Manot Cave contains important human fossils and archaeological assemblages related to the origin and dispersal of anatomically modern humans and the Upper Paleolithic period. This record is divided between an elevated in situ occupation area and a connecting talus. We, thus, investigated the interplay between the accumulation of the sediments and their associated artifacts in the occupation areas and the translocation of part of these sediments and artifacts down the talus. We examined the lithostratigraphy of two excavation locations in the occupation area (areas E and I), and two in the talus (areas C and D). We also assessed the diagenetic processes that have affected all these areas. A linear array of stalagmites and stalactites separates the occupation area from the talus, demarcating a major topographic barrier between the two. We infer that during human occupation, sediment accumulation of soil, wood ash, and bone was rapid and that some sediments with their associated artifacts overflowed the barrier and translocated down the talus. During periods of nonoccupation, the ash in the occupation area partially dissolved owing to the release of acid from the degrading bat and bird guano, and the layer thicknesses decreased. The south side of the talus (area C) has a normally stratified archaeological record, with the older archaeological materials underlying the younger materials. This suggests that the barrier between the occupation area and area C was relatively shallow and allowed a fairly continuous sediment accumulation in the talus. In the central part of the talus (area D), the stratigraphy is complex and shows mixing, presumably owing to the steep underlying bedrock topography and the mixing that occurs when sediments move down a steep slope. Finally, the distribution of secondary phosphates is consistent with the location of a main cave entrance to the south of the Paleolithic occupation area.

马诺特洞穴包含重要的人类化石和考古组合，与解剖学上现代人类的起源和传播以及旧石器时代晚期有关。该记录分为升高的原位占用区域和连接距骨。因此，我们调查了占领区沉积物及其相关人工制品的积累与这些沉积物和人工制品的一部分沿距骨的易位之间的相互作用。我们检查了占领区（E 区和 I 区）和距骨（C 区和 D 区）两个挖掘地点的岩石地层学。我们还评估了影响所有这些地区的成岩过程。石笋和钟乳石的线性阵列将占领区与距骨分开，划定了两者之间的主要地形障碍。我们推断，在人类占领期间，土壤、木灰和骨骼的沉积物积累迅速，并且一些沉积物及其相关的人工制品溢出了屏障并沿距骨向下移动。在闲置期间，由于降解蝙蝠和鸟粪释放酸，占领区的灰烬部分溶解，层厚减少。距骨南侧（C 区）的考古记录通常是分层的，较旧的考古材料位于较新的材料之下。这表明占领区和C区之间的屏障相对较浅，并且允许在距骨中相当连续的沉积物堆积。距骨中部（D区）地层复杂，呈混杂状，大概是由于陡峭的下伏基岩地形和沉积物沿着陡坡向下移动时发生的混合。最后，二次磷酸盐的分布与旧石器时代占领区南部的一个主要洞穴入口的位置一致。