Pedogenic carbonate cutans as a record of the Holocene history of relic tundra–steppes of the Upper Kolyma Valley (North-Eastern Asia)

Pendant carbonate cutans on the undersides of coarse rock fragments in a steppe cryoarid soil profile on the steep south-facing slope of the valley of the Berelekh River in the Upper Kolyma Valley (North-Eastern Asia) provide a record of the Holocene history of the tundra–steppe ecosystem. On the basis of two radiocarbon dates of cutan carbonate on stones at 40–100 cm depth, a model of cutan growth was developed. This suggests that the cutans have formed steadily from at least the Early Holocene until recent times, and probably reflect the existence of a local area of stable tundra–steppe vegetation throughout the Holocene.