Academia.eduAcademia.edu
All Topics
Earth Sciences
Global and Planetary Change
Quaternary environments

Quaternary environments

description919 papers
group5,896 followers
lightbulbAbout this topic
Quaternary environments refer to the geological and ecological conditions that have existed during the Quaternary period, which spans the last 2.6 million years. This field of study encompasses the analysis of climate changes, glaciations, and the evolution of flora and fauna, as well as human impacts on ecosystems during this time.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Quaternary environments refer to the geological and ecological conditions that have existed during the Quaternary period, which spans the last 2.6 million years. This field of study encompasses the analysis of climate changes, glaciations, and the evolution of flora and fauna, as well as human impacts on ecosystems during this time.
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic and Palaeobiogeographic Understanding. Black, K.H., Archer, M., Hand, S.J., Godthelp, H., 2012.
by Karen Black
The origins, evolution and palaeodiversity of Australia's unique marsupial fauna are reviewed.
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... maculatus (G. Settle); (c) Thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalust (Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery); and (d) Numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus (D. Whitford). Most of Australia’s car- nivores (e.g., b—d) are now either extinct or endangered Fig.1 Representatives of extant (and recently extinct f) dasyuromorphian families (Table 1): (a, b) Dasyuridae; (c) Thylacinidae; (d) Myrmecobiidae. (a) Kimberley Planigale Planigale subtilissima (M. Archer); (b) Tiger Quoll Dasyurus
Fig. 2 Representative extant members of peramelemorphian families (Table 1). (a) Thylacomyidae, Greater Bilby Macrotis lagotis (R. Scott); (b) Peramelidae, Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunni (Wikimedia Commons, Noodle Snacks); and (c) Peroryctidae Peroryctes longicaudata (T. Flannery). These families proliferated only after rainfall in Australia began to steeply decline in the late Miocene
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... Commons, Aviceda); (f) Acrobatidae, Acrobates pygmaeus (D. Andrew); and (g) Burramyidae, Cercartetus nanus (D. Whitford). All of these families have representatives extend- ing back to late Oligocene and some (e.g., macropodids and pseudocheirids) have massively increased in diversity since the late Miocene Fig.3 Representatives of extant members of diprotodon- tian families (Table 1). (a) Phascolarctidae, Phascolarctos cinereus (Wikimedia Commons, Sanjay ach); (b) Vombatidae, Vombatus ursinus (Wikimedia Commons, Materialscientist); (c) Pseudocheiridae, Pseudocheirus archeri (M. Archer); (d) Macropodidae, Macropus parryi (M. _ Archer); (e) Phalangeridae, Spilocuscus maculatus (Wikimedia
Fig.4 A modern representative of the order Notoryctemorphia containing the sole family Notoryctidae, the Southern Marsupial Mole Notoryctes typhlops (M. Gillam). While today only known from deserts in central Australia, their ancestors appear to have first evolved in lush rainforests
Fig. 7 Sole living representative of the australidelphian order Microbiotheria, Dromiciops gliroides. Microbiotheriids, which only survive today in South America, are a vital evolutionary link between the marsupials of South America, Antarctica and Australia (J.A.W. Kirsch) Amrine-Madsen et al. 2003; Horovitz and Sanchez- Villagra 2003; Asher et al. 2004; Cardillo et al. 2004; Nilsson et al. 2004; Drummond et al. 2006; Phillips et al. 2006; Sanchez-Villagra et al. 2007; Beck 2008a; Beck et al. 2008b; Meredith et al. 2008a; Phillips and Pratt 2008; Meredith et al. 2009).
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... Fig.6 A tiny bright red dot in a vast landscape of the past. Henk Godthelp (UNSW) searches in the late Cretaceous (below him) to Paleogene sediments (above him) in the Grand Baranca, Patagonia, Argentina, for traces of the first marsupials that reached South America (M. Archer)
Fig.8 Site of the early Eocene Tingamarra LF, near Murgon, southeastern Queensland (K. Black; inset H. Godthelp). From this ‘pit in a paddock’, in 55 myo sediments that accumulated long before Australia had finally separated from Antarctica 35 Ma, have come Australia’s oldest marsupials such as Djarthia as well as the world’s first songbirds and possibly the oldest bat
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... and australidelphian marsupials (Australian plus ubiquitous microbiotheres) demonstrates higher familial diversity of mar- supials in Australia. Despite the calculated antiquity based on molecular divergence, apart from microbiotheriids none of the other australidelphian families are known as fossils prior to the late Oligocene Fig.9 Phylogeny and divergence estimates for modern marsu- pial groups based on nuclear gene sequence data of Meredith et al. (2009). Node numbers and divergence dates are listed in Table 2. Abbreviations: L.CRET, late Cretaceous; MZ, Mesozoic; Oligo, Oligocene; Paleo, Paleocene; Pl, Pliocene. The basic dichotomy between the ‘ameridelphian’ (South America)
Fig. 10 Upper molars of chulpasiines Chulpasia mattaueri (a) and C. jimthorselli (b) from Chulpas in southern Peru and Murgon in southeastern Queensland respectively (S. Hand). Although the family relationships of these early Cenozoic mar- supials are unclear, they represent the first marsupial genus known to have spanned three continents which also reflects the forested corridor that at this time linked all three
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... Fig. 11 Comparison of isolated anklebones of the Australian early Eocene Djarthia murgonensis with an extant aus- tralidelphian marsupial and an extant ameridelphian marsupial. Astragali (a, c, e) and calcanea (b, d, f) of the ‘ameridelphian’ didelphid Thylamys elegans (a—b), Djarthia murgonensis (c—d) and the australidelphian microbiotheriid Dromiciops australis (e-f). Astragali illustrated in dorsal (top), distal (middle) and ventral (bottom) views. Calcanea illustrated in dorsal (top) and distal (bottom) views. Scale bar, 1 mm. Presence of the contin- uous lower ankle joint pattern (CLAPJ) and subdivision of the calcaneocuboid facet into three distinct facets are australidel- phian synapomorphies (after Beck et al. 2008b). The differences between the ankle bones of these two great groups of marsupials are also reflected in molecular and other system differences
convergent on placental golden moles (chrysochlo- rids). Archer (1976c) suggested possible affinities to diprotodontians based on some similarities in middle ear construction and soft anatomical features. Description of the first known extinct notoryctid from early Miocene sediments of the Riversleigh World Heritage fossil deposits of Qld (Archer et al. 2011) may help shed light on the ordinal affinities of the
Zone A vertebrate assemblages (= System A of Archer The late Oligocene (26-23 Ma) fossil record of Australia is well represented by deposits in cen- tral (Etadunna and Namba Fms, S.A.) and northern Australia (Riversleigh, Qld, Kangaroo Well and Pwerte Marnte Marnte, N.T.; Figs. 13 and 15a). The Etadunna and Namba Fms have been dated as between 24 and 26 Ma using radiometry, magnetostratigraphy and biocorrelation of forams and pollens (Lindsay 1987; Woodburne et al. 1985, 1993). Riversleigh’s Faunal Zone A vertebrate assemblages (= System A of Archer
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... Fig.15 Map of Australasian fossil mammal-bearing deposits. (a) Tertiary deposits; (b) Pleistocene deposits. Conspicuous challenges are the almost total lack of Tertiary deposits from Western Australia and the single site known from New Guinea. The richest, longest records for the Tertiary come from Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Pleistocene sites, however, are most abundant in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia
during the late Eocene with consequent development of the Drake Passage, the cold Antarctic circumpolar current began to churn its way around the south- ern oceans (Scher and Martin 2006). Global oceanic circulation patterns began to change, affecting cli- mates worldwide. Glaciers began to form in Antarctica and global sea temperatures cooled, which had a major impact on climate in the southern hemisphere (White 2006). Australia had entered an ‘icehouse’ phase resulting in low temperatures, reduced rainfall and consequent declining biodiversity (Frakes et al. 1987; McGowran and Li 1994). Late Oligocene forests were less diverse than those of the early Eocene and Oligocene and were dominated by casuarinaceans, myrtaceans and species of Nothofagus with araucari- aceans and podocarpaceans prominent in southeastern Australia. With the advent of greater seasonality in the Oligocene, sclerophyll taxa such as species of
Fig. 18 Nimbacinus dicksoni skull and dentary emerging from a partially processed limestone block from Riversleigh’s AL90 deposit (A. Gillespie). This fox-sized thylacinid was found as an intact skeleton curled up in the relaxed posture of an animal that had died in its sleep about 15 Ma. It lay adjacent to a similarly well-preserved skeleton of an archaic kangaroo Thylacinids (with the thylacoleonids) appear to be the dominant marsupi Oligocene and much of t al carnivores of the late he Miocene, with numer- ous fossil taxa being described in the last two decades (Archer 1982b; M uirhead and Archer 1990; Muirhead 1992, 1997; Muirhead and Wroe 1998; Wroe 1996b, 2001; Wroe and Megirian 2000, 2006 from late Oligocene depos bulli Muirhead and Wroe, and Musser 2001; Murray b). The oldest thylacinids its include Badjicius turn- 1998 from White Hunter LF, Faunal Zone A, Rivers eigh; Nimbacinus dicksoni Muirhead and Archer, 1990 from Faunal Zones A-C, Riversleigh (Fig. 18); Nim bacinus sp. cf N. dicksoni
Fig.17 Well-preserved skull of the oldest-known undoubted dasyurid Barinya wangala from Riversleigh (R. Arnett). Because they have been preserved in freshwater limestone, preservation of many of the Oligocene and Miocene skulls from Riversleigh is unusually good
Fig. 20 The partial right dentary of a very strange numbigilgid marsupial (drawing J. Muirhead). The relationships of this group are a mystery; they may be peramelemorphians (Fig. 19) or they may represent an entirely different order. However there is noth- ing like this taxon in any of the other known marsupial orders. Strange features include the complex extra cusps and blades on the molars and the two-cusped second premolar Fig. 19 Phylogenetic interrelationships of peramelemorphians including extinct groups based on dental morphology. The dashed line indicates tentative relationships of the enigmatic numbigilgids to this order of marsupials (Fig. 20). Yaraloids, all of which vanished before the Pleistocene, are more archaic than any of the living groups most of which do not have a fos- sil record until the Pliocene. However, these almost certainly began to diversify during the relatively poorly documented late Miocene
Undoubted peramelemorphians are currently divided into two superfamilies: Perameloidea, con taining the three extant families Thylacomylidae Peroryctidae and Peramelidae; and Yaraloidea, con taining the extinct family Yaralidae (Fig. 19). I numbigilgids (containing Numbigilga ernielundeliusi Fig. 20) are peramelemorphians (a possibility dis cussed by Beck et al. 2008a), their relationship:
Fig. 21 Yaralid bandicoots are among the most common mar- supials found in the rich early to mid Miocene fossil deposits ot Riversleigh (K. Atkinson). Sometimes, as in this case where the specimen has been partially exposed by dissolution of limestone in dilute acetic acid, skeletons are preserved with associatec elements found next to each other Yaralids are a geographically widespread group of plesiomorphic, short-snouted bandicoots (Long et al. 2002) including one of the oldest known (with the pos- sible exception of the early Eocene Tingamarran taxon discussed above) peramelemorphians, Yarala kida Schwartz, 2006a from the late Oligocene Kangaroo Well LF. Yarala kida is more plesiomorphic and possibly ancestral to the type species, Yarala burch- fieldi Muirhead and Filan, 1995 from early to middle Miocene deposits of Riversleigh (Schwartz 2006a). Peramelemorphians in the late Oligocene Ditjimanka
Fig.22 The largest marsupial known, the three-tonne diprotodontid Diprotodon optatum from the Australian Pleistocene (P. Murray). While this dry-country megafaunal species may have looked wombat-like, diprotodontids were only distantly related to the much smaller, fossorial vombatids The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic...
Fig. 23 The late Miocene palorchestid Palorchestes painei from Alcoota in the Northern Territory. (a) Reconstruction showing the characteristic tapir-like trunk of palorchestids (P. Murray). (b) Rendering of the skull that formed the basis for the cranial reconstruction, showing at the top the tapir-like position of the tips of the nasal bones (P. Murray)
Fig.24 The skull of the early Miocene wynyardiid Namilamadeta superior from Upper Site at Riversleigh (K. Black). Wynyardiids were first known from a Tasmanian specimen that lacked teeth. Until discovery of dentitions in central Australia and Riversleigh their now undoubted relation- ship to vombatiform marsupials was unclear. All of them were extinct by the end of the middle Miocene
Fig. 25 Relationships of extinct families within the suborder Vombatiformes (after Black 2008). This suborder in itself is as or more diverse than the placental order Perissodactyla and included forms that ranged from tapir-like herbivores (palorch- estids) to the most specialised of mammalian carnivores — the marsupial lions (Thylacoleonidae)
Fig. 26 Semi-selenodont dentition of the ilariid Kuterintja ngama from the late Oligocene White Hunter Site at Riversleigh (T. Myers). These vombatiforms, although fox-size, had teeth that were similar to those of the extinct placental anthracotheres. The shapes of teeth indicate probable diet and in this case they almost certainly ate soft leaves possibly of trees
Fig. 27 The only known jaw (and Holotype) of the enigmatic vombatomorphian family Maradidae, Marada arcanum, from the late Oligocene Hiatus Site at Riversleigh (K. Black). In the absence of more information, the ecological role of this marsupial remains a mystery
Fig. 28 Teeth of primitive wombats, all from Riversleigh (M. Archer). They demonstrate, moving left to right from the left tooth, which is early Miocene in age, a steady increase in the height of the crown until by late Miocene time (tooth at for right) they had lost their roots altogether and the teeth erupted con- tinuously throughout life. This evolutionary transition suggests adaptation to an increasingly abrasive diet within 10 million years Overall, survival of a single vombatomorphian fam- ily today (wombats) belies the highly diverse nature The oldest, most plesiomorphic wombat is Rhizophascolonus crowcrofti Stirton et al., 1967 from the Kutjamarpu LF, S.A. and Bone Reef LF, Faunal
Burramyoids The superfamily Burramyoidea, con- taining the single family Burramyidae (Table 3, Fig. 29), was established by Aplin and Archer (1987) in recognition of the degree of morphological
Fig. 30 The extant mountain pygmy-possum Burramys parvus, one of the largest of the burramyids (H. Bates). Having first been discovered and named as a fossil in the 1800s before being discovered alive in 1966 in an alpine ski lodge, this highly spe- cialised possum is now in danger of becoming an extinct fossil again because of growing climate-change-related threats to its alpine habitat
Fig. 31 The strikingly complex, somewhat rodent-like lower teeth of Ektopodon stirtoni, from Mammalon Hill, S.A., are typ- ical of all ektopodontid possums (N. Pledge). These similarities may have led to competition with native rodents and extinction prior to the late Pleistocene
Fig. 33 Reconstruction of an undescribed primitive balbarid kangaroo from the late Oligocene of central Australia (R. Scott). Balbarids were among the most common of the archaic kan- garoos in the forests of the late Oligocene to middle Miocene. Although in the main herbivorous, some would have been omnivorous and others carnivorous (Fig. 32). Flamingos, crocs and fish were abundant in the freshwater lakes that dotted inland Australia at this time
Miocene PIR Site (A. Nelson). The blocks of limestone have been carved using light explosives into blocks that can be more easily transported to UNSW for acid-processing Fig. 34 The Riversleigh World Heritage area of northwestern Queensland. (a) Tertiary freshwater limestone jutting up out of a semi-arid woodland (K. Black). (b) Excavation work at the early
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... The Early Miocene Marsupial Fauna The best-documented early Miocene faunal assem- blages are those of Faunal Zone B from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Qld (Archer et al. 1989, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999). Within these highly diverse faunal assemblages, alongside more archaic groups some of which were in decline, we see the first appearance of many modern groups such as notoryc- tids, dasyurids, phalangerids and acrobatids as well as extinct families such as yingabalinarids and yalkapari- dontids that are so far unique to Riversleigh (Table 3).
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... deposits compared with only 11 genera and 20 species during the late Oligocene. In direct contrast is an asso- ciated decrease in diversity in the predominantly ter- restrial, large-bodied vombatiforms with the apparent extinction of two families (Ilariidae and Maradidae) and a reduction in generic and species level diver- sity in the remaining families. At least 20 genera and 29 species of vombatiform were present during the late Oligocene, yet only 13 genera and 18 species are recorded from the early Miocene. Macropodoid diver- sity appears to have remained relatively unchanged from the moderate diversity displayed during the late Oligocene (Table 3). deposits compared with only 11 genera and 20 species
Fig. 37 Fossil koalas (phascolarctids) from Riversleigh. (a) Nimiokoala greystanesi from the Miocene had very odd, highly crenulated teeth. (b) A partial skull of Litokoala kutjamarpensis showing enlarged tympanic bullae (K. Black) that suggest it was very sensitive to low-frequency sounds of the kind that modern koalas utter when communicating across large distances
Fig.38 Skull of a small species of marsupial lion (thyla- coleonid), Priscileo roskellyae, from the early Miocene Upper Site of Riversleigh (M. Archer). Although barely cat-size, this at least omnivorous vombatiform marsupial was soon replaced by larger and larger, ever more specialised descendents until by the late Pleistocene marsupial lions were lioness-size
In contrast to petaurids, pseudocheirids represent one of the most successful marsupial radiations of the early middle Miocene. As many as six sympatric species have been reported from the Upper Site LF of Faunal Zone B, Riversleigh (Roberts et al. 2007; Travouillon et al. 2006) and five sympatric species are known from the Kutjamarpu LF (Woodburne et al. 1993). Much of this material (Fig. 39) is currently in the process of being described (Roberts et al. 2009). Published taxa from the Kutjamarpu LF include Pildra tertius Woodburne et al., 1987c; M. kutja- marpensis (ibid.); M. ampelos Roberts et al., 2009; M. syke Roberts et al., 2009; and Paljara tiraren- sae Woodburne et al., 1987c. The latter two species are also known from Faunal Zone B, Riversleigh (Bassarova et al. 2001; Roberts et al. 2009). Additional published species from Faunal Zone B, Riversleigh, include Gawinga aranaea Roberts et al., 2007; Paljara maxbourkei Bassarova et al., 2001; and Paljara nan- cyhawardae Bassarova et al., 2001. This high diver- sity of ringtail possums almost certainly reflects a high diversity of rainforest plants on which they fed. However, not all were necessarily obligate folivores: Fig. 39 Fossil ringtail possum (pseudocheirid) skull from the early Miocene Neville’s Garden Site, Riversleigh (Photo R. Murphy). Although still being acid-etched from the freshwater limestone in which this skull was found, the leaf-eating teeth and wide space for the powerful chewing muscles of a folivore are clear
Fig. 40 Tarsipedids, or honey possums, now only known from W.A., have no pre-Pleistocene fossil record (J. Gould). Having spent millions of years becoming increasingly nectarivorous, their cheekteeth are degenerate. From molecular biology, they appear to be at least distantly related to feather-tail gliders (acrobatids)
Fig. 41 Skull of the early Miocene balbarid kangaroo Balbaroo fangaroo from Riversleigh (A. Gillespie). While the cheek- teeth indicate that it was primarily herbivorous, the enormous, recurved and sharp upper canines suggest it was capable of putting up a good fight to avoid becoming the dinner of carnivo- rous kangaroos and other predators Of special mention, and unique among all kanga- roos, is the unusual condition found in B. fangaroo (Fig. 41) of extraordinary hypertrophied upper canines (Cooke 2000). Enlarged canines that are sexually dimorphic in size are found in modern artiodactyls such as tragulids and moschids. These small-to-tiny deer occupy dense vegetation and the males use their large canines as close-range visual cues of sexual identity, agonistic displays and for defence. By anal- ogy, Cooke (2000, 2006) proposed that the enormous (for a kangaroo) canines (Fig. 41) of B. fangaroo may also be a sexually dimorphic feature in a species that occupied the dense understorey of Riversleigh’s early Miocene rainforests. Cooke (2006) further suggested that like N. gillespiae, B. fangaroo may have been quadrupedal and hence less able to use its forearms and hind legs in fights in contrast to living kangaroos. Consequently, its large canines may have also been used, as they sometimes are in moschids and tragulids, as a defensive weapon. Interestingly, modern tragulids and moschids also have relatively short legs compared with other deer.
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic.. of the canopy and possibly the beginning of seasonal variations in conditions. The palaeoenvironment of the late middle Miocene Bullock Creek LF has been interpreted, on the basis of its abundant aquatic and stream bank fauna, as a large meandering river and surrounding floodplain with seasonal fluctuations in water supply. Murray and Megirian (1992) interpret the proximal vegetation to be a mix of shrubs and sedges. Unlike Riversleigh’s Faunal Zone C assemblages, small terrestrial animals and arboreal taxa are scarce (Murray and Megirian 1992; Schwartz and Megirian 2004) and may suggest that species-rich forests were distal to the depositional area. Murray and Vickers-Rich (2004) suggest that the rarer elements of the Bullock Creek LF, such as Faunal Zone C assemblages, small terrestrial animals
Fig.43 The skull and jaw of a middle Miocene leopard-size thylacoleonid, Wakaleo vanderleuri from the Bullock Creek LF, N.T. (P. Murray). Larger than Priscjleo but smaller than Thylacoleo, the species of this genus of marsupial carnivores already have vicious stabbing lower incisors and increasingly elongate shearing premolars
Fig. 44 Skulls of an adult and juvenile diprotodontid Nimbadon lavarackorum from the middle Miocene AL90 Site of Riversleigh (K. Black). Dozens of skulls representing all devel- opmental stages of this sheep-sized herbivore have come from the AL90 cave deposit Several diprotodontid species (e.g. N. lavaracko- rum, Neohelos sp. A, N. stirtoni) exhibit high abun- dance in many of the deposits in which they are found which suggests that each of these species moved together as large ‘mobs’ (Black 1997b; Black and Hand 2010; Murray et al. 2000a, b). Of note is an exceptionally well-preserved N. lavarackorum popu- ation that includes cranial (Fig. 44) and postcranial material (Fig. 45) of pouch-young to mature adults, from AL90 Site at Riversleigh. This material has allowed benchmark studies of intraspecific (e.g. Black and Hand 2010) and ontogenetic (e.g. Black et al. 2010) variation within a fossil marsupial population. As a consequence of the former study, Nimbadon whitelawi Hand et al., 1993 known from a single specimen from the Bullock Creek LF, has since been synonymised with N. lavarackorum (Black and Hand 2010). Nimbadon lavarackorum is small (approx. 75 kg) compared to other mid-Miocene diprotodontids which seems to buck the general trend for increasing body size through time. Black and Hand (2010) sug- gest this plesiomorphic species may represent a relict taxon with phylogenetic relationships to even smaller
The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic... and Archer to a new genus, Onirocuscus. Crosby and Norris (2003) and Crosby (2007) also suggested that dicksoni Flannery and Archer represented a new as yet undescribed genus of phalangerids. Other middle Miocene phalangerids from Riversleigh include Onirocuscus rupina Crosby, 2007; Onirocuscus inver- sus; and an additional undescribed species referable to the same new genus as ‘Trichosurus’ dicksoni (Fig. 46).
Fig. 46 Partially processed skull and jaws of a middle Miocene phalangerid from Dome Site South at Riversleigh (K. Black). The exquisite preservation of Riversleigh’s fossils may reflect the speed with which they were encased by limestone after falling into carbonate-rich freshwater pools. In some cases, even soft tissues have been fossilised here because of the globally unusual process of bacteria-mediated phosphatisation Burramyoids Both B. brutyi and Cercartetus sp. extend their temporal range into the middle Miocene with levels of abundance similar to those in the early Miocene. Given the rainforest palaeoenvironments of
Fretauroids Ihe middle Miocene petauroid fauna con- sists of Dactylopsila sp. and D. yadjana and a spectacular radiation of ringtail possums (Fig. 47). Fourteen pseudocheirid species have been reported from Riversleigh’s middle Miocene assemblages (Archer 1992; Archer et al. 1999; Bassarova et al. 2001; Archer et al. 2006; Roberts et al. 2008, 2009) including members of Pildra (4 undescribed species); Marlu (M. kutjamarpensis, M. syke, M. ampelos, M. karya Roberts et al. 2009); Paljara (P. nancy- hawardae, P. tirarensae, P. hushae Roberts et al. 2008); and an unnamed genus and species. Two Pseudochirops sp. had previously been reported from Faunal Zone C deposits (Archer et al. 1997, 2006; Roberts et al. 2007) but have since been identified as a new genus that awaits description. Ten sym- patric species are recorded in Riversleigh’s lower Faunal Zone C Dwornamor LF (Archer et al. 2006) whereas only three species are known from the upper Faunal Zone C Henk’s Hollow LF. Pseudocheirids are not known from the Bullock Creek LF, although a bias towards large terrestrial species and aquatic taxa has been demonstrated (Murray and Megirian 1992). Be that as it may, modern woodland/open forest 1992). Be that as it may, modern woodland/open forest
Fig. 48 The skull and dentary of the middle Miocene potoroid Bettongia moyesi, from Two Tree Site at Riversleigh (D. Maitland). While other kinds of archaic kangaroos were com- mon in these ancient forests, potoroids (rat-kangaroos) were extremely rare. However, by Quaternary time they were common in all habitats of Australia from rainforests to deserts Potoroid diversity remains as low as it was in the early Miocene with a single middle Miocene species described and an additional unnamed potoroid iden- tified from the Bullock Creek LF (L. Schwartz ‘per- sonal communication’ to J. Case in Westerman et al. 2002). Bettongia moyesi Flannery and Archer, 1987c from the Two Trees LF of Riversleigh is known from an exceptionally well-preserved skull and asso- ciated dentaries (Fig. 48). This faunal assemblage is the only one at Riversleigh that has produced this taxon. Morphologically, this potoroid is broadly sim- ilar to the living burrowing bettong, Bettongia lesueur 2002). Bettongia moyesi Flannery and Archer, 1987c
The Encore LF of Riversleigh is interpreted to be early late Miocene (~9-—10 myo) in age on the basis Comprehensive studies of the palaeontology and geology of the Alcoota locality (Alcoota and Ongeva LFs) have been undertaken by Woodburne (1967), Murray and Megirian (1992), Murray et al. (1993), Megirian et al. (1996) and Murray and Vickers-Rich (2004). Age estimates for these deposits are based on stage-of-evolution biocorrelation of zygomaturine diprotodontids (Murray et al. 1993; Megirian et al. 1996). The Ongeva LF, which comes from a strati- graphic unit in the Waite Fm that overlies that which produces the Alcoota LF, contains zygomaturines (e.g. Zygomaturus gilli; Megirian et al. 1996) at an equiv- alent stage of evolution to zygomaturines from the Beaumaris LF of Victoria. The Beaumaris LF has been variably interpreted as latest late Miocene or earliest Pliocene (i.e., Cheltenhamian) in age (Rich et al. 1991). Strontium dating of molluscs indicates the deposit is between 4.5 and 5.5 Ma (Dickinson et al. 2002). The Alcoota LF has been traditionally inter- preted as late Miocene (Mitchellian) in age, somewhat older than the Ongeva LF. However, recognition of Kolopsis torus in both the Alcoota and Ongeva LFs (Megirian et al. 1996) and Kolopsis sp. cf. K. torus (Rich et al. 2003) in the Beaumaris LF has led Rich et al. to suggest the Alcoota LF is also Cheltanhamian in age. The Encore LF of Riversleigh is interpreted to be
Fig. 50 Palate of the giant late Miocene thylacinid Thylacinus potens from the Alcoota LF of the N.T. (L. Meier). This wolf- sized carnivorous marsupial was the largest thylacinid ever found. Its large size reflects the increasing size of the late Miocene herbivores, a trend that culminated in the megafaunal giants of the Pleistocene The Rise of Australian Marsupials: A Synopsis of Biostratigraphic, Phylogenetic, Palaeoecologic...
Fig.51 Reconstruction of the largest known marsupial thy- lacine, Thylacinus potens from the late Miocene Alcoota LF, NT (courtesy S. Wroe). In keeping with its role as the king of mam- malian beasts in the late Miocene, it is very rare in the Alcoota deposit
Fig.52 Dentary (two views of the holotype) of the Pleistocene wombat Warendja wakefieldi from McEacherns Cave, Vic. (K. Black). As in all vombatids that have ever-growing, rootless teeth, the premolars and molars constantly erupt to replace tooth material worn away by abrasion. The cheekteeth of early to mid- dle Miocene forest-dwelling vombatids from Riversleigh had roots and crowns. Neither became irrelevant until the climate change of the late Miocene
Fig.53 A possible surviving sthenurine kangaroo, the banded hare-wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus is an endangered species whose range is now restricted to two islands in Shark Bay, W.A. (J. Gould). While some studies suggest they are too ‘primitive’ to be part of the sthenurine radiation, most researchers agree that they are surviving members of the group that contained species of the extinct genus Troposodon and, as such, unlike any of the other living kangaroos
Fig.54 Reconstruction of the largest known kangaroo, the sthenurine macropodid Procoptodon goliah. It stood 2.5 m tall and is known from many Pleistocene sites in Australia (R. Scott). By the time it was common across much of inland as well as coastal areas of the continent, grasslands and deserts were a feature of the interior. A wisp of smoke in the distance contro- versially suggests that humans may have arrived in time to see some of these now extinct megafaunal giants
Fig.55 Riversleigh’s only known Pliocene deposit. (a) Early Pliocene Rackham’s Roost site (S. Hand) with the pale Pliocene deposit lapping up against the base of the former walls of the cave; (b) reconstruction of Rackham’s Roost faunal assemblage (D. Dunphy). By this time, the forests of northern and inland Australia had opened up, the first rodents had arrived and the first grazing kangaroos had evolved Pliocene (5.3 to 1.8 Ma) mammal deposits are well represented in Australia, occurring in all states except Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The old- est records for marsupials in New Guinea are also Pliocene in age. Pliocene marsupial-bearing deposits (Figs. 13 and 15a) include Queensland’s Rackham’s Roost (Fig. 55), Bluff Downs and Chinchilla LFs; the Bow and Big Sink LFs of central N.S.W.; Quanbun LF of W.A. (Archer et al. 1984; Rich et al. 1991); the Awe LF of P.N.G. (Fig. 56); and numerous local- ities in the Lake Eyre, Frome, Murray, Otway and Port Philip Basins of southeastern Australia such as Palankarinna, Kanunka, Sunlands, Fisherman’s Cliff, Hamilton (Woodburne 1972; Fig. 57) and Dog Rocks LFs (reviewed by Tedford et al. 2006). brief milder greenhouse phase, Nothofagus and other During the Pliocene the global climate fluctuated markedly with the expansion and contraction of north- ern and southern hemisphere ice sheets (Gallagher et al. 2003). Following the cool and dry conditions that characterised the late Miocene, in the early Pliocene there was a brief respite of warmer, wetter conditions before Australia began to dry once more. During this brief milder greenhouse phase, Nothofagus and other
Fig. 56 Early Pliocene Otibanda Formation, the source of the Awe Local Fauna, New Guinea (P. Woolley). The diprotodon- tids and kangaroos in this deposit appear to be most similar to those of the Alcoota LF of the NT suggesting that Australian marsupials first colonised NG sometime during the late Miocene
Fig.58 The pig-footed bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus, a recently extinct peramelid that once lived in central Australia (J. Gould). From studies of gut contents in preserved specimens, it appears to have been the only grazing bandicoot and one of the smallest mammalian grazers known
Fig.59 The palate and mandible of the Pliocene diprotodon- tine Euowenia grata from the Pliocene Chinchilla LF, Qld (K. Black). This cow-sized diprotodontid was highly unusual in appearing to have, like vombatids, only a single pair of upper incisors. The very worn teeth indicate that whatever plant material it was eating was highly abrasive Diprotodontids are represented by at least seven genera and nine species in the Pliocene, this being the highest diversity recorded in the family’s long history. The spread of open forests were evi- dently beneficial for this now-extinct family. Notable Pliocene diprotodontids include the zygomaturines Kolopsis rotundus Plane, 1967 and Kolopsoides cul- tridens Plane, 1967 from the Awe LF of N.G. and Zygomaturus keanei Stirton, 1967c from the Palankarinna LF of S. A. Representative diprotodon- tines include Euowenia grata De Vis, 1887 (Fig. 59) from the Chinchilla LF, Qld and from Pliocene sediments of the Tirari Formation, S. A. (Camens and from the Chinchilla LF, Qld and from Pliocene In Australia, Pliocene marsupial lions (thyla- coleonids) are widely distributed, with the larger Thylacoleo crassidentatus Bartholomai, 1962 repre- sented in the Bow, Chinchilla and Bluff Downs LFs of N.S.W. and Qld, and the much smaller Thylacoleo hilli Pledge, 1977 in the Bow LF and Curramulka LF from N.S.W. and S. A. Among Pliocene assemblages, only the Bow LF of N.S.W. includes two sympatric thylacoleonids — T: crassidentatus and T. hilli.
Fig.60 Petaurids like these living Sugar Gliders, Petaurus breviceps, were probably stimulated into evolving gliding adap- tations by the opening of forests from the late Miocene (A. Easton, Queensland Museum). Like all three groups of gliding marsupials, which occupy open forests to woodlands, its clos- est relatives (in this case Leadbeater’s Possum) are non-gliding possums found in lush forests The petaurid fossil record is relatively poor. In regard to species of Petaurus, this may be because open forest (the current habitat of the gliding petaurids) was not widespread before the early Pliocene. Until the forests had opened up, there would have been lit- tle selection pressure on arboreal possums to develop the ability to glide (Archer and Hand 2006). The first occurrence of the modern genus Petaurus (Fig. 60) is the ability to glide (Archer and Hand 2006). The first tle selection pressure on arboreal possums to develop
Fig.61 Reconstruction of a Pliocene propleopine kangaroo eat- ing the juvenile of an extinct relative (Troposodon sp.) of the living banded hare-wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus (R. Scott). Propleopines include the carnivorous kangaroos of the early to middle Miocene (Ekaltadeta spp) as well as slender, somewhat bear-like species (Propleopus wellingtonensis) that survived into the late Pleistocene before the subfamily went extinct along with other megafaunal giants
other skeletal remains; (d) articulated Simosthenurus occiden- talis skeleton (S. Bourne). The Naracoorte Caves are part of the Fossil Mammals of Australia World Heritage listing alongside Riversleigh Fig.62 The Naracoorte Caves, all 27 of them, have acted as pit- fall traps, collecting animals for at least 500,000 years including many megafaunal species. (a) The excavation process; (b) recon- structed Thylacoleo carnifex skeleton; (ec) T: carnifex skull and
Peramelemorphians Fig.63 Skull of the Recent Thylacine, Thylacinus cyno- cephalus, alongside a humerus from the Kimberley region of northwestern W.A., and a much larger Pleistocene humerus from Wellington Caves, central N.S.W. (M. Archer). None of the mainland Thylacines appears to have survived much beyond 4,000 yBP after which time they were restricted to Tasmania until Europeans drove them to extinction by 1936
Fig.64 Thylacinus cynocephalus mummified head from the surface of a cave on the Western Australian section of the Nullarbor Plain (John Long and WAM). These individuals are among the last survivors of the mainland Thylacine. Introduction and probably domestication of the comparably sized Dingo (Canis lupus) by unknown people about 4,000 years ago may have led to extinction of the Thylacine on the mainland. Dingos never reached Tasmania
Fig.65 Skull of the short-faced sthenurine macropodid kan- garoo Simosthenrus browneorum from Pleistocene deposits in Naracoorte Caves, S.A. and Mammoth Cave, W.A. (S. Bourne). This giant, boof-headed kangaroo was one of about 55 megafau- nal species alive in the late Pleistocene. Most but not all appear to have been driven to extinction by climate change prior to the arrival of humans
Fig.5 Key events in the evolution of Australian marsupials. In contrast to the relatively rich record of events and evolutionary outcomes for marsupials spanning the last 26 Ma, no marsupial fossils have been found in Australia older than those in the 55 Ma Tingamarra LF, and none is known from that time until 26 Ma. (Abbreviations: Ma, million years ago; yBP, years before present)
Table 1 Marsupial classification used in this study Table 1 (continued)
placentals, and rodents in the late Cenozoic, marsu- pials filled the majority of herbivorous as well as all of the insectivorous, carnivorous and omnivorous mammalian roles.
Table 2 Divergence times (Ma) and confidence intervals (in parentheses) for marsupials based on recent relaxed molecular clock analyses
Table 3 Generic and species-level diversity (genus/species) of Australasian marsupial families from the late Oligocene to recent
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The physics of wind-blown loess: Implications for grain size proxy interpretations in Quaternary paleoclimate studies
by Gábor Újvári and 
1 more
János Kovács
Loess deposits are recorders of aeolian activity during past glaciations. Since the size distribution of loess deposits depends on distance to the dust source, and environmental conditions at the source, during transport, and at... more
Fig. 1. Typical loess/soil bulk and quartz particle size distributions from the studied profile at Dunaszekcs6 with the most widely used bulk loess grain size proxies. Samples shown are Dsz. GS-018 (loess, bulk/quartz: thin/bold black line), Dsz-GS-104 (loess, bulk/quartz: thin/bold red line) and Dsz-GS-290 (paleosol, bulk/quartz: thin/bold blue line). Abbreviations: M.sd. - medium sand, C.sd. — coarse sand, C.s. — coarse silt, Md grain size — median grain size, GSI — grain size index, PM — pipette method (based on Stokes sedimentation), LPS — laser particlé sizer (based on forward scattering of monochromatic coherent light). Size limits of clay, silt and sand fractions determined by laser particle sizer are different from those given by the pipette method (e.g. clay = <2 um for the PM, while it is <4.6/5.5 tum for LPS; Konert and Vandenberghe, 1997). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) The studied loess—paleosol section is located at Dunaszekcs6 (Fig. 2), Southern Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube river (46°05’25’N, 18°45'45’E, and 135 ma.s.l.) and exposes last glacial-interglacial sedi- ments with a thickness of 17 m. A detailed sedimentological description of the profile can be found in Ujvari et al. (2014). In 2008, an enormous bank failure exposed the uppermost 15-20 m part of the ca. 70 m thick Although the physical background of loess particle transport and de- position mechanisms was reviewed and discussed in detail in the late nineteen eighties by Pye (1987), Tsoar and Pye (1987) and Pye and Tsoar (1987), this knowledge does not always seem to be reflected in loess grain size proxy interpretations, which tend to be overly simplistic (Wang and Lai, 2014) and only consider transport mechanisms while essentially disregarding mobilization and deposition processes. As a
Fig. 2. Location of the Dunaszekcs6 loess sequence in the Carpathian Basin.
Fig. 3. Scanning electron microscopy images of isolated quartz particles. a) Angular quartz grain from sample Dsz-GS-150, b) surface with v-shaped impact features of the same quart particle from sample Dsz-GS-150, c) Quartz grain with conchoidal fractures and v-shaped percussion cracks from sample Dsz-GS-293, d) Blow-up of the quartz surface with v-shape percussion cracks and breakage with sharp edges (sample Dsz-GS-293). To reach robust and solid interpretations of loess PSD variations in the context of paleoenvironmental changes, the nature and characteris- tics of major factors exerting control on grain size distributions must be clearly understood. Such influential factors include the main flow char- acteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer, the mobilization and transport modes of particles, and properties of soils and aeolian sur- faces. These issues will be reviewed in this section below. Note, howev- er, that in this paper we avoided discussing the production mechanisms of silt-sized mineral particles, but the interested reader is referred to The absolute frequency-dependent susceptibility, Yep = XLe — Xue, allows the determination of the concentration of magnetic particles over a small grain size window across the superparamagnetic (SP)/sta- ble single domain (SSD) boundary (Liu et al., 2012). By changing the ob- servation time (i.e. frequency) a fraction of SSD grains turn
Fig. 4. Relationship between yp (= Xie — Yur) and low field susceptibility (7p). xp is the background susceptibility. works by Smalley and Vita-Finzi (1968), Whalley et al. (1982), Wright and Smith (1993), Wright (1995, 2001), Smalley (1995), Assallay et al. (1998), Wright et al. (1998), Smith et al. (2002), and Muhs (2013). It must also be noted here that some of these mechanisms, such as frost weathering or granitoid weathering, produce quartz grains with differ- ent size characteristics. While frost weathering is capable of producing more silt-sized quartz grains, granitoid weathering profiles are often considered to be deficient in silt-sized material and rich in sand- and clay-sized particles (Wright, 2007). Subsequently, these grains are re- leased to sedimentary systems by glacial, fluvial and/or aeolian erosion and become the starting material of loess formation. Although the effect of these production mechanisms on loess PSDs is likely to be diminished by sorting during aeolian transport and depositional processes, they may still exert control on PSDs through sediment availability, as will be discussed below.
Fig. 5. Measurements and models of threshold friction velocities required to initiate particle motion on dry sand surfaces. Models were run for quartz spheres (Pp.q = 2650 kg m~3). Some of the measurements of the fluid threshold were done on materials other than sand and dust (Fletcher, 1976; Iversen et al., 1976; Iversen and White, 1982), and for these the effect of different densities were taken into account by calculating the equivalent particle diameter (Dp-eqy = DpPp/Pp-a, Chepil, 1951). The fluid threshold was calculated with air parameters of pg = 1.225 kg m~? and vy = 1.47 x 10-° m? s~! (at 15 °C) in the Iversen and White (1982) model (for the equations the reader is referred to the original paper or Kok et al., 2012), while y = 3 x 10-4N m“! was used in the Shao and Lu (2000) model (Eq. 3.9). The Bagnold (1941) model is given by Eq. (3.7) in the text. Fi = BeDp + WnAc:
Fig. 14. Calculated changes in the volume size distribution of the remote continental model aerosol after various rainfall durations (t,) at a rain rate (J) of 10 mm hr.~!. The model aerosol distribution parameters are from Jaenicke (1993): N; = 3200 cm~?, Nz = 2900 cm~?, N3 = 0.3 cm~?, Dp; = 0.02 pum, D2 = 0.116 pm, Dp3 = 1.8 pm, log 0; = 0.161, log 0; = 0.217, log 0; = 0.380.
Fig. 12. a) Contributions to total collision efficiency between a raindrop (D,;q = 1 mm) and dust particles and b) total collision efficiency (€,) for different rain droplet sizes. Collection efficiencies from Brownian diffusion (Egy), interception (E;yw) and inertial impaction (Ejmw) are calculated based on the Slinn (1984) model with modifications to include thermophoresis (E7py), diffusiophoresis (Eppy), and electrostatic mechanisms (Egsw) after Davenport and Peters (1978), Andronache (2004) and Andronache et al. (2006). Parameters (15 °C): pp = 1000 kg m-*, po = 1.225 kg m3, by = 1.783 x 10°-°kgm~!s~1, vy = 1.455 x 10-9 m2 s~!, uw, = 1.139 x 10-7 kg m-! 57}, Ca = 1005 J kg~! K~!, kg = 0.02534 J m=! s-! K7!, Ty - Tras = 3 °C, Dw = 2.35 x 107° m? s~!, RH = 80%, des = 2.
Fig. 13. Measured and modeled wet scavenging coefficients as a function of particle size and rain rate (J). The model is based on work by Slinn (1983), Loosmore and Cederwall (2004), Seinfeld and Pandis (2006), Davenport and Peters (1978), Andronache (2004) and Andronache et al. (2006). Parameters as defined in the caption of Fig. 12.
with model parameters of Aco1, Aco2 and Aco; being 0.013 N m~!, 1.7 x 10-4N m7!, and 3 x 107 '4N~! m7! (Cornelis et al., 2004a,b). Wma is the matric potential at oven dryness (=— 10? MPa), 0, is gravi- metric water content, 6, is the gravimetric water content at —1.5 MPa, and y,; is the surface tension of water (Cornelis et al., 2003, 2004a,b). As shown in Fig. 6 which represents measured data and three models including that of Cornelis et al. (2004a), soil moisture significantly affects the threshold friction velocity of different soil sur- faces. Compared to their uniform oven-dried value of 0.31 ms~! the threshold friction velocities required to initiate particle motion for soils from loamy fine sand to clays are higher by ~20-220% for gravi- metric water contents ranging from 1.2 to 16.4% (Selah and Fryrear, 1995; Fig. 6a). While capillary forces caused by liquid-bridge bonding dominate at high soil moisture conditions, these forces are negligible at low humid- ity conditions (i, < —10 MPa; Tuller and Or, 2005), and thus adhesion forces are substantial for soils with either a high clay content and/or a low soil moisture content (Cornelis and Gabriels, 2003; Cornelis et al., 2004a; Ravi et al., 2004, 2006). In the model developed by Cornelis et al. (2004a), both the capillary and adhesion forces are included, and Usp is given by
Fig. 6. Measured and modeled ‘wet’ threshold friction velocity as a function of gravimetric soil moisture for a) loamy fine sand and sandy loam, and b) clay loam and clay soils. Measurements for different soils are from Selah and Fryrear (1995). The empirical model, U-pw = 0.305 + 0.022(0¢/0¢1.5) + 0.506(42/0¢1.5)°, of Selah and Fryrear (1995) is compared with theoretical models of Fécan et al. (1999) (Eqs. (3.13)-(3.14)) and Cornelis et al. (2004a) (Eqs. (3.15)-(3.16)). For all model calculations u., = 0.31 ms~! has been used, as published by Selah and Fryrear (1995) for the oven-dried soils without abrasion. The CGH (2004a) model is only given for the loamy fine sand soil, with parameters of D, = 130 um and surface tension of water at 15 °C, yu = 0.0735 N m_!. The rest of the parameters (Aco1, Aco2, Aco3) are as defined in the text.
Fig. 7. Particle terminal velocity as a function of grain size. Settling tube experimental data originate from Cui et al. (1983) and Malcolm and Raupach (1991). Newton's Impact Law (Eq. (3.24)), the Stokes Law (Eq. (3.26)), and the Ferguson and Church (2004) and Farrell and Sherman (2015) models are also shown. For calculating w; using the Impact and Stokes Laws quartz density of 2650 kg m~? and air density at 15 °C of 1.2256 kg m7? are used. Cy has been derived for Eq. (3.24) by solving Eqs. (3.27)-(3.28) numerically. For calculations using Eq. (3.26) a kinematic viscosity of air at 15 °C of 1.455 x 10-> m? s~! has been used and C, is computed following Rader (1990). Fall velocity has been calculated using the Ferguson and Church (2004) expression (their Eq. (4)) with parameters for natural sand of C; = 18 and C2 = 1. Terminal velocity calculations based on the Farrell and Sherman (2015) model (their Eq. (18)) are only given for the very fine to medium sand fractions, since this expression is valid only for the sand fraction. w; can be calculated numerically for the whole range of particle sizes in loess. Such a solution together with other expressions for w, and mea- sured values of natural sands are shown in Fig. 7. As can be seen from this figure and demonstrated by Eqs. (3.24) and (3.26) w, is proportion- al to Dj for small particles (Rep: < 1) and D,’? for larger (Shao, 2008). In fact, the fall velocity is influenced by both the aerodynamic properties of particles (surface area, shape, density) and the fluid properties (density and viscosity; Malcolm and Raupach, 1991; Chen and Fryrear, 2001; Farrell and Sherman, 2015). For two particles having the same size and shape, but different density the heavier (more dense) will settle
Fig. 8. Transport modes of quartz grains as a function of friction velocity and particle diameter. The most widely used grain size proxies are also shown in this context. Terminal velocities are from Ferguson and Church (2004) with parameters as defined in Fig. 7. Transport modes with different w, / u. values as limits are from Gillette et al. (1974), Hunt and Nalpanis (1985), Nalpanis (1985), Tsoar and Pye (1987) and Shao (2008). Typical friction velocities in dust storms originate from Tsoar and Pye (1987), Li and Zhang (2011), while typical Mg grain size of loess are from Tsoar and Pye (1987), Derbyshire et al. (1995), Pye (1995), Shi et al. (2003), Ding et al. (2005), Prins et al. (2007), Yang and Ding (2008), Varga et al. (2012), and Vandenberghe (2013). Transport modes of particles are determined by the balance between the terminal velocity and the mean Lagrangian vertical velocity at which air parcels are dispersed upward by turbulence (Shao, 2008). Under neutral atmospheric conditions the latter is approximately Ku. (Raupach and Lu, 2004, Shao, 2008) and particles tend to move disper- sively, i.e. in suspension, if w, « Ku.. Pure suspension, in which particles essentially move with the fluid, occurs when the particle's terminal ve- locity is small compared to the friction velocity (Tsoar and Pye, 1987). Gillette et al. (1974) have found that the upper limit of pure suspension is W; / Us & 0.12 to 0.7, while Tsoar and Pye (1987) further subdivided this for short-term (0.1 < w, / u- < 0.7) and long-term suspension re- gimes (w, / u- < 0.1; Fig. 8). The residence time of long-term suspended dust (<~20 tum) particles may be days or weeks and they can be transported thousands of kilometers from source regions (Tsoar any Pye, 1987, Pye, 1987). Pure saltation, when the particle trajectories are not affected by the vertical turbulent velocity fluctuations, occurs from w, / u» > ~1-2 (Tsoar and Pye, 1987; Shao, 2008; Nickling and McKenna Neuman, 2009), and these larger particles saltate following ballistic trajectories (Ungar and Haff, 1987; Anderson and Haff, 1988). A sharp boundary between saltation and pure suspension does not exist and particles having semi-random trajectories (~70-150 um; Anderson, 1987; Kok et al., 2012) influenced by both inertia and termi- nal velocity are considered to be transported in modified saltation (0.7 < w; / u» < 1; Hunt and Nalpanis, 1985; Nalpanis, 1985). As seen in Fig. 8, the transport modes of particles having different size are strongly dependent on the friction velocity, i.e. the intensity of atmo- spheric turbulence. For instance, a quartz particle with a diameter of 70 jum may be transported in saltation or modified saltation in flows with weak wind shear and turbulence, as well as transported in short- term suspension in airflows with strong friction and turbulence.
Fig. 9. Measured and modeled streamwise saltation flux as a function of friction velocity. Wind tunnel data for the transport rate of 230 and 242 «wm diameter sands are from Iversen and Rasmussen (1999) and Sorensen (2004) (transport-limited situation), while for non-cohesive, clay and salt crusted surfaces (all three undisturbed) are from Macpherson et al. (2008) (supply-limited situations). Saltation mass flux is calculated for sand with a diameter of 250 pm and an air density of 1.2256 kg m~? (at 15 °C) using model equations of 3.30-3.32 and parameters as defined in the text (Section 3.1.1.8). These theoretical models of Bagnold (1941), Kawamura (1951), Duran et al. (2011) and Kok et al. (2012) are proposed for transport-limited situations.
Fig. 10. Vertical dust flux as a function of shear velocity due to a) direct aerodynamic entrainment and b) saltation bombardment. In panel a), long-term dust flux measurements and the best-fit model are from Loosemore and Hunt (2000) (=LH2000), while the rest of the data are from experiments of Macpherson et al. (2008) (=M2008) carried out on supply-limited non-cohesive, clay crusted and salt crusted surfaces. In panel b), field measurements during different erosion events are from Gomes et al. (2003) (=G2003) and Sow et al. (2009) (=$2009), while the bold lines are Eqs. (3.37)-(3.38), and represents models of Gillette and Passi (1988) (=GP1988) and Shao et al. (1993) (=S1993). The model by Kok et al. (2012) (=K2012) is given as Fy,,=QU»(u.?-u%), which uses u,, = 0.20 m s~! and is normalized to yield 10,000 ug m~* s~! atu, =1ms7!.
Fig. 15. Bulk and quartz grain size proxy variations as a function of depth in the Dunaszekcs6 sequence. Infra Red Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) ages are pIR-IRSLy2s (first number) anc pIR-IRSL299 (second number) ages as published and defined in Ujvari et al. (2014). Ages at depths of 10 and 14.9 mare yet unpublished age data, both are pIR-IRSLy99 ages. Legend: 1. loess 2. recent soil, 3. weathered loess, 4. red-brown, well-developed pedocomplex, 5. IRSL sampling points. Black arrows denote in-phase coarse GS events between bulk and quartz grain size proxies.
Fig. 16. Internal relationships of median diameter, U-ratio and grain size index in the Dunaszekcs6 sequence.
Fig. 17. Relationships between bulk loess and quartz grain size proxies in the studied sequence.
Fig. 18. Relationships between coarse and fine fractions in the U-ratio and the grain size index (GSI) in the Dunaszekcs6 sequence.
Fig. 19. Minimally and fully dispersed particle size distributions of three loess samples from the studied section.
Contents Loess deposits are recorders of aeolian activity during past glaciations. Since the size distribution of loess deposits depends on distance to the dust source, and environmental conditions at the source, during transport, and at de- position, loess particle size distributions and derived statistical measures are widely used proxies in Quaternary paleoenvironmental studies. However, the interpretation of these proxies often only considers dust transport processes. To move beyond such overly simplistic proxy interpretations, and toward proxy interpretations that consider the range of environmental processes that determine loess particle size distribution variations we pro- vide a comprehensive review on the physics of dust particle mobilization and deposition. Furthermore, using high-resolution bulk loess and quartz grain size datasets from a last glacial/interglacial sequence, we show that, because grain size distributions are affected by multiple, often stochastic processes, changes in these distri- butions over time allow multiple interpretations for the driving processes. Consequently, simplistic interpreta- tions of proxy variations in terms of only one factor (e.g. wind speed) are likely to be inaccurate. Nonetheless using loess proxies to understand temporal changes in the dust cycle and environmental parameters requires (i) a careful site selection, to minimize the effects of topography and source distance, and (ii) the joint use of bulk and quartz grain size proxies, together with high resolution mass accumulation rate calculations if possible. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Sweeney, M.R., Mason, J.A., 2013. Mechanisms of dust emission from Pleistocene loess de- posits, Nebraska, USA. J. Geophys. Res. 118, 1460-1471.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Fragmented Landscapes and Economies of Abundance: the Broad Spectrum Revolution in Arid East Asia
by Lisa Janz and 
2 more
Reuven Yeshurun
Abdykanova Aida
Increasing diet breadth, a distinguishing characteristic of human foraging strategies at the end of the Pleistocene and in the early Holocene, is known to be a key development contributing to domestication and the spread of agriculture... more
Figure 1. Map of study area and locations. schedule designed to take advantage of patterns in seasonal abundance (Habu 2004:62-77). Food storage was an important part of this strategy; the earliest evidence comes from an acorn storage pit dated to 11,590-10,990 cal BC (Habu 2004:64). After this shift in subsistence, the density of sites consistently increased until the Late Jomon, particularly in eastern Japan (Underhill and Habu 2006:138-140). At Nanzhuangtou, a wetland site in North China (near Beijing; see fig. 1), inhab- itants hunted terrestrial game and collected freshwater shell- fish and tortoise (Cohen 2011; Lu 1999). Grinding stones and pottery suggest that foods were processed more intensively than in earlier periods (see Elston, Dong, and Zhang 2011). Chronometric dates for Nanzhuangtou place its occupation between 10,550 and 8550 cal BC (Cohen 2011). This situates the occupation squarely within a phase of higher effective moisture that resulted in the development of an arboreal-rich woodland-steppe vegetation around local lakeshores (10,500- 8500 cal BC; see Liu, Xu, and Cui 2002; Shi and Song 2003; Wang et al. 2001, 2010). Although population levels in the region appear to have been higher after the LGM (Barton, Brantingham, and Ji 2007), population seems to have remained limited, as low-density lithic scatters are most common and sites like Nanzhuangtou very rare (Cohen 2011; Lu 1999). The archaeological record of East Asia is less well doc- umented but nevertheless demonstrates a similar relationship between post-LGM amelioration and increased diet breadth. After the LGM, large herbivores such as Palaeoloxodon nau- manni (Elephantidae) and Sinomegaceros yabei (Cervidae) dis- appeared in Japan, and the availability of edible plant foods increased as boreal conifer and temperate conifer/deciduous broadleaf forests were replaced with warm-temperate decidu- ous and evergreen broadleaf forests (Habu 2004:44-45). Jomon hunter-gatherers in Japan began exploiting coastal (e.g., shell- fish) and forest (e.g., acorn, deer, and boar) resources, using a
Janz Fragmented Landscapes and Economies of Abundance Figure 2. Number of sites found in each ecozone (x? = 32.544, P = .0011). Periodicity of each site was based on chronometric dates and/or presence of diagnostic artifacts (see Janz 2012).
Figure 3. Frequency of informal core types between high-density residential and other site types.
Note. x? = 32.544, P = .0011. Table 1. Actual and expected distribution of Gobi Desert sites according to each ecozone
Note. Both luminescence (L) and radiocarbon (R) are direct dates on pottery sherds (Janz, Feathers, and Burr 2015; Odsuren, Bukhchuluun, and Jan 2015). NA = not applicable. * Calibrated with OxCal 4.2 [74]. Table 2. New chronometric dates for Gobi Desert sites
Note. Data from Janz (2012). x? = 9.87; P< .01. * At least 8 (72%) of these sites are from Oasis 3. Table 3. Combined environmental distribution of pottery and grinding stones from studied Oasis 2 and Oasis 3 sites
Table 4. Frequency of informal cores in relation to formal cores at residential A and other site types both within and beyond dune-field/wetland habitats
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
African hydroclimatic variability during the last 2000 years (Africa2k Working Group)
by David Nash and 
1 more
Brian Chase
The African continent is characterised by a wide range of hydroclimate regimes, ranging from humid equatorial West Africa to the arid deserts in the northern and southern subtropics. The livelihoods of much of its population are also... more
Fig. 1. Aridity index map of Africa (data from Trabucco and Zomer, 2009), with sites described in the text indicated (along with primary record type; see Table 1). Panels below show seasonal distribution of precipitation (data from Hijmans et al., 2005).
Fig. 3. Comparison of Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction (Moberg et al., 2005) with representative palaeoclimate records from eastern Africa (see Table 1 for references). Fig. 2 explains shading of Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and Little Ice Age (LIA).
Fig. 5. Regional rainfall anomalies in the 1830s and in the years 1982—1984. The historical anomalies are indicated as an anomaly class, ranging from —3 to +3, from dry to wet (see Nicholson et al., 2012a). The modern anomalies are regionally averaged standard deviations from the long-term mean for each record. Note that the dry conditions shown for 1982 to 1984 generally characterised most of the 1980s decade.
Fig. 6. Time series of regionally-averaged rainfall for regions of the African continent (see inset map), expressed as standard deviations from the long-term mean in the main rainy season months. Months are indicated at the bottom of each frame. Green bars on the x-axis indicate years with no data.
Fig. 8. Map of key palaeoclimate records from Africa. Associated polygons indicate the patterning of arid (brown) and humid (green) hydroclimate anomalies relative to the average conditions between 900 CE and 1900. The polygons are divided as per the inset depicting Northern Hemispheres temperatures (red = warmer, blue = cooler) over the same period (bottom left; Moberg et al., 2005). For both temperature and hydroclimate polygons, each coloured subdivision represents one decade, with the value being derived from a 10-year smoothing of the original datasets.
Locations mentioned in the text and shown on Fig. 1. Table 1 temperature (SST) variability in the Atlantic (Camberlin et al., 2001; Zhang and Delworth, 2006; Losada et al., 2010). However, SSTs in the Mediterranean (Rowell, 2003) and Indian Ocean (e.g. Bader and Latif, 2003), and El Nifio (e.g. Losada et al., 2012), are also significant where rainfall is bimodal. The monsoon rain belt generally lies over the Guinea Coast in the boreal spring and autumn, but over the Sahel in the boreal summer. Thus, year-to-year variability in these regions is closely coupled, and strongly influenced by sea surface
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Palaeoenvironmental change in tropical Australasia over the last 30,000 years – A synthesis by the OZ-INTIMATE group
by Kathryn Fitzsimmons
The tropics are the major source of heat and moisture for the Australasian region. Determining the tropics’ response over time to changes in climate forcing mechanisms, such as summer insolation, and the effects of relative sea level on... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Casting new light on late Quaternary environmental and palaeohydrological change in the Namib Desert: A review of the application of optically stimulated luminescence in the region.
by Abi Stone
The application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating in the Namib Desert is casting new light on late Quaternary environments. OSL has been applied to: (i) complex linear dunes, alongside ground penetrating radar stratigraphy... more
Fig. 1. (a) Location map of southern Africa, marking map of key sites referred to in the text (and listed in Table 1), and illustrating the three axes used by Chase and Meadows (2007) and the two spatial regions used by Gasse et al. (2008). (b) Schematic representation of circulation features of southern Africa in (i) austral summer and (ii) austral winter (adapted from Tyson, 1999).
Fig. 2. Map of Namibia indicating catchment areas of the major ephemeral rivers in the central and northern Namib, rainfall isohyets (mm) and the position of the Great Escarpment (adapted from Jacobson et al., 1995). Also marked are the regions in the Namib Sand Sea from which aeolian dunes have been dated using OSL by Bristow et al. (2005, 2007) (site 23 and by Bubenzer et al. (2007) and Bubenzer and Bolten (2008) (site 28).
Fig. 3. (a) Ground penetrating radar (GPR) and optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) results that illustrate the long-term migration of Station Dune in the northern Namib Sand Se: (after Bristow et al., 2005). (b) Episodic accumulation of a Namib linear dune, showing (i) GPR profile, (ii) the interpretation of dune evolution and (iii) OSL ages listed alongside boreholes (after Bristow et al., 2007). Material reprinted with permission from C. Bristow and the Geological Society of America.
Fig. 5. Comparison of OSL ages from (a) former Tsondab River deposits (Stone et al., 2010, site 26) with near-shore marine records from 150 to 60 ka. (b) Record of N. pachyderma (s) from GeoB 1706 (Little et al., 1997, site 2), (c) continental aridity and windiness proxy from MD96-2094 (Stuut et al., 2002, site 3), (d) SST, N. pachyderma (s) and pollen record from GeoB 1711 (Little et al., 1997; Shi et al., 1998, 2000; 2001, site 7), also showing GeoB 1710 and GeoB 1712 SST (Kirst et al., 1999), (e) SST, aridity proxy and wind strength proxy from MD96-2087 (Pichevin et al., 2005, site 10).
Fig. 7. Comparison of OSL ages from (a) the Khumib River (Srivastava et al., 2005, site 13), (b) the Hoarusib River (Srivastava et al., 2004, site 14), (c) the Hoanib River (Eitel et al. 2005, site 16), (d) The Kuiseb River (Srivastava et al., 2006, site 25), (e) former Tsondab River (Stone et al., 2010, site 26), (f) Tsauchab River (Brook et al., 2006, site 27) with southerr African terrestrial proxies from 74 to 0 ka. (g) Stampriet Aquifer (Stute and Talma, 1998, site 72), (h) Tsodilo Hills (Thomas et al., 2003, site 61), (i) Drostky and Bone caves (Shaw anc Cooke, 1986; Burney et al., 1994; Brook et al., 1996, 1999, site 65), (j) Mega-lake Makgadikgadi (Burrough et al., 2009, sites 66—70) and component basins, Lake Ngami (Burrougl et al., 2007), Mababe depression (Burrough and Thomas, 2008), Makgadikgadi (Burrough et al., 2009), (k) Lobatse I and II caves (Holmgren et al., 1994, 1995; Brook et al., 1996, 1999 site 80), (1) Gaap Escarpment Tufa (Butzer et al., 1978; Brook et al., 1996, 1999, site 79), (m) Tswaing Crater precipitation record (Partridge et al., 1997, site 82), (n) Wonderkrate: pollen-based temperature and humidity indices (Scott, 1999; Scott et al., 2003; Holmgren et al., 2003; Scott et al., 2008, site 83) and (0) Makapansgat (speleothem from Cold Ai! Cave) isotopic records (Holmgren et al., 2003, site 84).
Site names by number in Figs. 1 and 2. Whilst not an exhaustive list, this contains the sites referred to in the text and those reviewed by Chase and Meadows (2007) and Gasse et al. (2008).
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Pleistocene environmental dynamics recorded in the loess of the middle and lower Danube basin
by Kathryn Fitzsimmons
The substantial loess deposits of the middle and lower Danube basin in southeastern Europe represent one of the thickest and most comprehensive terrestrial palaeoenvironmental records on the continent, yet are also the least well... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Climate and environmental reconstruction of the Epipaleolithic Mediterranean Levant (22.0-11.9 ka cal. BP). Langgut, Cheddadi, Sharon. 2021. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
by Dafna Langgut
This study presents, for the first time, an environmental reconstruction of a sequence spanning nearly the entire Mediterranean Epipaleolithic (~22.0e11.9 ka cal. BP). The study is based on a well-dated, highresolution pollen record... more
‘ig. 1. a). Distribution of vegetation zones in the southern Levant; M = Mediterranean zone (Garrigue, maquis, woodland); IT = Irano-Turanian zone (steppeland); SA = Saharo- \rabian zone (desert); S = Sudanian zone (penetration territory) (after Zohary, 1973, 1982; Danin and Plitmann, 1987); b). Map of the southern Levant indicating mean annua yrecipitation in mm (Srebro and Soffer, 2011); ¢). The position of the southern Levant.
Fig. 2. Location of Jordan River Dureijat (JRD) archaeological site (modified after Van- Zeist and Bottema, 2009: Fig. 1).
Fig. 3. a). Ayelet Hashahar weather station data (under 5 km from JRD). Average monthly temperature and precipitation for the period of 2010—2020. Red bars represent seasona average. Data downloaded from Israel Meteorological Service (2020); b). Normalized wind roses (m/s) for Jan 2015—Dec 2016, and seasonal for Dec—Feb (2014—2017; DJF) anc Jun—Aug (2015—2016; JJA) (taken from Rice, 2018: Fig. 2.5). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of thi: article.)
Fig. 4. 1. JRD bone fish hooks; 2. JRD small grooved pebbles (line weights); 3. JRD stone tools by layers and cultural affinity: a. Early Neolithic; b. Natufian; c. Geometric Kebaran; « Early Epipaleolithic.
Fig. 5. Archaeological layers, cultural affiliation, radiocarbon chronology (with calibrated dates) and pollen zones of the Jordan River Dureijat (JRD) sequence (after Sharon et al. 2020: Fig. 4a). The Cc samples were analyzed at the Poznan Radiocarbon Laboratory and at the Beta Analytic Laboratory. 4C ages were calibrated using the default calibration data set IntCal13 northern Hemisphere radiocarbon (Table 1). The age-depth model presented in Fig. 6 was processed using the Bayesian Bacon 2.3.6 software package (Blaauw and Christen, 2011). Even if the context of the archaeological remains is not that of a settlement (Fig. 4), the stratigraphy and archaeological context of the finds are secure, due to the separation of the archaeological
Fig. 6. Age-depth model for the Jordan River Dureijat (JRD) sedimentological outcrop using the Bayesian Bacon software from the R package rbacon v2.3.9.1 (Blaauw and Christen 2011).
Fig. 8. Jordan River Dureijat (JRD) paleoclimate model. a). average temperature (°C): mean January (Tjan), mean annual (Tann) and mean August (Taug); b). d'80 of Soreq Cave; c). Annual precipitation (mm); d). Winter precipitation (December—February); e). Spring precipitation (March—May); f). Summer precipitation (June—August); g) Autumn precipi- tation (September—November); Red bars represent recent geographical settings. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
Fig. 9. SEM Images of wood sections of taxa identified at Jordan River Dureijat (JRD). a: Quercus ithaburensis, transverse section, 50x, scale 300 jum; b: Quercus sp. (calliprinos?) transverse, 30x, scale 500 um; c: monocot (Arundo donax?), transverse, 137x, scale 300 um; d: monocot (Phragmites australis?), transverse, 246x, scale 100 um; e: Tamarix sp. transverse, 40x, scale 500 yum; f: Fraxinus syriaca, transverse, 181x, scale 100 um; g: Cercis siliquastrum, transverse, 40x, scale 500 km; h: Salix/Populus, transverse, 50x, scale 400 um i: Pistacia atlantica, transverse, 110x, scale 200 um; j: Vitis vinifera, transverse, 105x, scale 400 jm; k: Ziziphus spina-christi, transverse, 137x, scale 300 ym; |: Rhus coriaria, transverse 173x, scale 200 ,1m; m: Laurus nobilis, transverse, 60x, scale 200 xm. Note that due to preservation conditions, not all identified taxa were able to be imaged satisfactorily; in othe cases, only certain parts of the examined samples were able to be photographed. Images a, b, e, g, h, i, and m were taken using a stereoscopic Carl Zeiss SteREO Discovery.V2( microscope. Images c, d, f, j, k, and | were taken using a Tescan VEGA3 LMH scanning electron microscope.
Identified waterlogged wood remains recovered from the JRD archaeological site in absolute numbers and percentages.
* Socio-cultural entities chronology after Goring-Morris and Belfer-Cohen (2017); Grosman (2018) (years in ka cal. BP). Summary of the primary JRD sequence vegetation and environmental patterns. Table 3
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland: A review of Late Weichselian glaciation
by David Nash

2021, Quaternary Science Reviews

The Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland (Murmansk Oblast, northwest Arctic Russia) represents a major sector of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) where empirical geomorphological, sedimentological, and chronological data are lacking and... more
Fig. 1. (a) Reconstructed maximum-achieved lateral extent of the Late Weichselian FIS (modified from Hughes et al., 2016). FIS growth was asynchronous; as such, the maximun lateral extent of ice was achieved at different times. The location of the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland is shown by the black box. (b) FIS ice marginal zones during the Younge Dryas. Moraines attributed to the Younger Dryas have been mapped and dated almost continuously around Scandinavia (solid black lines), allowing near complete characterisatio! of the Younger Dryas ice sheet margin, except on the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland (dashed black lines) (modified from Hughes et al., 2016). (c) The Kola Peninsula ani Russian Lapland within Murmansk Oblast — the federal subject of Russia (indicated by the thick black border) in which the study area is located — showing the major geographica regions and mountainous areas discussed in the text. The administrative city of the region, Murmansk, is also shown. The division between the western and eastern Kola Peninsul is determined by the approximate topographic and Quaternary geological distinctions between the two regions, based on the work of Ramsey (1898), Lavrova (1960), Niemela et a (1993), and Hattestrand and Clark (2006a), among others. The division between Russian Lapland and the Kola Peninsula is also shown, although Russian Lapland is discusset alongside the western Kola Peninsula in this study because of similarities in topographic and sediment-landform assemblages in both regions. In this, and subsequent figure: topographic and bathymetric data are from the GEBCO Compilation Group (2020) GEBCO 2020 Grid. Topography is shaded dark-light grey with darker shades representing highe ground; bathymetry is shaded dark-light blue with darker shades representing greater depth. Country outlines are derived from the Database of Global Administrative Area (GADM, 2018). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
Fig. 3. Spatial distribution of numerical dates included within the database associated with the Late Weichselian glaciation of the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland (n = 66). Multiple numerical dates from individual sites are grouped. Dating is predominantly from coastal areas and close to inhabited areas on the central Kola Peninsula (i.e. areas that are relatively easy to access in this largely remote region). All numerical dates included in the database can be viewed in Data S1 and S2 in the Supplementary Materials. In this study we critically evaluate all known published glacia geomorphological mapping, sedimentary analyses, and numerica dating studies and associated interpretations of Late Weichselian glacial dynamics from the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland. Our approach is based on methods outlined by Hughes et al. (2016) and Stroeven et al. (2016) in which geomorphological data are exam- ined in a Geographic Information System (GIS) setting using ESRI® ArcMap™ 10.7.1. Published shapefile data were imported and scanned maps were georectified, allowing comparisons to be made with published mapped data. To maintain the integrity of the original scanned maps, no cartographic changes were made to the landforms (Figs. 2—10). Generalised ice margin retreat patterns are reconstructed from the pattern of eskers and meltwater channels, ice-margin positions are identified from the spatial distribution of moraines (e.g. Hattestrand and Clark, 2006a; Petrov et al., 2014), and ice flow configurations are interpreted from generalised flow patterns of subglacial landforms (e.g. Kleman et al., 1997; Hattestrand and Clark, 2006b; Winsborrow et al., 2010). Ice retreat behaviour (i.e. still stands, readvances) are identified from sedi- mentary analyses (e.g. Lunkka et al., 2018; Vashkov and Nosova, 2018a). Glaciation timings are based on interpretations of numer- ical age estimations from previous glacial reconstructions (e.g. Stroeven et al., 2016; Lunkka et al., 2018). The resultant glacial models are not accurate ‘timeslice reconstructions’ (e.g. Hughes
Fig. 4. Spatial distribution of mapped cirques, cirque infills, hummocky moraines, and end moraines in the Khibiny Mountains (modified from Hattestrand et al., 2008). The positions of all known numerical ages from the Khibiny Mountains are also shown (and included within the database — see Data S1). The location of Fig. 4 is shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 6. Spatial distribution of moraines associated with the FIS and inferred local glaciers in the Seydozerskaya depression in the Lovozero Mountains (modified from Yevzerov 2009). Smaller, topographically controlled ice-masses are thought to indicate local glaciation (i.e. cirque glaciers, valley glaciers, or small ice fields) after FIS deglaciation possibly during the Younger Dryas stadial. The location of Fig. 6 is shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7. (a) Locations of FIS ice stream pathways (modified from Punkari, 1997. Three ice streams are thought to have glaciated the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland: (i) the White Sea Ice Stream, (ii) the Kola Ice Stream, and (iii) the Tuloma Ice Stream. (b) Subglacial bedforms (lineations and ribbed moraine), moraines, and eskers mapped by Hattestrand and Clark (2006a) at the eastern section of the Kola Ice Stream. Here, Punkari (1993, 1995, 1997) suggests the ice stream pathway flowed around the Khibiny and Lovozero Mountains. However, subglacial bedforms and moraines mapped by Hattestrand and Clark (2006a) indicate there may have been two separate ice stream pathways (indicated by the white lines). (c) Subglacial bedforms (lineations and ribbed moraine), moraines, and eskers mapped by Hattestrand and Clark (2006a) in the Tuloma river basin. Punkari (1993, 1995, 1997) interpret abundant lineations and eskers as evidence of ice streaming. The locations of panels b and c are shown in Fig. 2; the symbology of lineations, ribbed moraines, hummocky moraines, and eskers matches that in Fig. 2.
Fig. 8. Reconstruction of the formation of a moraine ridge on the southern coast of the western Kola Peninsula (modified from Vashkov and Nosova, 2018a). The location of the sediment exposure is indicated by the red star on the inset map (bottom right). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
Fig. 9. Ice marginal zones of the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland, inferred from the spatial distribution of moraines by Ekman and Iljin (1991) (modified from Yevzerov and Nikolaeva, 2000). Moraines mapped by Hattestrand and Clark (2006a) (using the same symbology as Fig. 2) and moraine positions on the sea floor identified by Yevzerov and Nikolaeva (2000) are included for comparison. The positions of numerical dates discussed in Section 3.2 are also shown. Yevzerov and Nikolaeva (2000) correlate each ice mar- ginal zone to ice marginal landforms identified elsewhere in Fennoscandia, based on their morphostratigraphic relationships: zone I — Younger Dryas (c. 12.9—11.7 ka); zone II — Older Dryas (c. 14.1-13.9 ka); zone III — Oldest Dryas (c. 14.7—16.1 ka). The location of the sedimentary reconstruction from Fig. 8 is indicated by the red star. Inset: examples of ring and ridge moraines, the most prolific hummocky moraine type on the western Kola Peninsula. Viewed in PlanetScope Ortho Scene data, courtesy of Planet. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
y. 10. The glacial geomorphology of the Keiva Ice-marginal Zone on the eastern Kola Peninsula (modified from Hattestrand and Clark, 2006a; Hattestrand et al., 2007). Th sitions of numerical dates included in Data S1 in the Supplementary Materials are also shown.
Fig. 11. Model of ice sheet build-up at various points during the Weichselian: (a) possible Early Weichselian (MIS 3) ice mass extent; (b) no independent ice mass on the Kola Peninsula during the Alesund interstadial (c. 383—34 ka); (c) the FIS extending eastwards across the Kola Peninsula after c. 34 ka; and (d) local-LGM (c. 19—15 ka) FIS extent, showing ice flow directions, the White Sea Ice Stream pathway, and the minimum and maximum extent of cold-based ice (Ekman and Iljin, 1991; Punkari, 1995, 1997, 1997; Svendsen et al., 2004; Hattestrand and Clark, 2006b; Winsborrow et al., 2010; Hughes et al., 2016; Stroeven et al., 2016; Batchelor et al., 2019). The position of the local-LGM ice sheet margin is based on the ice margin reconstruction presented by Larsen et al. (2014).
Fig. 12. Existing deglaciation models and associated possible Younger Dryas (c. 12.9—11.7 ka) ice marginal zones for the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland: (a) Model 1: Deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) occurs on the eastern Kola Peninsula, leaving ice lobes occupying former ice stream pathways (Niemela et al., 1993). Dead ice (areas of ice detached from the main ice sheet) may have occupied depressions (i.e. contemporary lakes) during deglaciation (Demidov et al., 2006); (b) Model 2: Coherent ice marginal retreat of the FIS, shown here with the development of an embayment in the Kandalaksha Bay (Hattestrand and Clark, 2006b). Alternatively, an ice lobe may have flowed into the White Sea (dashed line and question mark) as the FIS underwent coherent retreat (Hughes et al., 2016); (c) Model 3: The dynamically independent Ponoy Ice Cap, which deglaciated independently from the FIS (Rainio et al., 1995); and (d) Model 4: Retreat of the FIS before the Younger Dryas stadial, followed by growth and advance of the Kara Sea Ice Sheet (KSIS) onto the northern Kola Peninsula and along the White Sea. Deglaciation of the KSIS occurred after the Younger Dryas (Grosswald and Hughes, 2002). Several numerical dates (using multiple techniques) have been published for the KIZ (Figs. 3 and 10) that can be used to constrain the timing of deglaciation on the eastern Kola Peninsula. For example, Stroeven et al. (2016) TCN date boulders at the western
Metadata recorded for each date obtained from landforms and sediments across the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland; these metadata are included in both the database ‘able and shapefile attributes (Data S1 and S2 in the Supplementary Materials). Table 1
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Unsaturated zone hydrostratigraphies: A novel archive of past climates in dryland continental regions
by Abi Stone and 
1 more
Abigail Stone
Natural chemical tracers contained in moisture within unsaturated zone (USZ) sediments have very significant potential as a novel archive of past climate and palaeoenvironmental conditions in dryland environments. However , this potential... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
First integrated tephrochronological record for the last ~190 kyr from the Fucino Quaternary lacustrine succession, central Italy
by Elizabeth Niespolo and 
1 more
Biagio Giaccio
We present the first integrated tephrochronological study (major and trace elemental glass composition, Sr and Nd isotope analyses, and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating) for the last one tenth (~82 m) of the ~900 m-thick Quaternary lacustrine... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
A continental perspective on the timing of environmental change during the last glacial stage in Australia
by Jasper Knight
The timing and duration of the coldest period in the last glacial stage, often referred to as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), has been observed to vary spatially and temporally. In Australia, this period is characterised by colder, and in... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Sedimentary architecture and chronostratigraphy of a late Quaternary incised-valley fill: a case study of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene Rhine system in the Netherlands
by Jan Peeters and 
4 more
Freek S. Busschers
E. Stouthamer
Jakob Wallinga
Hans Middelkoop

2016

This paper describes the sedimentary architecture, chronostratigraphy and palaeogeography of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage / MIS 6-2) incised Rhine-valley fill in the central Netherlands based on six... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The interplay between the surface and bottom water environment within the Benguela Upwelling System over the last 70ka
by Helena Filipsson and 
1 more
Oscar E Romero
The Benguela Upwelling System (BUS), located between 30 and 20°S, is one of the fundamental high-productivity systems of the world ocean. The BUS has previously been studied in terms of primary productivity and ecology over... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The Santa Vitória Alloformation: an update on a Pleistocene fossil-rich unit in Southern Brazil
by Renato Lopes

2021, Brazilian Journal of Geology

The Santa Vitória Formation is a lithostratigraphic unit known for its fossil assemblage of Pleistocene mammals, established in 1973 from sediments exposed along the banks of Chuí Creek, in the southern coastal plain of the state of Rio... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
An attempt to reconstruct the late Saalian to Plenivistulian (MIS6-MIS3) natural lake environment from the "Parchliny 2014" section, central Poland
by Dariusz Wieczorek

2018, Quaternary International

The article presents the early results of research of sediments from a palaeolake in the Kleszcz ow Graben, central Poland. A total of 190 samples were collected and then ca 10-30 samples were botanically (di-atoms, pollen and woody... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Fossil woods of Detarioideae subfamily (Fabaceae) from El Palmar Formation (Late Pleistocene) in South America
by Daniela M I Kröhling
The main aim of the present paper is to describe the first Detarioideae fossil woods from El Palmar Formation (Late Pleistocene) in the Uruguay River Basin (Entre Ríos, Argentina). This study is based on five silicified wood specimens... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Vegetation and Climate changes in the South-Eastern Mediterranean during the Last Glacial-Interglacial cycle (86 ka): new marine pollen record. Langgut et al. 2011. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
by Dafna Langgut
The Eastern Mediterranean, located at the meeting between the Mediterranean vegetation of the Eurasian continent and the desert vegetation of the Saharan-Arabian desert belt, is ideal for tracking changes in regional vegetation as... more
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Provided for non-commercial research and education use. Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use.
Fig. 1. a. Map showing the Mediterranean Sea with the location of the Levantine Basin. b. Eastern Mediterranean vegetation map (modified after Zohary, 1973) together with the location of marine core 9509 and other sites mentioned in the text. Previous palynological marine records from the Levant were studied by Cheddadi and Rossignol-Strick (1995a,b). They docu- mented the paleoclimate of the area during the last 250 ka, based on three marine pollen records (MD 84 642, MD 84 629, MD 84 627), located at the distal part of the Nile Cone (Fig. 1b). During the interglacial period, the abundance of tree pollen reached its maximum, indicating an optimum Mediterranean climate of great humidity, including some summer rainfall. During glacial maxima pollen of steppe and semi-desert plants were abundant and low for trees, suggesting more arid, continental and probably colder climate. Short-lived climatic events were not identified in these records due to relatively low sampling resolution. Moreover, Rossignol (1963, 1969) examined Pleistocene and Holocene cores from the Israeli coast and found only minor fluctuations along the sequences because of low resolution and interpreted them as slight oscillations in humidity. Horowitz (1974, 1979) studied two cores from Haifa Bay, covering the last 6 ka and suggested that during the early part of this period tree cover was more extensive in the area than at present, and therefore the climate was probably wetter whereas during the last 3 ka arboreal vegetation decreased, pointing to dryness. From the Levantine coastal plain only limited palynological records are available, indicating an existence of marshes at the beginning of the Holocene and a notable expansion of oak maquis suggesting a relatively wet early Holocene (Galili and Weinstein-Evron, 1985; Kadosh et al., 2004). This study discusses the palynological sequence of the last 86 ka in a higher resolution as compared with previous marine pollen records from the South Eastern Levantine Basin. Pollen was extracted from core 9509, taken from the distal part of the Nile Cone (Fig. 1b). The importance of this marine palynological record is: 1. The time frame is well constrained and is based on the comparison of the 5!°0 of the planktonic foraminifera Globiger- inoides ruber with the accurately dated, high resolution isotopic record of Soreq Cave speleothems (Almogi-Labin et al., 2009); 2. Core 9509 was already subjected to a high resolution study of sediment characteristics including index color parameters, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) based on alkenones (Almogi-Labin et al., 2009) as well as the identification of
Fig. 2. a. The 5!80 of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber of core 9509 (Almogi-Labin et al., 2009) vs. age; b. The 5'80 of Soreq Cave speleothems (Bar-Matthews et al., 2003); c. Sedimentation rates; d. Total organic carbon content (wt.%) following Almogi-Labin et al. (2009) and e. Pollen concentration/g sediment in core 9509. The horizontal gray bars indicate sapropel S1 and S3.
Fig. 3. Concise palynological diagram of core 9509 and Pollen Zones vs. age. The diagram comprises (from left to right): a. Bisaccates which were calculated separately (see text f explanation). b. Total AP — the sum of all woody taxa presented in curves b—h, excluding bisaccates. c. Quercus calliprinos type (evergreen oak), d. Quercus ithaburensis ty (deciduous oak), e. Oleaceae (Olea europaea and Phillyrea), f. Mediterranean trees (sclerophyll trees such as Ceratonia siliqua, Cupersuss sp. and Arbutus), g. Temperate tre (deciduous trees such as Acer, Corylus, Betula and Alnus) and h. Desert trees (e.g. Acacia, Tamarix). NAP curves i—o: i. Cheno/Ams (Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae), j. Artemis: k. Ephedra fragilis type, |. Ephedra distachya type, m. Poaceae, n. Other herbaceous (different herbs which appear in low quantities) and 0. Cyperaceae. p. Tropical elements (poll from Nilotic origin) and q. Pollen Zones.
Fig. 4. a—f. Main climatic characteristics of core 9509: a. Evergreen oak. b. Artemisia. c. Oleaceae. d. Total trees (excluding bisaccates). e. Pollen Zones and f. Paleoclimate recon- struction. g. Insolation (65° N). h. Total trees at TP (excluding bisaccates; Miiller et al., 2011). ik. Pollen markers from the Alboran Sea (Fletcher and Sanchez-Goni, 2008): i. Evergreen oak. j. Artemisia and k. Total trees (excluding bisaccates). Shaded horizontal bars correspond to sapropel accumulation (S3 and $1; dark gray) and to Heinrich Events (HE2- HE6; light gray). BA = Bélling-Allerod; Younger Dryas = YD.
Chronological framework of Heinrich Events. * The ages represent the boundaries of the event and defined by pollen data. > H1 and H2 are dated by '4C. Other ages are estimated by a correlation to Greenland (GISP2) cores. © The earliest event (H6) was not identified in all of the mentioned studies since some of the records are not long enough. Table 1
References: 1. Tzedakis et al., 2003, 2006. 2. Miiller et al., 2011. 3. Fletcher and Sanchez-Goni, 2008. 4. Almogi-Labin et al., 2009. 5. Cacho et al., 1999. A comparison of core 9509 pollen record with palynological sequences of Tenaghi Philippon and core MD95-2043.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Last Glacial Maximum conditions in southern Africa: Are we any closer to understanding the climate of this time period?
by Abi Stone
The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (21+2 ka) is an important period for which to understand past climatic and environmental conditions. In particular it is a key time-slice for evaluating the performance of numerical climate model simulations... more
Figure |. Modern-day climatology in southern Africa. (a) Mean annual rainfall and rainfall regimes and major oceanic surface currents (modified from Gasse et al., 2008). ABF = Angola-Benguela front; DRM = double rainfall maximum; SRZ = summer rainfall zone; YRZ = year-round rainfall zone; WRZ = winter rainfall zone. (b) Subdivision of southern Africa using the regions of Gasse et al. (2008) (I is western Africa north of the ABF; Il is Benguela Coastal Current and Agulhas Zone; Ill is equatorial and tropical East Africa; IV is the summer rainfall domain) and the three axes used by Chase and Meadows (2007) and also showing country outlines. Schematic representation of major atmospheric circulation features over southern Africa in (c) austral winter and (d) austral summer (RH side) (modified from Tyson, 1999, and Gasse et al., 2008).
Figure 3. Palaeoclimatic reconstructions from proxy syntheses. Palaeotemperature patterns: (a) from Partridge (1997) (who also depicts isolines for precipitation as percentage of present); (b) from Gasse et al. (2008), where numbers are estimated anomalies compared to modern (mean and extreme in parentheses). Hydroclimatic patterns (precipitation, or wetter/drier than present), where (c) is two panels from Thomas and Shaw (2002) for time-slices |8—21 ka and 21—23 ka, where horizontal lines represent dune construction, and vertical lines represent calcrete formation (d) from Chase and Meadows (2007) showing a spatial interpolation of sites with evidence for wetter or drier conditions than present at 24—18 ka (panels illustrate that the broad spatial pattern is largely insensitive to excluding proxies that have been highlighted as having questionable reliability — see details in Chase and Meadows, 2007), (e) from Gasse et al. (2008) where AMAP and AP-E are difference in mean annual precipitation and precipitation minus evaporation between the LGM (23-19 ka) and present, where numbers are estimated anomalies compared to modern (mean and extreme and parentheses), see the online colour version for depiction of sites representing wetting (blue) and drying (red).
moistening on the southwest tip (Figure Sa). UGAMP shows no change in winter and a slight drying in the southeast during the summer (Wyrwoll et al., 2000) (Figure 5b). By contrast, the PMIP2 ensemble-mean indicates increases of 0-0.25 mm/d over most of the region and of 0.25—0.5 mm/d in the east, with reductions in precipitation toward the equator (Braconnot et al., 2007a; Figure 5c). Individual PMIP2 model precipitation outputs are not presented by Rojas et al. (2009). Simulation of precipita- tion minus evaporation in NCAR CCM3 yields no change along the west coast, a drying (of 0.1— 0.4 mm/d) in a central southern band and part of the southeast coast, and moistening in Angola, east of Lake Malawi and in northern Madagas- car (Kim et al., 2008; Figure 5d). A HadCM3 simulation testing the hydrological feedback of megalake-Magkadigadi using LGM _ boundary conditions (although the lake high stand is later than the LGM, centred on 19 + 2 ka) indicates a localized increase in both precipi- tation and precipitation minus evaporation (Burrough et al., 2009). Model simulations Namibia and in an arc back up around 30°E (Kim et al., 2008; Figure 4b). Model reconstructions of LGM precipitation patterns are much more variable than those of temperature (Figure 5 shows some exam- ples). This reflects the lower model confidence in simulating precipitation than temperature Braconnot et al., 2012; Solomon et al., 2007), and suggests that regional-scale palaeoclimate simulations using models still have large areas for improvement. The PMIPII and II bench- marking activities seek to investigate whether inclusion of additional components in models (e.g. ice sheets, vegetation, biochemical cycles) improve the simulation of regional climates (Braconnot et al., 2012). Harrison et al. (2013) highlight that while the direction and large- scale gradients of climate change at the LGM and mid-Holocene are depicted fairly well in models, there are limitations to their ability to simulate the amplitude of change and reproduce smaller-scale spatial patterns. The HadAM3 model simulates some drying in the central and eastern part of southern Africa with some
Figure 5. Examples of precipitation simulations for the LGM from numerical models. (a) Precipitation change (LGM minus pre-industrial values, divided by pre-industrial) using HadAM3 (Sime et al., 2013); box highlights southern Africa. (b) LGM minus present-day precipitation (mm/day) using UGAMP (Valdes and Hall, 1994) where RH is JJA and LH is DJA (from Wyrwoll et al., 2000). (c) PMIP2 OA (coupled ocean- atmosphere model) ensemble mean precipitation (LGM minus pre-industrial) (mm/day). (d) Annual-mean precipitation minus evaporation (LGM minus modern) in the NCAR CCM3 high-resolution (T 170) model (Kim et al., 2008).
Table |. Terrestrial and marine archives and proxies in southern Africa that cover the Last Glacial Maximum, giving some key example data sets. 'c = carbonate, * o = organic, ? = orbital tuning of Total Inorganic Carbon signal, 5'°O-t* = orbital tuning of oxygen isotope signal, ° corr = correlation of Total Organic Carbon and CaCO3 records with another marine core.
Table 2. Summary of contrasting conceptual climate models for the southern African subcontinent at the LGM (Last Glacial Maximum), and what 1 informed by. 'Palaeoenvironmental data from southern Africa to support these ideas is limited to ocean core evidence for increased upwelling off the SW coast (Giresse et al., 1976), palaeocean temperatures (Burckle and Clarke, 1977; Hays et al., 1974) and a northward shift of the Kalahari desert (Heine, 1978).
able 3. Key numerical model simulation outputs for southern African palaeoclimate (temperature, precipitation and mid-latitude westerlies).
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Timing of the late Quaternary glaciation in the Andes from ˜15 to 40° S
by Heinz Veit

2008, Journal of Quaternary Science

The Central Andes play a pivotal role for glacier and climate reconstruction along the American Pole–Equator–Pole transect. Nevertheless, knowledge about late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental changes in this region is extremely limited.... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The remarkable Panthera pardus (Felidae, Mammalia) record from Equi (Massa, Italy): taphonomy, morphology, and paleoecology
by Lorenzo Rook
Leopard remains are rare in the European fossil record, probably a consequence of its solitary and elusive habits. Equi, dating back to Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3), represents a rich and outstanding exception. Historical excavations... more
Fig. 9. Left ulna of leopard in lateral view: from an adult animal (IGF5355V) (A) and a cub (IGF5354V) without the proximal and distal epiphysis (B); specimen IGF5402V (C) is massive and probably from a male or old animal.
Fig. 13. Right McIV (IGF5293V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and lateral (B views.
Fig. 12. Right McllI (IGF5302V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and lateral (B views.
Fig. 15. Right femurs of leopards in frontal view: adult (IGF5347V) (A) and juvenile (B: IGF5350V; C: IGF5349V) specimens.
Fig. 14. Left McV (IGF5309V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and medial (B) views.
Fig. 17. Right MtlI (IGF5311V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and lateral (B) views.
Fig. 16. Tibia of leopards in frontal view: A: right tibia of sub-adult (IGF5346V) B: left tibia from a young animal (IGF5344V).
Fig. 1. The location of Equi in the Tuscany region (A). Equi is located on the northern side of the Apuane Alps, above the homonymous town (B) (photo by P. Nannini, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana). The valley of Fagli has a V-shape and the cave entrance is north-east oriented (C).
Fig. 2. Pie chart of leopard bones' age-stage (A), and age-stage frequencies for anatomical regions (B). Pie chart describing metapodial leopard remains from Equi (C). Gener. representation of leopard specimens from Equi (D).
Fig. 3. Fossil of perinatal cub of leopard (IGF6120V) in lingual (A), labial (B) and ventral (C) views. D: putative larval holes on diaphysis surface of a young humerus (IGF6141V).
Fig. 4. Cranial leopard remains from Equi in top view: IGF15111V/1 (A); IGF15110V (B); IGF10036V (C); IGF185V/1 (D); IGF184V (E). IGF10036V, IGF185V/1, and IGF184V are also represented in lateral views (F, G, H, respectively).
Fig. 5. IGF10036V and IGF15111V/1 in detail. IGF10036V in dorsal (A), ventral (B), caudal (C), left (D) and right (E) views. Cranium IGF15111V/1 in dorsal view (G) and with mandible IGF15111V/2 in left side view (F).
Fig. 6. Premaxillar IGF185V/2 with incisive serie in frontal (A) ventral (B) and dorsa (C) views.
Fig. 7. Leopard mandibles from Equi: IGF6122V, IGF6120V, and IGF6103V in labial (A, B, and C) and lingual (A’, B’, and C’, respectively) views; IGF10037V/1 in lingual (D) and labia (D’) views; IGF10037V/2 in labial (E) and lingual (E’) views; IGF6102V in lingual (F) and labial (F’) views; IGF185V/4 in labial (G) and lingual (G’) views; IGF6104V in lingual (H) anc labial (H’) views.
Fig. 11. Left McII (IGF5303V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C — not in scale), and medial (B) views. Fig. 10. Radious of leopards: IGF5337V is from a left paw of an adult animal (A) and IGF5340V is a left radious from a younger one (B).
Fig. 8. A) right leopard humerus (IGF5342V) with evidence of pectoralis muscle stress on the proximal diaphysis; B) young right humerus of leopard (IGF5341V).
Fig. 19. Right MtIV (IGF5292V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and lateral (B’ views. Dimensionally speaking, the crania from Equi fall within the range of extant leopards. They are generally massive, and all larger than extant subspecies for the palatal and neurocranium width (Fig. 23). Comparative material of jaguars (P. onca) and cougars (Puma concolor) are intermediate in size among P. pardus and lions, and within the leopard-lynx lower limit respectively. Leopards from Equi are quite larger than the conspecific extant animals. It is also notable that all leopard crania from Equi had a shorter muzzle
Fig. 18. Right Mtlll (IGF5313V) in dorsal (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and lateral (B views.
Fig. 21. Female and male comparative morphologies of leopard crania (from Pocock, 1930; modified): major differences are on temporal lines junctions, the development of the sagittal crest, the feature of the braincase, more or less evident postorbital constriction. Morphology is quite variable in leopards (Table 1) and the dimensional analysis must also be taken into account for a better grounded determination.
Fig. 20. Right MtV (IGF5318V) in medial (A), proximal (C— not in scale), and lateral (B) views. Distal end is broken by gnawing.
Fig. 22. Total length vs. condilus width scatter diagram of fossils and extant species: black dots are from extant animals from different regions (a single specimen has a declared gender); the gray dot is the Monte Sacro Middle Pleistocene cranium (M.P.U.R./V.1191: Kotsakis and Palombo, 1979); the gray-black dot is the cranium from Algar do Manga Larga (Cardoso and Regala, 2006); white dots are fossils crania described by Diedrich (2013); square, triangle and diamond represent the crania from Equi. Genders were defined on the basis of morphological characters.
Fig. 23. Basion-prostion vs. palatal weight (A) and euryon—euryon (B). In comparison to extant leopards, the fossils from Equi are larger, stoutly built and massive, and clearly distinct from other species of felids.
Fig. 24. Dental comparison among upper (A) and lower (B) teeth of leopards from Equi (black squares), extant (white circles) and extinct leopards (Arago — white squares, un- published data; Grotta del Capriolo — gray square, Pitti and Tozzi, 1971; Manga Larga — gray-black circle, Cardoso and Regala, 2006), extant and extinct lions (white triangles) and lynxes (white rhombus), and cougar (gray diamonds).
Fig. 25. Length and breadth of lower carnassials and respective trendlines of the main leopard collections, namely Equi, Los Rincones and Vraona Cave. The lines are quite parallel to each other and precisely specify for the shape of leopards m1s.
Fig. 26. Postcranial comparison among different species of Felidae. A: humerus (IGF5342V) B: radius (IGF5339V); total length (Gl) and distal breadth (Bd) ratios.
Fig. 28. Diastema length of different species of Felidae. Modern leopards are partially included to lion's variability but are well-divided to P. uncia. The same is generally for the leopard fossils with the exception of the short mandible of Triagalnata and the problematic Straska Skala specimen.
Fig. 27. Metacarpals (A) and metatarsal (B). Comparative dimensional range of Greatest length (Gl) in Holocene and Late Pleistocene big cats
Fig. 29. Comparison between the types recognized by Spassov and Raychev (1997) and the p4-m1 from Equi. 1) robust type; 2) gracile type. Equi teeth: IGF185V/3 (A); mirrorec IGF6102V (B); IGF6103V (C); mirrored IGF10037V/1 (D); IGF10037V/2 (E). Black lines show the differences between the two types.
tefacts) induced a lengthy harsh scientific debate between the highest authorities in the field (Mochi, 1916, 1920, 1929; Rellini, 1917, 1924, 1929) which was resolved only fifteen years later, when an excavation field season by the Italian Institute of Human Palaeontology (Graziosi, 1934; Rellini, 1935) confirmed the absence of ceramics within Palaeolithic levels. These dates are also consistent with the biochronological interpretation and with the recent radiometric dating of specimens recently excavated from older layers (Bigagli et al., 2013). The Panthera pardus specimen (sample #360175) tentatively referred to layer HB seems to indicate an age inversion from a layer strati- graphcally superimposed to that of samples #370173 and #360176. The degree of uncertainty due to possible bias in the data available for the historical collections (samples were excavated in 1911-1917), do not allow us however to exclude the provenance of the specimen from an older layer. Since the De Stefani excavation times, the evidence of two distinct phases of human presence (ceramics and Palaeolithic ar- During our revision of the De Stefani collection of historical Equi excavations, three bone samples with registered stratigraphic provenance were sent to the Beta Analytic Inc. (Miami, Florida, Usa) for radiometric dating (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, AMS, analysis). All the three remains contained sufficient collagen and data from these analyses are listed below:
Morphological characters of the specimens of P. pardus from Equi compared to other Pleistocene and Holocene skulls. OC-MZF: osteological collection of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence. two McV. The proximal epiphysis is deeply convex and the anterior limit ends with an acute angle. Laterally, it develops a bulge and forms a semilunar convex surface. The diaphysis has a rectangular transversal section. trochanter ventral outline is rounded and curves from the lateral to the medial side. IGF5341V (Fig. 8B) is from a very young animal and does not preserve the proximal epiphysis (un-ossified); the same specimen instead preserves the distal epiphysis showing the ossi- fication line at the contact with the diaphysis.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
A spatiotemporal reconstruction of sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic during Dansgaard–Oeschger events 5–8
by Antje H L Voelker
Here, we establish a spatiotemporal evolution of the sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic over Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events 5–8 (approximately 30– 40 kyr) using the proxy surrogate reconstruction method. Proxy data suggest a... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Glaciers and climate in Pacific Far NE Russia during the Last Glacial Maximum
by Iestyn Barr

2011, Journal of Quaternary Science

A combined geomorphological–physical model approach is used to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of glaciers in Pacific Far NE Russia during the global Last glacial Maximum (gLGM). The horizontal dimensions of these ice masses... more
Figure 1. Key topographic regions of Far NE Russia. The dashed black line represents a rough division between Pacific (to the east) and non-Pacific (to the west) sectors (based upon Grosswald and Kotlyakov, 1969). Boxed regions (A), (B) and (C) are the Pekulney, Kankaren and Sredinny mountains, respectively, and are the focus of this study. Also shown is the gLGM shoreline, given a 125 m lowering of sea level relative to present. This figure is available in colour at wileyonlinelibrary.com.
Figure 2. Schematic illustration of a reconstructed ice-mass surface profile, viewed in cross-section. The surface is generated using an iterative flowline model (equation 1), where bed elevations are extracted at 1km intervals (Ax=1km), along an inferred flowline (flowline length = L). The maximum ice surface elevation at the upper end of the profile is determined by equation 2, which corresponds to a ‘typical’ surface for modern ice masses of this span (L) (see Barr, 2009; Ng et al., 2010).
Figure 3. (A) Reconstruction of the Pekulney Ice Field during the gLGM. The ice surface contour interval is 100m. Also shown is a third-order polynomial trend surface, contoured at 100m intervals, depicting ELA (BR =1.8) across the mountains during the gLGM. End moraines are mapped as black polygons, and black arrows indicate inferred ice flow directions during some pre-gLGM phase of advance. The outlet marked ‘Kv’ occupies the Kuveveem valley, where moraines have been chronologically constrained to the gLGM (see). Land surface topography is shaded ASTER GDEM data. Ice surface area and volume are 970 km? and 241 km’, respectively. (B) Topographic profile, from ‘i’ to ‘ii’, across the Pekulney Mountains, showing the land surface, g_GM ELA trend surface and reconstructed ice surface (7.5x vertical exag- geration). The trend surface clearly indicates an increase in ELA from east to west, potentially reflecting a palaeoprecipitation gradient. Modern ELA (or snowline) in this region is virtually unknown, and estimates cannot be included here. This figure is available in colour at wileyonlinelibrary.com.
Figure 4. Histogram of gLGM ELA estimates (based on a BR of 1.8) for individual outlets of (A) the Pekulney Ice Field, (B) the Kankaren Mountains and (C) the Sredinny Ice Field.
Figure 5. Reconstruction of gLGM glaciers in the Kankaren Mountains. The ice surface contour interval is 100 m, and the dashed line indicates the division between northern and southern sectors. Also shown are end moraines (black), and indicators of inferred ice flow directions during some pre- gLGM phase of advance (black arrows). Land surface topography is shaded ASTER GDEM data. Ice surface area and volume are 215 km? and 31 km? respectively. This figure is available in colour at wileyonlinelibrary.com.
Figure 6. (A) Reconstruction of the Sredinny Ice Field during the gLGM. The ice surface contour interval is 100m. Also shown is a third-order polynomial trend surface, contoured at 100m intervals, depicting ELA (BR =1.8) across the mountains during the gLGM. End moraines are mapped as black polygons. Land surface topography is shaded SRTM DEM data. Ice surface area and volume are 57 363 km* and 22 147km?, respectively. The dashed line to the east of the Sredinny Mountains delimits the area where ice was reconstructed. Also shown is the gLGM shoreline, given a 125 m lowering of sea level relative to present. (B) Topographic profile, from ‘i’ to ‘ii’, along the Sredinny Mountains (following the dashed line), showing the land surface topography, gLGM ELA trend surface, individual g.GM ELA estimates for individual outlets to the west (filled dots) and east (hollow dots) of the Sredinny Ice field, and a trend surface depicting modern snowline altitudes from NSIDC (2009) (150x vertical exaggeration). This figure is available in colour at wileyonlinelibrary.com.
Table 1. Equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) of reconstructed gLGM ice masses in the Pekulney, Kankaren and Sredinny mountains. All ELA estimates are measured in metres above modern sea level.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Eemian landscape response to climatic shifts and evidence for northerly Neanderthal occupation at a palaeolake margin in northern Germany
by Hans von Suchodoletz and 
1 more
Sabine Dietel

2021, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

The prevailing view suggests that the Eemian interglacial on the European Plain was characterized by largely negligible geomorphic activity beyond the coastal areas. However, systematic geomorphological studies are sparse. Here we present... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Interaction of the South American Monsoon System and the Southern Westerly Wind Belt during the last 14 kyr
by Oscar E Romero
Surface currents and sediment distribution of the SE South American upper continental margin are under the influence of the South American Monsoon System (SAMS) and the Southern Westerly Wind Belt (SWWB). Both climatic systems determine... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Malvaceous wood from the Late Pleistocene El Palmar Formation of northeastern Argentina
by Daniela M I Kröhling
We describe a new species of Bastardiopsis, Bastardiopsis palaeodensiflora sp. nov., which is the first fossil Malvaceae wood reported in Argentina. It was collected from the Arroyo Yuquerí of El Palmar Formation, a late Quaternary... more
The El Palmar Formation is a sedimentary deposit formed by the Uruguay River, one of the largest river systems of South America, with its main development in the middle basin (28-33°S and 58°W). This Fig. 1. Location geographical map showing Arroyo Yuqueri fossil locality (start), situated c 15 km from the Concordia city, Entre Rios, Argentina.
a A ii leat aia MR al ad An additional InsideWood search used these features: 5p (wood dif- fuse-porous), 22p (intervessel pits alternate), 24p (minute pits), 30p Subsequently, we did another InsideWood search using: 5p (wood diffuse-porous), 22p (intervessel pits alternate), 26a (medium intervessel pits), 27a (large intervessel pits), 30p (vessel-ray pits with distinct borders), 42p (mean tangential diameter of vessels, 100-tum), 47p (5-20 vessels per mm7), 66p, 79p (axial parenchyma vasicentric), 89p, 92p (3-4 cells per parenchyma strand), 98p (large rays commonly
Plate III. Bastardiopsis palaeodensiflora sp. nov. Holotype CIDPALBO-MEG 124.
Key to abbreviations used: Axial parenchyma A = aliform, V = vasicentric, D = diffuse, C = confluent, B = banded, M = marginal, T = terminal. Storied in: R = rays, P = axial parenchyma, F = fibres, V = vessel elements. Prismatic crystals in R = rays, F = fibres. Comparison of Bastardiopsis palaeodensiflora sp. nov. to extant Bastardiopsis. (Data taken from Cozzo and Cristiani, 1950, Tortorelli, 1956 and Richter and Dallwitz, 200C
Comparison of Bastardiopsis palaeodensiflora sp. nov. with other fossil Malvaceae woods. (Data from Gevin et al., 1971; Wheeler and Manchester, 2002; Estrada-Ruiz et al., 2007; Rodriguez-Reyes et al., 2 Key to abbreviations used: Axial parenchyma: A = aliform, V = vasicentric, D = diffuse, C = confluent, B = banded, M = marginal, DA = diffuse-in-aggregates, P = paratracheal, S = scarce. Rays He = heterocellular, Ho = homocellular. Storied structure R = rays, P = axial parenchyma, F = fibres, V = vessel elements. Prismatic crystals occurrence: R = rays, P = axial parenchyma.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Late Pleistocene to recent climate change in Córdoba Province, Argentina: Geomorphological evidence
by Claudio Carignano

1999, Quaternary International

Repeated episodes of climate change affected the Córdoba Plains during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Many of the geomorphologic features of Córdoba Province were developed in response to climatic oscillations, and their development... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Termination-II interstadial/stadial climate change recorded in two stalagmites from the north European Alps
by Gina Moseley and 
1 more
Ronny Boch
Understanding the sequence of events that take place during glacial-interglacial climate transitions is important for improving our knowledge of abrupt climate change. Here, we present a new stacked, high-resolution, precisely-dated... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Formation of desert pavements and the interpretation of lithic-strewn landscapes of the central Sahara
by Jasper Knight
This study focuses on two different but interlinked lines of evidence that critically examine land surface processes contributing to the formation of desert pavements in the central Sahara. (1) Soil pedostratigraphies from the Messak... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Evolutionary history and colonization patterns of the wing dimorphic grasshopper Dichroplus vittatus in two Argentinean biomes
by Daniela M I Kröhling

2022, Scientific Reports

Quaternary climate oscillations and modification of the environment by humans have played an important role in shaping species distribution and genetic structure of modern species. Here, population genetic parameters were inferred from... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Chronostratigraphy, Site Formation, and Palaeoenvironmental Context of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Occupations at Grassridge Rock Shelter (Eastern Cape, South Africa
by Christopher Ames and 
3 more
Brian G Jones
Lisa Maher
Ben Collins

2020, Open Quaternary

Grassridge rock shelter is located in the high elevation grassland foothills of the Stormberg Mountains in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This places Grassridge at an important biogeoclimatic intersection between the Drakensberg... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Early–middle Holocene relative sea-level oscillation events recorded in a submerged speleothem from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
by Gina Moseley
Geomorphological and biological archives of relative sea-level change in the western North Atlantic-Caribbean region following the Last Glacial Maximum have traditionally supported the hypothesis of a punctuated rise towards the present... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Evolution of vegetation landscapes since the Late Mesolithic on the French West Atlantic coast
by Camille Joly-Delanoë

2009

This article presents a review of the data collected from the palynological analysis of six sites situated on the southern edge of the Armorican Massif (coastal Vendée, Western France). A multi and interdisciplinary approach, involving... more
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Provided for non-commercial research and education use. Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use.
Fig. 1. Location of the study area.
Synthetic table of the trend of the flandrian transgression for the France Middle-West
Radiocarbon dates, calibration according to Stuiver et al., 1998
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The theory of the Earth of the Barnabite cleric Ermenegildo Pini: a mostly unknown Italian catastrophist
by Marco Romano
At the turn of the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, Earth sciences were in a period of heated debates, with an arduous acquisition of basic principles for geology. Among the unresolved debates, was the wellknown between Neptunists... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Sedimentary record of the younger Saalian ice margin stagnation in eastern Poland: development of a regular pattern of glaciolacustrine kames
by Beata Gruszka
Glaciolacustrine kames in the Bielsk Podlaski area (eastern Poland) exhibit a unique regular pattern. Three representative morphological kame types were chosen for detailed sedimentological analyses, specifically: isolated, isometric... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sand-filled wedge structures and their alluvial host sediment from Jonzac, Southwest France
by Kathryn Fitzsimmons
"Two sand wedge structures and their host sediments, from Jonzac in SW France, were successfully dated using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) measurements on both small aliquots and single grains of quartz from the 180–212 mm size... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Fluvial-Lacustrine Pisolith Micronodules from the Roztoka Odrzańska, Odra River, NW Poland
by Łukasz Maciąg

2019, Geosciences

Small-sized ferruginous micronodules or pisolith nodules, frequently occurring in inland freshwater systems in moderate climate zones, are important indicators of groundwater level changes and early diagenetic processes, especially within... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
First fossil fish (Teleostei, Siluriformes) from the Late Pleistocene of Santa Fe Province, Argentina
by Raúl Vezzosi

2017, Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology

The record of fossil fish from the Pleistocene of Argentina is poor. Here we describe the first ichthyofauna from Late Pleistocene riverbank beds in the Salado River of Santa Fe Province, Argentina. The material consists of isolated... more
Fig. 1. Brazilian and Austral Subregions of the Neotropical Region in southern South America (modified from Arratia 1997), including a map of the Salado River area in Santa Fe Province.
Fig. 2. Outcrops in the river banks of the Salado River, showing the two units (fishes come from unit 1).
Fig. 3. Hypostomus sp. (MFA-PV 1542) proximal fragment of dorsal spine in lateral (A), medial (B), and anterior (C) views and details of articular region in medial view (D); proximal fragment of right pectoral spine (MFA-PV 1562) in dorsal (E), ventral (F), and medial (G) views. Hypostomus commersoni pectoral spine (H) modified from Bisbal & Gomez (1986). Abbreviations: ant. pr, anterior process; art.f, articular foramen; art.g, articular groove; d-pr, dorsal process; |.s, longitudinal sulcus; md.pr, medial process. Scale bars: 10 mm.
Fig. 4. Pterodoras granulosus (MFA-PV 1574) supraoccipital in dorsal (A), and ventral (B) views; left pectoral spine (MFA-PV 1568) in lateral (C), dorsal (D), medial (E), and ventral (F) views. Comparative material (MLP-V-P 22, 68) with details of articular region of pectoral spine in dorsal (G, J), medial (H, Kx), and ventral (I, L) views. Abbreviations: ant. pr, anterior process; art.g, articular groove; d.pr, dorsal process; m.pi, middle pitline; v.pr, ventral process. Scale bars: 10 mm.
Fig. 5. Pimelodus sp. cf. P. maculatus (MFA-PV 1575) left pectoral spine in dorsal view (A). Drawing of comparative material (A) in dor- sal (B), and ventral (C) views, and details of articular region in medial (D), anterior (E), and ventral (F) views. Abbreviations: ant. pr, ante- rior process; art.g, articular groove; d.pr, dorsal process; v.pr, ventral process. Scale bars: 10 mm.
Fig. 6. Pimelodus sp. cf. P. albicans (MFA-PV 1576) right pectoral spine in dorsal (A), medial (B), and ventral (C) views. Drawing of comparative material (MLP-V-P 18) in dorsal (D, F), anterior (E), and medial (G) views. Abbreviations: ant. pr, anterior process; art.g, articular groove; d.pr, dorsal process; v.pr, ventral process. Scale bars: 10 mm.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Paraglacial coasts: challenges for coastal conservation in the Anthropocene
by Jasper Knight
A challenge for coastal conservation over the next decades is to predict and then effectively manage the outcomes of ongoing climate change in the context of the Anthropocene. Paraglacial coasts are those on or adjacent to present or... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Lakes or wetlands? A comment on 'The middle Holocene climatic records from Arabia: Reassessing lacustrine environments, shift of ITCZ in Arabian Sea, and impacts of the southwest Indian and African monsoons' by Enzel et al
by Michael Petraglia and 
2 more
Ash Parton
Gareth Preston
Enzel et al. (2015) reassess sedimentary records of Early to Mid-Holocene lake sites in Arabia based on a reinter-pretation of published multiproxy data and a qualitative analysis of satellite imagery. The authors conclude that these... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Genesis of loess-like sediments and soils at the foothills of the Banat Mountains, Romania e Examples from the Paleolithic sites Românes¸ ti and Cos¸ ava
by Mircea Anghelinu and 
1 more
Valery Sitlivy
The Paleolithic sites Româneş ti and Coş ava, situated at the foothills of the Banat Mountains in Romania, provide an important testament of life of the first European modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) during Middle Pleniglacial. Even... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
The Equidae from Cooper's D, an early Pleistocene fossil locality in Gauteng, South Africa
by Prof. Shaw Badenhorst

2019, PeerJ

Cooper's D is a fossil locality in the Bloubank Valley close to other important sites such as Sterkfontein and Kromdraai in Gauteng, South Africa. The fossil deposits of Cooper's D date to 1.38 ± 0.11 Ma. Hominins like Paranthropus... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
A chironomid-based mean July temperature inference model from the south-east margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China
by James Shulmeister and 
1 more
Jie C Chang
Chironomid based calibration training sets comprised of 100 lakes from 16 southwestern China and a subset of 47 lakes from Yunnan Province were established. 17 Multivariate ordination analyses were used to investigate the relationship... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Relationships between primary productivity and bottom- water oxygenation off northwest Africa during the last deglaciation
by Oscar E Romero and 
1 more
Helena Filipsson
The upwelling region off northwest Africa is one of the most productive regions in the world ocean. This study details the response of surface- and deep-water environments off Mauritania, northwest Africa, to the rapid climate events of... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Tectonic and climatic controls on Quaternary fluvial processes and river terrace formation in a Mediterranean setting, the Göksu River, southern Turkey
by Nurcan Avşin
Climate and tectonics effect the fluvial evolution of the Mediterranean Mut basin. The basin contains a river terrace staircase of 16 levels (T16-T1) ranging from 365 to 10 m above the current Göksu River in its middle and lower sections.... more
Figure 1. (Color online) Location map of the study area.
Figure 3. (Color online) Dose-response and shine-down curves (the latter is inset) for a representative aliquot from sample GP-05.
Figure 4. (Color online) Terrace 16 (9-10 m) and its sedimentologic character around Koselerli, displaying in A—C matrix-supported, low- angle inclined-stratified (B and C), sandy and relatively fine-grained gravels and inclined-laminated sands (lithofacies 2). Some parts display tabular sets of matrix-supported, inclined-stratified (Gp) and trough-shaped cross-bedded (Gt), relatively fine gravels and sands (SI), or lens- shaped; horizontally laminated silt-clay (Fl, Fsm). Lens-shaped, crudely horizontally laminated silt-clay beds separate lithofacies 1 and 2. (D and E) illustrate lithofacies 1 with clast-supported, well-sorted, graded, crudely bedded (Gh), inclined-stratified (Gp), and trough-shaped cross- bedded (Gt), small to coarse gravels (diameter 1-20 cm).
Figure 5. (Color online) Equivalent dose distributions for all samples GPO1—GP10.
Figure 6. Distribution of the luminescence ages with error bars against Marine Isotope Stages after Cohen and Gibbard (2011), showing phases of aggradation since ca. 240 ka. These ages show that the fluvial aggradation started in the MIS 7 warm period and continued in the MIS 6 cold period.
Figure 7. (Color online) (A and B) The OSL sample locations of T16a and T16b around KGselerli.
Figure 8. (Color online) Relatively coarse-grained sediment aggradation of the present-day (Holocene) river reflects a wandering gravel-be river with longitudinal bar (B) and point bar (A).
“The equivalent dose used is the arithmetic mean of all equivalent doses obtained from accepted aliquots for each sample. Table 1. Details of equivalent dose (D,), concentrations of radioactive elements and age estimates for samples GP-01 to GP-10.*
Table 2. Altitudes of river terrace bases and thicknesses of river terrace deposits.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Multi-speleothem record reveals tightly coupled climate between central Europe and Greenland during Marine Isotope Stage 3
by Gina Moseley
(Open Access) The last glacial period was punctuated by abrupt, millennial-scale climate changes that contain useful information about the rate at which the climate can change from one state to another. Improvement in our knowledge of the... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Late Pleistocene fossils and the future distribution of Rana temporaria (Amphibia, Anura) along the Apennine Peninsula (Italy)
by Lorenzo Rook
Background: The effect of past climatic changes on the distribution of organisms is a fertile field of research that has been tackled in many different ways. Because the fossil record provides direct access to the chronological and... more
Figure 1 Current Italian distribution of the common frog and the location of the palaeontological sites. Current Italian distribution of the common frog, Rana temporaria (modified from Sindaco et al. 2006) and location of the palaeontological sites that yielded fossils of this taxon. Note that the Grotta di Equi opens on the slopes of a Tuscan massif, the Apuan Alps, where now the common frog is extinct and that the elevation of the cave is about 300 m lower than the current lower range of the common frog in Tuscany. Italian Pleistocene localities with ascertained presence of the common frog: 1) Grotta di Equi (MS); 2) Grotta della Volpe, Val D'Avesa (VR) + Grotta di Veja (A), S. Anna d’Alfaedo (VR) + Grotta della Fata Nana, Bosco Chiesanuova (VR) + Valdiporro, Bosco Chiesanuova (VR) + Cengelle 1, Monte Tondo, Soave (VR); 3) Grotta Generosa, San Fedele d’Intelvi (CO).
Figure 3 Bufo bufo Linnaeus, 1758 from the Grotta di Equi. Right humerus IGF 8574 V in dorsal (a) and ventral (b) views; left ilium IGF 8573 V in lateral view (c). Scale bars equal 5 mm. acet, acetabulum; acet.bor, acetabular margin; e.cap, eminentia capitata; e.rad, epicondylus radialis; e.ul, epicondylus ulnaris; tub.sup, tuber superior; vex, pars cylindriformis.
Figure 2 cf. Salamandra salamandra Linnaeus, 1758 from the Grotta di Equi. Caudal vertebra (US39/001) in dorsal (a), ventral (b), anterior (c), and left lateral (d) views. Scale bar equals 1 mm. h.ar, haemal arch; n.sp, neural spine; pr.tr, processus trasversus; prezyg, prezygapophyses.
Figure 4 Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758 from the Grotta di Equi. Right angulosplenial IGF 8588 V in dorsal view (a); female right humerus IGF 8492 V in dorsal (b) and ventral (¢) views; male right humerus IGF 8290 V in dorsal (d) and ventral (e) views; right ilium IGF 8316 V in lateral (f), medial (g), and posterior (h) views. Scale bars equal 5 mm. acet, acetabulum; acet.bor, acetabular margin; cr.dors, crista dorsalis; crlat, crista lateralis; cr.med, crista medialis; cr.ven, crista ventralis; e.cap, eminentia capitata; e.rad, epicondylus radialis; e.ul, epicondylus ulnaris; vex, pars cylindriformis.
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Late Quaternary glaciations in Far NE Russia; combining moraines, topography and chronology to assess regional and global glaciation synchrony
by Iestyn Barr

2012, Quaternary Science Reviews

During various periods of Late Quaternary glaciation, small ice-sheets, -caps, -fields and valley glaciers, occupied the mountains and uplands of Far NE Russia (including the Verkhoyansk, Suntar-Khayata, and Chersky Mountains; the... more
figure 4. Land-surface hypsometry (area with altitude), and slope-elevation profiles for th lifferent regions of Far NE Russia; plotted alongside moraine density-with-altitude for eacl of these regions (shaded bars correspond to piedmont moraines, see section 6.5.2). Data ar yrouped into 25 m altitude bins. The horizontal dashed lines correspond to the hypsometri naxima (the altitudes at which the highest proportion of land surface area is found) for eacl ‘egion. These hypsometric maxima vary from region-to-region, and appear to correspon with moraine density maxima (horizontal dotted lines). This image highlights the relationshi etween moraine distribution and regional topography (note how the moraines mostly follov he shape and position of the hypsometric curve).
Figure 5. (a) Region (in black) of Far NE Russia lying within the limits of mapped moraines and/or characterised by a glacially-eroded landscape (u-shaped valleys), and interpreted as the Quaternary maximum extent .(b) A chronologically- and geomorphologically- constrained reconstruction of glaciation across Far NE Russia during the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM)(area shown in black). (c) LGM ice extent in Far NE Russia, as depicted by Zamoruyev (2004). (d) Approximate LGM ice extent in Far NE Russia, as depicted by Velichko et al (1984) (image redrawn from original publication).
constrain former ice-margin positions (see table 2). The shaded grey area reflects the maximum extent of glaciation recorded by the moraine record in each region. It is apparent,
Figure 8. Moraines (black) mapped within (a) the Djanushka valley and (b) Tumara River valley, in the SW sector of the Verkhoyansk Mountains. Coloured lines reflect the extent of glaciation at various periods during the past ~140 ka. Margins are constrained by published age-estimates (from Stauch et al., 2007; Zech et al., 2011). Dated sites are shown as white dots with associated sample labels (see table 2 for details). See figure 1 for site locations.
Figure 14. (a) Piedmont glaciers upon Axel Heiberg Island, Arctic Canada (b) Piedmont moraine (marked with arrows) in southern Kamchatka. See figure 1 for location of moraine
Table 2. Database of published age-estimates, used to constrain former ice extent in Far NE Russia. All radiocarbon ages are calibrated using the IntCalo9 Curve (Reimer et al 2009).
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload
Last interglacial vegetation and climate history from the Portuguese coast
by Jonathan Haws
We examine the Atlantic maritime vegetation history from Praia Rei Cortic¸o, Portugal, to understand natural vegetation patterns and infer climatic conditions during the transition from the last interglacial to early glacial periods.... more
descriptionView Paperarrow_downwardDownload

Related Topics

  • Quaternary geochronology
  • Geoscience Education
  • Quaternary palaeontology
  • Quaternary Geology
  • Palaeoenvironment
  • Quaternary Geoarchaeology
  • Hominin evolution
  • Enhanced Oil Recovery
  • Evolution of Religion
  • Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene
    • Download research papers for free!
    580 California St., Suite 400
    San Francisco, CA, 94104