Pub Date : 2025-01-17DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109672
Denis Geraads
The fauna from the Early Acheulean site of Gombore IB is relatively abundant but quite fragmented. As in the other sites of Melka Kunture, it is dominated by hippos and alcelaphin bovids, followed by equids. Suids are rare, and all other taxa (i.e., rhinos, giraffids, tragelaphins, primates) are virtually absent. In spite of the presence of forested areas nearby, the taphocenosis sampled an open-country faunal assemblage. The fauna resembles that of the nearby site of Garba IVD, but exact contemporaneity is unlikely.
{"title":"Fauna from the early Acheulean site of Gombore IB, Melka Kunture, upper Awash, Ethiopia: Systematics and paleoecology","authors":"Denis Geraads","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109672","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109672","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The fauna from the Early Acheulean site of Gombore IB is relatively abundant but quite fragmented. As in the other sites of Melka Kunture, it is dominated by hippos and alcelaphin bovids, followed by equids. Suids are rare, and all other taxa (i.e., rhinos, giraffids, tragelaphins, primates) are virtually absent. In spite of the presence of forested areas nearby, the taphocenosis sampled an open-country faunal assemblage. The fauna resembles that of the nearby site of Garba IVD, but exact contemporaneity is unlikely.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"719 ","pages":"Article 109672"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143092925","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 : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109632
Xiaokun Feng , Jinqing Liu , Shengyu Wang , Yamin Zhang , Ping Yin , Fei Gao , Ke Cao , Xiaoying Chen
Studying marine sediment is crucial for understanding the processes and mechanisms of Holocene climate and environmental changes. In this study, we analyzed the grain size distribution of the sediments from WHZK01 Core (0–14.95 m) in the muddy area off the southern coast of Weihai city, and extracted the sensitive grain size (SGS) using the grain size-standard deviation method, to further analyse the sediment transport mechanism since the Holocene and its significance as an environmental indicator in the climate change. The results show that the sediments in WHZK01 Core is mainly composed of silt and clayey silt, with poor sorting and a positive skewness, and primarily transported by suspension and saltation. We identified three SGSs: SGS 1 (<15.63 μm), SGS 2 (15.63 μm–148.65 μm), and SGS 3 (>148.65 μm), corresponding to the fine, medium, and coarse components of the sediment, respectively. Among them, SGS 2 exhibits a strong correlation with events of intensified East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM). Based on the variations in this grain size fraction, eight prominent EAWM intensification events over the past ∼11,000 years (Holocene) were identified: 8100–7600 a BP, 6300–6000 a BP, 5500–5050 a BP, 4600–4200 a BP, 4100–3600 a BP, 2850–2400 a BP, 1900–1500 a BP and 700-175 a BP, which are good indicators of palaeoclimatic environmental changes.
{"title":"Response of sensitive grain size components in the muddy area off the southern coast of Weihai city, China, to Holocene climate and environmental changes","authors":"Xiaokun Feng , Jinqing Liu , Shengyu Wang , Yamin Zhang , Ping Yin , Fei Gao , Ke Cao , Xiaoying Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studying marine sediment is crucial for understanding the processes and mechanisms of Holocene climate and environmental changes. In this study, we analyzed the grain size distribution of the sediments from WHZK01 Core (0–14.95 m) in the muddy area off the southern coast of Weihai city, and extracted the sensitive grain size (SGS) using the grain size-standard deviation method, to further analyse the sediment transport mechanism since the Holocene and its significance as an environmental indicator in the climate change. The results show that the sediments in WHZK01 Core is mainly composed of silt and clayey silt, with poor sorting and a positive skewness, and primarily transported by suspension and saltation. We identified three SGSs: SGS 1 (<15.63 μm), SGS 2 (15.63 μm–148.65 μm), and SGS 3 (>148.65 μm), corresponding to the fine, medium, and coarse components of the sediment, respectively. Among them, SGS 2 exhibits a strong correlation with events of intensified East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM). Based on the variations in this grain size fraction, eight prominent EAWM intensification events over the past ∼11,000 years (Holocene) were identified: 8100–7600 a BP, 6300–6000 a BP, 5500–5050 a BP, 4600–4200 a BP, 4100–3600 a BP, 2850–2400 a BP, 1900–1500 a BP and 700-175 a BP, which are good indicators of palaeoclimatic environmental changes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"716 ","pages":"Article 109632"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148436","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 : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109593
Solène Boisard , Colin D. Wren , Lucy Timbrell , Ariane Burke
This paper examines climate conditions in Northwest Africa for Marine Isotope Stage 4, 3, and 2 (71,000–11,000 years ago) and their impact on the distribution of potential suitable areas on a regional scale. The analysis uses climate simulations to model: 1) the geographical extent and variability of macro-refugia based on ethnographic data; and 2) the frequency of suitable areas based on climate ranges obtained at dated archaeological occupations. The results include the production of maps of MSA and LSA site distribution, and annual precipitation and temperature values for each dated human occupation. The macro-refugia models confirm the persistence and low variability of ecological macro-refugia along the Mediterranean coast but reveal limitations in Central Sahara. Macro-refugia models aligned closely with climate-archaeological models, except for Marine Isotope Stage 4. Despite the general spatio-temporal limitations of climate simulations, our study offers valuable data to be integrated with local environmental proxies. These climate frameworks and insights can contribute to the exploration of past human demography, connectivity and human-environment interactions across different scales of analysis.
{"title":"Climate frameworks for the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa","authors":"Solène Boisard , Colin D. Wren , Lucy Timbrell , Ariane Burke","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines climate conditions in Northwest Africa for Marine Isotope Stage 4, 3, and 2 (71,000–11,000 years ago) and their impact on the distribution of potential suitable areas on a regional scale. The analysis uses climate simulations to model: 1) the geographical extent and variability of macro-refugia based on ethnographic data; and 2) the frequency of suitable areas based on climate ranges obtained at dated archaeological occupations. The results include the production of maps of MSA and LSA site distribution, and annual precipitation and temperature values for each dated human occupation. The macro-refugia models confirm the persistence and low variability of ecological macro-refugia along the Mediterranean coast but reveal limitations in Central Sahara. Macro-refugia models aligned closely with climate-archaeological models, except for Marine Isotope Stage 4. Despite the general spatio-temporal limitations of climate simulations, our study offers valuable data to be integrated with local environmental proxies. These climate frameworks and insights can contribute to the exploration of past human demography, connectivity and human-environment interactions across different scales of analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"716 ","pages":"Article 109593"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109629
Muhammad Farqan, Lixiong Xiang, Lan Jiang, Wenjia Wang, Min Zheng, Xiaoyan Mu, Xin Liu, Xueqing Song, Zezhou Zhu, Ramamoorthy Ayyamperumal, Xiaozhong Huang
Arid Central Asia (ACA), accounting for one-third of the world arid regions, is noted for its sparse freshwater resources and delicate ecosystems. Lakes in this region are sensitive to the complex interactions between climate warming, human impact, and the water cycle, affecting aquatic ecosystems as well as species distributions. Here, we reanalyzed relationships between measured environmental variables and the spatial distribution of 40 previously published lake surface sediment diatom (Bacillariophyceae) assemblages along with synthesized sediment cores from 4 distinct locations in Bosten Lake with the intention of developing a diatom-inference model for water depth. Diatom assemblage variations differed across surface sediment samples and within cores in Bosten Lake. The initial period (1770–1910 CE) is characterized by oligotrophic taxa such as Lindavia radiosa and Navicula peroblonga, which transitioned towards meso-eutrophic species such as Pseudostaurosira, Staurosira, and Staurosirella spp. (formerly classified in the genus Fragilaria) during 1910–1960 CE and notably lake became more eutrophic post-1960, marked by the abundance of Fragilaria cf. crotonensis. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that lake water depth explained a statistically significant portion of diatom assemblage variations. Weighted-averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) is used to develop a diatom-based depth inference model ( = 0.94, RMSEP = 1.08 m, and maximum bias = 2.57 m) based on diatom optima from Bosten Lake. Diatom-depth reconstructions and changes in diatom community composition are of great importance to track lake ecosystem dynamics, ensuring the sustainability of vital freshwater resources in the ACA and beyond.
{"title":"Diatom assemblages indicated ecological shifts over the past two centuries in Bosten Lake, northwest China: Natural and anthropogenic forcings","authors":"Muhammad Farqan, Lixiong Xiang, Lan Jiang, Wenjia Wang, Min Zheng, Xiaoyan Mu, Xin Liu, Xueqing Song, Zezhou Zhu, Ramamoorthy Ayyamperumal, Xiaozhong Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arid Central Asia (ACA), accounting for one-third of the world arid regions, is noted for its sparse freshwater resources and delicate ecosystems. Lakes in this region are sensitive to the complex interactions between climate warming, human impact, and the water cycle, affecting aquatic ecosystems as well as species distributions. Here, we reanalyzed relationships between measured environmental variables and the spatial distribution of 40 previously published lake surface sediment diatom (Bacillariophyceae) assemblages along with synthesized sediment cores from 4 distinct locations in Bosten Lake with the intention of developing a diatom-inference model for water depth. Diatom assemblage variations differed across surface sediment samples and within cores in Bosten Lake. The initial period (1770–1910 CE) is characterized by oligotrophic taxa such as <em>Lindavia radiosa</em> and <em>Navicula peroblonga</em>, which transitioned towards meso-eutrophic species such as <em>Pseudostaurosira</em>, <em>Staurosira</em>, and <em>Staurosirella</em> spp. (formerly classified in the genus <em>Fragilaria</em>) during 1910–1960 CE and notably lake became more eutrophic post-1960, marked by the abundance of <em>Fragilaria</em> cf. <em>crotonensis</em>. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that lake water depth explained a statistically significant portion of diatom assemblage variations. Weighted-averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) is used to develop a diatom-based depth inference model (<span><math><mrow><msubsup><mi>R</mi><mtext>jack</mtext><mn>2</mn></msubsup></mrow></math></span> = 0.94, RMSEP = 1.08 m, and maximum bias = 2.57 m) based on diatom optima from Bosten Lake. Diatom-depth reconstructions and changes in diatom community composition are of great importance to track lake ecosystem dynamics, ensuring the sustainability of vital freshwater resources in the ACA and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"716 ","pages":"Article 109629"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148437","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 : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109596
Xiaohui Shi, Zhao Yang, Yunpeng Dong, Bo Zhou, Jiali You, Dali Ju, Fubao Chong
Situated in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, the Western Qinling Mountains have undergone foreland propagation and surface uplift due to the northeastward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau since the late Cenozoic. In this study, the differential rock uplift and fluvial incision were investigated by extracting longitudinal profiles of the 227 major tributaries of the Western Han River Basin, which are located in the hinterland of the Western Qinling Mountains. Of 227, 178 tributaries have “slope-break” knickpoints. Channel segments upstream of knickpoints with low steepness indices represent the relict low-relief landscape, while the downstream of knickpoints with higher steepness indices represents the adjusting landscape formed after the knickpoint initiation. The spatial patterns of channel steepness indices show the western part of the Western Han River Basin having a higher rock uplift rate than the eastern part. Three-stage rock uplift of the Western Qinling Mountains has been identified by the shape of the longitudinal profile of the Western Han River. The magnitude of fluvial incision in the three-stage is about ∼180 m, ∼380 m, and ∼100 m, respectively. The results of this study reveal that the tectonic uplift of northeastern Tibetan Plateau has regulated the late Cenozoic rock uplift and fluvial incision in the Western Qinling Mountains, and highlight the potential use of channel profiles as indicators for tectonic forcing.
{"title":"Transient fluvial incision in the Western Han River Basin: Implications for the late Cenozoic rock uplift of the Western Qinling Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Xiaohui Shi, Zhao Yang, Yunpeng Dong, Bo Zhou, Jiali You, Dali Ju, Fubao Chong","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109596","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Situated in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, the Western Qinling Mountains have undergone foreland propagation and surface uplift due to the northeastward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau since the late Cenozoic. In this study, the differential rock uplift and fluvial incision were investigated by extracting longitudinal profiles of the 227 major tributaries of the Western Han River Basin, which are located in the hinterland of the Western Qinling Mountains. Of 227, 178 tributaries have “slope-break” knickpoints. Channel segments upstream of knickpoints with low steepness indices represent the relict low-relief landscape, while the downstream of knickpoints with higher steepness indices represents the adjusting landscape formed after the knickpoint initiation. The spatial patterns of channel steepness indices show the western part of the Western Han River Basin having a higher rock uplift rate than the eastern part. Three-stage rock uplift of the Western Qinling Mountains has been identified by the shape of the longitudinal profile of the Western Han River. The magnitude of fluvial incision in the three-stage is about ∼180 m, ∼380 m, and ∼100 m, respectively. The results of this study reveal that the tectonic uplift of northeastern Tibetan Plateau has regulated the late Cenozoic rock uplift and fluvial incision in the Western Qinling Mountains, and highlight the potential use of channel profiles as indicators for tectonic forcing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"716 ","pages":"Article 109596"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143147862","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 : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.11.007
Sara Pena-Castellnou , Jochen Hürtgen , Stéphane Baize , Hervé Jomard , Edward M. Cushing , Wahid Abbas , Klaus Reicherter
Our study focuses on the southern segment of the Rhine River Fault, located in one of the most seismically active regions in intraplate Europe, at the southern end of the Upper Rhine Graben and forming part of the eastern Rhine Graben Boundary Fault. It stands out due to its impressive geomorphological expression in the landscape near the village of Tunsel, in southwestern Germany. We present details about the timing of fault activity and the contribution of earthquakes to the morphology, as this information is crucial for seismic hazard assessment, considering its location 8 km from the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant. Through the integration of the sedimentary sequences, morphotectonic observations, shallow geophysics, and paleoseismological trenching, our findings demonstrate that several earthquakes along the RRF have ruptured the surface (M6.7 ± 0.5). The youngest surface rupturing earthquake occurred during medieval times (EZ) and the penultimate event (EY) is constrained by stratigraphic correlation with reworked Loess deposits dated to the Younger Dryas (ca. 13 kyr BP). Three older earthquake events have also been unearthed (EX, EW and EV) occurring prior to the Late Glacial Maximum, where event EX led to considerable lateral spread at the banks of the Pleistocene Rhine river. Vertical displacements reach up to 0.5 m and lateral offsets up to max. 1.5 m per earthquake event, consistently with a 15 - 30 km-long rupture of this segment of the Rhine River Fault.
{"title":"Active faulting of the southern segment of the Rhine River Fault, southern Germany: Geomorphological and paleoseismological evidence","authors":"Sara Pena-Castellnou , Jochen Hürtgen , Stéphane Baize , Hervé Jomard , Edward M. Cushing , Wahid Abbas , Klaus Reicherter","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.11.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.11.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our study focuses on the southern segment of the Rhine River Fault, located in one of the most seismically active regions in intraplate Europe, at the southern end of the Upper Rhine Graben and forming part of the eastern Rhine Graben Boundary Fault. It stands out due to its impressive geomorphological expression in the landscape near the village of Tunsel, in southwestern Germany. We present details about the timing of fault activity and the contribution of earthquakes to the morphology, as this information is crucial for seismic hazard assessment, considering its location 8 km from the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant. Through the integration of the sedimentary sequences, morphotectonic observations, shallow geophysics, and paleoseismological trenching, our findings demonstrate that several earthquakes along the RRF have ruptured the surface (M6.7 ± 0.5). The youngest surface rupturing earthquake occurred during medieval times (E<sub>Z</sub>) and the penultimate event (E<sub>Y</sub>) is constrained by stratigraphic correlation with reworked Loess deposits dated to the Younger Dryas (ca. 13 kyr BP). Three older earthquake events have also been unearthed (E<sub>X</sub>, E<sub>W</sub> and E<sub>V</sub>) occurring prior to the Late Glacial Maximum, where event E<sub>X</sub> led to considerable lateral spread at the banks of the Pleistocene Rhine river. Vertical displacements reach up to 0.5 m and lateral offsets up to max. 1.5 m per earthquake event, consistently with a 15 - 30 km-long rupture of this segment of the Rhine River Fault.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"716 ","pages":"Article 109589"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143148435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109638
Lucien F. Montaggioni , Bernard Salvat , Edwige Pons-Branchu , Bertrand Martin-Garin , Gilbert Poli , Marie-Thérèse Vénec-Peyré , David Lecchini , Gaston Tong Sang
Defining the timing and accretional mode of low-lying, reef-rim islets over the recent past is a prerequisite for better understanding their future dynamical behaviour in response to rapid rise in sea level and increasing storminess. In high island settings where reliefs locally act as protection against meteorological hazards, establishing the level of vulnerability in the face of global warming remains an important issue. At Bora Bora, a high volcanic island (French Polynesia), internal lithostratigraphy of two selected islets – Motu Tevairoa, leeward, west-north-western side; Motu Tofari, windward, east-north-eastern side – from the barrier-reef rim was reconstructed from four excavated cross-sections. Motu Tevairoa exhibits at the ocean-facing shoreline, pebble-and sand-supported facies abruptly grading into sand-dominated facies inwards. Motu Tofari is dominated by boulder-pebble facies along the oceanic border. U/Th dating was conducted from a collection of 48 coral clasts, in order to reconstruct the timing of islet building. Motu Tevairoa appears to have started to develop by about 2300–2200 cal yr BP from a central islet depocentre laterally extending over time. At the ocean-facing settings, deposition was initiated by about 1600 cal yr BP. By contrast, on Motu Tofari, deposition along the oceanic shoreline, occurred as soon as 3100 cal yr BP. A time lag of approximately 1000 years seems to separate islet accretion between the windward and leeward sides. This strongly suggests that winter storms in the southern hemisphere and those generated from an easterly direction in the northern hemisphere, mid latitudes have played a major role in periodically supplying the north-eastern rim in coral detritus while the western side was occasionally nourished by distant-source swells derived from the north-western sectors. In both settings, the main phases of islet building occurred during the late Holocene sea-level drop. This questions the ability of islets at Bora Bora to adapt to a rapid rise in sea level in the near future.
{"title":"Dephasing of islet building between leeward and windward reef-rim sides, Bora Bora Island, Society Archipelago, central South Pacific","authors":"Lucien F. Montaggioni , Bernard Salvat , Edwige Pons-Branchu , Bertrand Martin-Garin , Gilbert Poli , Marie-Thérèse Vénec-Peyré , David Lecchini , Gaston Tong Sang","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Defining the timing and accretional mode of low-lying, reef-rim islets over the recent past is a prerequisite for better understanding their future dynamical behaviour in response to rapid rise in sea level and increasing storminess. In high island settings where reliefs locally act as protection against meteorological hazards, establishing the level of vulnerability in the face of global warming remains an important issue. At Bora Bora, a high volcanic island (French Polynesia), internal lithostratigraphy of two selected islets – Motu Tevairoa, leeward, west-north-western side; Motu Tofari, windward, east-north-eastern side – from the barrier-reef rim was reconstructed from four excavated cross-sections. Motu Tevairoa exhibits at the ocean-facing shoreline, pebble-and sand-supported facies abruptly grading into sand-dominated facies inwards. Motu Tofari is dominated by boulder-pebble facies along the oceanic border. U/Th dating was conducted from a collection of 48 coral clasts, in order to reconstruct the timing of islet building. Motu Tevairoa appears to have started to develop by about 2300–2200 cal yr BP from a central islet depocentre laterally extending over time. At the ocean-facing settings, deposition was initiated by about 1600 cal yr BP. By contrast, on Motu Tofari, deposition along the oceanic shoreline, occurred as soon as 3100 cal yr BP. A time lag of approximately 1000 years seems to separate islet accretion between the windward and leeward sides. This strongly suggests that winter storms in the southern hemisphere and those generated from an easterly direction in the northern hemisphere, mid latitudes have played a major role in periodically supplying the north-eastern rim in coral detritus while the western side was occasionally nourished by distant-source swells derived from the north-western sectors. In both settings, the main phases of islet building occurred during the late Holocene sea-level drop. This questions the ability of islets at Bora Bora to adapt to a rapid rise in sea level in the near future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"719 ","pages":"Article 109638"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143092924","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 : 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109669
A. Florenzano , P. Torri , G. Bosi , E. Clò , P. Caprio , A.M. Mercuri
The Vesuvian area is rich in well-studied archaeological sites, in which the exceptional preservation of plant remains has led to an in-depth botanical reconstruction of aspects related to diet, rituals and elements of the local urban landscape. Pollen analyses have been mainly focused on the reconstruction of gardens, providing direct evidence of floristic composition, plant selection and seasonality. With a biological approach, the present study aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the plant diversity that characterised the Vesuvian area through the study of 1st century AD Vesuvian sites, i.e. Stabiae and Pompeii. Forty pollen samples were studied from three sites in the Vesuvian area: the two multipoint sites of Stabiae and Pompeii and the Civita Giuliana site close to Pompeii. At Stabiae (nowadays Castellammare di Stabia), pollen investigation conducted in two villae (“Villa Arianna” and “Villa San Marco”) provided important information to reconstruct the plant landscape before the catastrophic eruption of AD 79. In Pompeii, two plaster samples from two houses (“Casa del Menandro” and “Casa del Centenario”) were studied and, in the nearby Civita Giuliana, samples are from an agricultural area. Among the main features common to the studied contexts, it is noteworthy the presence of a large amount of pollen from fruit trees (Juglans, Olea, Vitis, Castanea) and evidence of ornamental plants. These elements characterised the rich cultural landscape of the area. Despite some caution due to pollen preservation issues, when a high level of identification is achieved, palynology proves to be a reliable tool for the knowledge of biodiversity and landscape patterns in vulnerable areas exposed to natural events.
{"title":"Snapshots from the past: Biodiversity of the Vesuvian area before AD 79 from new archaeopalynological studies","authors":"A. Florenzano , P. Torri , G. Bosi , E. Clò , P. Caprio , A.M. Mercuri","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Vesuvian area is rich in well-studied archaeological sites, in which the exceptional preservation of plant remains has led to an in-depth botanical reconstruction of aspects related to diet, rituals and elements of the local urban landscape. Pollen analyses have been mainly focused on the reconstruction of gardens, providing direct evidence of floristic composition, plant selection and seasonality. With a biological approach, the present study aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the plant diversity that characterised the Vesuvian area through the study of 1<sup>st</sup> century AD Vesuvian sites, i.e. Stabiae and Pompeii. Forty pollen samples were studied from three sites in the Vesuvian area: the two multipoint sites of Stabiae and Pompeii and the Civita Giuliana site close to Pompeii. At Stabiae (nowadays Castellammare di Stabia), pollen investigation conducted in two <em>villae</em> (“Villa Arianna” and “Villa San Marco”) provided important information to reconstruct the plant landscape before the catastrophic eruption of AD 79. In Pompeii, two plaster samples from two houses (“Casa del Menandro” and “Casa del Centenario”) were studied and, in the nearby Civita Giuliana, samples are from an agricultural area. Among the main features common to the studied contexts, it is noteworthy the presence of a large amount of pollen from fruit trees (<em>Juglans</em>, <em>Olea</em>, <em>Vitis</em>, <em>Castanea</em>) and evidence of ornamental plants. These elements characterised the rich cultural landscape of the area. Despite some caution due to pollen preservation issues, when a high level of identification is achieved, palynology proves to be a reliable tool for the knowledge of biodiversity and landscape patterns in vulnerable areas exposed to natural events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"719 ","pages":"Article 109669"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143092926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109597
Qian Wang , N. John Anderson , Xiangdong Yang
Lake metabolism and associated emissions of CO2 in lakes are heavily subsidized by terrestrial carbon. However, how land-cover change and long-term climate interact to influence landscape biogeochemistry remains unclear. A ∼26,000-year sediment record from a lake in Southwest China shows how terrestrial-aquatic carbon dynamics responded to climate changes, atmospheric CO2 levels, and changing land-cover (vegetation composition) prior to cultural disturbances. Decoupled and coupled variations in the δ13C of Zooplankton (Bosmina) and sedimentary organic carbon from the Last Glacial Maximum tracked changes in atmospheric CO2 and the δ18O records of monsoonal intensity (Dykoski et al., 2005; Wang et al., 2005), highlighting a primary climatic control on coupled terrestrial-aquatic carbon dynamics. Zooplankton and algal production, alongside Bosmina δ13C-inferred lake CO2 concentrations, exhibited synchronous variations with the intensification of the southwest monsoon from ∼10 cal kyr BP, reflecting both increased aquatic production and enhanced terrestrial carbon export driven by forest expansion. These results highlight the critical role of monsoon-driven hydrological changes in regulating terrestrial organic matter inputs to lakes and shaping aquatic carbon dynamics at timescales of 102–103 year.
{"title":"Climate and land-cover controls of aquatic carbon dynamics since the last glacial maximum: Evidence from stable carbon isotopes of subfossil Cladocera","authors":"Qian Wang , N. John Anderson , Xiangdong Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.109597","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lake metabolism and associated emissions of CO<sub>2</sub> in lakes are heavily subsidized by terrestrial carbon. However, how land-cover change and long-term climate interact to influence landscape biogeochemistry remains unclear. A ∼26,000-year sediment record from a lake in Southwest China shows how terrestrial-aquatic carbon dynamics responded to climate changes, atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> levels, and changing land-cover (vegetation composition) prior to cultural disturbances. Decoupled and coupled variations in the δ<sup>13</sup>C of Zooplankton (<em>Bosmina</em>) and sedimentary organic carbon from the Last Glacial Maximum tracked changes in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> and the δ<sup>18</sup>O records of monsoonal intensity (Dykoski et al., 2005; Wang et al., 2005), highlighting a primary climatic control on coupled terrestrial-aquatic carbon dynamics. Zooplankton and algal production, alongside <em>Bosmina</em> δ<sup>13</sup>C-inferred lake CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations, exhibited synchronous variations with the intensification of the southwest monsoon from ∼10 cal kyr BP, reflecting both increased aquatic production and enhanced terrestrial carbon export driven by forest expansion. These results highlight the critical role of monsoon-driven hydrological changes in regulating terrestrial organic matter inputs to lakes and shaping aquatic carbon dynamics at timescales of 10<sup>2</sup>–10<sup>3</sup> year.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"715 ","pages":"Article 109597"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143179339","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}
Remains of mesomammals, i.e. intermediate-sized mammals, are ubiquitous in southern African fossil sites. Even though they do not constitute a taxonomically cohesive group, medium-sized mammals share common ecological traits and are subject to similar taphonomic processes, making them essential for understanding past ecosystems. This study focuses on craniodental remains of medium- and large-sized rodents and lagomorphs from the Early Pleistocene hominin-bearing site of Cooper's Cave in the Cradle of Humankind. The Cooper's D deposit, dated to approximately <1.4 Ma, has provided a wealth of faunal material, including many mesomammal remains. This contribution presents an updated taxonomic analysis of fossil material, including morphological descriptions with new diagnostic criteria, ecological information about the different taxa, and preliminary taphonomic observations. Notably, this assemblage documents the oldest known occurrence of the genus Geosciurus in South Africa, pushing its attested presence back by over one million years.
{"title":"Medium and large-sized Glires (Rodents and Lagomorphs) from the early Pleistocene Cooper's D locality in the Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng, South Africa","authors":"Pierre Linchamps , Raphaël Hanon , Emmanuelle Stoetzel , Brigette Cohen , Christine Steininger","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.11.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2024.11.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Remains of mesomammals, i.e. intermediate-sized mammals, are ubiquitous in southern African fossil sites. Even though they do not constitute a taxonomically cohesive group, medium-sized mammals share common ecological traits and are subject to similar taphonomic processes, making them essential for understanding past ecosystems. This study focuses on craniodental remains of medium- and large-sized rodents and lagomorphs from the Early Pleistocene hominin-bearing site of Cooper's Cave in the Cradle of Humankind. The Cooper's D deposit, dated to approximately <1.4 Ma, has provided a wealth of faunal material, including many mesomammal remains. This contribution presents an updated taxonomic analysis of fossil material, including morphological descriptions with new diagnostic criteria, ecological information about the different taxa, and preliminary taphonomic observations. Notably, this assemblage documents the oldest known occurrence of the genus <em>Geosciurus</em> in South Africa, pushing its attested presence back by over one million years.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"715 ","pages":"Article 109590"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143179338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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