The New Pleistocene Ulan-Zhalga Key Section in Western Transbaikalia

Resumo

This work presents the first results of a multidisciplinary study of the new Pleistocene Ulan-Zhalga section (51°29′40.75″ N, 107°20′18.11″ E), discovered in Western Transbaikalia in 2017. Based on the paleontological, paleomagnetic, and lithological data, the Early, Middle, and Late Pleistocene deposits were distinguished in the section. The analysis of the species composition of small mammals allowed us to trace the paleoenvironmental and climatic changes in the region during the Quaternary. The unique succession of 19 faunal horizons and 11 horizons of buried soils in the section and a high degree of correlation of the paleomagnetic and paleontological data allow us to state that the studied Ulan-Zhalga section can serve as an important object for paleogeographical reconstruction and biostratigraphy. In addition, the new data obtained allow us to refer this section as one of the Upper Cenozoic key sections of the southern Eastern Siberia.