For the Altai Mountains’ region, especially the arid southeastern part of the Russian Altai, the data on glacier fluctuations in the Pleistocene and Holocene are still inconsistent. The study area was the Kargy River’s valley (2288–2387 m a.s.l.), a location that is not currently affected by glaciation and the glacial history of which is poorly studied. Field observations and geomorphological mapping were used to reveal the configuration of Pleistocene moraines. The relative dating method was applied to define the degree of weathering as an indicator of age. Three moraine groups of different ages (presumably MIS 6, MIS 4, and MIS 2) were identified based on a detailed investigation of their morphological features and the use of relative dating approaches. The latter were primarily based on weathering patterns. Data on the rock mineralogy, porosity, and specificity of biological colonization as an agent of weathering were obtained for the moraine debris. The studied moraines were composed of fine-grained schist, in which the specific surface area and fractality (self-similarity) were more developed in the older moraine. The growth of biota (crustose lichen and micromycetes) colonizing the rock surface led to rock disintegration and the accumulation of autochthonous fragments on the rock surface. Despite the fact that the initial stage(s) of moraine weathering affected by biota was fixed, the correlation trends of biota activity and moraine ages were not determined.

Original languageEnglish
Article number342
Number of pages22
JournalGeosciences (Switzerland)
Volume11
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2021

    Scopus subject areas

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

    Research areas

  • Biota colonization, Moraine relative dating, Pleistocene moraines, Rock porosity, Weathering, weathering, HOLOCENE, KANAS VALLEY, moraine relative dating, rock porosity, CHINESE ALTAI, SCHMIDT HAMMER, SIERRA-NEVADA, SEQUENCE, GLACIATION, biota colonization, RIND THICKNESS, AGE, HISTORY

ID: 84842964