The sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical composition of late pleistocene deposits from the ice complex on the Bykovsky Peninsula, Northern Siberia
This paper presents results of sedimentological. mineralogical and geochemical studies of Ice Complex deposits from the Mamontovy Khayata site. Bykovsky Peninsula, near the Lena Delta. According to new radiocarbon dating, the investigated sequence was formed more or less continuously from about 60 ky BP until the beginning of the Holocene. Geochemical data, mainly affected by the character of soil formation during the accumulation period, allow to distinguish between cooling and warming stages. Grain size characteristics and the small maturity of clastic material provide evidence for a nearby source area. The mineralogical composition of the studied Ice Complex deposits indicates that the neighbouring parts of the Kharaulakh Mountains have continuously acted as a denudation area and have not been covered by an ice sheet within the investigated time span. Only a restricted mountain glaciation can be considered.