Pedocomplex buried under the Cabin of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg (1703): Genesis, properties and paleoenvironmental inferencesстатья
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Аннотация:A study was conducted on the buried soils identified at the base of the foundation of the24 Cabin of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to help trace the Late Holocene landscape25 evolution in the lower reaches of the Neva River. The Cabin is a small wooden house, which was26 the first residence of Peter the Great in a newly emerged Saint-Petersburg. The house was built27 of pine logs on the Neva River's right bank. The time of its construction is now regarded as the28 city’s founding date (1703). The pedocomplex with two buried soils has not been truncated and29 retains a record of the depositional environment, pedogenesis, vegetation history, and human30 activity before the construction of the city of Saint Petersburg. This pedocomplex was studied31 using various field and laboratory methods including soil morphology at macro-, meso-, and32 microlevels, and a full set of microbiomorphic analyses (diatoms, pollen, spores, phytoliths,33 plant detritus, and amorphous organic matter) supported by radiocarbon dating. The sediment34 sequence was formed in a contrasting depositional environment. The microbiomorphic studies35 indicated that the initial substrate was formed in aquatic environments. The analysis of diatoms36 suggested that these sediments were accumulated as a result of the River Neva breakthrough37 from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland ca 3500 yrs BP, which provided additional evidence for38 the River Neva formation. Soil analyses revealed two inundation events, with the earlier flood39 related to the termination of the Lake Ladoga transgression (LT) and the breakthrough of the40 Neva River, whereas the latter flood was likely to be connected with an increase of the fluvial activity. Those two inundation events were followed by two stages of pedogenesis. 41 Both soils42 indicated the hiatus in sedimentation and were represented by Subquatic Umbric Gleysols that43 were the most widespread indigenous soils in the XVII century. The pollen data suggest that44 human impact started at ca 800 yrs BP and eventually resulted in the deforestation and the initial45 agricultural exploration of the study area. Saint Petersburg is the only large city in Russia that46 could be at risk from flooding if the sea level rises due to continuing global warming. Our47 research shows that the city's historical center was twice subjected to flooding in the Late48 Holocene, even without rises in the sea level. Therefore, the detailed analysis of the49 environmental dynamics within the Lower Neva area and the assessment of its possible50 consequences for the city are of great importance.