This study investigates the stratigraphical sequence of Cocina Cave (Spain) employing and testing for the first time the capability of rare earth elements as markers of human activities in caves. Located in Dos Aguas (Valencian Community, Spain), Cocina Cave is characterized by the presence of several Holocene archaeological deposits from the final Mesolithic to the present day and is a pivotal site

Approximately 13 km south of Gulf Shores, Alabama (United States), divers found in situ baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) stumps 18 m below the ocean surface. These trees could have only lived when sea level fell during the Pleistocene subaerially exposing the tectonically stable continental shelf. Here we investigate the geophysical properties along with microfossil and stratigraphical analyses of

The timing of the flooding of the Danish/German/Swedish straits and the first marine influence in the Baltic Basin after the Ancylus Lake stage has been much debated. Here we present 47 new radiocarbon ages from sediment cores retrieved from Danish waters, ages that record the marine transgression of the area. Most of the ages are based on shells of marine molluscs, hence the ages are uncertain because

We revise the conceptual model of calcite varves and present, for the first time, a dual lake monitoring study in two alkaline lakes providing new insights into the seasonal sedimentation processes forming these varves. The study lakes, Tiefer See in NE Germany and Czechowskie in N Poland, have distinct morphology and bathymetry, and therefore, they are ideal to decipher local effects on seasonal deposition

The Kolyma region is historically famous for the unique finds of large Pleistocene fauna, yet, until very recently, absent of the time‐corresponding occupation sites. Quaternary geology and palaeontology investigations (2013–2019) in the middle reaches of the Kolyma River (NE Yakutia) have delivered new evidence on the Last Glacial (MIS 4–2) to Early Holocene sub‐arctic ecosystems and the past landscape

This study presents the first centennial‐scale multi‐proxy record from the East Sayan Mountains, which are part of the central Asian ‘water tower’ massif. The record from Lake Kaskadnoe in the Jom‐Bolok area shows changes in vegetation and climate since c. 14.2 cal. ka BP. Although the study site is in an area with active volcanism, there is no clear evidence that volcanic eruptions influenced the

Low field magnetic susceptibility (MS) records of 13 reference boreholes representing the whole Quaternary fluvial succession of the Great Hungarian Plain were correlated to develop regional stratigraphy. Data from 12 of the boreholes were published between 2016 and 2020, the Tiszainoka borehole is newly reported in this paper. Eleven magnetic susceptibility cycles, capped by the most emergent master

Qikirtajuaq is a long island facing the Inuit village of Akulivik on the northeastern coast of Hudson Bay (Canada) that is rich in archaeological sites. Kangiakallak‐1 (JeGn‐2), one of the main sites on this island, is a large multicomponent site that includes Dorset and Thule Inuit winter houses. This study documents the dynamics of palaeoenvironmental conditions in the successive occupations of the

Reconstructing the spatial and temporal response of mountain glaciers to rapid climate change in the past provides access to the effects of current climate change. Yet, the spatial and temporal variability of past glacier fluctuations is not fully understood. In this study, we focus on the timing of glacier fluctuations in the European Alps during the Younger Dryas/Early Holocene (YD/EH) transition

Proboscidean remains have been documented in New England for well over a century, yet few radiocarbon dates exist for these animals in the region. Here, we report the first AMS radiocarbon date and stable carbon:nitrogen isotope analysis for the Mount Holly mammoth, Mount Holly, Vermont. Among proboscidean finds in New England the date of 10 860±30 (12 882–12 792 cal. BP) from the Mount Holly mammoth

Due to a lack of visible tephras in the Dead Sea record, this unique palaeoenvironmental archive is largely unconnected to the well‐established Mediterranean tephrostratigraphy. Here we present first results of the ongoing search for cryptotephras in the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) sediment core from the deep Dead Sea basin. This study focusses on the Lateglacial (~15–11.4 cal

We address here the specific timing and amplitude of sea‐surface conditions and productivity changes off SW Greenland, northern Labrador Sea, in response to the high deglacial meltwater rates, the Early Holocene maximum insolation and Neoglacial cooling. Dinocyst assemblages from sediment cores collected off Nuuk were used to set up quantitative records of sea ice cover, seasonal sea‐surface temperature

A box core and a trigger weight core were recovered from the Mackenzie Slope (Canadian Beaufort Sea) and combined into a composite sequence (AMD0214‐03BC/TWC: 03CS) to investigate dinocyst assemblages and the mineralogical and geochemical compositions. This allowed the estimation of sea‐surface conditions and documentation of changes in detrital inputs related to Late Holocene ocean‐climate variability

The Pleistocene biochronology of Ukraine based on remains of small mammals was established in the late 20th century. The main biochronological criteria used at that time were based on temporal changes in the fauna composition and percentage differences between teeth morphotypes in voles (Arvicolidae). In the present paper, these criteria are supplemented by morphometric data of the occlusal surface

The Polish sector of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet is a key area for studying ice‐sheet drainage and decay from its local Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) extent, as it is located at the terrestrial terminus of the large and dynamic Baltic Ice Stream Complex. Geomorphological mapping, based on a 0.4‐m LiDAR digital elevation model, revealed about 940 streamlined bedforms, many of which are shown for the

The continuing development of analytical methods for investigating sedimentary records calls for iterative re‐examination of existing data sets obtained on loess‐palaeosol sequences (LPS) as archives of palaeoenvironmental change. Here, we re‐investigate two LPS (Hecklingen, Zilly) in the northern Harz foreland, Germany, being of interest due to their proximity to the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) and

We present a record of glacial to Holocene 230Thxs normalized sediment mass fluxes for a site located on the eastern flank of the Carlsberg Ridge, Arabian Sea to evaluate carbonate burial, preservation and surface ocean changes spanning the last 38 ka. Sediment fluxes (0.81–3.70 g cm−2 ka−1) indicate dominant carbonate rain (0.44–1.83 g cm−2 ka−1), followed by 232Th‐based lithogenic flux (0.36–1.42 g cm−2 ka−1)

We constrain the age of a cobble beach ridge system in Greenland using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of buried cobble surfaces. Luminescence signals from six cobbles are measured using infrared (IR) stimulation at 50 °C (IR50) and 180 °C (pIRIR180); these cobbles represent four progressively younger beach ridges lying between ~35 and ~6 m above present sea level. Luminescence–depth

The Scandinavian Ice Sheet reached the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains during the Elsterian glaciation. A long ice‐sheet piedmont marginal zone affected by the rugged mountain foreland topography and associated slopes originated. This study focuses on the hilly Rychleby Mts. foreland (Eastern Sudetes, Czechia), which was a part of the piedmont marginal foreland zone of the ice sheet. The basal regime

The submarine landforms and shallow sediment record are presented from Hambergbukta, southeastern Spitsbergen using swath‐bathymetric, subbottom acoustic, and sediment core data. The mapped landforms include large terminal and end‐moraines with associated debrisflow aprons on their distal flanks, drumlinized till surface, glacial lineations, medial and retreat moraines, crevasse squeeze ridge networks

The sediment succession of Lake Emanda in the Yana Highlands was investigated to reconstruct the regional late Quaternary climate and environmental history. Hydro‐acoustic data obtained during a field campaign in 2017 show laminated sediments in the north‐western and deepest (up to ̃15 m) part of the lake, where a ̃6‐m‐long sediment core (Co1412) was retrieved. The sediment core was studied with a

The northern Greater Khingan Range is located in northernmost Northeast China on the southern edge of the permafrost zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Isolated, sporadic and continuous permafrost belts are distributed from the southeast to the northwest in this area. Sixteen surface soil samples were collected from the three permafrost belts, and a 30‐cm‐deep soil profile was sampled from the continuous

This paper presents the results of high‐resolution sedimentological analyses of sediment cores from the eastern Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). Sampling sites in the periphery of sedimentary basins were selected on the basis of acoustic profiling analyses. The research allowed tracing of the transition from the freshwater Ancylus Lake to the Littorina Sea. A specific transitional layer of ‘blue clays’

Few fossil‐based environmental and climate records in northern Europe are dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a around 80 ka BP. We here present multiple environmental and climate proxies obtained from a lake sequence of MIS 5a age in the Sokli basin (northern Finland). Pollen/spores, plant macrofossils, NPPs (e.g. green algae), bryozoa, diatoms and chironomids allowed an exceptionally detailed reconstruction

During the Last Glacial Maximum, the coast of Finnmark county, northern Norway, was covered by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS), which coalesced with the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) off the coast. The region is thus important for our understanding of the dynamic interactions between the BSIS and the SIS, yet it remains one of the least dated regions covered by the SIS. To improve the chronological

Cold‐adapted faunal populations shifted southwards during the coldest episodes of the Middle and Late Pleistocene, reaching the Iberian Peninsula. In this context, some of these species, such as Coelodonta antiquitatis and Mammuthus primigenius extended throughout the territory, leaving evidence in, at least, 35 and 29 sites, respectively; however, in most cases, the evidence is scarce. Here we present

The Western Carpathian Mountains have been attracting palaeoecologists for a long time, recently mainly to seek direct evidence of northern cryptic refugia in this region. We investigated a rich Holocene mollusc record in the White Carpathian Mountains, capturing a gradual development of forest malacofaunas under stable environmental conditions. To obtain precise data about colonization and extinction

The sediment profile from Lake Gościąż in central Poland comprises a continuous, seasonally resolved and exceptionally well‐preserved archive of the Younger Dryas (YD) climate variation. This provides a unique opportunity for detailed investigation of lake system responses during periods of rapid climate cooling (YD onset) and warming (YD termination). The new varve record of Lake Gościąż presented

Deglaciation patterns of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the Salpausselkä zone, southern Finland were studied. Digital elevation models (DEM/LiDAR‐imageries) were used to map and categorize glacifluvial formations of the study area, and evidence for ice re‐advance and retreat phases and their extent across the Younger Dryas Salpausselkä zone was collected. The results suggest that the Finnish Lake District

Southern Siberia is characterized by complex climatic and vegetation patterns, and the late‐Quaternary evolution of climate and vegetation in this vast region is still poorly understood. This study uses pollen, spores, testate amoebae and plant macrofossils to characterize environmental and climatic changes at Bezrybnoe Mire (Western Sayan Mountains, southern Central Siberia). Pollen data indicate

High‐resolution analyses of pollen and diatoms in core LV 53‐29 from the northwestern Japan Sea trace climate, vegetation and oceanographic changes during the past 120 ka. The age model for the core was based on tephrochronology, colour lightness and magnetic susceptibility and was used to aid correlation with Dansgaard‐Oeschger cycles (warm Greenland interstadials (GIs) and cold Greenland stadials

Latvia Lake provides one of the few high‐resolution palaeoenvironmental records from southeastern Primor'ye. It traces basin, vegetation and climate histories over the past c. 8.6 ka. The Latvia basin experienced four phases, two of which involved frequent shifts amongst lake, lagoon and bay settings (c. 8.6–7.0 cal. ka BP and c. 2.1 cal. ka BP–present). A sandbar was present between c. 7.0 and 6.9 cal

There is a notable lack of palaeoecological records, particularly quantitative palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, for northeast Sweden. Here I use a lake sediment record from lake Flocktjärn to reconstruct Holocene terrestrial vegetation change and lake ecosystem dynamics, and to study the relationship between these components of the environment. After a period in which the vegetation around the

This paper presents an age–depth model based on an ultra‐high‐resolution, 80‐m‐thick sedimentary succession from a marine continental shelf basin, the Kattegat. This is an area of dynamic deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during the Late Pleistocene. The Kattegat is also a transitional area between the saline North Sea and the brackish Baltic Sea. As such, it records general development of

The results of a comprehensive study of Pleistocene fish‐bearing localities from the territory of Poland are presented. Fish remains came from lacustrine deposits and cave sites representing a time‐span from the late Early Pleistocene until the Early Holocene. Here we present the taxonomic composition and species diversity of all known fish assemblages from Poland. In total, 23 species belonging to

The Swedish Varve Chronology is an unparalleled tool for linking the deglacial history of Sweden with associated palaeo‐environmental change at an annual time scale, and it forms part of Sweden's cultural heritage. A full deglacial chronology connected to the present day does not yet exist; a notable gap is in southeasternmost Sweden, where few varved records are successfully connected to reconstruct

The Arctic, one of the most sensitive components of the Earth's climate system, experienced pronounced climatic fluctuations during the Late Holocene. In order to obtain a detailed record of past environmental and climatic variability, sedimentary cores from two interconnected infilled depositional basins in the Kobbefjord area, southwestern Greenland, were retrieved and subjected to a multi‐proxy

This paper presents a study of past coastline dynamics and their consequences for prehistoric societies living in the glacio‐isostatically uplifted central Limfjord area, northern Denmark. The consequences of the gradual relative sea level (RSL) changes have been investigated to develop a local RSL curve, study settlement patterns on newly exposed marine foreland, and estimate changes in the area and

A new digital map of glacial geomorphic features and interpreted glacial landsystems was produced for an area covering ~415 000 km2 in the Keewatin Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) in Nunavut. The map integrates information from previous surficial geology maps and >14 000 field stations, and is significantly improved by the detailed inventory of ~152 000 glacigenic features using high‐resolution

The Younger Dryas (YD) cold event was discovered in Denmark by Hartz and Mithers in 1904 and the term coined by Hartz in 1912. It was identified as a lacustrine clay bed containing plant macrofossils of an Arctic flora, including Dryas octopetala, and lying between Allerød and Holocene gyttjas containing a warmer flora with birch trees. The YD is unique in the sense that it is the largest and most

Knowledge about the deglaciation history of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is important to put the recent observations of ice loss into a longer‐term perspective. In southern Greenland, the deglaciation history is generally well constrained. In this study, we use 43 new 10Be surface exposure ages combined with existing minimum‐limiting 14C ages to constrain the deglaciation history of eastern North

Several palaeoclimatic archives have documented the pronounced climatic and environmental change associated with the Lateglacial–Holocene transition in the European Alps. However, the geomorphic response to this major environmental transition has only been punctually investigated. In this study, we propose a detailed reconstruction of post‐Last Glacial Maximum palaeoenvironmental conditions and geomorphic

The thick loess deposits in Tajikistan are important archives for palaeoclimatic reconstruction in Central Asia during the Quaternary. To date however, adequate high‐resolution studies of chronology and climatic evolution of the Tajik loess have still not been carried out. In this paper, chronology, dust provenance, and palaeoclimatic significance of a loess section in the centre of the Tajik Basin

The volcanic island of Jan Mayen, remotely located in the Norwegian‐Greenland Sea, was covered by a contiguous ice cap during the Late Weichselian. Until now, it has been disputed whether parts of the island south of the presently glaciated Mount Beerenberg area were ever glaciated. Based on extensive field mapping we demonstrate that an ice cap covered all land areas and likely also extended onto

During the late Quaternary, dramatic changes in relative sea level (~170 m) are known to have occurred in the Caspian Sea. However, all previous attempts at resolving the uncertainty associated with the timing of these transgressive/regressive events, primarily using radiocarbon, have produced inconclusive or controversial results. Here we present the first reliable chronology for the largest known

High‐resolution stratigraphical architecture of a Quaternary fluvial succession in the Makó Trough and the Danube‐Tisza Interfluve (Pannonian Basin, Hungary) was investigated based on low field magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements of seven fully cored boreholes, interpreted on the basis of the early postglacial magnetic susceptibility episodes previously described in the Körös and Jászság Basins

Stable organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes can be used to interpret past vegetation patterns and ecosystem qualities. Here we present these proxies for two loess‐palaeosol sequences from the southern Carpathian Basin to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment during the past 350 ka and establish regional commonalities and differences. Before now, isotopic studies on loess sequences from this region were

We present 100‐ka multiproxy palaeoenvironmental records from three stalagmites collected in different caves located in the Tatra Mountains on the Polish/Slovakian border. A combination of three records from one mountain region helps to estimate local factors controlling the recorded proxies and separate them from regional/global patterns. The studied stalagmites react to the same environmental changes

Extensive loess deposits exist in the Western Qinling Mountains (WQM), which constitute the transition zone between the Tibetan Plateau and the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). These deposits are one of the most important terrestrial archives regarding past dust activity and environmental changes in East Asia; however, they remain insufficiently known and poorly understood. Herein, we conducted detailed

Knowledge of the structures and intensities of past glaciations is crucial for understanding Quaternary palaeoclimatic evolution. Terrestrial molluscs are a reliable proxy of past environmental conditions and can provide specific climatic insights into glacials. Here we compare the climatic evolution of the last two glacials, based on mollusc fossils from the L2 and L1 loess units (equivalent to Marine

Bolshaya Imandra, the northern sub‐basin of Lake Imandra, was investigated by a hydro‐acoustic survey followed by sediment coring down to the acoustic basement. The sediment record was analysed by a combined physical, biogeochemical, sedimentological, granulometrical and micropalaeontological approach to reconstruct the regional climatic and environmental history. Chronological control was obtained

This paper presents evidence for a limnological response to the Laacher See eruption (LSE) as detected in lake sediments from Nahe, northern Germany. The sediment section of the Allerød period dating to between 13 422 and 12 708 cal. a BP is preserved in annual laminations. Within this section, the LSE was identified as a cryptotephra layer (12 944±44 cal. a BP). Microfacies analysis, continuous high‐resolution

The Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia is a substantial landmass that is poorly documented in terms of most elements of biodiversity. Here we provide the first study of modern assemblages of testate amoebae, a widespread group of protists that are particularly abundant in soils. We present a data set of 78 widely distributed samples, including forest, fen, scrub and bog habitats. Testate

Tunnel valleys are major features of glaciated margins and they enable meltwater expulsion from underneath a thick ice cover. Their formation is related to the erosion of subglacial sediments by overpressured meltwater and direct glacial erosion. Yet, the impact of pre‐existing structures on their formation and morphology remains poorly known. High‐quality 3D seismic data allowed the mapping of a large

This study proposes a new method to detect changes of altitudinal distribution limit of a plant species based on the stomatal analysis of fossilized leaves. We use the Holocene fossil leaves of Fagus crenata (Japanese beech), a dominant deciduous tree in the cool temperate zone, from different horizons in a peat bog in Mt. Kurikoma, north Japan. Results of palaeo‐CO2 concentration reconstructed from

The debate regarding the history of water‐level fluctuations in Lake Baikal extends back to the late 19th century and is rooted in the interpretation of the sequence of palaeo‐shoreline terraces observed around the Baikal trough. Modern studies identify terraces up to 200 m above and down to 40 m below the present‐day Lake Baikal water level, and opinions are split between (i) those who regard the

This study examines the long‐term neotectonic evolution of the Crag Basin of eastern England during the Plio‐Pleistocene (c. 4.0–0.48 Ma) and the influence of neotectonics on coastal and drainage development. The Crag Basin was situated within the western margins of the southern North Sea with palaeogeography influenced by changes in global sea‐level and longer‐term regional‐scale neotectonic uplift

This study presents the first analysis of ice‐free cirques on the Faroe Islands using a Geographical Information System (GIS) and the Automated Cirque Metric Extraction (ACME) tool. The length, width, area, circularity, mean aspect, mean slope, and elevation range, minimum, and maximum were calculated using ACME. Cirque distance to coastline was measured using ArcGIS. A total of 116 cirques were identified

In the Middle Danube Basin, Quaternary deposits are widely distributed in the Vojvodina region where they cover about 95% of the area. Major research during the last two decades has been focused on loess deposits in the Vojvodina region. During this period, loess in the Vojvodina region has become one of the most important Pleistocene European continental climatic and environmental records. Here we

The evolution of several sub‐alpine alluvial fans SE of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap was investigated based on their geomorphology and Schmidt‐hammer exposure‐age dating (SHD) applied to 47 boulder deposits on the fan surfaces. A debris‐flood rather than debrisflow or water‐flow origin for the deposits was inferred from their morphology, consisting of low ridges with terminal splays up to 100 m wide