PALAEOHYDROLOGY OF THE SEIM RIVER BASIN, MID-RUSSIAN UPLAND, BASED ON PALAEOCHANNEL MORPHOLOGY AND PALYNOLOGICAL DATA

Abstract

Morphological, geological, geochronological and palynological analyses show that the landscape, climate and hydrological history of the Seim River basin includes: 1) a period of sandy Terrace 1 formation by shallow flows, with the surface transformation by cryogenic and aeolian processes, close to the Last Glaciation Maximum; 2) a cold and dry period about 16-14 K radiocarbon years B.P. with very high surface runoff and extremely large meandering channel formation; 3) a period between the Oldest Dryas and the Preboreal of non-steady surface runoff decrease, large meander abandonment, and formation of smaller channels against the background of climate warming; 4) a period of relative stability of hydrological regime and small variations of water runoff as in modern rivers-throughout the Holocene. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.