Holocene environmental history of the Bottomless Lake (Tăul fără fund) sphagnum peat bog in Bǎgǎu, Romania

This work focuses on the paleoenvironmental and palaeoclimatological history of the undisturbed core sequence of 8.6 m extracted from the Bottomless Lake (Tăul fără fund) sphagnum peat bog located in Bǎgǎu, Romania, which covers the last 8,600 years based on radiocarbon dating. By comparing results of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations carried out so far in the area, results of the loss on ignition analyses and the data of the chronological analyses, it was possible to reconstruct climatic factors and anthropogenic impacts on the local environment. The undisturbed core sequence has above 86% organic matter content all along excluding the erosion horizons. Anthropogenic effects (building, woodcutting, pasturage, husbandry, farming) and changes in the local climate, vegetation, and environment increased the rate of the erosion and decreased the rate of the accumulation.