Geophysical processes and biosphere: article

Аnnotation: The problem of settlement of the territory of the Northern Caucasus in the Paleolithic and influence of volcanic activity factors, climate, and shifting of ecological niches on this processes are very relevant in modern domestic and foreign publications. Previous research in Mezmaiskaya cave, located in the Northwestern Caucasus, revealed that volcanism significantly influenced the Middle Paleolithic population of this region and the disappearance of the Neanderthal population in this territory. In 2016, the first stratified Middle Paleolithic site was discovered in the Elbrus region (Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria), on the northern slopes of the Central Caucasus. The site was called Saradj-Chuko grotto. This region is fundamentally important for understanding the dynamics of population of the Northern Caucasus in the Paleolithic period. This region is located at the crossroads between the northern and southern slopes. Also the only obsidian outcrop in the Northern Caucasus called Zayukovo (or Baksan) is located here. This volcanic raw material was highly valued in that period and transported by Neanderthals to hundreds of kilometers from the source. The authors studied the chemical composition and morphology of minerals in 76 samples from the ZZ0 longitudinal section in Saradj-Chuko grotto. As the result, traces of volcanic activity were revealed in two layers of eleven - in layers 6A and 4. It was established that in the Middle Paleolithic volcanism influenced the settlement of Elbrus region and, probably, the entire northern slope of the Central Caucasus. So, layer 6A, where ash was found, overlaps layer 6B - the level of active habitation in the grotto. After the eruption recorded in layer 6A, the Neanderthals only occasionally visited the cave. Preliminary conclusions were made about a possible source of ash in these layers in Saradj-Chuko grotto. The studied materials were analyzed in a wide context of the currently known data on the presence of ashes in other sites of the Caucasus.