Environmental context of Pleistocene peopling of the Central Urals

Abstract

The broader territory of the Urals has principal significance for elucidating the historical processes and environmental contexts of the Pleistocene expansion of people from the south-eastern parts of Europe into West Siberia and the northern Russian Arctic regions. Interaction of the past climate change and the regional topographic modelling triggered by neotectonic activity reflected by pronounced natural transformations attest to the complexity of the Quaternary development in the Central Urals, affecting timing and intensity of the initial human occupation of this territory and natural adaptation.