The Loess-Paleosol Sequence at the Krasnogorskoye Section, the Low-Hill Zone of the Northeastern Altai Mountains

The loess-paleosol sequence of the Krasnogorskoye section in the low-altitude area of the northeastern Altai Mountains, can provide a yardstick for estimating the age of the Paleolithic sites and reconstructing environmental and climatic changes. Its correlation with the respective sequence of the southern part of the West Siberian Plain is evaluated. Five pedocomplexes are studied in detail, evidencing the evolution of the Middle and Late Pleistocene soil formation from the Shadrikha interglacial to the Karga interstadial. Buried soils of the Shadrikha, Shipunovo, Koinikha, and Kazantsevo warm stages formed under a climate that was warmer and more humid than today. After the Kazantsevo interglacial, both the range and the frequency of climatic oscillations show marked changes. It is demonstrated that the warm stages of this interval differ from the earlier ones by lesser warming and shorter duration by a cooler and more arid climate. Seven loess horizons dividing pedocomplexes are established. Nonmetric and metric analyses of quartz sand grains support the eolian origin of loess horizons under cryoarid conditions. The size of grains in the Late Pleistocene portion of the Krasnogorskoye section attests to the intensifi cation of the loess processes. Higher magnetic susceptibility during the cool stages and higher frequency-dependent susceptibility during the warm stages evidence marked climatic oscillations. After the Kazantsevo interglacial, the amplitude fades and the pattern of paleoclimatic signal recorded by the magnetic properties of loess and paleosol in the section are close to the “Alaskan” type.

Occurrence and Genetic Diversity of Kemerovo Virus in Ixodid Tick of Western Siberia

Kemerovo virus (KEMV), a member of Reoviridae family, Orbivirus genus, is transmitted by ixodes ticks and can cause the damage of human central nervous system. The occurrence and genetic diversity of KEMV in Western Siberia still remained poorly studied, so, the aim of this work was to investigate the prevalence and genetic variability of KEMV in ixodid ticks from Western Siberia. A total of 1958 Ixodes persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi ticks and their hybrids from Novosibirsk and Omsk provinces, Altai Republic (Russia) and East Kazakhstan province (Kazakhstan) were analyzed for the presence of KEMV and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) RNA. It was shown that KEMV distribution area in Western Siberia was wider and included Northern and Northeastern Altai in addition to Omsk and Novosibirsk provinces. For the first time this virus was found in Kazakhstan. The occurrence of KEMV was statistically lower than TBEV in most locations in Western Siberia. KEMV was found both in I. persulcatus and I. pavlovskyi ticks and in their hybrids. Notably, KEMV variants found in 2010s genetically differ from those isolated in 1960s. Moreover, the possibility of reassortment for KEMV was demonstrated for the first time.