Late Holocene Paleoflora of Lake Van Northern Basin

Abstract

Paleoflora reconstruction mainly based on pollen analysis of bottom sediments of Lake Van Northern Basin is the purpose of the study. The sediments were taken as 5 parts which covers totally 5 meters sequence by drilling method at water depth of 247 meters. To date the sequence, we compared the previous pollen diagrams of studies made in different basins of the bottom of Lake Van which have relative dating data. According to this, tentative time scale in the basis of varve chronology of the sequence covers about last 4000 years. Palynological results represent higher percentages of nonarboreal pollen (NAP) grains than arboreal pollen (AP) grains. Three pollen zones have been distinguished according to the onset and increase of several pollen curves such as Juglans and Cerealia-type. Palynological content indicates steppe for the Zone1 and Zone2 and anthropogenic steppe for the Zone3 around Lake Van Northern Basin for the last 4000 years.