dating, whereas intermediate eolian layers were analyzed by infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating. Details on dating methods and soil properties and results for geomorphological processes were published by Klinge et al (2022). All 14 C ages are given as calibrated 14 C ages in thousands of years before present (ka BP) here.…”

Section: Soil Sampling and Datingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geomorphological mapping and investigation of soil profiles for reconstruction of Holocene landscape development comprise a general aim of the research project (Klinge et al, 2022). As part of the general aim, we intended to evaluate the applicability of macro-charcoal and n-alkanes for reconstruction of past vegetation composition from paleosols and humic layers in the semi-arid forest-steppe region of Mongolia by executing two different approaches for proxy-data analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holocene vegetation reconstruction in the forest–steppe of Mongolia based on leaf waxes and macro-charcoals in soils

Lerch

Unkelbach²,

Schneider³

et al. 2022

E&G Quaternary Sci. J.

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Abstract. Vegetation and climate reconstruction in the forest–steppe of Mongolia is still challenging regarding the pattern of forest and grassland distribution during the Holocene. Different sediments containing paleosols and humic layers provide geomorphological archives for landscape development in Mongolia. n-Alkane and macro-charcoal ratios represent specific indicators to distinguish the share between grasses and trees. In a preliminary study, we investigated the applicability of these two paleo-proxies from soils for vegetation reconstruction comparing different relief positions and site conditions in the northern Khangai Mountains of Mongolia. n-Alkanes that are deposited from leaf waxes in the soil have the potential to indicate vegetation composition on a local scale. Depending on site-specific environmental conditions, n-alkanes are subjected to different degrees of microbiological decomposition, which is more intensive in soils of dry steppe than of forests. Mongolian forests are often underlain by permafrost that may reduce microbiological activity. In steppe soils, the decomposition of n-alkanes increases the quantity of mid-chain n-alkanes that adulterate the biomarker proxy signal to indicate more forest share. Macro-charcoals in soils have a site-specific component, but additional eolian input of macro-charcoals from long-distance transport can provide a distinct proportion in sediments. Thus, eolian influx of wood-derived macro-charcoal can dominate the proxy signal at sites where trees were few or had never existed. Radiometric dating of several paleosols and humic layers has shown that both proxies coincide as evidence for high grassland-to-forest ratios during the Early Holocene. By contrast, the proxy signals diverge for the Late Holocene. For this period, n-alkanes generally indicate more grassland, whereas macro-charcoals show increased wood-derived proportions. We imply that this difference is caused by increased forest fires and simultaneously spreading steppe area. A main portion of leaf waxes and charcoal particles in soils directly derive from the covering and nearby vegetation, whereas large lakes and glacier may receive these biomarkers from a larger catchment area. Thus, we conclude that soil archives provide proxies on a more local and site-specific scale than other archives do. Although the temporal resolution of soil archives is lower than for the other ones, biomarker proxies for paleosols and humic layer can be related to periods of distinct geomorphological processes. Further investigations comparing the multi-proxy data of different geomorphological archives are necessary to improve the paleo-ecological reconstruction for landscape development in Mongolia.

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Section: Soil Profiles and Dating Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Soil Profiles and Dating Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%