WHEN MAMMOTHS WERE MIGRATING THROUGH MORAVIA …..: PALAEOVEGETATION OF WEICHSELIAN PERIOD [Když mamuti Moravou táhli …: paleovegetace poslední doby ledové] JANKOVSKÁ Vlasta Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Poříčí 3b, CZ - 603 00, BRNO, Czech Republic jankovska@brno.cas.cz The presentation was prepared with the support of the project Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Nr. P209/10/0519. The first, accidentally found sediments, dated later to the Last Glacial Period, were taken during the rescue research in the year 1999 at the site Šafárka at Spišská Nová Ves (NE Slovakia). Some time later a similar “natural archive” was obtained from the site Jablůnka (E Moravia, Czech Republic). It was found in the wall of the terrace of the river Bečva after the flood in the year 1997. In 2002 a small block of sediment 28 cm thick was withdrawn here. The performed radiocarbon dating placed the deposited material to the Middle Pleniglacial. This was confirmed also by the results of pollen analysis. In 2007 also a sample of peat taken from the probe drilled down to the depth of 15 m at the site Týn nad Bečvou (E Moravia, Czech Republic) was dated and processed from pollen-analysis point of view. Radiocarbon dating again documented the origin of the sediment from the Middle Pleniglacial as well as the vegetation situation similar to that at the site Jablůnka. mapaKarpaty POLEN GERMANY HUNGARY GERMANY AUSTRIA PRAGUE WIEN BRATISLAVA BUDAPEST The CARPATHIANS The ALPS 4 3 2 1 1 – Šafárka 2 – Sivárňa 3 – Jablůnka 4 – Týn n. Bečvou CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVAK REPUBLIC UKRAINE So the mentioned sediments successfully finished the long-lasting efforts of finding a palaeobotanically positive source of information about vegetation situation in the Last Glacial Period within the area of the former Czechoslovakia. Till that time objective documents for palaeo-reconstruction of vegetation, climate, landscape character, etc. older than those from the Late Glacial were missing. Example of Late Glacial from the locality „Sivárňa“. SI%AP2 ŠAF%08 The results of palaeoecological analyses indicate that the presence of forest communities determined the character of Slovak and Moravian Carpathians in the course of the Last Glacial period, i.e. about from the beginning of the Middle Pleniglacial (about 61 000 – 27 000 BP) till to the end of the Upper Pleniglacial (about 27 000 – 13 000 BP). Example of Middle Pleniglacial vegetation development (reference pollen profile). Cesko Jablůnka Týn n. Bečvou Localization of the two localities in this study on the map of the Czech Republic Jablůnka Týn n. Bečvou Localization of Jablůnka and Týn n. Bečvou JAB1 JBK2_A JBK2b JBK3 JABLŮNKA (E Moravia, Czech Republic) [49°23'N; 17°57'E; 350 m a.s.l.] stratigraphic Sample uncalibrated position calibrated BP calibrated BC Laboratory peat 39 746 ± 2 132 depth 4 cm 43 830 ± 1 590 41 880 ± 1 590 Erl-5837 peat 44 872 ± 1 230 depth 10 cm 48 090 ± 1 620 46 140 ± 1 620 Erl-4531 compact peat 35 300 ± 1 800 unknown 39 460 ± 2 010 37 510 ± 2 010 Poz-33664 twig 43 000 ± 2 000 unknown 46 510 ± 2 010 44 560 ± 2 040 Poz-33846 Týn nad Bečvou 1_DMU_25_CR_geol Vsetín Olomouc Zlín Hranice Trenčín Žilina Ostrava 3DHelf3 47460 ± 1720 cal. yr BP holocén Palaeoreconstruction of the land slides situation at Týn n. Bečvou (wiev from SW) • hluboký polycyklický rotační kerný sesuv; • vznik týlní deprese za rotovanou krou; • dvě odlišitelné fáze pohybu tělesa sesuvu (2 generace týlních depresí); • mezi nimi fáze geliflukce a mělkých sesuvů a ploužení vyplňujících původní depresi klastickými svahovinami Orig.: I.Baroň Týn n. Bečvou [49°30'36,95"N; 17°36'57"E; 370 m a.s.l. NE Moravia – Czech Republic]. Peat sample from the depth of 15 m under soil surface was obtained by the boring of the water well. The rich pollen spectrum with lot of pollen grains of Pinus cembra and Larix was found. Age of this stone pine-larch taiga was: 44.200 ± 1.400 uncal. BP = 47.460 ± 1.720 cal. BP . tyn ' Tyn1 Tyn2 Tyn4 sejmout0041 Týn n. Bečvou – Late Glacial and Holocene Photo:V.Jankovská mamut 1 Palaeoreconstruction of landscape character during the Middle Pleniglacial. Transect: Maleník-Moravská brána Gate – Jeseníky Mts. Orig.: Museum of Inst. of Botany Kraków TÝN NAD BEČVOU (E Moravia, Czech Republic) [49°30'36,95''N; 17°36'57''E; 370 m a.s.l.] stratigraphic Sample uncalibrated position calibrated BP calibrated BC Laboratory the depth 15 m peat 44 200 ± 1 400 under soil surface 47 460 ± 1 720 45 510 ± 1 720 Poz-18738 The age of the sediments from the mentioned Moravian sites goes back mainly to OIS 3 (MIS 3). The climate is characterized as transitory, mildly warm with fluctuations of cold periods of various extent (Musil 2005). From the archaeological point of view the mentioned character of vegetation occurred in the Moravian territory – the Carpathians, Moravian gate, the Jeseníky mountains – since the beginning to the Middle up to the Upper Palaeolithic. This was the period when human societies of Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens were meeting in the Central Europe. Both big and minute glacial forest and non - forest fauna was numerous in those times. For example: Mammuthus primigenius Ursus spaeleus Canis lupus Coelodonta antiquitatis Ursus arctos Gulo gulo Equus germanicus Megaloceros Felix sylvestris Crocuta spaelea Bos primigenius Lepus timidus Panthera leospaelea Bison bonasus Microtus sp. div. Panthera pardo Lynx lynx Lemus sp.div. The results of the pollen analyses reveal that coniferous taiga was predominant within the region of the Moravian, same as in larger Slovakian Carpathians. It had mostly the aspect of light larch taiga with copiously represented stone pine. Correct evaluation of the occurrence of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) is problematic. Its relatively high pollen finds could be influenced also by the fall-out of pollen grains of the dwarf pine (Pinus mugo). The different composition of the forest growths in relation with the altitude gradient shall be taken in consideration. In lower altitudes, namely around 350 m a.s.l., both stone pine and Scotch pine were frequent in the larch growths. Also spruce (Picea) occurred as an admixture there. Higher altitudes of the Carpathians (and evidently also in the Jeseníky Mts.) could be covered with larch forest-tundra, and also with mountainous tundra on the highest ranges. As a whole, during the Middle Pleniglacial, the Carpathian forests were of the character of the present-day continental Siberian taiga. Difference was, however, in the probable but very limited occurrence of some climatically more demanding broad-leafed trees (Tilia - lime, Quercus - oak, Ulmus - elm, Acer - hornbeam, Corylus - hazel) in refugia. Limestone territories could be friendly to them from pedological and geomorphological points of view. Alpinska hranice lesa Larix sibirica Polar Ural Mts.- Perevalnoye Lake Alpine tree limit with Larix sibirica Nojabrsk Pinus cembra Palsa s Pinus cembra NW Siberia: Polar tree limit in the forest tundra of the Jamal peninsula with Larix sibirica NW Siberia-Noyabrsk region: Pinus sibirica grows on permafrost of high palsas NW Siberia (Noyabrsk): Northern taiga at polar circle with Larix sibirica, Pinus sibirica and Alnus viridis Photo:V.Jankovská Some photo examples from W Siberia Švýcarsko 2003 Švýcarsko 2003-Rhöna glacier „Aletsch Forest“ with Larix decidua and Pinus cembra at the Aletsch Glacier (Switzerland). Larix at the Rhôna Glacier (Switzerland) Examples of present-day Larix – Pinus cembra stands from Central Europe Photo: V.Jankovská Photo: V.Jankovská Taiga - forest with the dominate Pinus sibirica (P.cembra) in the walley of the Terekhyul riwer (W Siberia) ---- 1 Photo: S.Burkanov Črn1 Example of the Late Glacial from Central Moravia (ČERNOVÍR at Olomouc) stratigraphic Sample uncalibrated position calibrated BP calibrated BC Laboratory Pinus-wood 12 060 ± 337 205 cm 14 240 ± 520 12 290 ± 520 CU- Conclusions In the Last Glacial period – in Middle Pleniglacial of Moravian W Carpathians – prevailed in the study territory coniferous taiga of the different types. During cool phases dominated Larix, Betula, partly Pinus cembra and mayby Pinus mugo. In climaticaly more favourable phases (higher temperature and humidity) there was here a higher presence of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus cembra, Picea and Alnus. It isn't excludede very sporadic presence of climaticaly more demanding deciduous trees, surviving in refuges too. Prevailing forest communities of different taiga types were passing in to larch – forest tundra with higher altitudes. Mountain tundra was cowering, the summit parts of mountain ranges. Allong the rivers and brooks were wet meadows and shrubwoods with Salix, Betula, maybe also with Hippophaë, etc. Slovrnsko 2004, reliktni porosty Larix na extremnich biotopech, nize Picea Thank you for your attention