{"id":17366,"date":"2015-08-20T11:50:24","date_gmt":"2015-08-20T16:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=17366"},"modified":"2015-08-20T12:01:29","modified_gmt":"2015-08-20T17:01:29","slug":"missives-from-mongolia-chasing-down-the-ice-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/missives-from-mongolia-chasing-down-the-ice-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Missives from Mongolia: Chasing down the Ice Age"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">By Sarah Kramer<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Altai Mounts of western Mongolia may be concealing secrets amid the splendor. The breathtaking alpine landscape could hold clues to how abrupt climate change might have impacted our ancestors\u2014 and how it may impact our descendants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This summer, a team of scientists, students and historians trekked through the hills and valleys of the Altai in Mongolia\u2019s Bayan-\u00d6lgii Province looking for traces of the last ice age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cEverything\u2019s immaculately preserved here,\u201d said Aaron Putnam, currently an assistant research professor with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York. Evidence of the enormous glaciers that covered the landscape can be found in gentle slopes, scuffed bedrock and spectacular valleys of the region\u2014 if you just know where to look.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Medill News Service reporter Sarah Kramer embedded with the team as they traversed the countryside and climbed\u00a0into the Altai region, collecting rock samples that could provide insight into some of the most pressing questions in climate science: how and why did the last great ice age end. And what can that tell us about our future? Several stories are in the works and we will keep you posted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">You can see more photos and read the team&#8217;s updates from the field at <a href=\"http:\/\/umglacialgeology.tumblr.com\/\">PhD candidate Peter Strand&#8217;s blog for the University of Maine.<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wpmf-gallerys wpmf-gallerys-life\"><div id=\"gallery-1\" class=\"gallery gallery_life wpmf_gallery_default gallery_default none gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium gallery-link-post wpmf-has-border-radius-0 wpmf-gutterwidth-5 no_ratio\"><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"0\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_10291-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1029\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1029\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_10291-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_10291-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Reporter Sarah Kramer astride a Bactrian camel at a tourist outpost in the Gobi. For about $2 USD, those driving across the Gobi Desert can stop and ride camels and horses saddled with traditional Mongolian tack. The team enjoyed the jaunt, but decided to use horses to carry field research equipment up Tsagaan Gol Valley. (Credit: Caleb Ward)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"1\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_14811-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1481\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1481\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_14811-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_14811-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Three gers sit side-by-side at an outpost in the Gobi. While many Mongolians still live in the traditional nomadic tents, the gers pictured serve as shops and cafes for travelers making their way across the country. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"2\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_14731-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1473\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"2\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1473\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_14731-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_14731-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Batsuuri Jagvaral, a driver for the expedition, drinks milk tea inside a ger cafe. Also pictured: Chantasaldulan, better known as \u201cChackie\u201d\u2014 camp cook and unofficial \u201cden mother.\u201d (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"3\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_18191-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1819\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1819\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_18191-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_18191-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Archaeologist David Putnam sets up his tent with the help of a curious group of Kazakh children from a nearby cluster of gers. Mongolia is home to roughly 100,000 ethnic Kazakhs, making them the largest ethnic minority in the country. Aaron Putnam, David\u2019s son, led the expedition to Mongolia. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"4\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_19181-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1918\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"4\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1918\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_19181-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_19181-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Two cars from the expedition cross a narrow bridge across the Tsagaan Gol, or White River. The river\u2019s opacity is due to the fine silt glaciers create as they grind against bedrock, which then flows downstream from the highest reaches of the Altai Mountains. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"5\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_00171-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_0017\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"5\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_0017\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_00171-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_00171-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Aaron Putnam takes field notes while the team collects boulder samples from the Altai. The samples will be sent to the lab at the University of Maine, where Putnam and his students will analyze them for isotopes that help date the retreat of the Altai glaciers. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"6\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_01361-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_0136\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"6\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_0136\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_01361-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_01361-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">University of Maine PhD candidate Peter Strand (left) and undergraduate Caleb Ward collect a sample from the top of a large glacial erratic boulder. Erratics are boulders that ancient glaciers carried far from their source and then dropped on another landscape as the ice retreated. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"7\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_13721-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1372\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1372\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_13721-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_13721-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The sampling process, up close: the team drills small, shallow holes in the rock, then inserts metal wedges and shims. They then hammer the wedges into the rock, cracking off a small piece of the top surface of the boulder. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"8\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_17951-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_1795\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"8\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_1795\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_17951-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_17951-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Tomor Batbold, cook\u2019s assistant and son of one of the drivers, leads a pack horse through a high valley on the way to the team\u2019s most remote campsite, high in the area tentatively christened as the Tsagaan Gol Valley. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"9\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/fire-resize-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"fire resize\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"9\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"fire resize\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/fire-resize-300x200.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/fire-resize-300x200.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Tomor and Pagamsuren Amarsaikhan, a recent graduate of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, warm up by the fire the morning after a cold, rainy night in the valley. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"10\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_22961-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_2296\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_2296\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_22961-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_22961-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Strand sits atop a ridge created when the glacier behind him last stabilized, possibly during the Little Ice Age hundreds of years ago. The rockiness of the ridge and the lack of vegetation indicates that the feature, known as a moraine \u2013 a ridge of material left by a glacier \u2013 is relatively new on the landscape. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"11\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_23051-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_2305\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"11\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_2305\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_23051-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_23051-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Strand makes detailed field notes that describe each boulder the team samples. He records the precise longitude, latitude, elevation and size, among other measurements and qualitative notes. The team\u2019s work in Mongolia over the next few years will provide research for Strand\u2019s Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Maine. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"12\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_28551-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_2855\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"12\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_2855\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_28551-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_28551-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The group gathers on a rainy afternoon inside a rented dirt-floor cabin to hear the father-son duo of Aaron and David Putnam entertain with traditional American folk music. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"13\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_34601-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_3460\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"13\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_3460\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_34601-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_34601-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The Altai Mountains tower above the lake Khoton Nuur after a recent snowfall. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"14\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_35111-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_3511\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"14\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_3511\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_35111-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_35111-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Hayley Wolcott, an undergraduate at St. Andrews University in Scotland, examines a small Mongolian grayling on the shores of Khoton Nuur. She joined the expedition to assist the research of Olaf Jensen, assistant professor at Rutgers University, Department of Marine &amp; Coastal Sciences. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"15\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/petroresize-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"petroresize\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"15\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"petroresize\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/petroresize-300x200.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/petroresize-300x200.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Ancient peoples, likely shamans, used stone tools to peck figures of animals into the polished bedrock slopes of the Altai, possibly during the Bronze Age or earlier. Pictured here are yaks, deer, ibex, horses and an Argali sheep. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"16\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_42731-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_4273\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"16\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_4273\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_42731-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_42731-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The field research team after a long day. From left: Strand, Jagvaral, Bat-Erdene Barulkhaajav, Baatar, Chantasaldulam, Tomor, David Putnam, Wolcott, Tanzhuo Liu, Aaron Putnam, Ward. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"17\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_43231-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_4323\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"17\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_4323\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_43231-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_43231-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">While the scientists collect rock samples, Kazakh horsemen often come to investigate the team\u2019s work. Bayan-\u00d6lgii, the far western province in which the team worked, is 88 percent Kazakh. Many families from the Central Asian ethnic group settled in Mongolia after being forced into diaspora by the expansion of the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"18\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_46071-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_4607\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"18\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_4607\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_46071-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_46071-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The view from just above the Khoton Nuur campsite, on a ridge designated Biluut 2. In the distance we see Biluut 1, then Khoton Nuur and more Altai peaks in the background. (Sarah Kramer\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"19\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_48261-1024x683.jpeg\" title=\"IMG_4826\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"19\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"IMG_4826\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_48261-300x200.jpeg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/IMG_48261-300x200.jpeg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Kramer wades in Khyargas Nuur, a salt lake in Uvs Province. Ward wades out farther in the distance. (Credit: Tsetsenbileg Bavuu)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Medill embedded reporting scholarships are supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corp. of New York.<\/p>\n<div id=\"featurecaption\">Photo at top: Reporter Sarah Kramer astride a Bactrian camel at a tourist outpost in the Gobi. For about $2 USD, those driving across the Gobi Desert can stop and ride camels and horses saddled with traditional Mongolian tack. The team enjoyed the jaunt, but decided to use horses to carry field research equipment up Tsagaan Gol Valley. (Credit: Caleb Ward)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Sarah Kramer The Altai Mounts of western Mongolia may be concealing secrets amid the splendor. The breathtaking alpine landscape could hold clues to how abrupt climate change might have impacted our ancestors\u2014 and how it may impact our descendants. This summer, a team of scientists, students and historians trekked through the hills and valleys [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":17382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[452,29,498],"tags":[504,506,91,505,329,192],"class_list":["post-17366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beyond-chicago","category-health-and-science","category-summer2015","tag-asia","tag-climate-change","tag-environment","tag-international","tag-medill","tag-promo","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Missives from Mongolia: Chasing down the Ice Age - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/missives-from-mongolia-chasing-down-the-ice-age\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Missives from Mongolia: Chasing down the Ice Age - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Sarah Kramer The Altai Mounts of western Mongolia may be concealing secrets amid the splendor. 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