Pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating and facies analysis were performed as to a sedimentary drill core obtained from Ohnuma Mire (380m a. s. l.), located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The results of radiocarbon dating and Towada-a tephra (To-a, AD915) in peat deposits show that the age of the lowest part of peat deposits in the mire goes back to approximately 1, 500yrs BP. From the result of pollen analysis, four local pollen zones were established, namely, HO-1, HO-2, HO-3, and HO-4 in ascending order. The local vegetation changes around the mire are reconstructed from those local pollen zones as follows, HO-1 zone: deciduous boreal-leaved forest composed mainly of
Fagus, HO-2 zone: deciduous boreal-leaves forest dominated
Quercus, HO-3 zone: coniferous forest including
Pinus and
Cryptomeria, and HO-4 zone:
Cryptomeria.
It is inferred, therefore, that the vegetation of hilly land around the mire was
Quercus crenata-Q.
mongolica var.
grosseserrata secondly forest from ca. 360yrs BP to ca. 150yrs BP,
Pinus densiflora secondly forest and
Crytomeria japonica plantation from ca. 150yrs BP to 1940s, and
C. japonica plantation from 1940s to present. These vegetation changes indicate the destruction of natural vegetation by the past human activities around the mire.
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