Chronology and environment of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach) extinction in northern Asia

Over the past decade radiocarbon (C) dating has allowed us to reconstruct patterns of latest survival of woolly mammoth in Northern Asia (Stuart 1991; Sulerzhitsky 1997; Vasil’chuk et al. 1997; Orlova et al. 2000). At present, we have about 360 C dates from 150 localities, including: Siberia and adjacent territories of the Russian Far East; Kazakhstan; and northeastern China. Although it is possible that additional information may alter the current picture, the substantial body of data that we now have allows us to reconstruct the dynamics of mammoth extinction in Northern Asia with a reasonably high degree of confidence. The data available at the beginning of 2000, show that prior to ca. 12,000 C years ago (BP) mammoths were present throughout almost all of Northern Asia. Within the period ca. 15,00012,000 BP, C-dated mammoth remains (40 dates) are known from the eastern Chukotka Peninsula (longitude 170° W) as far as the Irtysh River in Western Siberia (69° E); and from the Taymyr Peninsula and Kotel’nyy Island (latitude 75-76° N) to Volchya Griva in Western Siberia (55° N), Sosnovy Bor in Eastern Siberia (53° N), and Khorol and Xiaonanshan in the Far East (44-47° N). After ca. 12,000 BP, the range of mammoths was significantly reduced (Fig. 1). Until recently, mammoth remains with C-dates younger than this (13 dates) were available only for the High Arctic, north of 69° N. However, in 2000, the additional C dates were obtained from the Volchya Griva locality (54°30′ N, 80°12 E′) in the Barabinskaya steppe of the southern West Siberian Lowland, 175 km west of Novosibirsk (Fig. 1). These are: 11,090±120 BP (SOAN4291), from 1.24 m below the surface; 12,520±150 BP (SOAN-4293), 1.30-1.35 m; and 14,280±285 BP (SOAN-4292), 1.44 m. Collagen for dating was extracted using cold HCl solution (Sulerzhitsky, 1997: 185-187; Kuzmin & Orlova, 1998: 3-5). It is clear that the youngest date, SOAN-4291, is likely to be correct as it is in good agreement with the site stratigraphy, suggesting survival of mammoths in southwestern Siberia until ca. 11,000 BP. This suggestion needs to be confirmed by additional data. Previous C dates for the Volchya Griva range from ca. 14,800 BP to ca. 13,600 BP (Orlova 1990; Orlova et al. 2000). At the Berelekh River locality, most of the C dates are within the period ca. 13,70012,000 BP. However, a later date of ca. 10,400 BP was obtained (on a thoracic vertebra) from the 2nd (10-12 m) terrace deposits (Orlova, 1979). In addition, three C dates were obtained on the same individual mammoth from the Yuribei River: 9600±300 BP (VSEGINGEO); 9730±100 BP (MGU-763); and 10,000±70 (LU-1153) (Sokolov 1982). In view of the pretreatment procedures used (L. D. Sulerzhitsky, pers. comm. 2001) the LU-1153 value has been accepted as the most reliableChronology and environment of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach) extinction in northern Asia