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}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110053
Sai Lin , Jinhua Liu , Yingkui Li , Haiping Hu , Changsheng Ye , Qiang Liu , Shunzi Pi
As one of the most important glaciated areas on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the Kunlun Mountains (KM) are of great significance in maintaining the ecological balance and sustainable socio-economic development of the arid regions in Central Asia. We reconstructed the glacier extent, ice thickness, and equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) in the eastern section of the Kunlun Mountains (EKM) since the Little Ice Age (LIA) using high-resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth and the PalaeoIce model. The mapped LIA outlines were validated with field observations. We then analyzed the changes in glacier area, ice thickness, volume, and ELA since the LIA. The results showed that, since the LIA, the glacier area in EKM has decreased by about 15 %, the ice volume has lost about 25.2 %, and the ELA has risen by 28 m. The glacier change was spatially heterogeneous in the EKM, in which the retreat of glacier area and volume in the eastern region was greater than those in the central and western regions. Glacier changes in the western region also showed a north-south heterogeneity, with smaller changes in the southwestern part and greater changes in the northwestern part. These changes were closely related to the characteristics of regional glaciers. The glaciers of EKM had relatively smaller changes in response to temperature rise compared with other glaciers on the TP.
{"title":"Glacial changes in the eastern Kunlun Mountains since the Little Ice Age","authors":"Sai Lin , Jinhua Liu , Yingkui Li , Haiping Hu , Changsheng Ye , Qiang Liu , Shunzi Pi","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As one of the most important glaciated areas on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the Kunlun Mountains (KM) are of great significance in maintaining the ecological balance and sustainable socio-economic development of the arid regions in Central Asia. We reconstructed the glacier extent, ice thickness, and equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) in the eastern section of the Kunlun Mountains (EKM) since the Little Ice Age (LIA) using high-resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth and the PalaeoIce model. The mapped LIA outlines were validated with field observations. We then analyzed the changes in glacier area, ice thickness, volume, and ELA since the LIA. The results showed that, since the LIA, the glacier area in EKM has decreased by about 15 %, the ice volume has lost about 25.2 %, and the ELA has risen by 28 m. The glacier change was spatially heterogeneous in the EKM, in which the retreat of glacier area and volume in the eastern region was greater than those in the central and western regions. Glacier changes in the western region also showed a north-south heterogeneity, with smaller changes in the southwestern part and greater changes in the northwestern part. These changes were closely related to the characteristics of regional glaciers. The glaciers of EKM had relatively smaller changes in response to temperature rise compared with other glaciers on the TP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"753 ","pages":"Article 110053"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618471","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 : 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110054
João Paulo da Costa , Marcos Cenizo , Mário André Trindade Dantas , Fabiana Monteiro de Oliveira , Kita Chaves Damasio Macario , Guilherme Renzo Rocha Brito , Kleberson de Oliveira Porpino , Hermínio Ismael de Araújo-Júnior
The Lajedo de Soledade (NE Brazil) is an extensive carbonate platform intersected by a series of ravines, sculpted by karstification processes. This region stands out for its paleontological relevance due to the diversity of fossil vertebrates found in the Late Quaternary deposits filling several of its ravines. New collections at Ravina das Araras, together with a reanalysis of near-coeval fossil assemblages previously found at Ravina do Leon, revealed the presence of at least nine different avian taxa, including vultures (Pleistovultur nevesi, Cathartes sp.), hawks (Buteoninae indet.), doves and pigeons (Zenaida auriculata and Patagioenas sp.), parakeets (cf. Aratinga sp.), tinamous (Rhynchotus rufescens and Crypturellus sp.), and ducks (Cairina moschata). With the exception of the extinct condor P. nevesi, current representatives of the identified taxa inhabit dry tropical grasslands, savannas and riparian forests of the Caatinga biome, including the Lajedo de Soledade region. For the first time, direct radiocarbon dating and isotopic analysis of the diet of a P. nevesi individual (Ravina do Leon specimen) were obtained, indicating that this bird (estimated body mass = 11.2 kg) fed on carcasses of animals that predominantly inhabited open areas during the Late Pleistocene (i.e., 34,772–36,986 cal yr BP). The Lajedo de Soledade ravines contain Late Pleistocene deposits with a diverse range of vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, anurans, and notably, birds, which is unusual in other regional Quaternary deposits.
Lajedo de Soledade（巴西东北部）是一个广阔的碳酸盐台地，由一系列由岩溶作用雕刻而成的沟壑相交。该地区因其与古生物学的相关性而引人注目，因为在填满其峡谷的晚第四纪沉积物中发现了脊椎动物化石的多样性。在Ravina das Araras的新收藏，以及对先前在Ravina do Leon发现的近同时期化石组合的重新分析，揭示了至少9种不同的鸟类分类群的存在，包括秃鹫（Pleistovultur nevesi, Cathartes sp.），鹰（Buteoninae indet.），鸽子和鸽子（Zenaida auriculata和Patagioenas sp.），长尾小鹦鹉（cf. Aratinga sp.），鸣鸟（Rhynchotus rufescens和Crypturellus sp.）和鸭子（Cairina moschata）。除已灭绝的秃鹰P. nevesi外，目前已确定的分类群代表栖息在Caatinga生物群系的干燥热带草原、稀树草原和河岸森林，包括Lajedo de Soledade地区。研究人员首次对一种nevesi鸟个体（Ravina do Leon标本）的饮食进行了直接放射性碳定年和同位素分析，表明这种鸟（估计体重= 11.2 kg）在晚更新世（即34,772-36,986 cal yr BP）期间主要以生活在开阔地区的动物尸体为食。Lajedo de Soledade峡谷含有晚更新世沉积物，其中有各种各样的脊椎动物，包括哺乳动物，爬行动物，无尾动物，特别是鸟类，这在其他区域第四纪沉积物中是不寻常的。
{"title":"Late Quaternary birds from Lajedo de Soledade, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil","authors":"João Paulo da Costa , Marcos Cenizo , Mário André Trindade Dantas , Fabiana Monteiro de Oliveira , Kita Chaves Damasio Macario , Guilherme Renzo Rocha Brito , Kleberson de Oliveira Porpino , Hermínio Ismael de Araújo-Júnior","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110054","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110054","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Lajedo de Soledade (NE Brazil) is an extensive carbonate platform intersected by a series of ravines, sculpted by karstification processes. This region stands out for its paleontological relevance due to the diversity of fossil vertebrates found in the Late Quaternary deposits filling several of its ravines. New collections at Ravina das Araras, together with a reanalysis of near-coeval fossil assemblages previously found at Ravina do Leon, revealed the presence of at least nine different avian taxa, including vultures (<em>Pleistovultur nevesi</em>, <em>Cathartes</em> sp.), hawks (Buteoninae indet.), doves and pigeons (<em>Zenaida auriculata</em> and <em>Patagioenas</em> sp.), parakeets (cf. <em>Aratinga</em> sp.), tinamous (<em>Rhynchotus rufescens</em> and <em>Crypturellus</em> sp.), and ducks (<em>Cairina moschata</em>). With the exception of the extinct condor <em>P. nevesi</em>, current representatives of the identified taxa inhabit dry tropical grasslands, savannas and riparian forests of the Caatinga biome, including the Lajedo de Soledade region. For the first time, direct radiocarbon dating and isotopic analysis of the diet of a <em>P. nevesi</em> individual (Ravina do Leon specimen) were obtained, indicating that this bird (estimated body mass = 11.2 kg) fed on carcasses of animals that predominantly inhabited open areas during the Late Pleistocene (i.e., 34,772–36,986 cal yr BP). The Lajedo de Soledade ravines contain Late Pleistocene deposits with a diverse range of vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, anurans, and notably, birds, which is unusual in other regional Quaternary deposits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"752 ","pages":"Article 110054"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618646","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 : 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110056
Robert J. Sokołowski , Anna Hrynowiecka , Monika Czajkowska , Piotr Moska
Multiproxy analyses were employed to determine the age and origin of the Pleistocene sedimentary succession at the Kadyny site in the northern part of the Elbląg Heights, northern Poland. Lithofacies analysis yielded the identification of four distinct lithofacies complexes (U1-U4). The units of analysis are fluvial (U1, U3 and U4) and lacustrine-lagoonal sedimentary environments (U2). The formation of the site commenced with the Early Vistulian (units U1, U2 and lower part of U3) and the Lower and Middle Pleniglacial (upper part of unit U3 and unit U4). The sequence of depositional environments was controlled by transgressive-regressive cycles functioning in a glacial-interglacial (main cycle) and stadial-interstadial (secondary cycle) rhythm. The textural characteristics of the sediments and the evolution of vegetation were influenced by climatic factors. The warmest climatic conditions prevailed during the deposition of unit U2 (Odderade Interstadial), which was deposited as a result of fluctuations in the water level in a coastal lake or lagoon separated from the open sea by a sandy spit. The analysed sediments are part of thrust-bounded ridges that form the Elbląg Glacitectonic Complex. These were subsequently thrust-stacked and imbricated, which occurred during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 period. This process occurred in two distinct phases: initially from the west, and subsequently from the north. The displacement of the deformed sediments is believed to have taken place over a distance of 10–30 km from the area that is now occupied by the Gulf of Gdańsk.
{"title":"The role of climate and eustatic sea-level changes in post-Eemian sedimentary succession in the southern Baltic Sea region","authors":"Robert J. Sokołowski , Anna Hrynowiecka , Monika Czajkowska , Piotr Moska","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110056","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110056","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiproxy analyses were employed to determine the age and origin of the Pleistocene sedimentary succession at the Kadyny site in the northern part of the Elbląg Heights, northern Poland. Lithofacies analysis yielded the identification of four distinct lithofacies complexes (U1-U4). The units of analysis are fluvial (U1, U3 and U4) and lacustrine-lagoonal sedimentary environments (U2). The formation of the site commenced with the Early Vistulian (units U1, U2 and lower part of U3) and the Lower and Middle Pleniglacial (upper part of unit U3 and unit U4). The sequence of depositional environments was controlled by transgressive-regressive cycles functioning in a glacial-interglacial (main cycle) and stadial-interstadial (secondary cycle) rhythm. The textural characteristics of the sediments and the evolution of vegetation were influenced by climatic factors. The warmest climatic conditions prevailed during the deposition of unit U2 (Odderade Interstadial), which was deposited as a result of fluctuations in the water level in a coastal lake or lagoon separated from the open sea by a sandy spit. The analysed sediments are part of thrust-bounded ridges that form the Elbląg Glacitectonic Complex. These were subsequently thrust-stacked and imbricated, which occurred during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 period. This process occurred in two distinct phases: initially from the west, and subsequently from the north. The displacement of the deformed sediments is believed to have taken place over a distance of 10–30 km from the area that is now occupied by the Gulf of Gdańsk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"753 ","pages":"Article 110056"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618473","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 : 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110060
Urszula Ratajczak-Skrzatek , Slavko Polak , Karol Karbowski , Marjan Temovski , Paweł Mackiewicz , Andrea Savorelli , Krzysztof Stefaniak
The article presents new discoveries of fossil remains of herbivorous mammals from the Plio–Pleistocene transition, including representatives of the genera Megalovis and Metacervocerus, found in the Črnotiče Quarry in Slovenia, in layers dated to the Early Pleistocene. The identified remains of Megalovis latifrons and Metacervocerus rhenanus provide significant evidence of the presence of these species in the southern part of Central Europe during the Early Pleistocene. These remains represent the first described examples of these taxa from Slovenia and provide valuable material for studies on the biogeography and evolution of fauna during the Early Pleistocene. This discovery offers crucial insights into the dispersal of fauna from Asia to Europe and suggests that the southern region of Slovenia may served as a migration corridor for these taxa. The conducted morphometric analysis of the teeth and postcranial bones allowed for a comparison of dimensions in the context of geographical and ecological changes, highlighting morphological variability within these taxa and potential adaptations to changing environmental conditions. In particular, the differences in the dimensions of the teeth and skeletal bones may indicate regional variations in size and morphology of the Megalovis and Metacervocerus representatives, which could result from ecological diversity in Early Pleistocene Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of Megalovis remains suggested at least two migration waves from Central Asia to Europe and shed new insight into the taxonomic affiliation of available samples.
{"title":"Fossil records of Bovidae and Cervidae from the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene of Slovenia: Implications for Eurasian correlations and evolution of ungulate fauna communities","authors":"Urszula Ratajczak-Skrzatek , Slavko Polak , Karol Karbowski , Marjan Temovski , Paweł Mackiewicz , Andrea Savorelli , Krzysztof Stefaniak","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The article presents new discoveries of fossil remains of herbivorous mammals from the Plio–Pleistocene transition, including representatives of the genera <em>Megalovis</em> and <em>Metacervocerus</em>, found in the Črnotiče Quarry in Slovenia, in layers dated to the Early Pleistocene. The identified remains of <em>Megalovis latifrons</em> and <em>Metacervocerus rhenanus</em> provide significant evidence of the presence of these species in the southern part of Central Europe during the Early Pleistocene. These remains represent the first described examples of these taxa from Slovenia and provide valuable material for studies on the biogeography and evolution of fauna during the Early Pleistocene. This discovery offers crucial insights into the dispersal of fauna from Asia to Europe and suggests that the southern region of Slovenia may served as a migration corridor for these taxa. The conducted morphometric analysis of the teeth and postcranial bones allowed for a comparison of dimensions in the context of geographical and ecological changes, highlighting morphological variability within these taxa and potential adaptations to changing environmental conditions. In particular, the differences in the dimensions of the teeth and skeletal bones may indicate regional variations in size and morphology of the <em>Megalovis</em> and <em>Metacervocerus</em> representatives, which could result from ecological diversity in Early Pleistocene Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of <em>Megalovis</em> remains suggested at least two migration waves from Central Asia to Europe and shed new insight into the taxonomic affiliation of available samples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"753 ","pages":"Article 110060"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145600395","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}
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