<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Fragments of charcoal are present in floodplain alluvium of the San and Strwiąż rivers in the Polish part of the Bieszczady Mountains, Polish East Carpathians. They occur as single clasts or in lenses in the basal part of fine-grained alluvium, together with unburnt wood debris, or in the middle part of the vertical sequence of the floodplain alluvium. 14 samples of charcoal from the upper courses of the San (ca. 50 km) and the Strwiąż (ca. 10 km) were dated with radiocarbon. The obtained dates fall mainly in the 15th through 19th century interval; only one sample is markedly older (9th–10th century). Taxonomic composition of the charcoal source wood was also studied and compared with that of coeval forests. Correlation of the charcoal age with the history of economic development of the studied region indicates that charcoal is of anthropogenic origin: older charcoal from intense slash-and-burn deforestation, while younger charcoal was produced by local industries.</p></abstract>

Fragments of charcoal are present in floodplain alluvium of the San and Strwiąż rivers in the Polish part of the Bieszczady Mountains, Polish East Carpathians. They occur as single clasts or in lenses in the basal part of fine-grained alluvium, together with unburnt wood debris, or in the middle part of the vertical sequence of the floodplain alluvium. 14 samples of charcoal from the upper courses of the San (ca. 50 km) and the Strwiąż (ca. 10 km) were dated with radiocarbon. The obtained dates fall mainly in the 15th through 19th century interval; only one sample is markedly older (9th–10th century). Taxonomic composition of the charcoal source wood was also studied and compared with that of coeval forests. Correlation of the charcoal age with the history of economic development of the studied region indicates that charcoal is of anthropogenic origin: older charcoal from intense slash-and-burn deforestation, while younger charcoal was produced by local industries.

Charcoal in alluvium of mountain streams in the Bieszczady Mountains (Polish Carpathians) as a carrier of information on the local palaeoenvironment

Institute of Geography, Pedagogical University, 2 Podchorążych Str., 30-084, Cracow, Poland

Geochronometria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Fragments of charcoal are present in floodplain alluvium of the San and Strwiąż rivers in the Polish part of the Bieszczady Mountains, Polish East Carpathians....

Charcoal in alluvium of mountain streams in the Bieszczady Mountains (Polish Carpathians) as a carrier of information on the local palaeoenvironment

Published Online: Jun 22, 2014

Page range: 294 - 305

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13386-013-0155-0

Keywords
charcoal, alluvium, slash-and-burn agriculture, Bieszczady Mountains

© 2013 Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Charcoal in alluvium of mountain streams in the Bieszczady Mountains (Polish Carpathians) as a carrier of information on the local palaeoenvironment

Published Online: Jun 22, 2014

Page range: 294 - 305

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13386-013-0155-0

Keywordscharcoal, alluvium, slash-and-burn agriculture, Bieszczady Mountains

© 2013 Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
charcoal, alluvium, slash-and-burn agriculture, Bieszczady Mountains