: 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.
: 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. AUEL - Frozen Forests
The Auel records highlight how vegetation cover dictates landscape stability. : As the climate cooled toward the Last
: 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 000 to 48