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_where continentality-oceanity shifts associated with morę frequent Siberian j-Ieight episodes wc find several main spcciiic Holoccne laycrs correspond-ing «o thc Mid-European stratigraphical province defined by K.D. Jager(1969) on the basis of tufa stratigraphy.

3. HOLOCENE ENVIRONMENTS

Two central types of the contrasting natural environments are playing the principal role in Holocene studies. Both of them need different approaches and methods, and provide different answers. Besides these sources other methods and lines of evidence are emerging — e.g. speleothem and tree rings studies (Roberts 1998).

1.    Aquatic seąuences: Classical Holocene system is established mostly on the basis of paleobotanical analysis in limnic and palustrine aquatic envi-ronments such as lakes, marshes and peatbogs. Such environments are com-mon in glaciated landscapes, but rare in a periglacial zonę especially in low-lands. We can find on the area of Czech and Slovak Republics only limited number of such Holocene profiles — especially in frontier mountains, Tfebofi Basin, marshes in Ceska Lipa district in Czech Republic and mostly individual and scattered sites such as Orava Basin in Slovakia. The greaterpart of Mid-European area including almost all Thermofyticum remains basically uncov-ered. Pollen analysis reveals generał features of vegetational development in the broader area but usually does not allow the study of geological process-es — e.g. intensity of pedogenesis, slope processes and erosional events. The archaeological finds are less common. The aquatic environments are dependent, but at the same time distinct from adjacent “average” landscape matrix. Peatlands and wetlands are linked to areas that are very different from warm-dry and fertile zones characterized by intensive prehistorie land-use. The correlation with Vertebrate and Molluscan fauna is due to the natural acidity almost impossible, but on the other hand the European network of pollen profiles provides basis for large scalę, trans-continental correlations.

2.    Subaeric terrcstrial scqucnces: are omnipresent at different altitudes of diversified rangę of landscape types. They arc often continuous and can bc dated on the basis of radiocarbon, molluscan assemblages and archaeological finds. They musi contain sonie quantities of carbonate to preserve organie remnants such as bones but on the other hand thc prcscnce of carbonate usually excludes due to oxidation the preservation of pollen spectra. The most relcvant types of terrcstrial scqucnccs arc as follows: