Earth’s climatic evolution over the last 5 million years is primarily understood from the perspective of marine mechanisms, however, the role of terrestrial feedbacks remains largely unexplored. Here we reconstruct the last 5 million years of soil moisture variability in Central Asia using paleomagnetism data and isotope geochemistry of an 80 m-thick sedimentary succession at Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan. We identify a long-term trend of increasing aridification throughout the period, along with shorter-term variability related to the interaction between mid-latitude westerlies and the Siberian high-pressure system. This record highlights the long-term contribution of mid-latitude Eurasian terrestrial systems to the modulation of moisture transfer into the Northern Hemisphere oceans and back onto land via westerly air flow. The response of Earth-surface dynamics to Plio-Pleistocene climatic change in Central Asia likely generated terrestrial feedbacks affecting ocean and atmospheric circulation. This missing terrestrial link elucidates the significance of land-water feedbacks for long-term global climate.

This article is devoted to the study of geoheritage objects and the scientific justification for the creation of a geopark in the Ulytau region of Central Kazakhstan. This region is the largest copper-bearing province in the world and has a unique natural and cultural heritage. The purpose of this article is to show the scientific and tourist significance of geoheritage objects of the potential Ulytau Geopark. The geological history of this area tells about no less than 500 million years of the planet’s development. Geological, historical and sacred objects make this area extremely interesting for the development of geotourism and the creation of geoparks as a basis for the sustainable development of the area. The research methods included a bibliographic method, which made it possible to collect information on the geoheritage of the territory; field survey techniques; and methods based on the evaluation of the criteria for eligibility for UNESCO Geoparks. The methodology included five main blocks of assessment (geology and landscape, structure and management model, interpretation and environmental education, geotourism and sustainable development at the regional level) and represents an integrated interdisciplinary approach to present regional features in the context of the geological heritage of the world. Despite the length of time geology has been studied and the resources actively used, geoheritage sites have not been previously studied and characterised. Geoparks in Kazakhstan are at an early stage of development and this article aims to show the potential for establishing geoparks in the Ulytau region.

The study and identification of regularities of geological and paleogeographic development of Central Kazakhstan in the Cenozoic is fundamentally important for understanding the geological processes of Eurasia as a whole, as they were reflected in the marine and continental landscapes of the adjacent regions of Western Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Western Siberia. Practically from the beginning of the Cenozoic, a continental mode of sedimentation was established here, with landscapes of denudation plains and low highlands. Organic remains make it possible to dissect the Cenozoic continental strata and reconstruct the stages of landscape development from typically tropical and subtropical in the Paleocene and Eocene to steppe and savannah landscapes by the beginning of the Quaternary. The Goose Flight fauna locality is a stratotype of the Pliocene Pavlodar Formation. It is one of the largest localities of Miocene Hipparion fauna of Eurasia, located in the north-eastern part of Central Kazakhstan, on the Irtysh River, within the city limits of Pavlodar. The location «Goose flight» is comparable to such widely known localities of Hipparion fauna as Taralyk-Cher and Kholu (Russia, Tuva), Baode fauna in Shansi province in China, Grebeniki and Berislavsky in Ukraine, Taraclia in Moldova. The locality needs protection and defence as it is destroyed due to erosion of the banks of the Irtysh River and uncontrolled sampling. The article provides a description of the Pavlodar Formation sediments, its geological and palynological characteristics, as well as the history of the study of the Goose Flight locality, the most complete list of fossils, gives their environmental characteristics and concludes on the conditions of accumulation of the Pavlodar Formation strata.

The article is devoted to the study of geoheritage objects and scientific justification for the creation of a geopark in the Ulytau region of Central Kazakhstan. This region is the largest copper-bearing province in the world and has a unique natural and cultural heritage. Purpose of the article: to show the scientific and tourist significance of geoheritage objects of the potential Ulytau Geopark. The geological history of this area tells about no less than 500 million years of the planet's development. Geological, historical and sacred objects make this area an extremely interesting object for the development of geotourism and the creation of geoparks as a basis for sustainable development of the area. The research methods include a bibliographic method, which made it possible to collect information on the geoheritage of the territory; field survey techniques; and methods based on the evaluation of the criteria for eligibility for UNESCO Geoparks. The methodology includes five main blocks of assessment (geology and landscape, structure and management model, interpretation and environmental education, geotourism, sustainable development at the regional level) and represents an integrated interdisciplinary approach that allows to present regional features in the context of the geological heritage of the world. Despite the length of time geology has been studied and resources actively used, geoheritage sites have not been previously studied and characterised. Geoparks in Kazakhstan are at an early stage of development and this article aims to show the potential for establishing geoparks in the Ulytau region.

The article provides an analysis of Cenozoic floras collected and studied at different times in the valley of the Uly-Zhilanshik River (South Torgai Depression, Kazakhstan), and also discusses the prospects for reconstructing the Cenozoic paleoclimate based on the study of fossil floras. The Uly-Zhilanshchik River valley is a key area for understanding the processes of environmental change in the Paleogene and Neogene. These studies of these paleofloras make it possible to reconstruct paleogeographical conditions: paleolandscapes and climate change. It was shown that floras of the same age were not of the same type and had their own regional characteristics. Floristic composition represented in floras from sediments of different ages along the river. Uly-Zhilanshik, allows us to trace the stages of retreat of the Chegan Sea and further aridization of the territory. The article was prepared during the implementation of the grant project AP19677563 “Study of paleoflora and climate of Central Kazakhstan at the boundary of the Oligocene and Miocene and the initial stage of desertification of the region” (2023 – 2025)