Late Holocene vegetation history and human activity shown by pollen analysis of Novienki peat bog (Kargaly region,Orenburg Oblast,Russia)

The vegetation history of the Kargaly region has been reconstructed on the basis of pollen analysis of archaeological sediments and one peat bog, the only one found during some years of surveying this area. This latter, Novienky peat bog, located in the steppe transition zone, offers an interesting cultural and natural sequence. Palynological analysis reveals several palaeoecological phases from 4300 b.p. (Bronze Age) to the 18th–19th centuries a.d. (Russian period). Metallurgical activities in Kargaly caused deforestation from the Bronze Age onwards that mainly affected the distribution of birch forests in the region. The palaeoclimatic interpretation of the Novienki pollen diagram is based on the observed changes in the pollen curves of Picea (spruce), Pinus (pine), Abies (silver fir) and Betula (birch). These arboreal taxa are regarded as main climate indicators. The chronology is established on a ¹⁴C-dated pollen profile from the lowest peat layer as well as on the regional pollen sequences and archaeological stratigraphies.