Stages in the development of the Darhad dammed lake (Northern Mongolia) during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene

The Darhad Basin in Northern Mongolia was occupied by a paleo-lake since the maximum of the Late Pleistocene glaciation. The lake formed as a result of ice damming of the Shishhid Gol valley, the only outflow from the basin. In addition to the traces of the ice dam, there are distinct signs of sedimentary damming of the Darhad. The last sedimentary dam is still not completely eroded, and the modern lakes Dood Nuur and Targan Nuur are the remnants of the ancient lake. The Darhad dammed lake contains valuable environmental information within a long sedimentary record. The stages of the lacustrine development are recognizable in the landforms and subsurface sediments, although limited dating control did not allow us to build an irreproachable age model. By comparing the existing evidence with the general knowledge on glacial history of inner parts of Siberia, a scenario of the development of this basin during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene is constructed.