Quaternary International最新文献

{"title":"Hunting for survival: Archaeozoological and taphonomic evidence for hunting practices at Vlakno Cave in the Terminal Pleistocene, eastern Adriatic","authors":"Antonela Barbir ,&nbsp;Siniša Radović ,&nbsp;Dario Vujević","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vlakno Cave, located in the central part of the eastern Adriatic, preserves an undisturbed Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sequence. Excavations revealed a rich faunal assemblage dating to the Late Upper Palaeolithic. Given the geomorphological sensitivity of the Adriatic region to climatic and environmental fluctuations, this study investigates hunting strategies during the final phase of the Upper Palaeolithic. Through archaeozoological and taphonomic analyses, we examined prey selection across Strata 5 and 4, transport decisions, and the exploitation of carcasses. The results indicate that red deer remained the principal prey in both strata, while the younger stratum shows an increase in small mammals (fox, hare) and a decline in larger herbivores (equids, bovids). Age profiles suggest a greater representation of juvenile individuals among both deer and small mammals. Skeletal part representation indicates that while all major body portions are present, large game was likely introduced to the site as partial carcasses rather than whole animals. This interpretation is supported by cut-mark evidence consistent with dismemberment, whereas smaller prey appear to have been transported intact. Cut marks and burning traces indicate hide removal, meat processing, and thermal treatment, with additional signs of secondary burning. This study contributes to a better understanding of hunting strategies in a climatically dynamic period, within a landscape that was in the process of becoming insular.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"762 ","pages":"Article 110202"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Late Pleistocene aeolian reactivation in coastal barriers of southern Brazil: stratigraphic expression and paleoclimatic significance","authors":"Thiago P. Souza ,&nbsp;Maria Luiza C.C. Rosa ,&nbsp;Paulo C.F. Giannini ,&nbsp;Sérgio R. Dillenburg ,&nbsp;Eduardo G. Barboza-Pinzon ,&nbsp;Felipe Caron ,&nbsp;Juan Sebastian Gomez-Neita ,&nbsp;Sergio M.M. Cárdenas ,&nbsp;Thais A. Silva ,&nbsp;Andre O. Sawakuchi ,&nbsp;Renato P. Lopes","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pleistocene coastal barriers are important sedimentary archives of environmental and climatic change, although their internal stratigraphy is often obscured by pedogenesis or post-depositional reworking. Yet, these overprints can also preserve valuable evidence of superimposed climate variations. This study investigates the internal organization and late-phase aeolian activity of the Pleistocene-aged Barriers I, II, and III in the southern Brazilian Coastal Plain through a multiproxy approach integrating granulometry, magnetic susceptibility, geochemical markers (Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, Zr), luminescence sensitivity, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. High-resolution profiles reveal vertically compartmentalized successions. In Barriers I and III, diffuse transitions separate two units, with upper layers showing geochemical depletion in Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂, improved grain-size sorting, and increased luminescence sensitivity. Barrier II, in turn, displays a clearer bipartite organization. Despite differences in expression, OSL ages from the upper units cluster in key intervals (38–34 ka, 22–16 ka, 12–8 ka), coinciding with Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene phases of climatic instability. These periods likely represent regionally widespread aeolian reactivation driven by reduced vegetation cover and atmospheric reorganization, followed by rapid stabilization under wetter conditions. Although post-depositional processes obscure some signals, OSL chronology provides the primary framework for identifying depositional hiatuses and late aeolian phases, while sedimentological, geochemical, and magnetic proxies reveal subtle internal boundaries within seemingly homogeneous deposits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"762 ","pages":"Article 110185"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural segmentation and tectonic transition of a coastal South China fault driven by asymmetric pull-apart basins during the Late Pleistocene","authors":"Shuai Li ,&nbsp;Chuanyou Li ,&nbsp;Bingsu Li ,&nbsp;Jincao Wang ,&nbsp;Lili Pan ,&nbsp;Xiaoning Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110199","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110199","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the Late Quaternary activity and dynamics of the Qinzhou section of the Maoling-Jiulong Fault (MJF), a key part of the coastal active fault system along the northern Beibu Gulf. Structural geometric segmentation delineates three distinct segments: the Pingji Basin (PJB), Jiulong (JL), and Qinzhou Basin (QZB). Radiometric dating constrains fault-related deposits in the PJB and QZB to 21-22 ka, while undeformed terraces in JL younger than 10.8 ka indicate cessation of motion after the Late Pleistocene. Integrated trench logging and structural profiling reveal a negative flower structure governing both shallow faulting and basin-controlling deformation. Dynamic analysis suggests localized transtensional tectonics since the Late Pleistocene, with asymmetric pull-apart basins (PJB and QZB) modulating strain partitioning. The QZB remains in an active extensional pull-apart phase, strictly controlling modern geomorphology from the Qinjiang River to Qinzhou Bay. Situated at the intersection of faults between NE-trending West Pacific-South China Sea and NW-trending Himalayan-Indochina tectonic domains, and under NNE-SSW oriented regional stress, the Qinzhou section exhibits weaker seismogenic potential than adjacent sections, reflecting its role as a structural pivot in intraplate tectonic transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"762 ","pages":"Article 110199"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-resolution planktonic foraminiferal and geochemical proxy records reveal Holocene monsoon-driven changes and solar-cycle imprints in the northeastern Arabian Sea","authors":"Sruthy Rose Baby ,&nbsp;Kuppusamy Mohan","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A multiproxy investigation was conducted on gravity core SK240/473 from the northeastern Arabian Sea to reconstruct monsoon-driven oceanographic variability over the last ∼16,000 years BP. Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, planktonic/benthic (P/B) ratios, geochemical proxies (P%, and Ti/Al), and spectral–wavelet analyses were employed to evaluate changes in water-column structure, and monsoon forcing. The assemblage is dominated by <em>Globigerinoides ruber</em> and <em>Globigerina bulloides</em>, whose relative abundances reflect variations in upper-ocean stratification, nutrient availability, and monsoon-driven mixing. The northeastern Arabian Sea exhibits strong sensitivity to high-latitude climate oscillations, including ENSO variability, ITCZ migration, and NAO-related atmospheric circulation changes, which exert a major control on regional monsoon dynamics. The multiproxy record indicates weakened Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) conditions during all Bond events (B0–B8) and during Meltwater Pulse-1a, consistent with reduced summer monsoon wind strength and diminished upwelling intensity. In contrast, Meltwater Pulse-1a and the interval ∼4000–3300 yrs BP are characterized by intensified Indian Winter Monsoon (IWM) influence, reflecting enhanced wintertime convective mixing and cooling. Located within a transitional zone influenced by both ISM and IWM systems, the core site records the shifting and combined impacts of these monsoon components through time. The lowest sedimentation rates during the mid-to late Holocene indicate relative sea-level rise and landward migration of sediment depocenters, resulting in reduced terrigenous input to the offshore site. Spectral analyses reveal prominent centennial to millennial scale periodicities in <em>G. bulloides</em> (%), ISM, and IWM assemblages. The <em>G. bulloides</em> record exhibits significant periodicities at ∼510, ∼351, ∼212, ∼152, and ∼148 years, while ISM assemblages show dominant cycles at ∼636, ∼351, ∼214, ∼152, and ∼148 years, and IWM assemblages are characterized by periodicities at ∼2264, ∼167, and ∼148 years. The recurrence of these periodicities underscores the role of solar-modulated climate forcing and large-scale atmospheric teleconnections in regulating monsoon variability and upper-ocean conditions in the northeastern Arabian Sea.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"762 ","pages":"Article 110200"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Paleodietary inferences of the Pleistocene (Pinjor Formation) ungulates from district Gujrat using mesowear analysis","authors":"Abrar Hussain ,&nbsp;Muhammad Akbar Khan ,&nbsp;Muhammad Asim ,&nbsp;Sayyed Ghyour Abbas ,&nbsp;Muhammad Adeeb Babar ,&nbsp;Khalid Mahmood","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Paleodietary analysis was performed by using mesowear I method on nine species of Pleistocene ungulates for the first time that were recovered from two Pinjor Formation localities of the Siwalik Group, Makwal and Panjan Sher Shahana, Kharian, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. Only well preserved upper and lower molars were tested by scoring the occlusal relief and cusp shape. The results indicate that the most of the taxa, including <em>Megalotragus</em> sp., <em>Alcelaphus</em> sp., <em>Damalops palaeindicus</em>, <em>Damalops</em> sp., and <em>Equus</em> sp., are characterized by low occlusal relief and rounded to blunt cusp shape, associated with grazing habit. Whereas, <em>Damalacra</em> sp. and cf. <em>Proleptobos birmanicus</em> displays high occlusal relief and sharp cusps, consistent with a browsing category. Two taxa, <em>Aepyceros</em> sp. and <em>Gazella</em> sp., exhibit mixed-feeding adaptation. These findings reveal that the ungulate community of these two Siwalik localities was dominated by grazers but the browsers and mixed-feeders were also existed, indicating the presence of Savannah type grasslands and transitional habitats along with expanding C4 grasslands. The dietary spectrum highlights the diverse nature of Siwalik environments during Pleistocene epoch.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"762 ","pages":"Article 110201"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calcareous non-skeletal grains from northwestern Arabian Sea: insights into late Quaternary paleoclimate","authors":"Anil Kumar Sahu,&nbsp;Anukriti Pal,&nbsp;Ashish Kharwar,&nbsp;Vikas Dev,&nbsp;A.K. Rai,&nbsp;Siddhartha Sankar Das","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Calcareous non-skeletal particles studied from the ODP Hole 724C, located in the northwestern Arabian Sea, consist of peloids, limeclasts and partially coated grains. This manuscript is based on the origin of these particles and their correlation to the late Quaternary paleoclimatic changes. The Creamy-yellow to greyish white ellipsoidal peloids (regular and irregular/broken) and limeclasts are made up of skeletal fragments of coccolith plates with occasional authigenic dolomite rhombs and spherical framboidal pyrite set in micritic matrix. The partially coated grains have gypsum as a nucleus, and the cortex is compositionally almost similar to the composition of peloids and limeclasts. Although peloids look like faecal origin, their association with the limeclasts indicates more of floccules formed by the particle coagulation process during settling from suspension. All types of grains exhibit higher abundances during interglacial stages (including interstadials) and the Holocene. Lower abundances are marked during glacial stages and the majority of the millennial-scale cold events. The above observation indicates that strong monsoon waves and tidal currents during interglacial stages predominantly churned and abraded these grains to form ellipsoidal peloids and limeclasts, and also caused the creation of numerous broken, irregularly shaped, peloidal-sized grains. All kinds of grains deposited below the swell wave base during high sea levels are subsequently transported to the deep sea by low-density turbidity currents. The gypsum precipitated at the supratidal-intertidal zones (coastal sabkhas) during the dry glacial stages, when sea levels remained low. It is later eroded by sea waves during the interglacial stages and deposited as grains below the swell wave base, where they have been coated by the identical material that made peloids and limeclasts. The subsequent transportation, particularly during the interglacial stages, caused partial removal of the coating. The depth and overpressure of the water column above the sediment during the marine transgression of the interglacial stages caused precipitation of white chalk on non-skeletal grains. The chalk is partially preserved due to abrasion during transportation of the aforesaid calcareous grains. Quartz in the bulk sample, as well as in non-skeletal grains, is of detrital origin and transported from the adjoining Arabian Peninsula and Iran-Makran regions by the north-westerly and northerly winds, respectively. The orbital and suborbital (Milankovitch) precessional periodicities in the northwestern Arabian Sea controlled glacial-interglacial sea level changes, as well as monsoon upwelling-based biogenic productivity and the abundances of calcareous non-skeletal grains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"760 ","pages":"Article 110156"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstructing proboscidean diet and mobility during the Younger Dryas through isotopic evidence from the Colby site, Wyoming, USA","authors":"Briana N. Doering ,&nbsp;Madeline E. Mackie ,&nbsp;Molly A. Herron","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relatively rapid disappearance of proboscideans from the Americas coincides with both the arrival of the first Americans and the end of the most recent ice age. Researchers have increasingly employed evidence from bulk stable and radiogenic isotopes in attempting to better understand proboscidean behavior and how climate change and/or human predation may have influenced their eventual extinction. Here, we apply this technique to Columbian mammoths recovered from the Colby Site, Wyoming, USA, which has been associated chronologically with both the beginning of the Clovis cultural period, ca. 13,000 cal BP, and the Younger Dryas cooling event, ca. 12,900 cal BP. Comparing bulk C, O, and Sr isotopic values from multiple locations on each of these mammoths’ molars suggests that these mammoths had a relatively small range (&lt;250 km), consumed primarily C₃ plants, and lived in a cooler local environment than present. Based on comparisons across individual mammoth isotope values and previously sampled Pleistocene proboscideans, isotopic data suggest that the Colby mammoth assemblage resulted from multiple hunting episodes, indicating that Clovis hunters may have repeatedly and intentionally used this place to harvest mammoths and other animals. These findings have significance for understanding the diversity of proboscidean behavior during a time of immense environmental change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"760 ","pages":"Article 110166"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146154200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holocene relative sea-level history of the Gulf of Khambhat, Western India: Revisiting regional records with standardized SLIP protocols","authors":"Chintan Dilip Vedpathak,&nbsp;Archana Das,&nbsp;Sunny Tiwari,&nbsp;Nisarg Makwana,&nbsp;S.P. Prizomwala","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Mid-to-Late Holocene was a period of significant climatic and sea-level fluctuations, particularly pronounced in dynamic coastal systems. In gulf environments, relative sea level changes are influenced by complex, region-specific processes, necessitating localized studies. In this study, we synthesize relative sea-level data from five coastal sites within the Gulf of Khambhat, western India, to reconstruct spatially resolved relative sea level histories using standardized sea-level index points. While only two sites (Lothal and Vadgam) fulfil all sea-level index points' criteria, Saltanpur and Diu Island provide limiting or tectonically influenced indicators. Our results indicate a mid-Holocene relative sea-level high stand ranging from ∼ +1.2 m in the north (Lothal) to ∼ +2.0 m in the south (Diu, uncorrected for tectonic uplift). The observed gradient likely reflects a combination of estuarine infilling, differential sedimentation, tidal range amplification, and localized tectonic uplift. When considered alongside archaeological evidence, these relative sea-level fluctuations may have influenced the navigability and habitability of key Harappan settlements. This study underscores the importance of standardized sea-level index point's methodologies and region-specific reconstructions for understanding Holocene human-environment interactions along macrotidal coastlines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"759 ","pages":"Article 110163"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Late Quaternary evolution of piedmont faults in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, India","authors":"Atul Kumar Singh ,&nbsp;Kimi K. Basumatary ,&nbsp;Pankaj Kumar ,&nbsp;Rajveer Sharma ,&nbsp;Manoj Kumar Jaiswal","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110124","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates led to the development of foreland-propagating fold-and-thrust belts. The Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) is considered the youngest. However, geologists have also identified faults younger than the MFT in the foreland of the western Himalaya, which they named Piedmont faults. In this study, a similar fault is proposed in the foreland of the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, known as the Baradighi fault. Nakata (1972) first reported the scarp associated with the Baradighi fault, but little research has been conducted to understand its evolution. Sediment dating was performed using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and ¹⁴C Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) methods. Results show that the activity on the Baradighi fault began around 30 ka and is still active. The region has traditionally been known as the ‘Siwalik Gap’ due to the absence of the Siwaliks, but this work reports the presence of the Siwaliks in the area. Geomorphic indices were used to assess the relative tectonic activity. The Asymmetry Factor indicated that most river basins are tilted westward. Basin elongation ratios suggest that not only E-W faults influence drainage, but also some active N-S aligned lineaments affect the fluvial system in the region. However, the hypsometric curve (HC) and index (HI) suggest that the area is not tectonically active, as most rivers originate in the unconsolidated Quaternary sediments, which are easily eroded. Consequently, deformation features caused by active tectonics have either been eroded or buried beneath river-deposited sediments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"759 ","pages":"Article 110124"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Late Quaternary evolution of lower course river sections and coastal plains in the southwestern Hainan Island, South China Sea","authors":"Ryszard Krzysztof Borówka ,&nbsp;Jakub Miluch ,&nbsp;Łukasz Maciąg ,&nbsp;Andrzej Osadczuk ,&nbsp;Tao Jiang ,&nbsp;Hongjun Chen ,&nbsp;Jan Harff ,&nbsp;Michał Tomczak ,&nbsp;Krystyna Osadczuk ,&nbsp;Karolina Bloom ,&nbsp;Jinpeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Changliang Tong","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110144","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110144","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Late Pleistocene-Holocene evolution of Hainan Island was strongly affected by several hydrological and geological factors, including postglacial changes of global sea level, neotectonic movements and volcanic activity. These processes were coupled with strong regional climate forcing in SE Asia and its periodicity, reflected by variable precipitation and monsoonal activity occurring in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and being responsible for intensity of denudation as well as characteristics of fluvial processes. Additionally, the increasing human-related environmental imprint was observed since the middle Holocene, being related with extensive melioration, agriculture and urbanization activities.</div><div>Complex geological and environmental interpretation of sedimentological, geochemical, mineralogical and palynological data was achieved by analysis of several outcrops located in the western and southern part of Hainan Island. Field works were conducted in the lower course sections of Nangang, Tongtian, Zhubi and Baisha rivers, as well as on recent mangrove plains (Danzhou Bay) and Eemian marine terraces nearby Yangpu village. Occurrence of organic rich sediments enabled to conduct AMS ¹⁴C dating and to correlate the obtained results with the OSL ages of lacustrine-fluvial strata, which finally enabled to reconstruct environmental changes occurring in the last 130000 years.</div><div>Presented data inferred different spatiotemporal responses of lower course river sections and mangroves to the local sea level fluctuations in Late Pleistocene-Holocene. Based on a textural features of sediments, geomorphological features of river incisions and chronostratigraphic correlation of the data, six major evolutional stages of lower course river sections were proposed. Geochemical similarities between Holocene organic muds from river outcrops and recent mangrove plains were described, additionally evidenced by an increased proportion of mangrove ferns of <em>Acrostichum</em>, <em>Trespecia</em> and <em>Rhizopora</em> families. Observed exhumation of the older strata was affected by gradual decrease of denudation processes intensity and enhanced incision of flood-plain terraces build of Middle Holocene compacted organic muds. As indicated by the estimation of neotectonic movements, coarse sedimentary material transported by several rivers of western and southern Hainan, influenced formation of “Hainan Delta’, especially during local stages of sea level rise.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"759 ","pages":"Article 110144"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146025358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}