Though hundreds of caves are known across Mongolia, few have been subject to systematic, interdisciplinary archaeological surveys and excavations to understand Late Pleistocene and Holocene environments. Previous cave excavations in Mongolia have demonstrated their potential for preservation of archaeological and biological material, including Palaeolithic assemblages and Holocene archaeology, particularly burials, with associated organic finds. In other cases, cave surveys found that stratigraphic deposits and archaeological materials are absent. The large number of caves makes the Mongolian Altai Mountain Range a potentially attractive region for human occupation in the Pleistocene and Holocene. Here we present the results of an interdisciplinary survey of caves in four carbonate areas across the Gobi-Altai Mountains. We report 24 new caves, some of which contain archaeological material recovered through survey and test excavations. Most caves presented limited sedimentation, and some were likely too small for human habitation. Six caves showed evidence of palaeontological remains, most likely from the Late Holocene and recent periods. The most notable anthropogenic findings included petroglyphs at Gazar Agui 1 & 13. Gazar Agui 1 also contained lithics and a bronze fragment. Tsakhiryn Agui 1 contained 31 wooden fragments that include an unused fire drilling tool kit and items commonly found in association with medieval burials. We observed that the caves remain in contemporary use for religious and economic purposes, such as the construction of shrines, mining and animal corralling. Water samples from the caves, and nearby rivers, lakes, and springs were analysed for their isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O, δD, δ¹⁷O, ¹⁷O_excess, d-excess) and the data, combined with backward trajectory modelling revealed that the Gobi-Altai region receives moisture mainly from western sources. These results form a baseline for future archaeological, palaeoclimate and palaeoecological studies about regional seasonality and land use.

尽管蒙古各地有数百个洞穴，但很少有人进行系统的，跨学科的考古调查和发掘，以了解晚更新世和全新世的环境。蒙古以前的洞穴发掘表明了其在考古和生物材料（包括旧石器组合和全新世考古，尤其是墓葬）及其相关有机物保存方面的潜力。在其他情况下，洞穴调查发现没有地层沉积物和考古材料。大量的洞穴使蒙古的阿尔泰山脉成为更新世和全新世人类潜在的吸引力地区。在这里，我们介绍了跨戈壁-阿尔泰山脉的四个碳酸盐岩地区的洞穴跨学科调查的结果。我们报告了24个新的洞穴，其中一些包含通过勘测和测试发掘回收的考古材料。大多数洞穴的沉积物有限，有些可能太小而无法人类居住。六个洞穴显示出古生物学遗迹的证据，最有可能来自新世晚期和最近时期。最明显的人为发现包括在Gazar Agui 1和13的岩画。GazarAgui 1还包含石器和青铜碎片。Tsakhiryn Agui 1包含31个木制碎片，其中包括一个未使用的消防钻具套件以及通常与中世纪葬礼相关的物品。我们观察到，这些洞穴在当代仍用于宗教和经济目的，例如建造神rine，采矿和饲养动物。来自洞穴以及附近河流，湖泊的水样，¹⁸ O，δD，δ ¹⁷ O，^17个ö_过量，d-过量）和数据，与后向轨迹建模合并，发现该戈壁-阿尔泰山区域接收的水分主要是从西部来源。这些结果构成了未来有关区域季节性和土地利用的考古，古气候和古生态研究的基准。