Stratigraphy, paleogeography and paleoclimates of the Pleistocene in the north of European Russia

Abstract

The research of the Quaternary in the north of European Russia has been made by using lithological methods for studying composition of deposits and also paleobotanical and paleozoological remains. It allowed to reconstruct landscapes and climates during the Neopleistocene and to establish the stages of environmental history which correspond to sedimentological cycles in the Quaternary sequence. Glaciation centers are identified for different Pleistocene epochs based on lithological criteria. The general tendencies in spatial and temporal variability of the glacial beds composition of different ages were revealed. This allows correlating the glacial deposits. Paleogeography and climatic conditions during interglacial epochs of the Middle–Late Pleistocene and Holocene were reconstructed. Variations in vegetation development, temperature and humidity were found for the first time in Timan-Pechora-Vychegda, Arkhangel’sk and Vologda regions. A conclusion is made about the tendency of climate cooling in the north of European Russia during the Pleistocene.