Paleoenvironment in Dae-Am San high moor in the Korean Peninsula.

Abstract

We discuss paleoenvironmental changes at the Dae-Am San high moor, located near the Demilitarized Zone at 38 degrees N. This area has been reported to be the only high moor in the Korean peninsula. The (super 14) C age of the bottom sediment (75-80 cm in depth) at this site is about 1900 BP. Since the radiocarbon ages for the intervals at 50-55 cm and 75-80 cm were almost the same, we conclude that the deep layers (55-80 cm) in the high moor were all part of the original soil. Low organic C and N contents in the deeper layers support this inference. The 50-55 cm layer consists of sandy material with very low organic content, suggesting erosion from the surrounding area. The surface layer (0-5 cm) was measured as 190 BP, and the middle layer (30-35 cm) was 870 BP. The bulk sedimentation rate was estimated to be about 0.4 mm yr (super -1) for the 0-30-cm interval. The delta (super 13) C value of organic carbon in the sediments fluctuated with depth. The delta (super 13) C profile of the Dae-Am San high moor may be explained by climatic changes which occurred during the Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period.