LITHOSPHERE, 2002, No. 16, p. 137

Geochemical investigations of the Neolithic and Bronze age site of Osovetz-2 in the Dvina area of Belarus were carried out. The cultural layer includes many bone remains of wild and domestic animals. The peat layer creates a non-agresive medium (humate composition of the organic matter, pH 5,2-6,4), which contributed to a good safety of bones. The chemical composition of forest marten remains from different age layers (one type anatomical set) shows some difference in the bone content of young and adult individuals. The concentrations of P₂O₅, Al₂O₃, Ti, Cu are higher with increasing of the ash content of bones of adult marten. An essential difference was revealed in the average content of the bone fossil zone between the upper (3,350 years ago) and lower (4,320 years ago) layers. This is in agreement with the chemical element distribution in soils. Differences in the chemical composition of marten bones were due to paleogeographical evidences, sharp changes in environmental geochemistry. The climate cooling in the Middle-Late Holocene resulted in increased terrigene wash-down of carbonate materials from the drainage system territory, in Ca, P, S, Fe concentration in accumulative landscapes. The C¹⁴ dating of carbonate concretions in the border zone of the cultural layer and peat (IGSB-614 28374±629 years) was used for these geochemical reconstructions. The data obtained suggest that under sharp paleoclimatic, litho- and pedogeochemical changes in the Holocene the changes of the environmental geochemical situation took place. These resulted in simultaneous changes of the chemical composition of soil horizons and living organisms.

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