Petroglyphs of Khabarovsk Territory: The Impact of the 2013 Amur and Ussuri Flooding

Petroglyphs of Khabarovsk Territory: The Impact of the 2013 Amur and Ussuri Flooding

E.G. Devlet and A.R. Laskin.

The Sikachi-Alyan and Sheremetyevo rock art sites are in the province of Lower Amur and Ussuri rock art. A history of their discovery is sketched, and their state of preservation is described. In 2013, many of them were damaged by extraordinary fl ooding. The effects of water and temperature fl uctuations and of wind erosion are assessed. In Sikachi-Alyan, the main factors of rock art decay were silting of boulders with petroglyphs, and their displacement caused by seasonal rise of water-level and ice-drift. In Sheremetyevo, destruction resulted mainly from bioagents. The removal of lichen revealed new petroglyphs, and known ones were recorded in details. Boulders with rare zoomorphic and anthropomorphic petroglyphs were discovered in the riverside bush and on the fl oodplain terrace.

Keywords: Rock art, petroglyphs, Russian Far East, Sikachi-Alyan, Sheremetyevo, cultural heritage.