Ancient flooding traces preserved in a peat bog during these 9000 years presumed by Diatom and Chrysophyceae assemblages at Toushe Peatland, Central Taiwan

Abstract

Toushe Peatland is located at a mountain basin, north of Sun Moon Lake, central Taiwan. The thickness of the peat layer exceeded more than 40m, and the peat continuously deposited for 90000 years. In this paper, we analyzed diatom and Chrysophyceae assemblages at 133 samples of the top 5m sediment of the peat with 2-5 cm intervals, dated until ca 9,000 cal. years BP. We found four flooding layers, Flooding I - IV, dated ca.8200 cal yBP, ca. 5200-5600 cal. yBP, ca. 4200 cal. yBP and ca.2000 cal. yBP, respectively by diatom and Sleeping cists of Chrysophyceae assemblages.