A new Late glacial – Holocene palaeoenvironmental record from Cerro Benítez (51°33′S 72°35′W), Seno Última Esperanza, is presented. A pollen and spore record, from a closed basin mire, provides insight into the dramatic landscape changes spanning the past ∼16,000 years. AMS radiocarbon dating, supplemented by the application of tephrochronology, provides robust age constraint. Our record of landscape

North China is known as a region where cultural traditions do not change throughout the Pleistocene, while it is a region of interest for its association with several demographic events in Paleolithic age. In order to clarify the reason why the lithic industry mainly composed of quartz continued over a long period of time, it is necessary to accumulate information on lithic assemblage and human behavior

The 230Th dating (238U–234U–230Th dating method) has become one of the most important dating methods for Quaternary research. However, the 230Th/232Th ratio of 4.4 ± 2.2ⅹ10−6 is widely used for age correction in 230Th dating method. Here, we collected active speleothems with exactly known age and zero-year-old calcium carbonate from caves and dated them by 230Th dating. Our data indicated that the

Establishing body mass from skeletal remains of an animal is of importance to researchers in the fields of ecology, palaeontology and archaeozoology. Establishing such standards requires that different body parts follow allometric growth curves, and that one can access a sufficiently large sample of individuals of known size and weight for the target species. Here, we have used data collected from

Integrated studies were carried out on one hundred and eleven (111) ditch samples retrieved from three wells drilled in Lagos area within the Dahomey Embayment, coastal southwestern Nigeria. The purpose of this study is to determine the provenance, heavy mineral assemblage(s), establish the lowstand - highstand episodes, Quaternary palaeoenvironment and date the encountered lithofacies which constitute

The Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene is an important transitional period in the Cenozoic evolution of global climate and environment. Previously, we demonstrated the occurrence of distinct cycles in vegetation and climate in the Nihewan Basin, during 2.89–1.78 Ma. However, the specific cycles and their forcing mechanisms were not studied more in-depth. Here we present the results of wavelet and spectral

Previous syntheses of palaeoclimate and archaeological data from the Kashmir Valley have proposed that climate changes drove prehistoric settlement of the valley, based on the adaptation of West Asian winter crops to mid-Holocene warm-humid conditions ca. 5000 BP. It has been argued that these conditions enabled population growth that became unsustainable following the onset of a cold-arid phase ca

The short and scare record limits to understand the history of the hydroclimate change in east-central China. In this study, we developed a 225-year tree-ring width chronology (STD) for Chinese pine originating from the Shiren Mountain in Henan Province, east-central China. We analysed the correlation between the STD and different climatic factors and then reconstructed the May–June moisture variation

The Middle Pleistocene was a period of dynamic changes in Europe. During MIS 11, a number of modern mammal taxa appeared and environmental conditions remained warm and favourable for a relatively long time. The Medzhybizh 1 locality of Ukraine dated to this very period comprises alluvial deposits with rich animal remains, which allow not only to reconstruct the fauna composition, but also to highlight

Data on the mineralogy and geochemistry of rare earth elements (REE + Y) in water, suspended matter and stratified sediment cores from different parts of Lake Onego are presented. The study finds that the dissolved REE + Y in the water from different areas of Lake Onego have common features: (1) a maximum in the area of middle rare earth elements (MREE), (2) a distinct negative Ce anomaly and (3) a

Located at the Tunisian Atlas area, the Quaternary basin of Borj Edouane-El Gara could serve as a good example for close relation between the continental infill and the neotectonic morphostructural pattern. This Quaternary basin is superimposed on pre-Quaternary basement rocks in the form of an active negative flower structure in a divergent wrench fault zone. The neotectonic evolution of the region

Mishra et al. (2020) are thankful to Maurya et al. (2021) for raising some basic questions on their work, as it gave the authors an excellent opportunity to validate and support their claim. Maurya et al. (2021) have to understand that Vigodi is a ∼ 5–7 km wide fault zone including Vigodi-Gugriana-Khirasra fault complex, where several NW-SE to NNW-SSE striking faults are clearly visible (for details

Planktonic foraminifera are an important biochronostratigraphic tool and one of the main proxies used in paleoceanographic studies. Here we present the integration of quantitative analyses of planktonic foraminifera biostratigraphy, planktonic and benthic foraminifera oxygen isotopic data, and planktonic foraminifera radiocarbon ages in a biochronostratigraphic framework for the last 1.93 Ma of the

The southern Brazilian coastal area harbors one of the largest wetland systems of South America, important for its plant and animal biodiversity and ecosystems services provided for human populations. As an attempt to understand the development of those wetlands, samples from a diatom ooze and indurated diatomites found in the coastal plain of the state of Rio Grande do Sul were analyzed. The fragmented

Although there are still some conflicts, previous studies based on lacustrine or aeolian deposits provide an overall understanding of the Holocene environment in the Qinghai Lake Basin. Compared to lacustrine deposits, aeolian sediments have received less attention, and the loess on the south coast and the Hudong Sandy Land on the east coast has received the most attention. The Ganzihe Sandy Land,

Micromorphological investigations of loess-paleosol sequence offer the potential for understanding pedogenic and paleoclimate change at the microscopic scale. However, the micromorphological study is comparatively scarce in the south Qinling Mountains, China. Here, micromorphological analysis (coarse particles, pedofeatures and voids) in conjunction with physicochemical indexes of pedogenesis (i.e

Pearl River sediments have been reported to have changed greatly in composition due to the impact of human activities on erosion and landscapes in southern China since 2500 years BP. Here, sediments from four cores (PRD-1, PRD-3, PRD-6 and PRD-7) from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) were collected for high-density clay mineral analyses to determine the vertical variations in clay mineral compositions since

Several attempts at reconstructing geological settings and palaeoclimatic changes of the siliciclastic deposits of the Dahomey Basin, SW Nigeria, using relative age dating and correlation methods, have resulted in serious discrepancies on the ages. Therefore, a chronology framework established by an absolute age dating method is requisite to constrain the geological interpretation. This research focuses

Here, we present new δ13С and δ15N data for modern and archaeological freshwater fish bone collagen from Siberia, together with summarized isotopic data for the Eurasian Steppe from previous research. Bioarchaeological material is an important source of information about people's lifestyle, economy and diets, and palaeoenvironment. Stable isotope analysis of fish bones, along with other palaeozoological

The 45 km-long, north-trending East Franklin Mountains Fault lies in the southern Rio Grande rift (Texas). Late Quaternary normal fault scarps up to 20 m high traverse the eastern range front, but also bulge up to 2 km out onto the piedmont in lobes as much as 3.5 km wide. In the lobe areas the range-front fault strand displays no fault scarps, as if displacement has shifted to the piedmont strand

This paper discusses the results of siliceous microfossils studies performed in a “staircase” of four isolation basins (33.7 m–2.9 m a.s.l.) on Big Solovetskiy Island (Solovki Archipelago, the White Sea). Diatoms were used as a primary group for paleoinferences, while chrysophyte cysts and sponge spicules also demonstrated high indicative potential. In all study lakes, the siliceous microfossils stratigraphy

The evolution of alluvial fans is controlled by the tectonic setting and climatic fluctuations. This study focused on the Lidian alluvial fan in the northern piedmont of Zhongtiao Shan, north China, to study the fluvial responses to paleoenvironmental changes since the late Last Glacial Maximum. In combination with series of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating data on fan sediments, sedimentary

Panthera gombaszoegensis was recorded over from 100 African and Eurasian localities, ranged between 2.5 and 0.3 Myr. Among them, seven cave sites, Żabia, Tunel Wielki, Kozi Grzbiet, Draby 3, Południowa, Biśnik, and Komarowa caves, dated in the range of 1.7–0.3 Myr, were those in Poland. They were located in Sudety Mts, Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, Wieluń Upland and Holy Cross Mts. The material from Polish

In this study, we offer significant improvement over previous results that identified the Matuyama-Brunhes magnetic reversal in cave sediments from the Czech Republic in Central Europe. We collected discrete samples from the sedimentary profile in Za Hajovnou cave located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The rock magnetism measurements indicated that the magnetic carrier of most of the samples

A study was conducted on the buried soils identified at the base of the foundation of the Cabin of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to help trace the Late Holocene landscape evolution in the lower reaches of the Neva River. The Cabin is a small wooden house, which was the first residence of Peter the Great in a newly emerged Saint-Petersburg. The house was built of pine logs on the Neva

Alluvial sedimentary records attract great attention for quantitative paleoflood studies because they may preserve continuous high-resolution archives in lowland floodplains that are most vulnerable to inland flooding. The coarse-grained flood deposit in oxbow lakes emerges as a promising paleoflood proxy due to its sensitivity to flood magnitude and high preservation potential. Previous work has established

Climate change, a global challenge for human beings, is in the long term best documented through archaeological research. As this has shown, some cold reversal events, like Last Glacial Maximum and YD, greatly impacted of human behavior in mid-latitude areas of the northern hemisphere. A general recognition on how these events affected those in low latitude areas is yet to be determined. Previous studies

Pleistocene aeolian deposits interbedded with marine deposits, colluvial deposits and palaeosols are observed in area of Es Copinar, Caló d'es Mort and Es Ram-s’Estufadors in Formentera Island. The sedimentary succession outcropping along the south-eastern coast of the island is characterized by a well-exposed high-resolution succession representing the main climate and geomorphological changes that

Grain legumes of the Vigna genus are important crops in Asia, although their origins and history of domestication and cultivation are less known than that of rice and millet. Azuki (V. angularis var. angularis) is widely cultivated and consumed across East Asia, especially in China, Korea and Japan, which are considered as independent centres of azuki domestication. This study presents the first directly

The engraved bone of Nesher Ramla is regarded by Prévost et al., as symbolic. The authors, however, fail to consider other possible interpretations that do not rely on symbolic criteria. In this commentary, a more compelling interpretation of the intentional marks is described based on a proto-aesthetic interest with respect to the Neurovisual Resonance Theory (NRT), embodied cognition and recent neuroscientific

We present results for three sections with a representative loess record of the end of the Late Pleistocene from the south-east of Western Siberia. These sections are characterized by different structure and formed in different geomorphological position of Ob Loess Plateau and Cis-Salair plain. The age of deposits within MIS 1 - MIS 3 is determined by radiocarbon and OSL dating. Data on the quartz

Understanding how maritime hunter-gatherer diets changed through time in response to increasing social complexity can help us understand important transitions in early human history. This paper presents new baseline stable isotope values for southern California with an emphasis on marine plant and animal species. We use our baseline database to reevaluate human stable isotope values from the region

This study investigates the biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments of the early Pleistocene deposits in the southern part of the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam. Biostratigraphic data, sediment cores, well-logs, and seismic data were used to analyse and construct the chronostratigraphy and paleo-depositional environments of the study area. The microfossil assemblages were recognized using new datasets from

We aim to extend our understanding of the seasonal formation of cellular cementum, and its functional relationships in fallow deer (Dama dama) from Mediterranean ecosystems, in order to achieve reliable cementochronology applications. We provide a specific reference for fallow deer in a specific ecosystem, as needed for forensic, paleontological and wildlife ecology research. A semi-quantitative rating

Learning about past biological interactions is possible thanks to the study of trace fossils, such as coprolites found in archaeological sites. The multiproxy analysis of coprolites may provide evidence of direct and indirect consumption of diet items and thus reconstructing the ecological dynamics of past ecosystems. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis of the content of plant fragments

Rates of soil development provide critical information about the types and rates of geomorphic and landscape evolutionary processes. Soil development in arid and semiarid regions of the southwestern United States is predominantly controlled by influx of eolian dust, yet our ability to quantify the rates of morphologic development and of dust and carbonate incorporation is limited by available age control

The numerous lake and peat sedimentary archives of Central European Russia are ideal for studying the Lateglacial–Holocene climate and vegetation history of the region. However, robustly dated palaeoenvironmental records have only become available in the last decade and are still few and far between. Together with the continuously growing archaeological record and increasing focus on absolute dating

Little attention has been paid to climate change in the marginal regions of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) domain since Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (60-27 cal kyr BP). Here, based on the mineralogy and grain size of a 24-m-long sediment core retrieved from Jilantai Salt Lake, we provide a paleolake evolution record from a marginal region of the ASM domain over the past 47 kyr. Our results indicate

This paper presents a summary of work undertaken by the authors and their teams on a series of Qe'an (plural of Qa’), in the Badia of eastern Jordan. These basins are a foci for settlement in the region, with the sites described here (Shubayqa, Wisad and the Qa’ Qattafi) edged by archaeological sites dating from the late Epipalaeolithic (ca. 14,500 - 11,600 cal BP) and the Neolithic (ca. 11,700 - 6100 cal

Soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDSs) are widely developed in the lacustrine sediments of paleo-dammed lakes in tectonically active regions and contain a wealth of information on regional fault activity. In this study, multiple SSDSs (load structures, small-scale slump structures, droplets, diapir and pillow structures, silty-clay pillars and large-scale slump structures) were identified in

Stone Age and rock art sites that Breuil would visit near Kimberley, South Africa, during and after the 1929 conference of the British and South African Associations for the Advancement of Science, were amongst the first he would see in Africa. Breuil's published observations and an autobiographical account afford a keyhole view on his initial thoughts with hints of ways these would develop, alongside

Indian summer monsoon (ISM) variability in the late Holocene (last 4000 years) is of great interest as the arid phase of ISM and cultivation of kharif (rainy season) crops started in this period. The present study aims to revisit the available speleothem records to study ISM rainfall variations and possible controlling factors in different Indian regions viz., core monsoon zone (CMZ), peninsular, the

This article deals with geomorphological, sedimentary, paleopedological, chronological and archaeological records within a segment of the Jacaré-Guaçu River alluvial plain in southeast Brazil, aiming to evaluate the influence of climatic and hydrological changes on the landscape transformations. The data set, including geomorphological mapping, macroscopic and microscopic descriptions of soils over

Previous geoarchaeological research on the Akko coastal plain have contributed to the understanding of the ancient coastal interface and added evidence as to the location/shift of the ancient anchorages dating from the Middle Bronze Age (beginning of the 2nd Millennium BC) to the Early Hellenistic period (mid of the 2nd century BC) of the ancient site of Tel Akko. The present research provides new

Within the subfamily Scelidotheriinae, Valgipes bucklandi represents one of the least known taxa due to its scarce records and material found so far. This Pleistocene ground sloth had been registered only in Brazil, within the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR) in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and, more recently, outside the BIR, in Mato Grosso do Sul. A particular

Three soft stone technologies that characterize the Upper Paleolithic period are fired ceramic figurines, pigments prepared from colored minerals that often consist of or include clay, and, lastly, pottery vessels. The earliest synthetic material of which we have a permanent artifactual record was made at 26,000 cal BP (Klima 1959b, 1963; Klima et al., 1962; Kozlowski, 1986), marking the beginnings

Late Quaternary carbonate dissolution was evaluated by using planktonic foraminifera indices perfect test ratio (PTR) of Goborotalia menardii, G. menardii fragmentation index (MFI), percentage of total resistant species (RSP) and sediment calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content in five sediment cores collected from two diverse oceanographic settings of the Indian Ocean. The cores collected from a depth range

The extinction of large-bodied terrestrial ‘megafauna’ during earlier phases of the Quaternary had a significant impact on the transforming structure of ecosystems. However, the causes of such losses remains difficult to determine in part because of a paucity of reliable geochronological information about the taxa involved. This is especially true for continents such as Australia where the majority

Recent interest in modern climate change has stimulated extensive scientific study into past societal responses to climate variability. However, examining climate change and society as a historical narrative drawing upon politics, economics, and settlement patterns does not provide a direct link between climate and society. Given that most inhabitants of the premodern world engaged in agriculture and/or

Notiomastodon platensis was an endemic South American proboscidean, which could reach about six tons and had a mixed feeder diet with predominance of C4 grasses in Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR). In the last decades, its feeding behavior has been rebuilt mainly through dental calculus, enamel microwear and stable isotope analyses. However, all these techniques allow us to know only punctual information

Loess deposits are widely spread all over Eastern Europe, extending as far south as the Sea of Azov and the northern Black Sea. For many decades these regions have been noted for series of key sections. However, despite prolonged investigations, a lack of absolute dating and detailed lithological data has left many unresolved problems in the correlation of the regional stratigraphic schemes. In this

The field of dental calculus research has exploded in recent years, predominantly due to the multitude of studies related to human genomes and oral pathogens. Despite having a subset of these studies devoted to non-human primates, little progress has been made in the distribution of oral pathogens across domestic and wild animal populations. This overlooked avenue of research is particularly important

Series of lake terraces were discovered on unconsolidated Cambrian siltstones in Al-Tayan Wadi along the eastern escarpment of the Dead Sea Rift (DSR). Altitudes were studied with DGPS and calcareous stromatolitic crusts were U/Th-dated and analyzed for microstructure, mineral composition and Mg/Ca ratios. These terraces represent high stands of the glacial Lake Lisan, ∼100 m higher than previously

For the palaeo-ecological development and interpretation of the macrofauna (Bivalvia and Gastropoda) of the Eemian Sea in the southwestern Baltic Sea region (NE Germany), up to date studies and summarising assessments are largely missing. With the main goal of revising the Eemian marine fauna, the authors have undertaken numerous new samplings in recent years. This study begins by focusing on the Warnow

Elucidating the cultural transition of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in northern China (Northeast and North China) is extremely important in considering the emergence and diffusion of Anatomically Modern Humans in East Asia. This article discusses 25 assemblages from 11 sites before and after ca. 42–40 cal ka in northern China. Each assemblage was given the techno-cultural category of “industry”

Until recently, several hypotheses on the origin(s) and dispersion of microblade technology in Northeast Asia have been presented and discussed. Although various definitions of microblade and bladelet have been proposed in diverse geographic and chronological contexts, several researchers may agree that the pressure knapping technique for microblade production plays a paramount role in the process

The aim of this paper is twofold: first, we strive to find routes of flint supply that may have been used systematically on the northern Alpine Foreland during the fourth millennium BCE, based on the origin of the siliceous raw materials; second, these routes will be interpreted as a part of cultural entanglements. Using the sedimentary microfacies method for sourcing the raw materials of artefacts

Glaciers on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Asian Water Tower”, directly affect the utilization of water resources in downstream regions. The currently available instrumental climatic dataset covers only a short period, and the resolution of proxy-based climate reconstructions is low, and these limitations restrict the accurate exploration of glacial changes on the southeastern Tibetan

Geophysical surveys in the Lakes Tazenat, Aydat, Chambon and Lacassou combined with a multiproxy study of sediment cores highlight Late Holocene abrupt environmental changes in the northern part of the French Massif Central (FMC). Dating landslide-induced dust layers and subaqueous slope failures impacting lake basin sedimentary fills suggest regional triggering by palaeo-earthquakes (cluster of events)

The aim of the article is to analyse the problem of the beginnings of the Levallois method at the northern foreland of the Carpathians, referring to the oldest cultural levels (layers 19bcd, 19a and 19) at the Biśnik Cave and several other sites. A proto-Levallois method has been distinguished, which evolved into the method of recurrent type with centripetal preparation and parallel, bidirectional