Peat stratigraphy and changes in peat formation during the Holocene in Latvia

Mires represented by raised bogs, fens, and transitional mires cover approximately 10 % of Latvia. They started to form towards the end of the last glacial period and the beginning of the Holocene under varying geological and palaeoecological conditions. The aim of the study was to evaluate how the results of peat palaeobotanical investigation can reveal changes in the conditions of peat formation and allow a subdivision to be made of the Holocene according to the scheme suggested by the INTIMATE group (Walker et al. 2012). Records from 21 mires have been evaluated to find evidence of changes in mire vegetation and peat formation, and to discover whether these records define boundaries allo…