Preliminary paleoenvironmental analysis and luminescence dating of upper Middle Pleistocene permafrost deposits of the Ulakhan Sular Formation, Adycha River, east Siberia

Murton, Julian B, Opel, Thomas, Toms, Phillip ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2149-046X and Wood, Jamie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0923-5511 (2025) Preliminary paleoenvironmental analysis and luminescence dating of upper Middle Pleistocene permafrost deposits of the Ulakhan Sular Formation, Adycha River, east Siberia. Quaternary Research. doi:10.1017/qua.2024.36 (In Press)

Preview

Text 14760 Murton, Opel, Toms, Wood (2025) Preliminary paleoenvironmental analysis and luminescence dating of upper Middle Pleistoscene permafrost deposits of the Ulakhan Sular Formation, Adycha River, east Siberia.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Ulakhan Sular provides one of the largest natural stratigraphic sections through ancient permafrost deposits in the Batagay–Betenkes region of the Yana Uplands of western Beringia, but their depositional environment, age, and paleoenvironmental significance are uncertain. To address these uncertainties, we report the results of reconnaissance observations of the stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleosols and soil-like bodies, plant and insect macrofossils, and geochronology of the permafrost deposits at the stratotype section of the Ulakhan Sular Formation. Sedimentologically, this formation is dominated by well-sorted, fine to very fine sand that contains fluvial, aeolian, and permafrost sedimentary structures consistent with deposition near the paleo-Adycha River. The fluvio-aeolian deposits have similarities and differences to periglacial fluvio-aeolian and aeolian deposits in modern arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, and Pleistocene deposits in Alaska, China, and northwest Europe. The remarkable thickness of aeolian deposits (~50 m) at Ulakhan Sular is attributed to abundant local sand sources, ample accommodation space, and intensive aeolian transport and deposition. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of quartz sand and post-infrared–infrared dating of K-feldspar sand suggests deposition of the Ulakhan Sular Formation during late Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 or MIS 5. The aeolian sand-sheet deposits are correlated with other cold-climate aeolian sand and silt (loess) deposits in Beringia and southern Siberia, indicating a regional episode of aeolian sand transport and deposition at a similar time to glaciation by the Eastern Siberian Ice Sheet.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Fluvio-aeolian sand deposits; Western Beringia; Ice wedges; Luminescence dating; Syngenetic permafrost; Radiocarbon dating; Siberia; Sand wedges
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Depositing User:	Phillip Toms
Date Deposited:	11 Feb 2025 16:11
Last Modified:	12 Feb 2025 15:00
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/14760

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record