The paper yields results of analyses on the samples from the upper sedimentary layer sampled by piston coring in the northern basin of Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia. The core was first described, and then it was analyzed to estimate the contents of water, biogenic silica and the number of diatom species by the method of light microscopy with a step of 2 cm. Palynological analysis was performed at 2 cm interval, and carbonate CO2 contents were measured at 10 cm interval throughout the core. The core obtained in the lake covers the range from the end of glaciation through Holocene. Its boundary was determined by correlation of the core under observation with numerous cores from other Mongolian lakes explored earlier. The mean sedimentation rate in the northern basin in the Holocene was estimated at 7–8 cm per 1000 years. The Pleistocene sediments are rich in carbonates, whereas in the Holocene there was a drastic drop in carbonate abundance. The long cores obtained from Lake Hovsgol and their comprehensive analysis provide valuable information on paleoclimate in the Pleistocene, and they can be useful for better understanding of the sedimentary record of Lake Baikal.

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