The paleosol (MIS 5e), Late Moscow loess (MIS 6), and buried small erosional landforms in the Taneyev quarry of the Kursk region were studied. Determination of the age and conditions of formation of the parent rock and a texturally differentiated soil was made for the Ryshkovo paleosol of the Mikulino Interglacial (MIS 5e) in the center of the East European Plain. Macro- and micromorphological analysis of the selected profile, spore-pollen analysis were carried out, the OSL age and physico-chemical properties were determined, and a facial analysis for a catena was carried out, making it possible to detail the history of the development of small erosional landforms, soils and landscapes. It can conclude that the differentiation of the profile of the studied paleosol into Ah–E–Bt horizons is a product of the Mikulino interglacial, but the prerequisites for such differentiation – the formation of parent rock, were created by slope and permafrost processes back in the Moscow Late Glacial. The lithological matrix of the Ryshkovo paleosol did not remain unchanged due to the different history of interaction of such groups of processes as aeolian, slope (solifluction and colluvial) sedimentation, initial and interglacial soil formation.

The Ryshkovo paleosol of the Mikulino Interglacial (MIS 5e), Late Moscow loess (MIS 6), and buried small erosional landforms were studied in the Taneyev Quarry of Kursk oblast, in the center of the East European Plain. Macro- and micromorphological and palynological analyses of the soil samples were carried out, and the OSL age and physicochemical properties were determined. The history of erosional landforms, soils, and landscapes was reconstructed on the basis of the facial analysis of the paleosol catena. It was concluded that the differentiation of the paleosol profile into the Ah–E–Bt horizons was developed during the Mikulino Interglacial, whereas the initial heterogeneity of the parent material had been formed earlier, during the Late Moscow (Saalian) Glaciation, under the impact of slope and cryogenic processes. The lithological matrix of the Ryshkovo paleosol did not remain unchanged due to the different history of interaction of eolian and slope (solifluction and colluvial) processes, initial pedogenesis, and interglacial soil formation.

In 2011, in the Aleksandrov quarry (Kursk oblast, Russia), the Ryshkovo pedolithocomplex of the Mikulino (Eemian) Interglacial (MIS-5e) was studied. It includes three to four soil profiles separated by humified pedosediments. The lower soil is an eroded gray forest soil, the two middle soils ones are meadow soils at the bottom of the ravine and a soddy-podzolic soil on the paleoslope, and the upper soil is an underdeveloped soil with elements of forest pedogenesis. Morphological, physicochemical, and microbiomorphic studies of the pedolithocomplexes on the slope and in the bottom of the buried coastal ravine filled with colluvial and alluvial–colluvial sediments made it possible to reconstruct at least three pedogenic and four morpholithogenic stages in MIS-5e, which significantly detailed the event history of the interglacial. In the profile of the Ryshkovo pedolithocomplex, the buried humus horizon of the lower gray forest soil is clearly visible reflecting warmer climatic conditions of the first half of the last completed interglacial in comparison with its second half. Soil formation in trans-accumulative landscapes was repeatedly interrupted by erosion–accumulation processes, which reflects the instability (rhythmicity) of the climatic situation during the Mikulino interglacial and correlates well with detailed records from other geological archives.

The discovery of the Bayraki site in Transnistria showed how far from the ancestral homeland—the African continent—and how early (more than a million years ago) the ancestors of fossil man appeared in this region—in the basin of the lower Dniester. Six layers of Early Paleolithic artifacts were found in the section of the parking lot, both in the alluvial and the cover complex of the VII terrace of the Dniester. In the structure of the upper loess-soil strata, three paleosols of the lower and Middle Pleistocene and several levels of paleovresis are distinguished. The age-varying buried small erosive forms made it possible to clarify the number and stratigraphic position of the horizons of finds and paleosols. The two upper horizons of the Acheulian finds are associated with the medium reddish-brown paleosol and its pedosediment. The four lower horizons—the most ancient—are Oldovan, associated with different facies of the alluvial complex. People began to inhabit the floodplain of the Dniester River about 1 million years ago, repeatedly returning to almost the same place for a long time.

A study of landscape and climate changes over the last 14000 cal year BP in Northern Mongolia is presented in the paper, based on a comprehensive analysis of friable sediments and seventeen AMS 14C dates from two sections in the Orkhon River basin. The Orkhon and Darkhan sections are located in similar geomorphological conditions on the first above-floodplain river terrace but have some differences. The Orkhon section is located directly at the riverbed, not far from the mountain range, while the Darkhan section is located in a ravine that cuts the terrace surface, at a distance from the river and mountains. This geomorphological difference causes the completeness and complexity of the paleoarchives in the studied sections. Both sections have a thick soil-sediment sequence with several heterochronous paleosols separated by sediments of varying genesis (mainly aeolian and fluvial). The paleosols were formed during periods of slow relief transformation, reflecting the most optimal bioclimatic conditions. The interlaying sediments (sandy-silty layers) display the phases of soil degradation due to frequent droughts and increased aeolian processes, with sporadic and catastrophic rainfalls (horizontally and lenticularly layered strata with a large amount of detritus and gravel). According to our data, the soil profile that was formed in the Late glacial period is characterized by a humid type of soil formation, and according to palynological data, meadow vegetation was widespread. In the Early Holocene, there was one stage of optimal conditions (increased heat and moisture) proper for soil development in Northern Mongolia. In the Middle Holocene, there are at least three stages. Finally, there were two stages with increased climate humidity in the Late Holocene. In the Early Holocene, Northern Mongolia had more humid forest-steppe conditions, which were replaced by steppe conditions in the Middle Holocene, when the climate changed more significantly. An expansion of forest vegetation (pine forests), probably on the northern slopes, is noted in the pollen spectra of Middle Holocene soils. Steppe and semi-desert landscapes predominated. Several stages of enhanced aridization were reconstructed: about 3800-4000, between 8400-8000 years BP. In the Darkhan section, the period of 8394-2775 years was a significant hiatus in soil formation. About 50 cm of sand accumulated over 5600 years, and there are no soils in this layer. Plausibly, the surface was essentially denudated before the second paleosol formation. At the same time, the Orkhon section accumulated aeolian sediment more than 70 cm thick. It suggests the existence of a period of severe droughts at the end of the Middle Holocene (after 3000 years BP). In the Late Holocene, climate humidification was reconstructed, when meadow steppes predominated again. The uppermost paleosol in the Darkhan section was formed in the second half of the Late Holocene.

The history of the early Middle Pleistocene small mammal faunas of Eastern Europe is very complicated. The early Middle Pleistocene which spanned from the Brunhes-Matuyama transition (772.9 ka BP, within MIS 19) till the beginning of the Likhvin Interglacial (424 ka BP, MIS 11) includes a number of interglacials and glaciations. Rodent species of the Tiraspolian faunal assemblage were found in the Chaudian fluvial deposits of the Cape Pekla section (northern coast of the Taman Peninsula). The evolutional level of the Pekla rodents are similar to those from the stratotype section of the Tiraspolian faunal assemblage in the Kolkotova Balka in Moldova (MIS 17) , which includes Eolagurus sp., Mimomys savini, Microtus (Terricola) arvalidens, Microtus (Alexandromys) ex gr. oeconomus and other species. The Pekla fauna also resembles the rodent fauna from famous English West Runton Freshwater Bed locality formed during the Cromerian Interglacial II and some other East and West European faunas. In the current work the entire loess-paleosol sequence of the Pekla section was described with five paleosols from the Middle to the Late Pleistocene. The sequence reflects the complexity of climatic fluctuations from the early Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene.

The history of the development of landscapes and land-use systems on the northern border of the forest-steppe zone of Russia (basin of the Tuskar River, Kursk region) is reconstructed. A multidisciplinary approach includes geomorphological, lithological, paleopedological, micromorphological, radiocarbon, paleobotanical (spore-pollen, carpological, pedoanthrocological) analyzes in the study of soil-sedimentation archives of floodplains (Shumskaya section), slopes (Pereverzevo section), and ravines (Senovaya gully section). The sequences of sediments and soils within accumulative and trans-accumulative archives are one of the most complete and reliable sources of information not only about climate changes, the evolution of ecosystems in the Holocene but also about the history of land use. The formation of a floodplain and a new ravine-gully network in the Late Ice Age backfilled the geomorphological basis for Holocene landscapes. Alluvium, proluvium, and colluvium partially filled the Late Pleistocene floodplain and ravine. In the early Holocene, with limited sedimentation, a well-developed soil, Luviс Gleyic Phaeozem, formed on the stable surface of the newly formed landforms. Its 14C-age is 8.1-8.7 ka yrs cal BP. This paleosol is widespread not only in the forest-steppe area of the Russian Plain but throughout the world. At the beginning of the middle Holocene, during droughts, as a result of strong fires and increased erosion, this paleosol in the floodplains and bottoms of ravines was buried by alluvium and colluvium. An episode of afforestation of the area is also noted. The slopes were covered with deciduous forests with oak and linden. This led to the formation of Gleyic Cutanic Luvisol (Humic, Siltic), as evidenced by the humus-clay cutans in the Ah horizon and degradation of Phaeozem. Strong fires during droughts periodically resumed and were accompanied by a subsequent catastrophic increase in runoff and accumulation of colluvium in the bottoms of ravines. They happened around 8.1, 7.4, and 5.2 ka yrs cal BP, as evidenced by the finds of oak coals, and ferruginous-manganese nodules with a carbonaceous core in colluvial loams. The oak was preserved on the slopes, while other parts of the catchment were essentially treeless. In the late Holocene, the afforestation process intensified. However, about 2.8-2.5 ka years ago, arable farming began to spread in the studied area. In the immediate vicinity of the study site, there were settlements and numerous villages of the Scythian culture population. Deforestation and plowing of land with wooden ralo (ancient Slavic plow) caused slight soil erosion and accumulation of agro-colluvium in the bottoms of the ravines and on the floodplain. With the appearance of iron parts on wooden ralo, the plowing depth increased. Due to the increase of population since the beginning of the new era (4-5 centuries AD), the catchments were cleared for arable land. The onset of continuous erosion and intensive redeposition of the soil mass containing pollen of weeds and cultivated cereals correlates chronologically with the expansion of the population of the Chernyakhov culture into this region. Since that time, the agricultural use of the catchment area and anthropogenic deforestation has continued. The study was supported by the RFBR, project N19-29-05024mk.

Loess deposits are widely spread all over Eastern Europe, extending as far south as the Sea of Azov and the northern Black Sea. For many decades these regions have been noted for series of key sections. However, despite prolonged investigations, a lack of absolute dating and detailed lithological data has left many unresolved problems in the correlation of the regional stratigraphic schemes. In this study, integrated studies were undertaken on the loess-paleosol sequence exposed on the northern coast of the Taman Peninsula, separating the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea. The exposure in the coastal scarp near Cape Pekla was sampled in detail for standard lithological and stratigraphic analyses, and for the first time, detailed data on the sediments lithology and petromagnetic properties were obtained, as well as the first optically stimulated luminescence age estimates. The data lead us to conclude that the formation of continental series exposed in the Pekla section started at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. There are five well pronounced buried soil complexes (PS 1–5) exposed in the sequence, covering sedimentation from the Middle Pleistocene to the present day. We attribute two lower paleosols (PS 4 and PS 5) to two main warm intervals of the Middle Pleistocene – MIS 9 and MIS 13, and the Kamenka interglacial paleosol, correlated with MIS 7 from other parts of the Azov loess area, is represented in the Pekla section by a sand layer formed at the time of the marine transgression dated to interval 220–280 ka (MIS 7). The upper soil horizons (PS1, PS2 and PS3) developed between 20 and 220 ka. The Pekla section contains a considerable proportion of sand fraction – presumably, due to active eolian processes that developed in immediate vicinities of sources of the material. The paleosol characteristics and the structure of loess horizons in the Pekla subaerial series differ considerably from the well described loess-paleosol series of the Northern Azov Sea coasts. In all probability, this region of the Taman Peninsula belongs to a specific province located south of the North Azov loess-soil province.

Paleosols interbedded with pyroclastic deposits have been proven to be an important paleoenvironmental proxy for the late Quaternary in Central Mexico. We studied a key upland section and several profiles on the slopes and lowlands of the Tlaxcala Block, assuming that the topographic variability of the soil-sedimentary mantle contains the complete record of the landscape history. The upland section included three paleosols separated by tepetates (compact volcanic pedosediments) and reflected a general trend of environmental evolution during the last 40 ka. Particle-size distribution, bulk chemical composition, magnetic characteristics, computed tomography, and micromorphological observations demonstrated a strong seasonality of paleoclimate at the end of MIS3, followed by cool wet conditions during the last glacial maximum, subsequent warming at the beginning of the Holocene, and drying during the last 3 ka. It was shown that tepetates had well-developed pedogenetic features that contribute to the paleosol record. The studied slope and lowland profiles reflected the main phases of geomorphic activity in the terminal Pleistocene and the early Holocene. These phases are linked to paleoclimate fluctuations in Central Mexico at the end of the last glaciation.

The study of the stratified Lower Paleolithic site of Bairaki demonstrated that human ancestors appeared in the south of the East European Plain over a million years ago and were present at this site for over 500 thousand years. The Bairaki site is located in the extensive terrace system of the Dniester and is confined to the 7th Kitskany terrace. Six horizons of Lower Paleolithic finds were discovered in the section. The most ancient ones related to the Oldowan technology are found in different facies of the alluvial complex. Three paleosols of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene were distinguished within the loess-paleosol mantle overlying the alluvium of the 7th Dniester terrace, which is associated with the Early Paleolithic finds. Buried small erosional forms of different age allowed us to clarify the number and stratigraphic position of both artifact-bearing levels and paleosols. The regional trend of soil formation during this long period indicates the increasing climatic aridization and cooling as evidenced by changes from subtropical to warm temperate paleosols. Bairaki is the only multilayered site of such an early age known in Eastern Europe.

The landscapes of the Volga-Oka right bank are currently changed by human activity considerably. Most of the forests have been cleared and only preserved in the upper reaches of the ravines and on the valley slopes. The soils are largely eroded. The zone of deciduous forests has actually turned into a natural-agricultural area. A geoarchaeological study carried out jointly with archaeologists from Nizhny Novgorod in the area of the ancient Russian sites of Mordvina Gora and Podvyazye 1 made it possible to determine the beginning and maximum of anthropogenic impact on landscapes, which caused catastrophic changes in biota, soils, and landforms. During the existence of the ancient Russian settlements of the 14th century in the study area, mixed and broad-leaved tree species grew on light gray forest and sod-podzolic soils (Retisols). The houses were built from oak and spruce. At first, the development of landscapes by the ancient Russian population proceeded along the banks of small and large rivers. Starting from the 14th century and especially sharply since the 18th century, accelerated anthropogenic soil erosion manifested itself. On the watersheds and slopes, the upper part of the soil profile (up to the Bt2 horizon) was destroyed by erosion. As a result, watersheds and slopes decreased by no less than 40-60 cm. Coastal ravines and microdepressions were almost completely filled with colluvium. Mordvin's gully has turned into a flat-bottomed ravine. The sediment thickness in the bottom of the ravine reaches 4.5 m. The depth of dismemberment has decreased by 4-5 m. The relics of the Ah and AE horizons of gray forest soils (Retisols) have been preserved only in a buried state on the slopes and in the bottoms of depressions. The reasons for the described ecological catastrophe are associated with the imposition of anthropogenic impact (deforestation and plowing of land) on an unfavorable natural background - climate change towards humidification and cooling (wet phase preceding the Little Ice Age). Throughout the forest zone of the Russian Plain in the 14th century, the strategy of placing settlements has been changed. From the riverside settlements were relocated to watersheds since the former habitats - floodplains and low terraces became unsuitable for settlement due to frequent floods and high standing groundwater. Since that time, the widespread development of watersheds has been taking place for the first time. For life support, ponds were dug near the settlements or ravines, and gullies were blocked by dams, which were subsequently drained and completely covered by sediments. Accelerated erosion increased significantly in the 18th century due to the further deterioration of the climate during the pessimum of the Little Ice Age, the growth of the agricultural population, and the introduction of the poll tax. It occurred repeatedly with a periodic deceleration of the pace, following low-amplitude climatic rhythms and local factors of agricultural development. This work was supported by RFBR, grant N19-29-05024 mk.

The poster presents preliminary results of multidisciplinary studies of a 5-m section of Middle and Late Pleistocene deposits found in a quarry near the town of Dmitrov, Moscow region. The section includes Moscow fluvioglacial sands, alluvium, lake sapropels, and a layered lens of peat overlain by Valdai cover loams with large cryogenic deformations. The sediments were described and analyzed for pollen, plant macrofossils, and insect remains. The results of pollen analysis suggest that the deposits were formed during the second half of the Mikulino (Eemian) interglacial and during the transition to the Valdai (Weichselian) Glaciation (MIS 5e to MIS 5d). The pollen diagram reflects the replacement of deciduous forests by coniferous forests and the subsequent replacement of closed dark coniferous forests by open communities dominated by birch, shrubs, light-demanding grasses, and Artemisia. Seeds and fruits of wetland and aquatic plants, including endocarps of the extinct species Potamogeton sukaczevii, were found in samples from peat and underlying lake sediments. This may indicate the Mikulino or Early Valdai age of the studied deposits. The entomological fauna indicates the predominance of coastal and marsh species. Environmental conditions were relatively cool, rather characteristic of the late Interglacial. It is expected to obtain micromorphological, physicochemical characteristics of the sediments, as well as OSL dates to clarify the age of the sediments. This work was supported by RFBR, grant N19-29-05024 mk.

The paper presents the results on stratigraphy and chronology of the Late Pleistocene obtained on the basis of both OSL and 14C dating of paleosols and sediments in the Aleksandrov quarry, located in the Central Russian Upland. As this section was confined to the paleo-ravine, its layers reflected multiple alternations of the stages of soil formation, cryogenesis, and sedimentation in the Late Pleistocene. The studied sequence is one of the most detailed soil-sedimentary terrestrial archives in Eastern Europe owing to its specific geomorphological position. The climate changes from the Mikulino interglacial (MIS 5e) to the Holocene (MIS 1) are reflected. The Ryshkovo pedolithic complex (MIS 5e, 127–117 ka) with extremely detailed pedogenetic stages lies at the base of paleodepression. The first Early Valdai cooling, which is reflected by the Seim stratum, has an OSL age of 115 ka. Two interstadial paleosols, Kukuevo and Streletsk, were formed in the Early Valdai time (MIS 5c and MIS 5a). The Mlodat loess separating them has an OSL age of 91 ka. The Middle Valdai is represented by two main interstadial paleosols, Alexandrovka (53 ka BP in 14C) and Bryansk (33 ka BP in 14C). In the filling of the Late Valdai dells, there are zoogenically processed late-glacial loams formed during warming epochs, Bølling and Allerød. The presented chronostratigraphic scheme is compared with analogs obtained for other loess-soil archives of Eastern, Central, and Western Europe.

A detailed pedocryostratigraphic scheme of the Late Pleistocene periglacial region of the East European Plain has been developed on the basis of study of the paleorelief, sediments, paleosols, and cryogenic horizons. OSL and 14C-dating of paleosols and sediments in Aleksandrov quarry and in other sections made it possible to substantiate this scheme and correlate it with analogous ones for different regions of Europe. The loess-paleosol sequence in Aleksandrov quarry (51º05'N, 36º08'E) does not have an analogous with respect to the completeness in the whole East European Plain. In the filling of paleobalka the Ryshkovo paleosol of the Mikulino interglacial (MIS 5e) is observed. Over this paleosol, the Valdai soil-sediment series (MIS 5d – MIS 2) is located. It includes four interstadial soils, two of them of the Early Valdai (Kukuevo and Streletsk ones), and two, sometimes three, of the Middle Valdai (Aleksandrov, Hydrouzel и Bryansk ones). The OSL date, 127 ± 8 ka BP, (beginning of MIS 5e) was obtained for a sample taken from the bottom of the Ryshkovo soil. The interglacial soil is overlain by the Seym layer formed mainly from destroyed and redeposited horizons of this soil. For the upper part of the Seym layer, OSL dates of 115 ± 7 ka BP and 112 ± 20 ka BP were obtained (MIS 5d). But the process of burial of Ryshkovo soil in the bottom of the paleobalka began at the end of the interglacial after a catastrophic forest fire. Large post-permafrost deformations - pseudomorphosis is confined to Selikhovodvor loess - MIS 4 (65 ± 8 ka BP). Two soils occurring between Seym and Selikhovodvor loesses: Kukuevo and Streletsk - Early Valdai (MIS 5c and MIS 5a). For Mlodat loess which separates those two soils (MIS 5b), OSL dates of 91 ± 1 and 89 ± 7 ka BP were obtained. For paleosols of Middle Valdai (MIS 3), 14C-dates were obtained: Aleksandrov (53.742 - 2.124 ka cal BP) and Bryansk soils (37.618 ± 0.668 ka cal BP). For Tuskar loess, which separates Alexandrov and Bryansk soils, OSL dates of 50 ± 3 and 51 ± 3 ka BP were obtained. The new stratigraphic scheme of Late Pleistocene agrees with the ideas of researchers from Eastern, Central, and Western Europe , which allows the following correlations. The identified paleosols correspond to the following intervals: Ryshkovo – Eemian interglacial (127-117 ka BP); Kukuevo to Amersfoort + Brørup – Saint-Germain 1 (105-95 ka BP); Streletsk – Odderade to Saint-Germain 2 (about 85-75 ka BP); Aleksandrov to Oerel (56-53 ka BP); Hydrouzel to Moershoofd – Poperinge (44-45 ka BP) and Hengelo (40-38 ka BP); and Bryansk (33-27 ka BP) to Stillfried B, Denekamp or Grand Bois interstadials. The reconstructed Late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequence has the most similar structure with loess-paleosol sequences of Ukraine, with sequence Dolní Věstonice in Moravia (Czech Republik), Stillfried in Austria and Mainz-Weisenau in the Rhenish area (Germany), and other archives. This work was supported by RFBR, grant N19-29-05024 mk.

Integrated paleogeographic studies have been performed on the loess and soil sequence in the lower reaches of the Orkhon R., northern Mongolia. The samples were taken continuously through the sequence and studied using a broad assortment of field and laboratory analyses. There are five paleosols exposed in the section under study crowned with the present-day soil and separated from each other by loess horizons or proluvial-deluvial deposits. The dating by radiocarbon proved the soil development beginning from the early Holocene. The two lower soils (PS4 and PS5) formed at that interval are noted for the minimum salinity and a considerable content of carbonates. The soils dated to the middle Holocene (PS3 and PS2) contain the least proportion of organic matter and increased salinity, which may be attributed to a dryer climate (even at optimum intervals) than in the early and late Holocene. In common with the present-day soil, the PS1 buried soil is characterized by negligible (or absent) salinity, and a noticeable accumulation of organic matter and carbonates indicative of favorable warm and relatively wet conditions. All the pollen assemblages indicate the dominance of grass vegetation; it may be safely suggested that open meadow and steppe landscapes, occasionally replaced by semi-deserts, prevailed in the considered region during the Holocene.

A catena of the Holocene soils and interstadial Bryansk paleosol has been studied within a small closed depression in the Kazatskaya Steppe on the Central Russian Upland. This depression is located on the territory of the Central Chernozem Biospheric Reserve named after V.V. Alekhin, Kursk oblast, Russia and presumably originated from suffosion processes. The main objective of the work is to find out how the Bryansk paleosol (final phase of MIS 3) changes under the influence of not only the cryogenesis of the Valdai glaciation maximum (MIS 2), but also Holocene soil formation (MIS 1) under different conditions of the modern microrelief within the studied catena. We studied the macro- and micromorphological characteristics, certain physical and chemical properties of the Bryansk paleosol on one hand and those of the superimposed Holocene soil on another, taking into consideration various conditions of the present-day microrelief. The studied catena is a typical component of the landscape and soil cover structure for watersheds of the Central Russian Upland. On the micro-elevation rising 80 cm above the micro-depression bottom, theHaplic Chernozems are developed, on the slope – the Luvic Chernozems, and at the bottom – theStagnic Chernozems. The change of the "normal" profile of paleosol of warm interstadial in final phase of MIS 3 started already in the last stages of its formation. The Bryansk soil is heavily deformed by cryogenic processes during the Valday glaciation maximum (the Vladimir cryogenic horizon, MIS 2). The secondary diagenesis of the Bryansk paleosol is related to the Holocene soil-forming processes. The Holocene soils are superimposed on the Middle Valday Bryansk paleosol, transforming it in different ways in different sectors of catena. On micro-elevation the Holocene diagenesis is minimal and consists in fragmentation by mesofauna, additional penetration of carbonates in the upper horizon of the paleosol. The micromorphological analysis showed that the fragmentation of soil mass by mezofauna is very significant, humus is abundant in the form of brown spots (organo-mineral complexes), and calcite is completely immersed into the clay fine material. The largest in size but rare grains of sparite have an unusual shape and probably biogenic origin. At the bottom of the micro-depression the Bryansk paleosol is the most transformed, and the entire profile of the Bryansk soil turned into illuvial horizon of the Holocene meadow-chernozem soil. At the micro-level of observation the clay fine material of the Bryansk soil is strongly consolidated (close c/f related distribution), has signs of anisotropy: circular, grano- and crosstriated b-fabric, the mineral grains are almost invisible and have the dimension of fine dust, very thin Fe- clay coatings in the pores, Fe spots are scattered over the fine clay material, and very characteristic of the presence of many black and sometimes transparent with a black border cube-shaped minerals (whewellite, weddellite?) which fill plant residues in the pores. This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research; project N 19-29-05024 mk.

Проведены палеомагнитные исследования микулино-ранневалдайских (МИС 5) почв и отложений Среднерусской возвышенности. Отбор образцов для измерения магнитной восприимчивости К и определения естественной остаточной намагниченности Jn выполнялись в непрерывной колонке палеопочв и лессов мощностью 4,5 м, формировавшихся в первую половину позднего плейстоцена (128–65 тысяч лет назад). В верхней части ранневалдайских отложений с возрастом по ОСЛ – 115±7 ka BP (МИС 5d), установлен эпизод обратной намагниченности, вероятно, связанный с концом экскурса Блейк. Завершение экскурса Блейк совпало с похолоданием, наступившим после завершения микулинского межледниковья. Величина магнитной восприимчивости К максимальна для гумусового горизонта межледниковой рышковской палеопочвы (МИС 5e) и его педоседимента, имеющего следы сильного пожара. Распределение К по профилю палеопочв аналогично с распределением для сходных по генезису современных почв. Paleomagnetic studies of the Mikulino-Early Valdai (MIS 5) soils and sediments of the Central Russian upland were carried out. Sampling for measuring the magnetic susceptibility to and determining the natural residual magnetization of Jn was performed in a continuous column of paleosols and loess with a thickness of 4.5 m, formed in the first half of the Late Pleistocene (128–65 thousand years ago). In the upper part of the Early Valdai sediments with an age of OSL – 115±7 ka BP (MIS 5d), an episode of reverse magnetization was established, probably associated with the end of the Blake excursion. The end of the Blake excursion coincided with a cold snap that occurred after the end of the Mikulino interglacial. The magnitude of the magnetic susceptibility to is maximal for the humus horizon of the interglacial Ryshkovo paleosol (MIS 5e) and its pedosediment, which has traces of a strong fire. The distribution of K in the paleosol profile is similar to the distribution for modern soils with similar genesis.