This paper examines the hypothesis that changes in hunting weapons during the Paleolithic were a direct response to a progressive decline in prey size. The study builds upon a unified hypothesis that explains Paleolithic human evolutionary and behavioral/cultural phenomena, including improved cognitive capabilities, as adaptations to mitigate declined energetic returns due to a decline in prey size. Five selected case studies in Africa and Europe were analyzed to test this hypothesis, focusing on the relative presence of megaherbivores (>1000 kg) in the transition between the Acheulean/Early Stone Age and the Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age. The findings indicate a decline in megaherbivores’ presence and biomass contribution in the studied transition period associated with the introduction of Levallois technology. We review the evolution of hunting weapons, including wooden-tipped and stone-tipped spears and bows and arrows. Analysis of tip size and breakage patterns indicate a reduction in point size over time, aligning with the declining prey size. We propose that changes in hunting weapons and strategies were driven by the practical and ontological incentives presented by the availability and size of prey. Developing smaller, more precise weapons required increased cognitive capacities, leading to the parallel evolution of human cognitive abilities.
{"title":"The Evolution of Paleolithic Hunting Weapons: A Response to Declining Prey Size","authors":"M. Ben-Dor, R. Barkai","doi":"10.3390/quat6030046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030046","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the hypothesis that changes in hunting weapons during the Paleolithic were a direct response to a progressive decline in prey size. The study builds upon a unified hypothesis that explains Paleolithic human evolutionary and behavioral/cultural phenomena, including improved cognitive capabilities, as adaptations to mitigate declined energetic returns due to a decline in prey size. Five selected case studies in Africa and Europe were analyzed to test this hypothesis, focusing on the relative presence of megaherbivores (>1000 kg) in the transition between the Acheulean/Early Stone Age and the Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age. The findings indicate a decline in megaherbivores’ presence and biomass contribution in the studied transition period associated with the introduction of Levallois technology. We review the evolution of hunting weapons, including wooden-tipped and stone-tipped spears and bows and arrows. Analysis of tip size and breakage patterns indicate a reduction in point size over time, aligning with the declining prey size. We propose that changes in hunting weapons and strategies were driven by the practical and ontological incentives presented by the availability and size of prey. Developing smaller, more precise weapons required increased cognitive capacities, leading to the parallel evolution of human cognitive abilities.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48845580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Gattiglia, Eleonora Rattighieri, Eleonora Clò, F. Anichini, Antonio Campus, Marta Rossi, M. Buonincontri, A. Mercuri
In central Italy, the Charterhouse of Calci hosts the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa. This monumental monastery was founded in 1366 by Carthusian monks. The Charterhouse has experienced various transformations over the centuries, until its abandonment in the 1970s. Since 2018, interdisciplinary archaeological research focused on the monks’ gardens (and particularly: the Prior’s, the Apothecary’s, and the Master’s garden) and the green spaces outside the cloister walls, consisting of courtyards and orchards, to determine the individual (gardens) and collective (green spaces and surrounding woods) practices adopted by Carthusians. Palynology and archaeobotany have allowed to reconstruct the plant biodiversity, with flowers and ornamental, aromatic, and medicinal herbs that grew in the gardens, as well as the management of local hilly woods and agricultural practices, including the cultivation of fruit trees, such as chestnut, olive tree, almond tree, and grapevine. Our research has been based on a solid theoretical approach, interpreting archaeological and archaeobotanical data in relation to the intricate network of human and non-human connections. Gardens are seen as a co-creation made together by human and non-human agencies, and their diachronic transformation is read as an expression of personalities of the monks, feelings, and connections with nature and divinity.
{"title":"Palynology of Gardens and Archaeobotany for the Environmental Reconstruction of the Charterhouse of Calci-Pisa in Tuscany (Central Italy)","authors":"G. Gattiglia, Eleonora Rattighieri, Eleonora Clò, F. Anichini, Antonio Campus, Marta Rossi, M. Buonincontri, A. Mercuri","doi":"10.3390/quat6030045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030045","url":null,"abstract":"In central Italy, the Charterhouse of Calci hosts the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa. This monumental monastery was founded in 1366 by Carthusian monks. The Charterhouse has experienced various transformations over the centuries, until its abandonment in the 1970s. Since 2018, interdisciplinary archaeological research focused on the monks’ gardens (and particularly: the Prior’s, the Apothecary’s, and the Master’s garden) and the green spaces outside the cloister walls, consisting of courtyards and orchards, to determine the individual (gardens) and collective (green spaces and surrounding woods) practices adopted by Carthusians. Palynology and archaeobotany have allowed to reconstruct the plant biodiversity, with flowers and ornamental, aromatic, and medicinal herbs that grew in the gardens, as well as the management of local hilly woods and agricultural practices, including the cultivation of fruit trees, such as chestnut, olive tree, almond tree, and grapevine. Our research has been based on a solid theoretical approach, interpreting archaeological and archaeobotanical data in relation to the intricate network of human and non-human connections. Gardens are seen as a co-creation made together by human and non-human agencies, and their diachronic transformation is read as an expression of personalities of the monks, feelings, and connections with nature and divinity.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45782188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We present a record of pollen and spores of coprophilous fungi from a sediment core from Auel infilled maar, Eifel, Germany, covering the period from 42,000 to 36,000 yr b2k. We can show that vegetation cover was dominated by a boreal forest with components of steppe and cold-temperate wood taxa. The proportion of wood taxa was higher during interstadials, whereas steppe-vegetation became more prominent during stadials. During Heinrich stadial 4, temperate taxa are mostly absent. Spores of coprophilous fungi show that megaherbivores were continuously present, albeit in a larger number during stadials when steppe environment with abundant steppe herbs expanded. With the onset of Greenland stadial 9, forests became more open, allowing for steppe-environment to evolve. The shift in vegetation cover coincides with the highest values of herbivore biomass at the time that Neanderthal humans demised and Anatomically Modern Humans most probably arrived in Central and Western Europe. Megaherbivore biomass was a direct consequence of vegetation cover/availability of food resources and thus an indirect consequence of a changing climate. Herds of large herbivores following suitable (steppe) habitats may have been one cause of the migration of AMH into Europe, going along with their prey to productive hunting grounds.
{"title":"Vegetation Dynamics and Megaherbivore Presence of MIS 3 Stadials and Interstadials 10–8 Obtained from a Sediment Core from Auel Infilled Maar, Eifel, Germany","authors":"Sarah Britzius, F. Sirocko","doi":"10.3390/quat6030044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030044","url":null,"abstract":"We present a record of pollen and spores of coprophilous fungi from a sediment core from Auel infilled maar, Eifel, Germany, covering the period from 42,000 to 36,000 yr b2k. We can show that vegetation cover was dominated by a boreal forest with components of steppe and cold-temperate wood taxa. The proportion of wood taxa was higher during interstadials, whereas steppe-vegetation became more prominent during stadials. During Heinrich stadial 4, temperate taxa are mostly absent. Spores of coprophilous fungi show that megaherbivores were continuously present, albeit in a larger number during stadials when steppe environment with abundant steppe herbs expanded. With the onset of Greenland stadial 9, forests became more open, allowing for steppe-environment to evolve. The shift in vegetation cover coincides with the highest values of herbivore biomass at the time that Neanderthal humans demised and Anatomically Modern Humans most probably arrived in Central and Western Europe. Megaherbivore biomass was a direct consequence of vegetation cover/availability of food resources and thus an indirect consequence of a changing climate. Herds of large herbivores following suitable (steppe) habitats may have been one cause of the migration of AMH into Europe, going along with their prey to productive hunting grounds.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69808045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eleonora Clò, P. Torri, M. Baliva, A. Brusco, Roberto Marchianò, E. Sgarbi, J. Palli, A. Mercuri, G. Piovesan, A. Florenzano
Nowadays, wild grapevine populations are quite limited and sporadic mainly due to habitat destruction, land-use change, and the spread of pathogens that have reduced their distribution range. Palaeoecological, archaeobotanical, and genetic studies indicate that modern cultivars of Vitis vinifera are the results of the domestication of the dioecious, and sometimes hermaphrodite, wild species standing in riparian zones and wet environments. Wild grapevine populations have declined as a consequence of various forms of anthropogenic disturbance and were assigned by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to the Least Concern category. The River Crati Natural Reserve (Riserva Naturale Foce del Crati), located in southern Italy, hosts a population of Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris in a rewilding wet forest close to the Ionian Sea. These protected areas are of high scientific, biogeographic, and conservation interest in terms of Mediterranean biodiversity. Dendroecological and pollen morpho-biometric analyses of the wild grapevine are presented in this study. Palaeoecological perspectives for a landscape management strategy aimed at conserving and restoring the relic grapevine population are discussed.
目前，野生葡萄藤种群数量有限且呈零星分布，主要原因是生境破坏、土地利用变化和病原菌的传播使其分布范围缩小。古生态学、考古植物学和遗传学研究表明，葡萄的现代栽培品种是生长在河岸地带和潮湿环境中的雌雄异株(有时是雌雄同体)野生物种驯化的结果。由于各种形式的人为干扰，野生葡萄藤种群数量下降，并被世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录列为最不受关注的类别。克拉蒂河自然保护区(Riserva Naturale force del Crati)位于意大利南部，是葡萄亚种的栖息地。西尔维斯特里斯在靠近爱奥尼亚海的一片正在恢复野生的潮湿森林里。就地中海生物多样性而言，这些保护区具有很高的科学、生物地理和保护价值。本文介绍了野生葡萄树的树木生态学和花粉形态生物学分析。从古生态学的角度探讨了保护和恢复葡萄藤种群的景观管理策略。
{"title":"A Multidisciplinary Study of Wild Grapevines in the River Crati Natural Reserve, South Italy (Calabria): Implications in Conservation Biology and Palaeoecological Reconstructions","authors":"Eleonora Clò, P. Torri, M. Baliva, A. Brusco, Roberto Marchianò, E. Sgarbi, J. Palli, A. Mercuri, G. Piovesan, A. Florenzano","doi":"10.3390/quat6030043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030043","url":null,"abstract":"Nowadays, wild grapevine populations are quite limited and sporadic mainly due to habitat destruction, land-use change, and the spread of pathogens that have reduced their distribution range. Palaeoecological, archaeobotanical, and genetic studies indicate that modern cultivars of Vitis vinifera are the results of the domestication of the dioecious, and sometimes hermaphrodite, wild species standing in riparian zones and wet environments. Wild grapevine populations have declined as a consequence of various forms of anthropogenic disturbance and were assigned by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to the Least Concern category. The River Crati Natural Reserve (Riserva Naturale Foce del Crati), located in southern Italy, hosts a population of Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris in a rewilding wet forest close to the Ionian Sea. These protected areas are of high scientific, biogeographic, and conservation interest in terms of Mediterranean biodiversity. Dendroecological and pollen morpho-biometric analyses of the wild grapevine are presented in this study. Palaeoecological perspectives for a landscape management strategy aimed at conserving and restoring the relic grapevine population are discussed.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42107014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This essay is a personal insight based on my own experience in the Iberian Pyrenees, which addresses three situations common in paleoecological research, such as the verification of previously devised hypotheses (anticipation), the finding on unknown events in unstudied sites (discovery) and the finding of unexpected outputs in already known areas (serendipity). The account is concentrated on the value of the coring sites by themselves as generators of paleoecological knowledge, rather than on the actual findings, which are presented and discussed in the corresponding data papers. The main aim is to show that there is still much room for new findings, even in areas that have been surveyed for a long time and are supposed to be well known, from a paleoecological perspective. Finally, some general lessons are derived and conceptualized.
{"title":"Anticipation, Discovery and Serendipity in Quaternary Paleoecology: Personal Experiences from the Iberian Pyrenees","authors":"V. Rull","doi":"10.3390/quat6030042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030042","url":null,"abstract":"This essay is a personal insight based on my own experience in the Iberian Pyrenees, which addresses three situations common in paleoecological research, such as the verification of previously devised hypotheses (anticipation), the finding on unknown events in unstudied sites (discovery) and the finding of unexpected outputs in already known areas (serendipity). The account is concentrated on the value of the coring sites by themselves as generators of paleoecological knowledge, rather than on the actual findings, which are presented and discussed in the corresponding data papers. The main aim is to show that there is still much room for new findings, even in areas that have been surveyed for a long time and are supposed to be well known, from a paleoecological perspective. Finally, some general lessons are derived and conceptualized.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44151306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María Quiñónez-Macías, K. Chunga, T. Toulkeridis, Alvaro Mora-Mendoza, Angelo Constantine
Well-preserved Quaternary sedimentary sequences in the central coast of Ecuador have provided sufficient relevant information for paleogeographic reconstruction and climatic evolution, from stratigraphic, geochemical, and biological analysis. The Jaramijo canton site is one of the most remarkable results in the stratigraphic correlation of lithological units with delineation of a paleo sea-cliff of age 14C 43,245 ± 460 B.P. (belonging to the MIS-3). This MIS-3 is associated with a period of glaciation, but the data obtained, such as δ 18O, indicate paleo-temperature values of −1 to −1.5, which are interpreted in this study, indicate that the central coast of Ecuador has an interstadial phase (warm years in a glacial stage). Two more paleo-coastal cliffs have been mapped from orthophoto analysis, but these are younger. The sedimentary levels analyzed in this study include deposits that occurred in MIS 3 to MIS 1. Holocene transgression has modified the central coast of Ecuador and increased the level of coastal climate hazard by sea level rise. Indeed, paleo-coastlines have been evidenced from bathymetric data in the depth contours of −5.5 m and −7.6 m, at 440 and 650 m distances from the up-to-date coastline. For the Jaramijó site, the rate of cliff-erosion and wave-cut platforms are in the order of 1.1 to 2.4 m/yr. These cliff-erosion rates, with a moderate to high coastal vulnerability index, can be increased if we consider mathematical models with an estimated sea-level rise scenario to be, in 2100, about +1 to +1.4 m.
{"title":"New Perspectives on the Quaternary Paleogeography of Coastal Ecuador and Its Relationships with Climate Change","authors":"María Quiñónez-Macías, K. Chunga, T. Toulkeridis, Alvaro Mora-Mendoza, Angelo Constantine","doi":"10.3390/quat6030041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030041","url":null,"abstract":"Well-preserved Quaternary sedimentary sequences in the central coast of Ecuador have provided sufficient relevant information for paleogeographic reconstruction and climatic evolution, from stratigraphic, geochemical, and biological analysis. The Jaramijo canton site is one of the most remarkable results in the stratigraphic correlation of lithological units with delineation of a paleo sea-cliff of age 14C 43,245 ± 460 B.P. (belonging to the MIS-3). This MIS-3 is associated with a period of glaciation, but the data obtained, such as δ 18O, indicate paleo-temperature values of −1 to −1.5, which are interpreted in this study, indicate that the central coast of Ecuador has an interstadial phase (warm years in a glacial stage). Two more paleo-coastal cliffs have been mapped from orthophoto analysis, but these are younger. The sedimentary levels analyzed in this study include deposits that occurred in MIS 3 to MIS 1. Holocene transgression has modified the central coast of Ecuador and increased the level of coastal climate hazard by sea level rise. Indeed, paleo-coastlines have been evidenced from bathymetric data in the depth contours of −5.5 m and −7.6 m, at 440 and 650 m distances from the up-to-date coastline. For the Jaramijó site, the rate of cliff-erosion and wave-cut platforms are in the order of 1.1 to 2.4 m/yr. These cliff-erosion rates, with a moderate to high coastal vulnerability index, can be increased if we consider mathematical models with an estimated sea-level rise scenario to be, in 2100, about +1 to +1.4 m.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49652200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Morales, María del Sol Hernández Bernal, Nayeli Pérez Rodríguez, A. Goguitchaichvili
Mining activity at Taxco produces seven mining waste deposits, which are problematic for the health of the community and for the environment in general. This study targets the Guerrero I mining waste dam (the youngest of the region), located south of Taxco de Alarcon, in the northern portion of Guerrero State, Mexico. This study reports the vertical magnetic susceptibility prospecting results and geochemical characterization of 27 tailing samples from the Guerrero I dam. Results from magnetic techniques provide evidence for different deposit layers of variable mineral composition, in agreement with the lithological column. The short evolution period of this relatively young dam is corroborated by the practically constant and close to 1 S-300 ratio (low oxidation degree of the magnetic mineralogy) and the mainly neutral pH character at the dam’s upper part. Most maximum concentrations of potentially toxic elements are below the maximum permissible levels for agriculture/residential use, except for those of Pb and Zn, with average enrichment factors above 90 and 50 times the corresponding regional background concentrations, respectively. Simple sample preparation and fast magnetic and X-ray fluorescence elemental concentration measurements, together with a suitable systematic sampling distribution, result in an advantageous proxy method for a quick and cost-effective heavy metal evaluation of mining waste dams.
Taxco的采矿活动产生了七个采矿废物矿床，这对社区健康和整个环境都有问题。这项研究的目标是位于墨西哥格雷罗州北部Taxco de Alarcon以南的格雷罗一号采矿废料坝（该地区最年轻的）。本研究报告了格雷罗一号大坝27个尾矿样品的垂直磁化率勘探结果和地球化学特征。磁性技术的结果为不同矿物成分的矿床层提供了证据，与岩性柱一致。这个相对年轻的大坝的短演化期得到了大坝上部几乎恒定且接近1S-300的比率（磁性矿物学的低氧化度）和主要中性pH特征的证实。除Pb和Zn外，大多数潜在有毒元素的最大浓度都低于农业/住宅使用的最大允许水平，平均富集系数分别高于相应区域背景浓度的90倍和50倍。简单的样品制备和快速的磁性和X射线荧光元素浓度测量，再加上合适的系统采样分布，为快速、经济高效地评估采矿废物坝的重金属提供了一种有利的替代方法。
{"title":"Magnetic Susceptibility Prospecting and Geochemical Characterization of Taxco’s Mining Waste Dam Guerrero I (Mexico)","authors":"J. Morales, María del Sol Hernández Bernal, Nayeli Pérez Rodríguez, A. Goguitchaichvili","doi":"10.3390/quat6030040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030040","url":null,"abstract":"Mining activity at Taxco produces seven mining waste deposits, which are problematic for the health of the community and for the environment in general. This study targets the Guerrero I mining waste dam (the youngest of the region), located south of Taxco de Alarcon, in the northern portion of Guerrero State, Mexico. This study reports the vertical magnetic susceptibility prospecting results and geochemical characterization of 27 tailing samples from the Guerrero I dam. Results from magnetic techniques provide evidence for different deposit layers of variable mineral composition, in agreement with the lithological column. The short evolution period of this relatively young dam is corroborated by the practically constant and close to 1 S-300 ratio (low oxidation degree of the magnetic mineralogy) and the mainly neutral pH character at the dam’s upper part. Most maximum concentrations of potentially toxic elements are below the maximum permissible levels for agriculture/residential use, except for those of Pb and Zn, with average enrichment factors above 90 and 50 times the corresponding regional background concentrations, respectively. Simple sample preparation and fast magnetic and X-ray fluorescence elemental concentration measurements, together with a suitable systematic sampling distribution, result in an advantageous proxy method for a quick and cost-effective heavy metal evaluation of mining waste dams.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41711985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lake Kolon (Hungary), situated in the middle of the Turjánvidék area between the saline lakes of the Danube valley and the Homokhátság, is one of the most significant natural aquatic habitats in the Danube–Tisza Interfluve region. The central question of this study is how the lake changed, and how environmental factors and human activities have influenced these paleoenvironmental changes in Lake Kolon. A multiproxy analysis of a core sequence (loss on ignition, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry) provided crucial insights. Notably, correlations are observed in the following relationships: (1) clay, organic matter, and elements derived from organic sources, such as Na, K, and Zn; (2) MS, sand, inorganic matter, and elements originating from inorganic sources, such as Fe, Al, Ti, Na, K, and P; and (3) carbonate content and elements originating from carbonate sources, such as Ca and Mg. The lake’s paleoenvironment underwent significant changes in the past 27,000 years. Late-Pleistocene wind-blown sand provided the bottom for an oligotrophic lake (17,700 BP), followed by a calcareous mesotrophic Chara-lake phase (13,800 BP). Peat accumulation, along with the eutrophic lake phase, began at the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary around 11,700 BP. From 10,300 BP, with the emergence of an extended peatland phase, the percentage of organic matter (peat) increased significantly. Anthropogenic changes occurred from around 9000–8000 BP due to the different emerging cultures in the Carpathian basin, and from 942–579 BP due to the Hungarian settlements and activity nearby, respectively.
{"title":"Reconstructing the Paleoenvironmental Evolution of Lake Kolon (Hungary) through Integrated Geochemical and Sedimentological Analyses of Quaternary Sediments","authors":"Tamás Zsolt Vári, S. Gulyás, P. Sümegi","doi":"10.3390/quat6030039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030039","url":null,"abstract":"Lake Kolon (Hungary), situated in the middle of the Turjánvidék area between the saline lakes of the Danube valley and the Homokhátság, is one of the most significant natural aquatic habitats in the Danube–Tisza Interfluve region. The central question of this study is how the lake changed, and how environmental factors and human activities have influenced these paleoenvironmental changes in Lake Kolon. A multiproxy analysis of a core sequence (loss on ignition, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, and geochemistry) provided crucial insights. Notably, correlations are observed in the following relationships: (1) clay, organic matter, and elements derived from organic sources, such as Na, K, and Zn; (2) MS, sand, inorganic matter, and elements originating from inorganic sources, such as Fe, Al, Ti, Na, K, and P; and (3) carbonate content and elements originating from carbonate sources, such as Ca and Mg. The lake’s paleoenvironment underwent significant changes in the past 27,000 years. Late-Pleistocene wind-blown sand provided the bottom for an oligotrophic lake (17,700 BP), followed by a calcareous mesotrophic Chara-lake phase (13,800 BP). Peat accumulation, along with the eutrophic lake phase, began at the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary around 11,700 BP. From 10,300 BP, with the emergence of an extended peatland phase, the percentage of organic matter (peat) increased significantly. Anthropogenic changes occurred from around 9000–8000 BP due to the different emerging cultures in the Carpathian basin, and from 942–579 BP due to the Hungarian settlements and activity nearby, respectively.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43226411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
László Makó, P. Cseh, B. Nagy, P. Sümegi, D. Molnár
This study covers the examination of four loess–paleosol profiles in Hungary through grain size composition, organic matter, carbonate content and magnetic susceptibility measurements. One of the profiles (with a thickness of 25.72 m) can be found in the Gödöllő hills, on the border of town Pécel, and the other three profiles (Kisdorog-West—5.60 m, Kisdorog-East—6.40 and Bonyhádvarasd—8.16 m) are located in the Tolna hills of the Transdanubia region. The sections were continuously sampled with an interval of 4 cm. The same interval was also applied to the other three profiles. During the field exploration of the Pécel profile, we were able to study the complete loess wall, which was deposited on the sediment of the nearby Rákos stream. Based on the Ostracod fauna of the clay sediment beneath, the fluvial deposit can be considered as originating from the Upper Miocene. In the case of the Transdanubian sections, a significant change can be observed in the prevailing wind direction based on the grain size analyses. In addition, the results of magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest that the development of the Pécel profile took place during MIS 9–10, while the age of the three Transdanubian sections can be assumed to be the MIS 2–4.
本研究通过粒度组成、有机质、碳酸盐含量和磁化率测量对匈牙利四个黄土-古土壤剖面进行了研究。其中一条剖面(厚度为25.72米)位于psamucel镇边界的Gödöllő山上，另外三条剖面(kisdoroge - west - 5.60米，kisdoroge - east - 6.40米和Bonyhádvarasd-8.16米)位于外多瑙河地区的Tolna山上。每隔4 cm连续取样。同样的间隔也适用于其他三个概要文件。在psamucel剖面的野外勘探中，我们能够研究完整的黄土墙，它沉积在附近Rákos河的沉积物上。根据下面粘土沉积物的介形虫动物群，可以认为河流沉积物起源于上中新世。在跨多瑙河段的情况下，根据粒度分析，可以观察到盛行风向的显著变化。此外，磁化率测量的结果表明，psamucel剖面的发展发生在MIS 9-10期间，而三个跨多瑙河剖面的年龄可以假定为MIS 2-4。
{"title":"Development History of the Loess–Paleosol Profiles of Pécel, Kisdorog and Bonyhádvarasd, Hungary","authors":"László Makó, P. Cseh, B. Nagy, P. Sümegi, D. Molnár","doi":"10.3390/quat6030038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6030038","url":null,"abstract":"This study covers the examination of four loess–paleosol profiles in Hungary through grain size composition, organic matter, carbonate content and magnetic susceptibility measurements. One of the profiles (with a thickness of 25.72 m) can be found in the Gödöllő hills, on the border of town Pécel, and the other three profiles (Kisdorog-West—5.60 m, Kisdorog-East—6.40 and Bonyhádvarasd—8.16 m) are located in the Tolna hills of the Transdanubia region. The sections were continuously sampled with an interval of 4 cm. The same interval was also applied to the other three profiles. During the field exploration of the Pécel profile, we were able to study the complete loess wall, which was deposited on the sediment of the nearby Rákos stream. Based on the Ostracod fauna of the clay sediment beneath, the fluvial deposit can be considered as originating from the Upper Miocene. In the case of the Transdanubian sections, a significant change can be observed in the prevailing wind direction based on the grain size analyses. In addition, the results of magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest that the development of the Pécel profile took place during MIS 9–10, while the age of the three Transdanubian sections can be assumed to be the MIS 2–4.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46652670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Understanding sedimentation processes in response to past hydrogeological and climatic changes and capturing millennial-scale variations is a key focus of lacustrine paleoenvironmental research. This study presents the first high-resolution chronology and sedimentary data for the small thermal-spring-fed Lake Pețea, NW Romania, and unravels the evolutionary history of the lake harboring a unique endemic fauna. Its small size and single source of water make it particularly sensitive to hydrological changes. In the recent past, over-exploitation of the thermal water has led to the complete drying up of the lake and the extinction of its fauna. Nevertheless, past spatio-temporal variation of environmental factors, in particular the fluctuation of lake levels and water temperature, must have had a significant impact on the survival and evolution of the endemic mollusk fauna. This fact makes this study particularly important. Based on our results, a three-stage sedimentary evolution occurred, mainly controlled by major climate-driven hydrological changes also seen in regional records, i.e., 17.5–14.5 ka shallow eutrophic lake, 14.5–5.5 ka oligotrophic carbonate-rich lake, and 5.5–0.5 ka shallow eutrophic lake. A major lowstand at 11.7–10.2 ka due to drier climate was followed by progressively rising water levels up to 5 ka followed by a drop. The main control on lake level fluctuations and sedimentary phases was the varying input of thermal water due to recurring increased/decreased recharge of the underground shallow karst water system. The driving factor of thermal water discharge was different during the Late Glacial than the Holocene. It was the warming of the climate at 14.5 ka cal BP and melting of regional ice sheets in addition to increased precipitation that created an oligotrophic lake by recharging the underground thermal water system. Conversely, during the Holocene, increasing/decreasing moisture availability driven by major climate forcings was in control of thermal water recharge, erosion, and fluctuating lake levels.
{"title":"Late Pleistocene to Holocene Palaeohydrological History of the Thermal-Spring-Fed Lake Pețea (NW Romania) Revealed by Radiocarbon Dating and Complex Sedimentological Investigations","authors":"S. Gulyás, P. Sümegi","doi":"10.3390/quat6020037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6020037","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding sedimentation processes in response to past hydrogeological and climatic changes and capturing millennial-scale variations is a key focus of lacustrine paleoenvironmental research. This study presents the first high-resolution chronology and sedimentary data for the small thermal-spring-fed Lake Pețea, NW Romania, and unravels the evolutionary history of the lake harboring a unique endemic fauna. Its small size and single source of water make it particularly sensitive to hydrological changes. In the recent past, over-exploitation of the thermal water has led to the complete drying up of the lake and the extinction of its fauna. Nevertheless, past spatio-temporal variation of environmental factors, in particular the fluctuation of lake levels and water temperature, must have had a significant impact on the survival and evolution of the endemic mollusk fauna. This fact makes this study particularly important. Based on our results, a three-stage sedimentary evolution occurred, mainly controlled by major climate-driven hydrological changes also seen in regional records, i.e., 17.5–14.5 ka shallow eutrophic lake, 14.5–5.5 ka oligotrophic carbonate-rich lake, and 5.5–0.5 ka shallow eutrophic lake. A major lowstand at 11.7–10.2 ka due to drier climate was followed by progressively rising water levels up to 5 ka followed by a drop. The main control on lake level fluctuations and sedimentary phases was the varying input of thermal water due to recurring increased/decreased recharge of the underground shallow karst water system. The driving factor of thermal water discharge was different during the Late Glacial than the Holocene. It was the warming of the climate at 14.5 ka cal BP and melting of regional ice sheets in addition to increased precipitation that created an oligotrophic lake by recharging the underground thermal water system. Conversely, during the Holocene, increasing/decreasing moisture availability driven by major climate forcings was in control of thermal water recharge, erosion, and fluctuating lake levels.","PeriodicalId":54131,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42688913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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