The Late Pleistocene megafauna of the Chulym River basin, southeastern West Siberian Plain: chronology and stable isotope composition

New data were obtained for the Chulym River basin in the southeastern part of the West Siberian Plain, one of the understudied parts of Siberia in terms of age and composition of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes for Late Pleistocene megafauna. The C-14 dates from the Sergeevo outcrop, the most complete section of Late Quaternary deposits in the region, are mostly greater than similar to 30 550 Bp. Other localities yielded C-14 values in the range from >44 500 to similar to 19 300 Bp. The finite date of similar to 42 270 Bp for the Khozarian steppe elephant (Mammuthus trogontherii chosaricus) from Asino is intriguing because previously it was not detected in the Late Pleistocene of Siberia after the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e), similar to 115 000-130 000 years ago. Stable isotope data show both similarities and differences compared to the pre-Last Glacial Maximum megafaunal species in other parts of Siberia. (C) 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Automated summary

New data on the age and composition of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes for Late Pleistocene megafauna in the Chulym River basin in West Siberia were obtained. The study reveals both similarities and differences in the stable isotope data compared to other parts of Siberia.