Stratigraphy of peat deposits and mire development in the southernpart of the forest zone of Western Siberia in Holocene.

Abstract

This article provides a historical review of the peatlands study in the Middle and South taiga, as well as Subtaiga zone of Western Siberia, and summarizes the data on the structure of peat deposits in mires of the region, accumulated by the senior author over many years of field research (1980-2004). The features of the main types of stratigraphic structure, as well as a description of the development history of peat mires, are given based on a detailed study of macrofossil composition of peat cores and peat sections. Peat cores were selected within the landscape-ecological profiles, covering all relief elements from the raised bogs of the watershed plains to the mires of river valleys and gullies of ancient water runoff in different climatic zones and subzones (Subtaiga, Southern taiga and Middle taiga). The oldest peat deposits are associated with the deep thalwegs and ancient hydrological system. Peat formation started simultaneously within the taiga zone and the present subarctic zone of Western Siberia and reached the high distribution level in Boreal period. The peatlands development process tightly followed the climate humidity in the wet periods, the watershed mires actively developed and floodplain mires development was constrained by the alluvial deposition process; in the dry periods, the floodplain mires developed actively and the watershed mires grow was stagnated.