Auel - Frozen Forests Apr 2026

: Large mammals (megafauna) actually reached higher numbers during colder stadial climates, likely because the shift from dense forest to open steppe provided more grazing material.

The Auel records highlight how vegetation cover dictates landscape stability.

The Auel sediment cores are vital for reconstructing "frozen" or glacial-era landscapes. Unlike many other sites, the Auel maar contains laminated (layered) sediments that acted as a natural trap, preserving pollen, spores, and chemical proxies of the surrounding environment. AUEL - Frozen Forests

: High concentrations of quartz-bound Si in Auel sediments reveal the intensification of eolian (wind-blown) dust during colder stadial periods, marking the transition from stable, forested land to exposed, wind-swept tundras. Megafauna and Human Coexistence

In scientific and paleoclimatic research, the "AUEL - Frozen Forests" typically refers to the (a volcanic crater lake) located in the Eifel region of Germany. This site has become a cornerstone of the ELSA-Project (Eifel Laminated Sediment Archive) , providing a high-resolution window into the climatic and ecological history of Central Europe over the last 60,000 years. The Auel Archive: A Paleoclimatic Deep-Dive : Large mammals (megafauna) actually reached higher numbers

One of the most significant findings from the Auel site involves the presence of (spores that grow on animal dung like Sordaria and Sporormiella ). These markers prove that the "frozen forests" of the Eifel were never empty.

: Research indicates that from roughly 60,000 to 48,000 years ago , the landscape was dominated by a boreal forest featuring cold-temperate wood taxa and steppe components. Unlike many other sites, the Auel maar contains

: As the climate cooled toward the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) , the landscape underwent a "stepwise" change from these dense forests toward a "glacial desert" after 26,000 years ago.