STRATIGRAPHICAL AND PALEOCLIMATIC BACKGRO UND DURING BRUNHES EPOCH EVIDENCED BY THE LONG CORES OF LAKE BIWA, CENTRAL JAPAN

The samples of a 200-meter and 1400-meter cores obtained from the pres ent bottom in Lake Biwa, Central Japan for the investigations of palae oclimatic and palaeovegetational changes in and round the lake during the Brunhes Epoche can be divided into nineteen pollen zones from the view point of palynology. During glacial stages or stadials, vegetatio n typical of the subpolar zone occured in the mountainous area around Lake Biwa, while in the lowland area around the lake, plants character istic of the Cool Temperate zone occured. During interglacial stages o r interstadials the vegetation of the mountainous area was generally c haracterized by plants of the Temperate zone and/or Cool Temperate zon e, while in the lowland area the vegetation was composed mainly of bro ad leaved deciduous and evergreen trees of the Temperate and Warm Temp erate zones. The climatic story during Brunhes Epoch shows remarkable parallels with the palaeotemperature record of Carribbean and Pacific Oceans, sedimentary cycles of Mediterranean Sea, environmental change in Central Europe, the record of sea-level change in Japan and New Gui nea and palaeoclimatic change in Israel.