Paleogeographic conditions of the Donuzlav Lake formation in the Holocene (Northwestern Crimea)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of paleoclimatic conditions in the Holocene and the influence of anthropogenic factors according to the study of bottom sediments of Lake Donuzlav (Northwestern Crimea). For this purpose, methods of geochemical, granulometric, and spore-pollen analyses of the lake sediments were used. The sediment was sampled using a Russian drill. X-ray spectral fluorescence analysis and calcination loss analysis were conducted to determine the chemical composition of the deposits. The correlation of the paleoclimatic data of sedimentation of lake sediments with the conditions of formation of the cultural layer at the settlement of the late Bronze Age Donuzlav 10 allowed us to establish the living conditions of people. The beginning of sediment formation in the lake Donuzlav belongs to the subboreal period. Changes in the water level in the lake are associated with changes in the climatic factors, mainly changes in climate humidity. At the end of the Subboreal period and the beginning of the Atlantic period, an increase in anthropogenic impact on the watershed is noted. During the same time, late Bronze Age settlements with livestock enclosures developed. Aridization of the climate at the end of the subboreal period led to a decrease in the water level in the lake and an increase in the salinity of the lake.