Burning histories derived from charcoal preserved in sediment archives offer scope to reconstruct past climate and landscape dynamics. The fault-bounded Aksay Pond in northwestern China preserved 24 macrocharcoals that when analysed for 14C using Accelerated Mass Spectrometry recorded three periods spanning two sigma error ranges of 1053 to 1379 CE, 1424 to 1622 CE and 1652 to 1990 CE. These periods of charcoal formation span the early to middle stages of the Medieval Climate Anomaly, the early stages of the Little Ice Age (LIA), and the transition from peak LIA to Recent Warming. The charcoal record from Aksay Pond differs from other Altai climate and burning records suggesting the region has a complex burning history.