Survey operations at Paleolithic locations in the Mongolian Altai and Jargalant Ridge

The Russian-Mongolian expedition conducted the survey in the Mongolian and Gobi Altai in 2024. This research was aimed to search for the new Paleolithic sites: exposed on the surface and stratified, of open and cave types. Herein, we provide the results of the work in the Mongolian Altai and the Jargalant ridge in the Western Mongolia. In the Bayan-Olgii aimag, we surveyed the floodplain terraces in the Tsengel somon area. Previously, assemblages of the Paleolithic artifacts were collected here. Results indicate that the Khovd River valley was occasionally visited by prehistoric people in the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. The Tsagaan Denj (10 locations) and Khukh-Tolgoi sites represent the industries made of sedimentary pebbles from local alluvium. The Mankhan-4 site discovered by A.P. Okladnikov was examined in the Jargalant ridge. Artifacts found there may point at relatively early age of the Mankhan complex. Another aim of the fieldwork was to collect bone remains of the recentfauna. Modern mammals ofMongolia have not yet been studied fully enough: their habitats are known, but their boundaries are blurred. In this regard, we recorded the locations of both bone remains and living animals. The collection of skeletal remains is necessary to form a comparative collection used for paleontological analysis. In 2024, the collection was replenished with parts of the skeletons of a Siberian ibex, tolai hare, corsac fox, small antelope, badger, and some domesticated animal species. Organic material was collected for the experiments on the degree ofpreservation of organic remains in the Pleistocene samples.