Pub Date : 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110078
Denis Geraads , René Bobe , Thomas A. Püschel , Carol V. Ward , J. Michael Plavcan , Fredrick Kyalo Manthi
We describe here the vertebrate fauna collected by the West Turkana Paleo Project at Lomekwi, a site best known for yielding the holotype of Kenyanthropus platyops and Lomekwian stone tools, and consisting of several collecting areas providing fossil samples ranging in age from about 3.6 to 2.2 Ma. Analysis of the newly recovered material, alongside a thorough revision of earlier collections, has led to the identification of 85 vertebrate taxa, which provide biochronological indications that help refine the site's chronology and shed light on the paleoenvironmental conditions prevailing during a critical period of early hominin diversification. The newly described fauna illustrates that during the time of Kenyanthropus, hominins shared their landscapes with a rich assemblage of vertebrates, including abundant megaherbivores, some 28 species of artiodactyls, diverse large and medium-size carnivores, and giant crocodiles as apex predators in the lakes and rivers of the Turkana region in the Pliocene. Among primates, the recurring association of Theropithecus with hominins is found at Lomekwi as it is elsewhere. Paleoenvironmental proxies from the Turkana region emphasize the complex and dynamic nature of the habitats that supported this rich biodiversity.
{"title":"The Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene Lomekwi faunas, West Turkana, Kenya: systematics, paleoecology, and biochronology","authors":"Denis Geraads , René Bobe , Thomas A. Püschel , Carol V. Ward , J. Michael Plavcan , Fredrick Kyalo Manthi","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110078","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110078","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We describe here the vertebrate fauna collected by the West Turkana Paleo Project at Lomekwi, a site best known for yielding the holotype of <em>Kenyanthropus platyops</em> and Lomekwian stone tools, and consisting of several collecting areas providing fossil samples ranging in age from about 3.6 to 2.2 Ma. Analysis of the newly recovered material, alongside a thorough revision of earlier collections, has led to the identification of 85 vertebrate taxa, which provide biochronological indications that help refine the site's chronology and shed light on the paleoenvironmental conditions prevailing during a critical period of early hominin diversification. The newly described fauna illustrates that during the time of <em>Kenyanthropus,</em> hominins shared their landscapes with a rich assemblage of vertebrates, including abundant megaherbivores, some 28 species of artiodactyls, diverse large and medium-size carnivores, and giant crocodiles as apex predators in the lakes and rivers of the Turkana region in the Pliocene. Among primates, the recurring association of <em>Theropithecus</em> with hominins is found at Lomekwi as it is elsewhere. Paleoenvironmental proxies from the Turkana region emphasize the complex and dynamic nature of the habitats that supported this rich biodiversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"754 ","pages":"Article 110078"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797807","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}
Pub Date : 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110080
Annika K. Åberg , Niko Putkinen , Nick Eyles , Juha Davidila , Michal Malinowski
Almost 70 % of drinking water in Finland is derived from groundwater in complex glacial and interglacial sediments. The thick (∼70 m) late Pleistocene stratigraphic infill of an extensive (>200 km2) buried bedrock valley cut into the underlying crystalline strata of the Fennoscandian Shield at Kurikka in west-central Finland hosts a complex aquifer system that will be used for municipal water for some 150 000 people. This paper briefly reports ongoing hydrostratigraphic and hydrogeological modelling work, the largest current groundwater investigation of its kind on Finland, aimed at improved management of this strategic water supply. This study integrates geological and downhole geophysical data (resistivity, susceptibility, natural gamma/gamma-gamma density) from some 211 boreholes including seismic reflection profiling, to develop a 3D hydrostratigraphic model of the valley fill based on some 1412 km of geological cross-sections. 18 unconformity-bounded depositional systems are recognized within the fill that record successive phases of deposition during the penultimate glaciation (Saalian till: DS4, ca. 191–130 ka) resting on an older sediment unit of indeterminate age (DS1–DS3, >200 ka), Saalian ice-marginal deposits (DS5), Saalian composite (DS6 ca. 191–130 ka), a thick composite Late Saalian-Eemian-Early-Weichselian sediment package (DS7, ca. 130–74 ka), Weichselian succession (DS9–DS14, ca. 74–12 ka), Late Weichselian deglaciation (DS15, ca. 11 ka) and Holocene postglacial sediments (DS16–18, 11ka – present day). The modelling approach used here provides a framework for investigation of groundwater resources elsewhere in Finland where detailed studies are needed to address the impacts of future climate change on water resources.
{"title":"3D hydrostratigraphic architecture of a Late Pleistocene buried valley infill at Kurikka, west-central Finland","authors":"Annika K. Åberg , Niko Putkinen , Nick Eyles , Juha Davidila , Michal Malinowski","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110080","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110080","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Almost 70 % of drinking water in Finland is derived from groundwater in complex glacial and interglacial sediments. The thick (∼70 m) late Pleistocene stratigraphic infill of an extensive (>200 km<sup>2</sup>) buried bedrock valley cut into the underlying crystalline strata of the Fennoscandian Shield at Kurikka in west-central Finland hosts a complex aquifer system that will be used for municipal water for some 150 000 people. This paper briefly reports ongoing hydrostratigraphic and hydrogeological modelling work, the largest current groundwater investigation of its kind on Finland, aimed at improved management of this strategic water supply. This study integrates geological and downhole geophysical data (resistivity, susceptibility, natural gamma/gamma-gamma density) from some 211 boreholes including seismic reflection profiling, to develop a 3D hydrostratigraphic model of the valley fill based on some 1412 km of geological cross-sections. 18 unconformity-bounded depositional systems are recognized within the fill that record successive phases of deposition during the penultimate glaciation (Saalian till: DS4, ca. 191–130 ka) resting on an older sediment unit of indeterminate age (DS1–DS3, >200 ka), Saalian ice-marginal deposits (DS5), Saalian composite (DS6 ca. 191–130 ka), a thick composite Late Saalian-Eemian-Early-Weichselian sediment package (DS7, ca. 130–74 ka), Weichselian succession (DS9–DS14, ca. 74–12 ka), Late Weichselian deglaciation (DS15, ca. 11 ka) and Holocene postglacial sediments (DS16–18, 11ka – present day). The modelling approach used here provides a framework for investigation of groundwater resources elsewhere in Finland where detailed studies are needed to address the impacts of future climate change on water resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"755 ","pages":"Article 110080"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799195","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}
Pub Date : 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110086
Clemens Schmalfuss , Stephanie Neuhuber , Gustav Firla , Christopher Lüthgens , Bennet Schuster , Lukas Gegg , Flavio S. Anselmetti , Markus Fiebig
Despite a long history of geologic research in the European Eastern Alps, Quaternary landscape evolution before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) remains poorly constrained due to the scarcity of dated sedimentary archives, particularly in inneralpine regions. In this study, we reinvestigate an 880-m-long drill core from Bad Aussee (Styria, Austria), originally drilled for salt exploration. Sedimentological, geochemical, and geochronological analyses allow us to identify three major depositional units spanning the last two glacial cycles. The succession starts with glaciolacustrine deposition during the penultimate glaciation (Rissian, Marine Isotope Stage 6), consisting mainly of glacially sourced material of local provenance (carbonates and evaporites). In contrast, the >500-m-thick overlying deltaic and lacustrine deposits (Early to Middle Würmian) indicate a source area dominated by crystalline rocks. This observation suggests that, for a prolonged period between the Last Interglacial and the Late Würmian (MIS 2), the Upper Enns Valley drained into today's Traun Valley, crossing the present-day drainage divide. Furthermore, the lack of glacial deposits indicates that glacial advances during this phase did not reach the Bad Aussee Basin. On top of the succession, a carbonate-rich subglacial till can be attributed to the LGM. While questions regarding the formation mechanism of this exceptionally deep and confined Quaternary basin remain, our results challenge the previously suggested model of subglacial dissolution and subsequent formation and rapid infill of a deep lake. Salt-related syndepositional subsidence could serve as an alternative explanation for the observed stratigraphy.
{"title":"Revisiting the ‘Hole of Bad Aussee’: A key sedimentary record of Quaternary landscape dynamics in the Eastern Alps (Austria)","authors":"Clemens Schmalfuss , Stephanie Neuhuber , Gustav Firla , Christopher Lüthgens , Bennet Schuster , Lukas Gegg , Flavio S. Anselmetti , Markus Fiebig","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110086","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110086","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite a long history of geologic research in the European Eastern Alps, Quaternary landscape evolution before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) remains poorly constrained due to the scarcity of dated sedimentary archives, particularly in inneralpine regions. In this study, we reinvestigate an 880-m-long drill core from Bad Aussee (Styria, Austria), originally drilled for salt exploration. Sedimentological, geochemical, and geochronological analyses allow us to identify three major depositional units spanning the last two glacial cycles. The succession starts with glaciolacustrine deposition during the penultimate glaciation (Rissian, Marine Isotope Stage 6), consisting mainly of glacially sourced material of local provenance (carbonates and evaporites). In contrast, the >500-m-thick overlying deltaic and lacustrine deposits (Early to Middle Würmian) indicate a source area dominated by crystalline rocks. This observation suggests that, for a prolonged period between the Last Interglacial and the Late Würmian (MIS 2), the Upper Enns Valley drained into today's Traun Valley, crossing the present-day drainage divide. Furthermore, the lack of glacial deposits indicates that glacial advances during this phase did not reach the Bad Aussee Basin. On top of the succession, a carbonate-rich subglacial till can be attributed to the LGM. While questions regarding the formation mechanism of this exceptionally deep and confined Quaternary basin remain, our results challenge the previously suggested model of subglacial dissolution and subsequent formation and rapid infill of a deep lake. Salt-related syndepositional subsidence could serve as an alternative explanation for the observed stratigraphy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"755 ","pages":"Article 110086"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145754152","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}
Thick bayhead delta successions were rarely formed in incised valleys during the rapid postglacial transgressions, as accommodation creation generally outpaced sediment supply. Under such conditions, bayhead shorelines tended to develop rather than thick deltaic deposits. However, an unusually thick (∼30 m) bayhead delta-dominated transgressive succession was identified in the Ishikari incised valley, Hokkaido, Japan, through a reanalysis of three sediment cores. Sequence stratigraphic analysis, integrated with engineering boreholes, identified four backstepping parasequences (PS-1 to PS-4, in ascending stratigraphic order) in the succession, each bounded by a flooding surface (FS-1 to FS-4). While FS-1, FS-3, and FS-4 correspond to global or regional sea-level rise events, FS-2 likely reflects a localized increase in accommodation governed by terrace-fringed valley morphology. Each parasequence comprises stacked mouth bars that likely developed during periods of increasing salinity, as indicated by diatom assemblages and bioturbation intensity. This suggests that bayhead delta aggradation occurred in response to progressive basin deepening. Despite episodic landward retreat of the transgressive system at each flooding surface, bayhead delta deposition persisted throughout the transgression. This persistence reflected a sustained balance between sediment supply and accommodation creation, likely maintained by sediment input from multiple tributaries. Moreover, sediment retention, enhanced by the constricted valley geometry and the early formation of coastal barriers at the valley mouth, probably promoted efficient sediment trapping. The Ishikari case, together with other examples from tectonically active settings, demonstrates that even under relatively rapid sea-level rise, small-to medium-sized incised valleys with nearby sediment sources can sustain thick deltaic accumulation.
{"title":"Bayhead delta-dominated transgressive succession in the Quaternary Ishikari incised valley, Hokkaido, Japan","authors":"Gentaro Kawakami , Katsumi Kimura , Tsumoru Sagayama","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110048","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110048","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thick bayhead delta successions were rarely formed in incised valleys during the rapid postglacial transgressions, as accommodation creation generally outpaced sediment supply. Under such conditions, bayhead shorelines tended to develop rather than thick deltaic deposits. However, an unusually thick (∼30 m) bayhead delta-dominated transgressive succession was identified in the Ishikari incised valley, Hokkaido, Japan, through a reanalysis of three sediment cores. Sequence stratigraphic analysis, integrated with engineering boreholes, identified four backstepping parasequences (PS-1 to PS-4, in ascending stratigraphic order) in the succession, each bounded by a flooding surface (FS-1 to FS-4). While FS-1, FS-3, and FS-4 correspond to global or regional sea-level rise events, FS-2 likely reflects a localized increase in accommodation governed by terrace-fringed valley morphology. Each parasequence comprises stacked mouth bars that likely developed during periods of increasing salinity, as indicated by diatom assemblages and bioturbation intensity. This suggests that bayhead delta aggradation occurred in response to progressive basin deepening. Despite episodic landward retreat of the transgressive system at each flooding surface, bayhead delta deposition persisted throughout the transgression. This persistence reflected a sustained balance between sediment supply and accommodation creation, likely maintained by sediment input from multiple tributaries. Moreover, sediment retention, enhanced by the constricted valley geometry and the early formation of coastal barriers at the valley mouth, probably promoted efficient sediment trapping. The Ishikari case, together with other examples from tectonically active settings, demonstrates that even under relatively rapid sea-level rise, small-to medium-sized incised valleys with nearby sediment sources can sustain thick deltaic accumulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"752 ","pages":"Article 110048"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145736999","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}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110083
Lisa Carrera , Fabio Martini
Grotta del Romito represents one of the most relevant Upper Palaeolithic sequences of Southern Italy, spanning the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and the Lateglacial (GS1 and GI1) and providing remarkable insights on the Gravettian and Epigravettian lifeways and symbolic behaviours. With this work, we analyse the avian assemblage from Grotta del Romito in order to clarify the dynamics of bird exploitation by the Upper Paleolithic people and assess changes in the paleonvironment due to the Lateglacial climatic shift. Based on the bird species, the surroundings of the cave were characterized by forests alternated with open grasslands, rocky exposures and riverine or marshy habitats. Between unit E and unit D the bird taxa indicate a change from grassland-dominated habitats to forest-dominated habitats, correlated with the beginning of the GI1. The food exploitation of birds, indicated by a number of anthropic modifications, is more intense in the Final Epigravettian and involves Galliformes, Anatidae, Rallidae, Otidiformes, Strigidae, Accipitridae, Falconidae, Corvidae and Passseriformes. The Final Epigravettian hunter-gatherers of Grotta del Romito were also interested in the wings of large Accipitridae (Aquila chrysaetos, cf. Gyps fulvus) for utilitarian purposes or symbolic-mediated behaviour.
Grotta del Romito代表了意大利南部最相关的旧石器时代晚期序列之一，跨越了末次盛冰期和冰河期（GS1和GI1）的末期，并提供了关于格拉韦特人和后格拉韦特人的生活方式和象征性行为的重要见解。通过这项工作，我们分析了Grotta del Romito的鸟类组合，以阐明旧石器时代晚期人类对鸟类的开发动态，并评估由于冰川气候变化而导致的古环境变化。根据鸟类种类，洞穴周围的特征是森林与开阔的草原、岩石暴露和河流或沼泽栖息地交替存在。在单位E和单位D之间，鸟类类群由草地为主生境向森林为主生境转变，与GI1开始相关。鸟类的食物开发在末上移期更为激烈，包括鸡形目、鸭形目、鸟形目、鸟形目、刺形目、刺形目、鹰形目、鸦形目和雀形目。Grotta del Romito的最后的Epigravettian狩猎采集者也对大型阿奎拉科（Aquila chrysaetos，参见Gyps fulvus）的翅膀感兴趣，因为它们具有实用目的或象征媒介行为。
{"title":"The Lateglacial fossil avifauna from Grotta del Romito (Calabria, Southern Italy) and the exploitation of birds by the Upper Paleolithic hunters","authors":"Lisa Carrera , Fabio Martini","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110083","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110083","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grotta del Romito represents one of the most relevant Upper Palaeolithic sequences of Southern Italy, spanning the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and the Lateglacial (GS1 and GI1) and providing remarkable insights on the Gravettian and Epigravettian lifeways and symbolic behaviours. With this work, we analyse the avian assemblage from Grotta del Romito in order to clarify the dynamics of bird exploitation by the Upper Paleolithic people and assess changes in the paleonvironment due to the Lateglacial climatic shift. Based on the bird species, the surroundings of the cave were characterized by forests alternated with open grasslands, rocky exposures and riverine or marshy habitats. Between unit E and unit D the bird taxa indicate a change from grassland-dominated habitats to forest-dominated habitats, correlated with the beginning of the GI1. The food exploitation of birds, indicated by a number of anthropic modifications, is more intense in the Final Epigravettian and involves Galliformes, Anatidae, Rallidae, Otidiformes, Strigidae, Accipitridae, Falconidae, Corvidae and Passseriformes. The Final Epigravettian hunter-gatherers of Grotta del Romito were also interested in the wings of large Accipitridae (<em>Aquila chrysaetos</em>, cf. <em>Gyps fulvus</em>) for utilitarian purposes or symbolic-mediated behaviour.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"754 ","pages":"Article 110083"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145749778","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}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110067
Nataliya Zaretskaya , Ekaterina Taldenkova , Maksim Ruchkin , Yaroslav Ovsepyan , Olga Rudenko , Irina Timofeeva
New stratigraphic, micropaleontological and geochronometric (optically stimulated luminescence, OSL) data for the basal sediment units of the six sections around the periphery of the Kuloi Plateau (Zimnii Coast and Soyana-Kuloi River valley) assign them to the end of MIS 6 – MIS 5 Boreal (Eemian) transgression in the eastern White Sea Region. Most of the studied Boreal marine beds are composed of two units, with the dark grey fossiliferous silty clay overlain by beige and light grey loose (sand and gravel) variously bedded material. Presumably high sedimentation rates due to the proximity to the Kuloi Plateau resulted in the low total abundance of microfossils and their relatively monotonous taxonomic composition. Benthic foraminifers display almost equal proportions and coexistence of ecologically different groups occurring in the Arctic shelf seas, from shallow inner shelf inhabitants to relatively deep-water ones. Rare ostracods are represented by typical dwellers of the Arctic mid-outer shelf areas. Similar to benthic foraminifers, dinocysts show a mixture of heterotrophic, including cryophilic, and autotrophic forms. The constant presence of freshwater green algae points to river runoff influence. Findings of rare polar and subpolar planktonic foraminifers together with benthic foraminifer species Cassidulina neoteretis allow assuming periodical inflows of subsurface Atlantic-derived water. Altogether, this gives evidence for an Arctic-type marine basin likely corresponding to the early stage of the transgression probably including the local highstand prior to regression. The age assignment of these beds is supported by OSL dates from overlying sandy layers generally ranging between 140 and 87 ka, with possibly older (MIS 7) age in one of the Zimnii Coast sections.
The cross-correlation through the Northern Eurasia enables us to state that the common characteristic of the Last Interglacial (LIG) marine sedimentary succession is its two-unit structure. The lower unit corresponds to the early stage of inundation, the upper indicates the littoral sedimentary setting during the stillstand and regressive stage. The substantial range of available dates from 160 to 80 ka, encompassing the end of the MIS 6 glaciation, its degradation, and part of the MIS 5 stage, precludes precise determination of the duration of the Boreal transgression.
The “gap” in the occurrence of the LIG marine deposits in the northeastern Eurasia along the Laptev and western East Siberian coasts might be related to the formation and existence of the glacioisostatic forebulge at the periphery of the MIS 6 ice sheets in combination with local neotectonic movements.
{"title":"The new key sections of the Last Interglacial transgression in the Eurasian Arctic (Eastern White Sea): paleoenvironmental reconstructions and interregional correlations","authors":"Nataliya Zaretskaya , Ekaterina Taldenkova , Maksim Ruchkin , Yaroslav Ovsepyan , Olga Rudenko , Irina Timofeeva","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110067","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>New stratigraphic, micropaleontological and geochronometric (optically stimulated luminescence, OSL) data for the basal sediment units of the six sections around the periphery of the Kuloi Plateau (Zimnii Coast and Soyana-Kuloi River valley) assign them to the end of MIS 6 – MIS 5 Boreal (Eemian) transgression in the eastern White Sea Region. Most of the studied Boreal marine beds are composed of two units, with the dark grey fossiliferous silty clay overlain by beige and light grey loose (sand and gravel) variously bedded material. Presumably high sedimentation rates due to the proximity to the Kuloi Plateau resulted in the low total abundance of microfossils and their relatively monotonous taxonomic composition. Benthic foraminifers display almost equal proportions and coexistence of ecologically different groups occurring in the Arctic shelf seas, from shallow inner shelf inhabitants to relatively deep-water ones. Rare ostracods are represented by typical dwellers of the Arctic mid-outer shelf areas. Similar to benthic foraminifers, dinocysts show a mixture of heterotrophic, including cryophilic, and autotrophic forms. The constant presence of freshwater green algae points to river runoff influence. Findings of rare polar and subpolar planktonic foraminifers together with benthic foraminifer species <em>Cassidulina neoteretis</em> allow assuming periodical inflows of subsurface Atlantic-derived water. Altogether, this gives evidence for an Arctic-type marine basin likely corresponding to the early stage of the transgression probably including the local highstand prior to regression. The age assignment of these beds is supported by OSL dates from overlying sandy layers generally ranging between 140 and 87 ka, with possibly older (MIS 7) age in one of the Zimnii Coast sections.</div><div>The cross-correlation through the Northern Eurasia enables us to state that the common characteristic of the Last Interglacial (LIG) marine sedimentary succession is its two-unit structure. The lower unit corresponds to the early stage of inundation, the upper indicates the littoral sedimentary setting during the stillstand and regressive stage. The substantial range of available dates from 160 to 80 ka, encompassing the end of the MIS 6 glaciation, its degradation, and part of the MIS 5 stage, precludes precise determination of the duration of the Boreal transgression.</div><div>The “gap” in the occurrence of the LIG marine deposits in the northeastern Eurasia along the Laptev and western East Siberian coasts might be related to the formation and existence of the glacioisostatic forebulge at the periphery of the MIS 6 ice sheets in combination with local neotectonic movements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"754 ","pages":"Article 110067"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145694603","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}
The Caspian Sea underwent a complex series of transgressive and regressive episodes during the Quaternary, with the North Caspian region particularly sensitive to even minor sea-level fluctuations. Outcrops along the Volga River preserve a valuable depositional record of these changes. The Raigorod site, one of the northernmost sections, provides a key stratigraphic archive for reconstructing regional Quaternary environmental changes, but aspects of its stratigraphy, sedimentary architecture, and geochronology have remained uncertain. In this study, using a multi-proxy approach, combining companion borehole data, biolithostratigraphy, geological mapping, and OSL dating, we refined the regional Quaternary framework and clarified several debated regional stratigraphic boundaries. This multidisciplinary approach permitted us to stratify the entire Quaternary interval of the Raigorod site into a series of regional horizons and subhorizons including the Akchagylian, Apsheronian, Tyurkyanian, Bakunian, Khazarian and Khvalynian. Our results show that the Raigorod site evolved from a nearshore setting during the Akchagylian–Apsheronian transgressive phases in the Early Pleistocene to a fluvial regime during the Tyurkyanian regression at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. A subsequent Bakunian transgression re-established marine conditions in the study area. The early Khazarian phase is characterized by alternating transgressive and regressive events. Borehole data confirm that Singilian deposits are embedded within the Khazarian sequence, supporting our earlier regional interpretations. The Singilian phase reflects widespread regression and marshland development at the end of the Middle Pleistocene, around MIS 7–6, although OSL dates suggest a younger MIS 5 age. Upper Khazarian deposits reflect stable floodplain conditions driven by local hydrology rather than global climatic forcing. Finally, the overlying Atelian unit, traditionally used as a regional marker, is reinterpreted as periglacial alluvium rather than subaerial loess deposits formed during a major regression, likely associated with MIS 4-3. Our results highlight the value of integrated stratigraphic approaches for regional correlations, while emphasizing limitations in OSL dating in sedimentary settings with complex hydrological and hydrogeological dynamics.
{"title":"From lapping waters to marshy lands and back: Quaternary environmental dynamics of the North Caspian inferred from the Raigorod site and contemporary regional correlations","authors":"Andrey Zastrozhnov , Guzel Danukalova , Eugenija Osipova , Ravil Kurmanov , Mikhail Golovachev , Vadim Titov , Alexey Tesakov , Eugeniy Zinoviev , Svetlana Trofimova , Dmitry Zastrozhnov","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Caspian Sea underwent a complex series of transgressive and regressive episodes during the Quaternary, with the North Caspian region particularly sensitive to even minor sea-level fluctuations. Outcrops along the Volga River preserve a valuable depositional record of these changes. The Raigorod site, one of the northernmost sections, provides a key stratigraphic archive for reconstructing regional Quaternary environmental changes, but aspects of its stratigraphy, sedimentary architecture, and geochronology have remained uncertain. In this study, using a multi-proxy approach, combining companion borehole data, biolithostratigraphy, geological mapping, and OSL dating, we refined the regional Quaternary framework and clarified several debated regional stratigraphic boundaries. This multidisciplinary approach permitted us to stratify the entire Quaternary interval of the Raigorod site into a series of regional horizons and subhorizons including the Akchagylian, Apsheronian, Tyurkyanian, Bakunian, Khazarian and Khvalynian. Our results show that the Raigorod site evolved from a nearshore setting during the Akchagylian–Apsheronian transgressive phases in the Early Pleistocene to a fluvial regime during the Tyurkyanian regression at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. A subsequent Bakunian transgression re-established marine conditions in the study area. The early Khazarian phase is characterized by alternating transgressive and regressive events. Borehole data confirm that Singilian deposits are embedded within the Khazarian sequence, supporting our earlier regional interpretations. The Singilian phase reflects widespread regression and marshland development at the end of the Middle Pleistocene, around MIS 7–6, although OSL dates suggest a younger MIS 5 age. Upper Khazarian deposits reflect stable floodplain conditions driven by local hydrology rather than global climatic forcing. Finally, the overlying Atelian unit, traditionally used as a regional marker, is reinterpreted as periglacial alluvium rather than subaerial loess deposits formed during a major regression, likely associated with MIS 4-3. Our results highlight the value of integrated stratigraphic approaches for regional correlations, while emphasizing limitations in OSL dating in sedimentary settings with complex hydrological and hydrogeological dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"753 ","pages":"Article 110058"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685365","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}
The European Middle Paleolithic laminar technologies can be divided into Levallois and non-Levallois blade production. Despite the abundance of detailed publications about the reduction strategies and their differences, only a few discuss the causes of their variability. The paper addresses the variability of laminar technology from the aspect of its use, mobility, and technological organization of Neanderthal communities in the Central Balkans in MIS 3. Results of use-wear analysis of Levallois and non-Levallois laminar products are compared with metrics, frequency, and raw material procurement, as indicators of their potential for carrying and reshaping with an aim to represent the fundamental differences between curated and expedient technological strategies. Integrated results, considered in the wider regional context, contribute to the understanding of laminar variability in the Middle Paleolithic, as the reconstruction of the technological behavior of Neanderthal communities.
{"title":"Variability and use of laminar products in the late Middle Paleolithic of the Central Balkans","authors":"Sofija Dragosavac , Anđa Petrović , Bojana Mihailović","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110081","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110081","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The European Middle Paleolithic laminar technologies can be divided into Levallois and non-Levallois blade production. Despite the abundance of detailed publications about the reduction strategies and their differences, only a few discuss the causes of their variability. The paper addresses the variability of laminar technology from the aspect of its use, mobility, and technological organization of Neanderthal communities in the Central Balkans in MIS 3. Results of use-wear analysis of Levallois and non-Levallois laminar products are compared with metrics, frequency, and raw material procurement, as indicators of their potential for carrying and reshaping with an aim to represent the fundamental differences between curated and expedient technological strategies. Integrated results, considered in the wider regional context, contribute to the understanding of laminar variability in the Middle Paleolithic, as the reconstruction of the technological behavior of Neanderthal communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"754 ","pages":"Article 110081"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145646037","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}
Pub Date : 2025-11-29DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110079
Mário André Trindade Dantas , Thays Oliveira
This study aimed to evaluate the compactness of the ribs and humeri of extinct giant sloth species from the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR; Megatheriidae - Nothrotherium maquinense and Eremotherium laurillardi; Megalonychidae - Ahytherium aureum and Australonyx aquae; Scelidotheriidae - Valgipes bucklandi and Catonyx cuvieri; Mylodontidae - Glossotherium phoenesis, Ocnotherium giganteum, and Mylodonopsis ibseni) to assess potential adaptations to an aquatic lifestyle. Bone compactness observed in the ribs (0.453 ± 0.164) and humeri (0.390 ± 0.106) was similar across all studied taxa (t = 0.78, p = 0.44). Members of the Megatheriidae family exhibited the highest values (rib = 0.637 ± 0.103; humeri 0.437 ± 0.107), followed by members of the Scelidotheriidae (ribs = 0.383 ± 0.054; humerus = 0.369), Mylodontidae (ribs = 0.383 ± 0.054; humerus = 0.369), and Megalonychidae (ribs = 0.325 ± 0.080) families. The bone compactness observed in the ribs and humeri of the extinct giant sloths of the Late Pleistocene of the BIR was below the values observed in terrestrial mammals and Thalassocnus spp. (>0.850), the unique giant sloth taxa adapted to aquatic lifestyles, suggesting that none of the BIR taxa were adapted to an aquatic lifestyle.
{"title":"Were the late pleistocene giant sloths from brazilian intertropical region adapted to an aquatic lifestyle? A bone compactness analysis","authors":"Mário André Trindade Dantas , Thays Oliveira","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110079","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110079","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to evaluate the compactness of the ribs and humeri of extinct giant sloth species from the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR; Megatheriidae - <em>Nothrotherium maquinense</em> and <em>Eremotherium laurillardi</em>; Megalonychidae - <em>Ahytherium aureum</em> and <em>Australonyx aquae</em>; Scelidotheriidae - <em>Valgipes bucklandi</em> and <em>Catonyx cuvieri</em>; Mylodontidae - <em>Glossotherium phoenesis</em>, <em>Ocnotherium giganteum</em>, and <em>Mylodonopsis ibseni</em>) to assess potential adaptations to an aquatic lifestyle. Bone compactness observed in the ribs (0.453 ± 0.164) and humeri (0.390 ± 0.106) was similar across all studied taxa (<em>t</em> = 0.78, <em>p</em> = 0.44). Members of the Megatheriidae family exhibited the highest values (rib = 0.637 ± 0.103; humeri 0.437 ± 0.107), followed by members of the Scelidotheriidae (ribs = 0.383 ± 0.054; humerus = 0.369), Mylodontidae (ribs = 0.383 ± 0.054; humerus = 0.369), and Megalonychidae (ribs = 0.325 ± 0.080) families. The bone compactness observed in the ribs and humeri of the extinct giant sloths of the Late Pleistocene of the BIR was below the values observed in terrestrial mammals and <em>Thalassocnus</em> spp. (>0.850), the unique giant sloth <em>taxa</em> adapted to aquatic lifestyles, suggesting that none of the BIR taxa were adapted to an aquatic lifestyle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"753 ","pages":"Article 110079"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618472","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}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110051
Brunella Muttillo , Giuseppe Lembo , Sahra Talamo , Laura Tassoni , Simona Arrighi , Clarissa Dominici , Chiaramaria Stani , Martha Cecilia Cano , Carlos López
The Magdalena valley, Colombia's principal fluvial corridor, has long been recognized as a key route for early human dispersal in northern South America. This inter-Andean region served as a strategic passage between the Andean highlands and the tropical lowlands, offering a resource-rich environment that supported human mobility and settlement since the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.
In the Middle Magdalena valley, some of Colombia's oldest preceramic open-air sites have been identified. However, despite their importance, the technological characteristics of their lithic assemblages—the only direct evidence of early human activity—remain poorly understood.
This study presents the first systematic techno-economic analysis of the preceramic stratigraphic unit at the Nare site, integrating use-wear and residue analyses. Moreover, new radiocarbon dates refine the site's chronological framework, placing its main occupation in the Early Holocene.
The lithic assemblage shows a strong reliance on local raw materials (primarily quartz and chert), a predominance of unretouched flakes, some retouch flakes, and a single unifacial tool. A bladelet core suggests an interest in producing elongated, relatively standardized flakes, though the absence of bladelets raises questions about off-site transport or differential site use.
These results refine our understanding of lithic technology in the region and offer a new perspective on the Middle Magdalena's early industries, highlighting a more diverse and flexible technological repertoire. The Nare assemblage demonstrates a wide range of knapping methods, percussion techniques, and raw material management strategies.
This study enhances our understanding of early human adaptation in the region and contributes to broader discussions on lithic technologies and settlement dynamics in northern South America.
{"title":"Early human settlement in the inter-Andean Magdalena valley, Colombia: New technological and chronological insights from the Nare site","authors":"Brunella Muttillo , Giuseppe Lembo , Sahra Talamo , Laura Tassoni , Simona Arrighi , Clarissa Dominici , Chiaramaria Stani , Martha Cecilia Cano , Carlos López","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110051","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110051","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Magdalena valley, Colombia's principal fluvial corridor, has long been recognized as a key route for early human dispersal in northern South America. This inter-Andean region served as a strategic passage between the Andean highlands and the tropical lowlands, offering a resource-rich environment that supported human mobility and settlement since the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.</div><div>In the Middle Magdalena valley, some of Colombia's oldest preceramic open-air sites have been identified. However, despite their importance, the technological characteristics of their lithic assemblages—the only direct evidence of early human activity—remain poorly understood.</div><div>This study presents the first systematic techno-economic analysis of the preceramic stratigraphic unit at the Nare site, integrating use-wear and residue analyses. Moreover, new radiocarbon dates refine the site's chronological framework, placing its main occupation in the Early Holocene.</div><div>The lithic assemblage shows a strong reliance on local raw materials (primarily quartz and chert), a predominance of unretouched flakes, some retouch flakes, and a single unifacial tool. A bladelet core suggests an interest in producing elongated, relatively standardized flakes, though the absence of bladelets raises questions about off-site transport or differential site use.</div><div>These results refine our understanding of lithic technology in the region and offer a new perspective on the Middle Magdalena's early industries, highlighting a more diverse and flexible technological repertoire. The Nare assemblage demonstrates a wide range of knapping methods, percussion techniques, and raw material management strategies.</div><div>This study enhances our understanding of early human adaptation in the region and contributes to broader discussions on lithic technologies and settlement dynamics in northern South America.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"752 ","pages":"Article 110051"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618645","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}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号