POLLEN ANALYSIS OF A SEDIMENT CORE (BDP96-1) FROM LAKE BAIKAL

In winter of 1996 a Baikal Drilling Project (BDP) 96-1 was carried out. Sediment core sample were taken at a water depth of 332 m from Academician Ridge in the central area of Lake Baikal in Siberia. The depth of sediment core was 200 m measured from the lake bottom, and the core was estimated by palaeomagnetism to be about 5.1 million years old. Fossil pollen of Tsuga, Lepidobalanus, Ulmaceae, Tillia and Corylus which are not found in the present vegetation in the Baikal area, were recognized in lower layers from about 60 m depth, indicating that the climate of upper parts was colder than the lower parts. Therefore, the Quaternary was colder and drier than the Late Neogene. In subarctic Siberia, it appears that there was fewer total pollen grains dominated by herb pollen in the glacial samples and more total pollen dominated by arboreal pollen in the interglacial samples. It seems that during interglacial the diatom and the total organic matter content increased, and the wet density and the oxygen isotope ratio decreased. In contrast, during the glacial the abundance of diatom and the total organic matter decreased, the wet density and the oxygen isotope ratio increased.

Project Supported:

Clc Number:

Q913.84