Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109992
Abby S. Baka , Kenneth B. Vernon , Madeline E. Mackie , Simon Brewer , Jerry Spangler , Brian F. Codding , Lisbeth A. Louderback , Thomas H. Flanigan , Alexandra M. Greenwald
The Pleistocene-Holocene transition (PHT) archaeological record on the Colorado Plateau has been interpreted as sparse, especially compared to the Great Basin to the west and the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains to the east. To explore whether this apparent sparsity is due to low PHT populations in the region, insufficient research targeting regional PHT archaeology, taphonomic processes, or cross-regional differences in lifeways, we surveyed ∼2400 acres of the San Rafael Desert on the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah. Survey tracts were deemed likely to contain PHT archaeology by a random forest predictive model. We present the results of this survey, during which we encountered three sites and one isolate of likely PHT age, for a total of five diagnostic PHT points, including unfluted lanceolate points, a Scottsbluff point, a fluted point, and a stemmed point. In comparing the point types and PHT locality densities we recorded in the San Rafael Desert to those in areas of targeted PHT survey in surrounding regions, we conclude that while the San Rafael Desert's PHT record may be sparse, it demonstrates that the Colorado Plateau's PHT record is worthy of study given its potential to elucidate interaction between the Western Stemmed Tradition characteristic of the Great Basin and the fluted and lanceolate traditions characteristic of the Plains and Rockies.
{"title":"Targeted explorations of Pleistocene-Holocene transition archaeology on the Colorado Plateau in southern Utah","authors":"Abby S. Baka , Kenneth B. Vernon , Madeline E. Mackie , Simon Brewer , Jerry Spangler , Brian F. Codding , Lisbeth A. Louderback , Thomas H. Flanigan , Alexandra M. Greenwald","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Pleistocene-Holocene transition (PHT) archaeological record on the Colorado Plateau has been interpreted as sparse, especially compared to the Great Basin to the west and the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains to the east. To explore whether this apparent sparsity is due to low PHT populations in the region, insufficient research targeting regional PHT archaeology, taphonomic processes, or cross-regional differences in lifeways, we surveyed ∼2400 acres of the San Rafael Desert on the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah. Survey tracts were deemed likely to contain PHT archaeology by a random forest predictive model. We present the results of this survey, during which we encountered three sites and one isolate of likely PHT age, for a total of five diagnostic PHT points, including unfluted lanceolate points, a Scottsbluff point, a fluted point, and a stemmed point. In comparing the point types and PHT locality densities we recorded in the San Rafael Desert to those in areas of targeted PHT survey in surrounding regions, we conclude that while the San Rafael Desert's PHT record may be sparse, it demonstrates that the Colorado Plateau's PHT record is worthy of study given its potential to elucidate interaction between the Western Stemmed Tradition characteristic of the Great Basin and the fluted and lanceolate traditions characteristic of the Plains and Rockies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"746 ","pages":"Article 109992"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416226","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 : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109990
Bojana Mihailović , Dušan Mihailović , Sofija Dragosavac , Jelena Marković , Danilo Pajović , Larissa O. Silva , Anne Skinner , Mirjana Roksandic
Šalitrena Pećina represents one of the key multi-occupational sites for studying the late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic in the Peripannonian region of the Northern Balkans. Here we present the findings from the cave entrance and the new (ESR) dates obtained for the Middle Paleolithic sequence of the site. The Middle Paleolithic layers (6e-6a), dated between the end of MIS 5 (c. 77 ka) to c. 40 ka, contained Mousterian assemblages with a moderately prominent Levallois component, in which the Quina aspect is completely absent. A rich Upper Paleolithic artifact assemblage attributed to the Middle Aurignacian was collected from Layer 5, which has been radiometrically dated to 36–33 ka cal BP. The assemblage contains narrow front burin-like cores, twisted and straight bladelets, and different tool types – including burins and retouched blades. The Mousterian and Aurignacian chronology of the Šalitrena Pećina and the data on other Paleolithic sites in the region support the notion that the expansion of modern humans towards the Central and Western Europe occurred along the Danube and Sava corridors and that Neanderthal groups survived longer in the western than in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula.
Šalitrena Pećina是研究巴尔干半岛北部Peripannonian地区旧石器时代晚期和晚期的重要多职业遗址之一。在这里，我们介绍了洞穴入口的发现和该遗址旧石器时代中期序列的新（ESR）日期。旧石器时代中期地层（6e-6a）的年代介于MIS 5末期（约77 ka）至约40 ka之间，包含具有中等突出的勒瓦卢瓦成分的莫斯特组合，其中完全没有奎那方面。从第5层收集到丰富的上旧石器时代器物组合，属于中奥日尼亚世，经放射性测定，其年代为36-33 ka cal BP。该组合包含狭窄的前部烧灼式核心，扭曲和直叶片，以及不同的工具类型-包括烧灼和修饰叶片。Šalitrena Pećina的Mousterian和Aurignacian年代学以及该地区其他旧石器时代遗址的数据支持这样的观点，即现代人沿着多瑙河和萨瓦走廊向中欧和西欧扩张，尼安德特人群体在巴尔干半岛西部比在东部生存的时间更长。
{"title":"Late Middle Paleolithic and Early Upper Paleolithic of the Western Balkans: lithic assemblages from Šalitrena Pećina (Serbia)","authors":"Bojana Mihailović , Dušan Mihailović , Sofija Dragosavac , Jelena Marković , Danilo Pajović , Larissa O. Silva , Anne Skinner , Mirjana Roksandic","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109990","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109990","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Šalitrena Pećina represents one of the key multi-occupational sites for studying the late Middle and early Upper Paleolithic in the Peripannonian region of the Northern Balkans. Here we present the findings from the cave entrance and the new (ESR) dates obtained for the Middle Paleolithic sequence of the site. The Middle Paleolithic layers (6e-6a), dated between the end of MIS 5 (c. 77 ka) to c. 40 ka, contained Mousterian assemblages with a moderately prominent Levallois component, in which the Quina aspect is completely absent. A rich Upper Paleolithic artifact assemblage attributed to the Middle Aurignacian was collected from Layer 5, which has been radiometrically dated to 36–33 ka cal BP. The assemblage contains narrow front burin-like cores, twisted and straight bladelets, and different tool types – including burins and retouched blades. The Mousterian and Aurignacian chronology of the Šalitrena Pećina and the data on other Paleolithic sites in the region support the notion that the expansion of modern humans towards the Central and Western Europe occurred along the Danube and Sava corridors and that Neanderthal groups survived longer in the western than in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"749 ","pages":"Article 109990"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145160424","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 : 2025-09-20DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109970
Аleksei V. Tetenkin
The archaeological assemblages of the Kovrizhka IV site, 19–18 ka BP, allows for the reconstruction of a set of cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the early phase of the Late Upper Paleolithic – the end of the Last Glacial Maximum detailed in such aspects as lithic processing, food supply, construction of dwellings and hearths, mobility, and symbolic activity. Kovrizhka IV has been identified as a series of seasonal residential camps on the beach line near a cliff of a rocky cape protruding into the Vitim River. Remains of dwellings were excavated in cultural horizons 6, 3 B, 3/2, 2G and remains of a hearth feature in cultural horizon 2 B. In two cases, the living area colored or sprinkled with ochre pieces. In summary, the existing data characterize a stable, reproductively successful lifestyle in terms of adaptation and survival to the conditions of the LGM lasting approximately 500 years. The lithic processing techniques documented in the contexts of the production of microblades, macroblades, coarse prismatic blades, flakes, facial finishing of bifaces and unifaces, and judging by the graphite pendant, grinding and drilling techniques. The Yubetsu technique of microblade pressure knapping was known to the people at Kovrizhka IV, but another technique, called the Kovrizhka method, much more opportunistic in terms of blank choice and core rotation, was dominant. The rest of the lithic production at Kovrizhka IV demonstrates the cumulative nature of the preservation of traditions dating back to the Early Upper Paleolithic (macroblades), and the Middle Upper Paleolithic (coarse prismatic blades) of Siberia. The main corresponding cultures are identified as the Studenoye culture of the LUP in southern Transbaikalia and the Dyuktai culture of Yakutia. In general, the lithic industry, and especially the technique of pressure knapping microblades, is characterized as a demonstrable continuity from Kovrizhka IV to sites of the Final MIS-2 of the Baikal-Patom Highlands such as Bolshoi Yakor I, Avdeikha, and Kovrizhka III. This culture is portrayed as a local adaptive set, contributing to the general ideas about the culture of the early LUP of Northeast Asia. In terms of dwelling features, toolkits, microblade production, and anthropomorphic figurines, Kovrizhka IV is unique for the whole of North Baikal Siberia, and makes a significant contribution to the general panorama of late Upper Paleolithic Northeast Asia.
{"title":"Excavations at Kovrizhka IV site and its bearing on research of the Late Upper Paleolithic and human adaptation to the environment of last glacial maximum in Baikal-Patom Highlands, Siberia","authors":"Аleksei V. Tetenkin","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The archaeological assemblages of the Kovrizhka IV site, 19–18 ka BP, allows for the reconstruction of a set of cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the early phase of the Late Upper Paleolithic – the end of the Last Glacial Maximum detailed in such aspects as lithic processing, food supply, construction of dwellings and hearths, mobility, and symbolic activity. Kovrizhka IV has been identified as a series of seasonal residential camps on the beach line near a cliff of a rocky cape protruding into the Vitim River. Remains of dwellings were excavated in cultural horizons 6, 3 B, 3/2, 2G and remains of a hearth feature in cultural horizon 2 B. In two cases, the living area colored or sprinkled with ochre pieces. In summary, the existing data characterize a stable, reproductively successful lifestyle in terms of adaptation and survival to the conditions of the LGM lasting approximately 500 years. The lithic processing techniques documented in the contexts of the production of microblades, macroblades, coarse prismatic blades, flakes, facial finishing of bifaces and unifaces, and judging by the graphite pendant, grinding and drilling techniques. The Yubetsu technique of microblade pressure knapping was known to the people at Kovrizhka IV, but another technique, called the Kovrizhka method, much more opportunistic in terms of blank choice and core rotation, was dominant. The rest of the lithic production at Kovrizhka IV demonstrates the cumulative nature of the preservation of traditions dating back to the Early Upper Paleolithic (macroblades), and the Middle Upper Paleolithic (coarse prismatic blades) of Siberia. The main corresponding cultures are identified as the Studenoye culture of the LUP in southern Transbaikalia and the Dyuktai culture of Yakutia. In general, the lithic industry, and especially the technique of pressure knapping microblades, is characterized as a demonstrable continuity from Kovrizhka IV to sites of the Final MIS-2 of the Baikal-Patom Highlands such as Bolshoi Yakor I, Avdeikha, and Kovrizhka III. This culture is portrayed as a local adaptive set, contributing to the general ideas about the culture of the early LUP of Northeast Asia. In terms of dwelling features, toolkits, microblade production, and anthropomorphic figurines, Kovrizhka IV is unique for the whole of North Baikal Siberia, and makes a significant contribution to the general panorama of late Upper Paleolithic Northeast Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109970"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145106999","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 : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109981
Lenka Lisá , Martina Roblíčková , Ivo Světlík , Jiří Šneberger , Michał Gąsiorowski , Šárka Matoušková , Aleš Plichta , Vlastislav Káňa
The last climatic cycle in the terrestrial environment is usually recorded in open loess sites. However, the frontal parts of caves often inhabited during the Palaeolithic occupation frequently provide valuable sedimentary archives. We propose that the most effective approach to studying these deposits is dual dating methods combined with micromorphology. Radiometric dating (14C and U-Th) coupled with analysis of sediment formation processes of the sedimentary record indicates that the intensive clearing of Barová Cave occurred at least by the end of the last interglacial, in MIS 4 and early MIS 3. During the period ca. 55-36 kyr BP, i.e., during the main phase of MIS 3, relatively slow sedimentation occurred in the open space in the cave, which created above underlying sediments by the previous clearance. The sedimentary record consists almost exclusively of osteological material showing signs of corrosion, including collagen depletion. This layer of osteological material is overlain by relatively thick clayey sediments, again with a number of animal bones dated consistently to MIS 3, representing a rapid erosional phase. This erosional phase is likely associated with the transition between MIS 3 – MIS 2. MIS 2 itself includes one of the coldest and driest periods of the Last climatic cycle, i. e. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which is represented in the cave record by redeposited loess showing signs of freezing. The onset of the Holocene is marked by a continuous layer of sinter. The combination of 14C, U-Th, and sedimentological and micromorphological analyses has proven to be an effective approach for interpreting the site's formation history and its relationship to climatic changes during the last climatic cycle.
{"title":"Dynamics of sediment formation in barová cave (Moravian Karst) during the last glacial cycle","authors":"Lenka Lisá , Martina Roblíčková , Ivo Světlík , Jiří Šneberger , Michał Gąsiorowski , Šárka Matoušková , Aleš Plichta , Vlastislav Káňa","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109981","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109981","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The last climatic cycle in the terrestrial environment is usually recorded in open loess sites. However, the frontal parts of caves often inhabited during the Palaeolithic occupation frequently provide valuable sedimentary archives. We propose that the most effective approach to studying these deposits is dual dating methods combined with micromorphology. Radiometric dating (<sup>14</sup>C and U-Th) coupled with analysis of sediment formation processes of the sedimentary record indicates that the intensive clearing of Barová Cave occurred at least by the end of the last interglacial, in MIS 4 and early MIS 3. During the period ca. 55-36 kyr BP, i.e., during the main phase of MIS 3, relatively slow sedimentation occurred in the open space in the cave, which created above underlying sediments by the previous clearance. The sedimentary record consists almost exclusively of osteological material showing signs of corrosion, including collagen depletion. This layer of osteological material is overlain by relatively thick clayey sediments, again with a number of animal bones dated consistently to MIS 3, representing a rapid erosional phase. This erosional phase is likely associated with the transition between MIS 3 – MIS 2. MIS 2 itself includes one of the coldest and driest periods of the Last climatic cycle, i. e. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which is represented in the cave record by redeposited loess showing signs of freezing. The onset of the Holocene is marked by a continuous layer of sinter. The combination of <sup>14</sup>C, U-Th, and sedimentological and micromorphological analyses has proven to be an effective approach for interpreting the site's formation history and its relationship to climatic changes during the last climatic cycle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109981"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107000","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 : 2025-09-14DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109980
Yong-Jiang Huang , Xue-Ping Ji , Nina G. Jablonski , Jian-Hui Liu , Qing Yang , Zi-Ning Zou , Jun Yang , Yun-Heng Ji
Wild plants have been an important part of the diet of ancient people, and their remains at archaeological sites are therefore a good proxy for disentangling human exploitation of plant foods in the history. Yunnan in southwest China has been poorly explored in archaeobotany, especially for periods before the Neolithic when gathering was still dominant in plant utilization. Here, we present an archaeobotanical assemblage consisting of fruit and seed remains from the regionally terminal Paleolithic (8740 ± 30 BP) Tangzigou site in western Yunnan. Our taxonomic identification shows that the archaeobotanical assemblage is poor in diversity with only four taxa, i.e., Celtis sp. (hackberry), Prunus persica (wild peach), Vitis sp. (wild grape) and Choerospondias axillaris (Nepal hog plum), which have served as potential food resources to ancient people of the site. However, the full picture of plant exploitation by the Tangzigou people cannot be gained only from the low abundance and diversity of plant remains at the site itself. Based on what is known of the practices of hunter-gatherers today, most fruits and seeds were probably eaten by Tangzigou people during the course of foraging trips, with only a small fraction being carried back to the site for processing and consumption. The fruit stone remains of C. axillaris have been processed with fire accidently or intentionally; the intentional fire-processing was probably for consumption of the seeds inside, which is compatible with the processing of animal foods with fire by the Tangzigou people. Our study brings to light the possible incorporation of plant food resources into the diet of the latest Paleolithic Tangzigou people who are suggested to have lived under a warm subtropical climate. It also enriches our knowledge of the historical use of wild plants by early Holocene humans in southwest China.
{"title":"Archaeobotanical study of the Tangzigou site reveals wild plant exploitation in the terminal Paleolithic of southwest China","authors":"Yong-Jiang Huang , Xue-Ping Ji , Nina G. Jablonski , Jian-Hui Liu , Qing Yang , Zi-Ning Zou , Jun Yang , Yun-Heng Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wild plants have been an important part of the diet of ancient people, and their remains at archaeological sites are therefore a good proxy for disentangling human exploitation of plant foods in the history. Yunnan in southwest China has been poorly explored in archaeobotany, especially for periods before the Neolithic when gathering was still dominant in plant utilization. Here, we present an archaeobotanical assemblage consisting of fruit and seed remains from the regionally terminal Paleolithic (8740 ± 30 BP) Tangzigou site in western Yunnan. Our taxonomic identification shows that the archaeobotanical assemblage is poor in diversity with only four taxa, i.e., <em>Celtis</em> sp. (hackberry), <em>Prunus persica</em> (wild peach), <em>Vitis</em> sp. (wild grape) and <em>Choerospondias axillaris</em> (Nepal hog plum), which have served as potential food resources to ancient people of the site. However, the full picture of plant exploitation by the Tangzigou people cannot be gained only from the low abundance and diversity of plant remains at the site itself. Based on what is known of the practices of hunter-gatherers today, most fruits and seeds were probably eaten by Tangzigou people during the course of foraging trips, with only a small fraction being carried back to the site for processing and consumption. The fruit stone remains of <em>C. axillaris</em> have been processed with fire accidently or intentionally; the intentional fire-processing was probably for consumption of the seeds inside, which is compatible with the processing of animal foods with fire by the Tangzigou people. Our study brings to light the possible incorporation of plant food resources into the diet of the latest Paleolithic Tangzigou people who are suggested to have lived under a warm subtropical climate. It also enriches our knowledge of the historical use of wild plants by early Holocene humans in southwest China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109980"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145057312","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 : 2025-09-13DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109979
Yinan Zhang , Feng Gao , Yang Wan , Fan Yang , Bin Gao , Yueming Zeng , Bo Liu , Zetao Zhang , Wenwei Huang , Weiming Wang , Qiang Li , Xijun Ni
Small mammals have short life spans, rapid reproductive cycles, wide distributions, and are sensitive to climate change. Composition of small mammal faunas is useful for reconstructing the paleoenvironment. Here we report the small mammals unearthed from the Dayin Cave, an archaeological site in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Screen washing yielded two small mammal faunas. One has a radiocarbon date of approximately 32 ka BP. The other has a radiocarbon date around 18 ka BP, equivalent to the period of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We performed taxonomic analyses, faunal comparisons, principal component analysis and cluster analyses on the small mammal fossils from the Dayin Cave. Our results show most of the species from the older fauna (∼32 ka) are forest-dwelling species, indicating the flourishing of forests and a relatively warm and humid climate. The younger fauna is dominated by Eothenomys, today an alpine-subalpine shrubland dweller, suggesting the flourishing of shrublands and perhaps a decrease in temperature. The stone tools discovered from the fossiliferous Layers 1 and 2 in. the Dayin Cave belong to the same type, suggesting that they were probably used by one hunter-gatherer group that lived in the Dayin Cave, and the populations were not affected by the cooling of the climate.
小型哺乳动物寿命短，繁殖周期快，分布广，对气候变化敏感。小型哺乳动物区系的组成对古环境的重建具有重要意义。在这里，我们报道了在中国西南部云南省考古遗址大荫洞出土的小型哺乳动物。洗网发现了两种小型哺乳动物。其中一个的放射性碳年代约为32ka BP。另一个的放射性碳测年约为18 ka BP，相当于末次盛冰期（LGM）。对大荫洞小型哺乳动物化石进行了分类分析、区系比较、主成分分析和聚类分析。我们的研究结果表明，来自更古老的动物群（~ 32 ka）的大多数物种都是森林栖息物种，这表明森林繁荣，气候相对温暖潮湿。较年轻的动物群主要是Eothenomys，今天是高山-亚高山灌木丛的居民，这表明灌木丛的繁荣可能是温度下降的结果。从1层和2层化石中发现的石器。大隐洞属于同一类型，这表明它们可能是生活在大隐洞的一个狩猎采集者群体使用的，而且人口没有受到气候变冷的影响。
{"title":"Small-mammalian fossils from the Paleolithic Dayin Cave site in Yunnan, Southwest China","authors":"Yinan Zhang , Feng Gao , Yang Wan , Fan Yang , Bin Gao , Yueming Zeng , Bo Liu , Zetao Zhang , Wenwei Huang , Weiming Wang , Qiang Li , Xijun Ni","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small mammals have short life spans, rapid reproductive cycles, wide distributions, and are sensitive to climate change. Composition of small mammal faunas is useful for reconstructing the paleoenvironment. Here we report the small mammals unearthed from the Dayin Cave, an archaeological site in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Screen washing yielded two small mammal faunas. One has a radiocarbon date of approximately 32 ka BP. The other has a radiocarbon date around 18 ka BP, equivalent to the period of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We performed taxonomic analyses, faunal comparisons, principal component analysis and cluster analyses on the small mammal fossils from the Dayin Cave. Our results show most of the species from the older fauna (∼32 ka) are forest-dwelling species, indicating the flourishing of forests and a relatively warm and humid climate. The younger fauna is dominated by <em>Eothenomys</em>, today an alpine-subalpine shrubland dweller, suggesting the flourishing of shrublands and perhaps a decrease in temperature. The stone tools discovered from the fossiliferous Layers 1 and 2 in. the Dayin Cave belong to the same type, suggesting that they were probably used by one hunter-gatherer group that lived in the Dayin Cave, and the populations were not affected by the cooling of the climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109979"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050265","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}
Prehistoric island-type sites in coastal areas are highly influenced by marine hydrological changes due to their unique geographical settings. Haitan Island in South China is a key area for understanding the origins and dispersal of Austronesian civilization. Recent archaeological investigations have uncovered key Neolithic sites on the island, yielding a material record that offers a unique opportunity to address these questions. However, addressing the gaps in the absolute chronology of these sites and unraveling the dynamic processes of human-environmental evolution remain urgent research priorities. This study used Thermoluminescence (TL) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating techniques to analyze pottery from Neolithic sites on Haitan Island, southeastern China, to establish a reliable chronology. Dating results (radiocarbon and pottery OSL) indicate that the Xiying, Jianhu, and Citanghoushan sites on Haitan Island date to the mid-Holocene (7.5–6.5 ka). These findings extend the temporal range of the Keqiutou culture (6.5–5.5 ka) in the Minjiang River lower reaches, highlighting its significance in regional archaeology. Comparing the chronology of Haitan Island sites with Holocene sea-level changes at the Minjiang River mouth reveals that ancient human activity was primarily concentrated there during the high sea-level stage from 7 to 6 ka. The terrace where the Keqiutou site group is currently situated provided an optimal habitat for ancient humans, offering shelter and abundant food resources essential for survival.
{"title":"Chronological sequencing, site selection, and environmental context of Neolithic island settlements in southeastern coastal China","authors":"Junjie Wei , Jianhui Jin , Zhiyong Ling , Wenjie Zhang , Changfu Wei , Xinxin Zuo , Zhizhong Li , Chenyang Hou , Daiyu Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109978","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109978","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prehistoric island-type sites in coastal areas are highly influenced by marine hydrological changes due to their unique geographical settings. Haitan Island in South China is a key area for understanding the origins and dispersal of Austronesian civilization. Recent archaeological investigations have uncovered key Neolithic sites on the island, yielding a material record that offers a unique opportunity to address these questions. However, addressing the gaps in the absolute chronology of these sites and unraveling the dynamic processes of human-environmental evolution remain urgent research priorities. This study used Thermoluminescence (TL) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating techniques to analyze pottery from Neolithic sites on Haitan Island, southeastern China, to establish a reliable chronology. Dating results (radiocarbon and pottery OSL) indicate that the Xiying, Jianhu, and Citanghoushan sites on Haitan Island date to the mid-Holocene (7.5–6.5 ka). These findings extend the temporal range of the Keqiutou culture (6.5–5.5 ka) in the Minjiang River lower reaches, highlighting its significance in regional archaeology. Comparing the chronology of Haitan Island sites with Holocene sea-level changes at the Minjiang River mouth reveals that ancient human activity was primarily concentrated there during the high sea-level stage from 7 to 6 ka. The terrace where the Keqiutou site group is currently situated provided an optimal habitat for ancient humans, offering shelter and abundant food resources essential for survival.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109978"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050266","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 : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109968
T. Hang , A.E.K. Ojala , M. Kohv , T. Tuvikene
Work on clastic varves has advanced to further our understanding of Pleistocene climate including processes of deglaciation. In this study we provide a correlation of two varve chronologies representing different basins (Pärnu and Vigala) in western Estonia of the eastern Baltic Sea. Via regional correlations of palaeomagnetic secular variation we date the deglaciation of coastal Estonia. The decay of Late Weichselian ice from Estonian territory between about 14.7 and 12.7 cal ka BP was followed by extensive proglacial bodies of water, which developed in accordance to the receding ice margin and opening of new drainage routes. This is reflected in a wide distribution of clastic varved clays. Using visual and numerical methods we correlate two varve sequences from the Pärnu basin representing previously established 584-varve-year chronology and a new 532-varve-year sequence from the Vigala basin. Our analysis indicates that varve formation in the ice-proximal Vigala basin commenced approximately 140 years later than in the more distal Pärnu basin, yielding a combined local chronology of about 670 varve years. Natural remanent magnetization relative declination measured from the studied three varve records reveal an initial continuous eastward shift of approximately 90° during the first 400 varve years, after which values stabilize. Regional correlation of these palaeo secular variation records dates the clay accumulation in western Estonia to between ca 14.0 and 13.3 cal ka BP. More precisely, our data estimates the ages for the Pandivere-Neva and the Palivere ice-marginal complexes in western Estonia to ca 13.9–13.8 cal ka BP and younger than 13.3 cal ka BP, respectively, both thus, immediately predating Younger Dryas Salpausselkä ice-marginal complex in southern Finland. These results provide an independent age estimate for deglaciation of coastal Estonia and are expected to contribute to regional deglaciation models.
对碎屑碎屑的研究已经取得进展，进一步加深了我们对更新世气候的理解，包括消冰过程。在这项研究中，我们提供了代表波罗的海东部爱沙尼亚西部不同盆地（Pärnu和Vigala）的两个阀门年表的相关性。通过古地磁长期变化的区域相关性，我们确定了爱沙尼亚沿海冰川消融的年代。在大约14.7 ~ 12.7 cal ka BP之间，爱沙尼亚境内的晚期Weichselian冰开始腐烂，随后出现了广泛的前冰期水体，这些水体随着冰缘的退缩和新的排水通道的开辟而发展。这反映在广泛分布的碎屑化粘土上。利用视觉和数值方法，我们将Pärnu盆地的两个年代学序列与Vigala盆地的一个新的532年代学序列进行了对比。我们的分析表明，冰近端Vigala盆地的裂谷形成比远端Pärnu盆地晚了大约140年，从而得出了大约670裂谷年的综合当地年代学。根据所研究的三个阀记录测量的自然剩余磁化相对赤纬显示，在最初的400阀年中，初始持续向东移动约90°，之后的值趋于稳定。这些古长期变化记录的区域对比表明，爱沙尼亚西部的粘土堆积大约在14.0 ~ 13.3 cal ka BP之间。更准确地说，我们的数据估计爱沙尼亚西部pandiva - neva和palalivere冰边缘复合体的年龄分别为13.9-13.8 cal ka BP和13.3 cal ka BP，因此，两者都比芬兰南部的新仙女木Salpausselkä冰边缘复合体早。这些结果为爱沙尼亚沿海的冰川消融提供了一个独立的年龄估计，并有望为区域冰川消融模式做出贡献。
{"title":"Varve series cross-correlation and palaeosecular variation from two clay varve basins in western Estonia","authors":"T. Hang , A.E.K. Ojala , M. Kohv , T. Tuvikene","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109968","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Work on clastic varves has advanced to further our understanding of Pleistocene climate including processes of deglaciation. In this study we provide a correlation of two varve chronologies representing different basins (Pärnu and Vigala) in western Estonia of the eastern Baltic Sea. Via regional correlations of palaeomagnetic secular variation we date the deglaciation of coastal Estonia. The decay of Late Weichselian ice from Estonian territory between about 14.7 and 12.7 cal ka BP was followed by extensive proglacial bodies of water, which developed in accordance to the receding ice margin and opening of new drainage routes. This is reflected in a wide distribution of clastic varved clays. Using visual and numerical methods we correlate two varve sequences from the Pärnu basin representing previously established 584-varve-year chronology and a new 532-varve-year sequence from the Vigala basin. Our analysis indicates that varve formation in the ice-proximal Vigala basin commenced approximately 140 years later than in the more distal Pärnu basin, yielding a combined local chronology of about 670 varve years. Natural remanent magnetization relative declination measured from the studied three varve records reveal an initial continuous eastward shift of approximately 90° during the first 400 varve years, after which values stabilize. Regional correlation of these palaeo secular variation records dates the clay accumulation in western Estonia to between ca 14.0 and 13.3 cal ka BP. More precisely, our data estimates the ages for the Pandivere-Neva and the Palivere ice-marginal complexes in western Estonia to ca 13.9–13.8 cal ka BP and younger than 13.3 cal ka BP, respectively, both thus, immediately predating Younger Dryas Salpausselkä ice-marginal complex in southern Finland. These results provide an independent age estimate for deglaciation of coastal Estonia and are expected to contribute to regional deglaciation models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109968"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145027463","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 : 2025-09-08DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109954
Margarida P. Gouveia , Pedro P. Cunha , António A. Martins , Martin Stokes , Alberto Gomes , Christophe Falguères , Pierre Voinchet , Jean-Jacques Bahain , Telmo Pereira , Silvério Figueiredo , Qingfeng Shao , Olivier Tombret
This study presents a detailed geomorphological and geochronological analysis of a marine terrace staircase developed into the Peniche Peninsula (Portugal), a rocky headland of Jurassic carbonate bedrock located in the central sector of the Western Iberian passive margin. The marine terrace levels are described morphologically and sedimentologically, but also dated using ESR and U-Series methodologies. The marine terrace staircase comprises six emerged levels ranging from 4 m (above mean sea level, asl) (Tm6) to 24–28 m asl (Tm1), inset into a summit wave-cut platform at 29–45 m asl (Pm). The marine terrace sediments are composed of rounded boulders to cobbles and coarse sands. Dating results reveal that the marine terrace staircase spans ∼900 ka across the Middle-Late Pleistocene. The terraces can be assigned to either a single sea-level highstand or a level that has been re-occupied by two sea level highstands. The staircase records very low uplift rates (0.04 to −0.02 m/ka; the longer-term mean rate for the entire Pleistocene staircase is 0.03 m/ka), typical of a passive continental margin. Regionally, coastal terrace staircases are typically found along the Western Iberian passive margin, with their configuration locally influenced by the underlying bedrock geology and tectonic history.
{"title":"Plio-Quaternary coastal uplift along the western Iberian Margin: insights from dated marine terraces (Peniche, Portugal)","authors":"Margarida P. Gouveia , Pedro P. Cunha , António A. Martins , Martin Stokes , Alberto Gomes , Christophe Falguères , Pierre Voinchet , Jean-Jacques Bahain , Telmo Pereira , Silvério Figueiredo , Qingfeng Shao , Olivier Tombret","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a detailed geomorphological and geochronological analysis of a marine terrace staircase developed into the Peniche Peninsula (Portugal), a rocky headland of Jurassic carbonate bedrock located in the central sector of the Western Iberian passive margin. The marine terrace levels are described morphologically and sedimentologically, but also dated using ESR and U-Series methodologies. The marine terrace staircase comprises six emerged levels ranging from 4 m (above mean sea level, asl) (Tm6) to 24–28 m asl (Tm1), inset into a summit wave-cut platform at 29–45 m asl (Pm). The marine terrace sediments are composed of rounded boulders to cobbles and coarse sands. Dating results reveal that the marine terrace staircase spans ∼900 ka across the Middle-Late Pleistocene. The terraces can be assigned to either a single sea-level highstand or a level that has been re-occupied by two sea level highstands. The staircase records very low uplift rates (0.04 to −0.02 m/ka; the longer-term mean rate for the entire Pleistocene staircase is 0.03 m/ka), typical of a passive continental margin. Regionally, coastal terrace staircases are typically found along the Western Iberian passive margin, with their configuration locally influenced by the underlying bedrock geology and tectonic history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"747 ","pages":"Article 109954"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018448","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 : 2025-09-08DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109969
Petar Krsmanović , Zoran M. Perić , Warren Thompson , Milica G. Radaković , Cathal S. Ryan , Randall J. Schaetzl , Qingzhen Hao , Tin Lukić , Helena Alexanderson , Slobodan B. Marković
Our study examined the chemical composition of fluvial and eolian sediments at the Velika Vrbica multisection, located on the bank of the Danube River in eastern Serbia, within the westernmost part of the lower Danube (Dacian) Basin. The multisection comprises two discrete sections: an older 2.7 m thick fluvial section, and a younger 11.2 m thick loess-paleosol sequence (LPS). These are exposed along the sides of a gully incised into a Danube River terrace that is covered by loess. Using luminescence dating, litho- and pedo-stratigraphy, and weathering proxies, we conclude that the fluvial section formed during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6, and the overlying loess spans semi-continuously from late MIS 6 to the present. In order to use only elemental ratios unaffected by weathering and grain-size sorting, and thus serving as reliable provenance proxies, we introduce a novel statistical parameter – the path adherence coefficient (PAC). Along with the PAC, we also employ the well-established R2 on geochemical data from the fluvial sediments. We identified Zr/Al2O3 and TiO2/Al2O3 ratios as the most reliable provenance proxies, enabling us to discern temporal variations in sediment provenance at the Velika Vrbica LPS. The fine-grained portions of the LPS exhibit a significantly different provenance than that of the Danube River sediments. This difference is attributed to the transport of fine, loessial material over long distances, incorporating multiple sediment sources (likely originating from the Carpathians), from beyond the Danube River alluvium, into the loess. In contrast, the coarser, sand-rich sediment within the Velika Vrbica LPS section, which formed during MIS 2, has a more local provenance, having been derived almost exclusively from Danube River alluvium.
{"title":"Loess provenance in the westernmost part of the lower Danube Basin, Serbia: Geochemical insights from the Velika Vrbica fluvial–eolian section","authors":"Petar Krsmanović , Zoran M. Perić , Warren Thompson , Milica G. Radaković , Cathal S. Ryan , Randall J. Schaetzl , Qingzhen Hao , Tin Lukić , Helena Alexanderson , Slobodan B. Marković","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109969","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109969","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our study examined the chemical composition of fluvial and eolian sediments at the Velika Vrbica multisection, located on the bank of the Danube River in eastern Serbia, within the westernmost part of the lower Danube (Dacian) Basin. The multisection comprises two discrete sections: an older 2.7 m thick fluvial section, and a younger 11.2 m thick loess-paleosol sequence (LPS). These are exposed along the sides of a gully incised into a Danube River terrace that is covered by loess. Using luminescence dating, litho- and pedo-stratigraphy, and weathering proxies, we conclude that the fluvial section formed during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6, and the overlying loess spans semi-continuously from late MIS 6 to the present. In order to use only elemental ratios unaffected by weathering and grain-size sorting, and thus serving as reliable provenance proxies, we introduce a novel statistical parameter – the path adherence coefficient (PAC). Along with the PAC, we also employ the well-established R<sup>2</sup> on geochemical data from the fluvial sediments. We identified Zr/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and TiO<sub>2</sub>/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> ratios as the most reliable provenance proxies, enabling us to discern temporal variations in sediment provenance at the Velika Vrbica LPS. The fine-grained portions of the LPS exhibit a significantly different provenance than that of the Danube River sediments. This difference is attributed to the transport of fine, loessial material over long distances, incorporating multiple sediment sources (likely originating from the Carpathians), from beyond the Danube River alluvium, into the loess. In contrast, the coarser, sand-rich sediment within the Velika Vrbica LPS section, which formed during MIS 2, has a more local provenance, having been derived almost exclusively from Danube River alluvium.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109969"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145011302","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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