Prehistoric Population Expansion in Central Asia Promoted by the Altai Holocene Climatic Optimum

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 May 29

PMID 37248221

Authors

Lixiong Xiang

Xiaozhong Huang

Mingjie Sun

Virginia N Panizzo

Chong Huang

Min Zheng

Xuemei Chen

Fahu Chen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

How climate change in the middle to late Holocene has influenced the early human migrations in Central Asian Steppe remains poorly understood. To address this issue, we reconstructed a multiproxy-based Holocene climate history from the sediments of Kanas Lake and neighboring Tiewaike Lake in the southern Altai Mountains. The results show an exceptionally warm climate during ~6.5-3.6 kyr is indicated by the silicon isotope composition of diatom silica (δSi) and the biogenic silica (BSi) content. During 4.7-4.3 kyr, a peak in δSi reflects enhanced lake thermal stratification and periodic nutrient limitation as indicated by concomitant decreasing BSi content. Our geochemical results indicate a significantly warm and wet climate in the Altai Mountain region during 6.5-3.6 kyr, corresponding to the Altai Holocene Climatic Optimum (AHCO), which is critical for promoting prehistoric human population expansion and intensified cultural exchanges across the Central Asian steppe during the Bronze Age.

Citing Articles

Climate and cultural evolution drove Holocene cropland change in the Huai River Valley, China.

Yu Y, Wu H, Zhang W, Boivin N, Yu J, Zhang J iScience. 2024; 27(10):110841.

PMID: 39319274 PMC: 11421277. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110841.

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