Geochronological and archaeological records of the Orkhon-7 site: research problems

The study of the earliest peopling of Mongolia is associated with a number of problems. There are only four stratified sites with the Miiddle Paleolithic complexes, and their reliable chronological attribution is problematic. Paleoclimatic conditions for human expansion or movement in this region have not yet been established. The stratigraphy of the Orkhon-7 site reveals the most complete geochronological, paleoclimatic, and archaeological records in Mongolia. Preservation of lithological layers, evidence of their formation under various climatic conditions, geologically confirmed cryogenic disturbances, paleosol, and gravel layers provide sufficient data for reconstructing climate dynamics in the MIS 3 and MIS 2. Cultural horizons explored in the field season of 2019 corresponded to the sequence revealed by previous research, which makes it possible to view these assemblages in the context of new chronological and paleoclimatic records. The Orkhon valley near the present-day town of Kharkhorin is located at the crossroads of several climatic zones which could have made a significant impact on the environment. The correlation of the data obtained with the known climatic reconstructions for the Khangai Mountains, using complimentary research methods for studying the paleoenvironment of the human existence in the Late Pleistocene, will result in detailed chronoclimatic sequence. The periods of humidity and aridity, as well as main paleogeographic features of accumulation of individual layers at the Orkhon-7 site have been tentatively identified.