Coastal Caves Research Articles

Coastal Artifacts Suggest Early Beginnings for Modern Behavior

ARCHAEOLOGYAn international team of researchers reports in this week's issue of Nature that artifacts found in a coastal cave indicate that some key elements of modern human behavior were in place by 164,000 years ago, pushing back the appearance of some of these activities by 25,000 to 40,000 years.

Activity Patterns of the Mediterranean Monk Seal (<I>Monachus monachus</I>) in the Archipelago of Madeira

Activity patterns of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) were examined in the Desertas Islands Nature Reserve in the archipelago of Madeira. Activity of seals at sea was recorded from 25 lookout sites positioned along the reserve’s coastline and correlated to site location, season, time of day, and state of tide. From 1994 to 2005, monk seal activity, related mainly to the reproductive behaviour of the species, was recorded primarily at the three pupping sites within the reserve. Activity was influenced by site location, season, and state of tide but not by the time of day. Activity was highest during the autumn and winter months and was related to the pupping and post-parturition necessities of the species, and during high tide, when the incoming action of the sea led monk seals to move out of coastal caves, which are used for resting and breeding. Differences in activity among the three sites monitored were attributed to the level of protection offered by these locations against wind and wave action. The findings of this study, the most extensive study of its kind, have enabled the identification of priority research, and conservation actions for the species in the area.

Considerations on the potential use of cliffs and caves by the extinct endemic late pleistocene hippopotami and elephants of Cyprus

Most of the fossil mammal sites on Cyprus, as well as on other Mediterranean islands, consist of large quantities of bones found in caves. Of 32 sites with Phanourios minutus and 21 with Elephas cypriotes on Cyprus, 19 were located in caves, two in rock-shelters, and 11 at open-air sites. Fifteen of them were littoral, four coastal, and 13 inland. The purpose of this paper is to examine possible reasons why Phanourios and Elephas remains accumulated mainly in littoral and coastal caves. Based on an analysis of the behavior exhibited by living hippopotami and elephants, we assume that the extinct large mammals of Cyprus entered these caves in search of fresh water and to protect themselves from the heat in the cool and moist cave environment. A further reason may have been that these mammals entered the caves seeking mineral licks to rectify possible mineral deficiencies, to bind secondary plant compounds such as tannins, or to counteract acidosis. By entering caves, or even passing along narrow paths through cliffs, they were at risk of becoming trapped in natural traps, such as caves with their openings facing upwards, sinkholes, and mire traps. There is no evidence that Phanourios and Elephas remains were accumulated by natural predators because on the island there were no predators large enough to carry such large mammals. The only exception are the remains in the Akrotiri Aetokremnos rock shelter on the Akrotiri peninsula, where there is evidence that the 218,459 Phanourios and 330 Elephas remains were accumulated by the first human settlers of Cyprus, about 10,000 years BP.

Eogenetic karst, glacioeustatic cave pools and anchialine environments on Mallorca Island: a discussion of coastal speleogenesis

Eogenetic karst, glacioeustatic cave pools and anchialine environments on Mallorca Island: a discussion of coastal speleogenesis

PUPPING HABITAT USE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN MONK SEAL: A LONG‐TERM STUDY

AbstractThe Mediterranean monk seal gives birth almost exclusively in coastal caves. Given its critical conservation status, the identification and protection of such sites is important for the survival of the species. From 1990 to 2004 we collected data on physical and environmental variables and monitored pupping events in thirty‐four coastal caves in Greece. We modeled the probability of cave occupancy as a function of the properties of each cave. Model selection and model averaging enabled us to rank the variables that influenced use of potential pupping sites. Environmental variables related to cave seclusion, substrate, and degree of protection from wind and wave action were the most important among them. The relative importance and directions of these relationships confirm the long‐standing assumption that Mediterranean monk seals require sheltered pupping sites, far from sources of human disturbance and thus are progressively limited to isolated parts of the country's coastline. We used cross‐validation to examine the predictive ability of our analysis and quantified the sensitivity of our predictions to the degree of extrapolation. We conclude that, although more data are required, the model is capable of predicting occupancy for caves close to the middle of the environmental space examined in this study.

What arthropod brains say about arthropod phylogeny.

What can we learn from the brain of a single member of a species? If the brain is that of a remipede, the focus of a report by Fanenbruck et al. (1) in this issue of PNAS, the answer is something new about arthropod phylogeny. The Remipedia, discovered in 1979, are crustaceans found deep in the waters of coastal caves (2, 3). To date, twelve species of remipedes are known: one from a single cave in Western Australia and the others from the Caribbean. The remipede body is divided into a head and an elongated trunk with up to 32 segments. The trunk segments feature paddle-like appendages that give the taxon its name (“oar feet”). Remipedes show adaptations to life in darkness, including the absence of pigmentation and eyes, but like other crustaceans they have two pairs of antennae. The evolutionary history of these rare arthropods is uncertain. In their study of the brain of Godzilliognomus frondosus , Fanenbruck et al . (1) provide a fresh look at remipede phylogeny. Their neuroanatomical studies suggest that the Remipedia are most likely part of a larger clade that includes the Malacostraca and the Hexapoda, two arthropod groups well known for their complex brains. This result is surprising because, at first inspection, the simplicity of the remipede body plan suggests that this group provides a glimpse of untagmatized ancestors with numerous unspecialized appendages and should be placed in a basal position in the crustacean lineage (4). This view, based on gross morphology, is contradicted by molecular analyses suggesting that the remipedes are a sister group to the hexapods (six-legged arthropods, including insects) (5, 6). These studies were based on comparisons of sequences for RNA polymerase II and elongation factors 1 and 2. The results not only elevated the Remipedia from a …

Radiocarbon Dates from the Oxford Ams System: Archaeometry Datelist 31

Radiocarbon Dates from the Oxford Ams System: <i>Archaeometry</i> Datelist 31

Sea-level during the penultimate interglacial period based on a submerged stalagmite from Argentarola Cave (Italy)

Accurate constraints are presented for the absolute age, duration and sea-level for the highstand corresponding to marine isotope stage (MIS) 7.1. Our work is based on a stalagmite collected in a currently submerged cave from Italy (Argentarola Cave). Flooding of this coastal cave is clearly marked within the stalagmite by a thick marine overgrowth of serpulid worms. Precise uranium–thorium (U–Th) ages measured by thermal ionization mass spectrometry suggest that the stalagmite growth varied in phase with climate during MIS 7.2 and MIS 6, the penultimate glacial period. In addition, the period of marine transgression is bracketed between 202 and 190 kyr BP, defining a MIS 7.1 duration of 11±2 kyr. Comparison with previous studies provides a new constraint on the sea-level during MIS 7.1 that has approximately remained between −18 and −9 m relative to present sea-level. The timing of the MIS 7.1 highstand is in full agreement with the SPECMAP chronology which contrasts with the growing body of evidence showing a significant phase difference for MIS 5.5. A tempting conclusion is that second order sea-level highstands such as MIS 7.1 may be purely driven by astronomical changes, in contrast with major terminations such as Termination II. Atmospheric CO 2 levels may partly explain this contrast since the two sea-level transitions, (MIS 7.2–7.1 and MIS 6–5.5) are characterized by very different CO 2 rises (20 vs 100 ppm).

Late Pleistocene Paleoclimates and sea-level change in the Mediterranean as inferred from stable isotope and U-series studies of overgrowths on speleothems, Mallorca, Spain

Phreatic overgrowths on speleothems form at the surface of brackish pools which are present in many coastal caves of Mallorca (Spain). Unlike common vadose speleothems formed in subaerial environments, their occurrence directly identifies the height of the sea level at the time of the carbonate deposition, because such pools are physically connected with the sea. These deposits from the Late Pleistocene have recorded the same global variations in oxygen isotopes as planktonic and benthonic foraminifera, corals and cave deposits. A number of phreatic overgrowths on speleothems have been dated using the Th/U method in order to determine the position of the sea level during Late Quaternary. The same samples, as well as some subaerial speleothems, have been analysed for 18 O/ 16 O and 13 C/ 12 C ratios. The former samples allow the analysis of variations in sea water component in the brackish pools associated with glacio-eustatic Mediterranean fluctuations, and the latter permit inferences concerning past continental climate changes. Some high sea-stands have been recognized in correspondence with Oxygen Isotope Stages (OIS): 9 or older, 7, 5e, 5c and 5a. Phreatic overgrowths on speleothems have also been formed during a colder phase (OIS 4), demonstrating that also in that period there were environmental conditions favourable for this kind of carbonate precipitation. Vadose crystallizations have recorded a cold period at 36 ka, corresponding with the end of OIS 3.

The Cyrenaican Prehistory Project 2008: the second season of investigations of the Haua Fteah cave and its landscape, and further results from the initial (2007) fieldwork

AbstractThe second (2008) season of fieldwork of the Cyrenaican Prehistory Project has significantly advanced understanding of the Haua Fteah stratigraphy and of the archaeology and geomorphology of the landscape in which the cave is located. The excavations of the McBurney backfill have reached a total depth of 7.5 m below the present ground surface, the depth at which two human mandibles were found in the 1950s excavations. Reconnaissance at the Hagfet ed-Dabba established that the sediments associated with the Upper Palaeolithic ‘Dabban’ industry were more or less entirely removed by the McBurney excavation. Exploratory excavations in the Hagfet al-Gama, a coastal cave west of the Haua Fteah, found evidence of Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Hellenistic occupation. The initial results from the study of botanical remains, both macroscopic and microscopic, obtained in the 2007 season at the Haua Fteah confirm the potential of the site to yield a rich suite of materials to inform on climatic and environmental change, and on human activities in the cave.

Micromorphology and site formation at Die Kelders Cave I, South Africa

The deposits of Die Kelders I were previously described and studied by Tankard & Schweitzer (1974, 1976) from the standpoint of classical granulometric analysis of sand from a coastal cave in order to infer the geological history of the cave and its environs. This paper supplements these earlier works by taking a more holistic approach toward site formation processes by including investigation of the biogenic and anthropogenic influences on the cave deposits and history. The study employs the technique of soil micromorphology, which is the study of resin-impregnated, undisturbed blocks of sediment and petrographic thin sections, in which sediments from all areas of the cave were examined. The study showed that diagenesis of the deposits in the eastern areas of the excavation resulted in decalcification, which in turn brought about slumping and compaction. Equivalent stratigraphic layers exposed in the western and central areas were only mildly decalcified and consequently, these sediments contain limestone rock fall and relatively abundant marine and terrestrial mollusks, the latter not dissimilar to the Late Stone Age (LSA) midden which covers these deposits. Thus, in spite of lowered and more distant shorelines, marine resources were exploited during Middle Stone Age (MSA) times. Observations from these calcareous units also clearly demonstrates that previously recognized “occupational horizons” (e.g. Layers 6, 8 and 10) can be resolved micromorphologically into several ephemeral events, such as burning/fire, redistribution of ashes by wind and water, and non-deposition; the latter is shown by phosphatic alteration of sediments exposed on former surfaces and accumulation of guano, or the presence of millimeter-thick truncation surfaces below which aeolian dust infiltrated. Both field and microscopic observations illustrate that the deposits in caves are highly variable from wall to center, and that excavations should not be localized in just one microenvironment of the cave site.

High‐resolution paleomagnetic correlation of Middle Weichselian ice‐dammed lake sediments in two coastal caves, western Norway

Olahola is a wavecut cave positioned well above the postglacial marine limit. The sediment sequence in the cave can be litho‐ and magnetostratigraphically correlated with the sequence in the Skjonghelleren cave, 36 km northeast of this locality. Three boulder formations in Olahola represent three ice‐free periods (including the Holocene) and two formations of laminated clay represent periods of ice‐cover. Paleomagnetic excursions in the laminated clays have been correlated with the Lake Mungo/Mono Lake excursion (28 ka), and with the Laschamp excursion (43 ka), but the resolution of these events is much better in the caves than anywhere else. The paleomagnetic records from Skjonghelleren and Olahola suggest that during the Laschamp excursion at least 0.75–1 m of sediment accumulated in Skjonghelleren before sedimentation started in Olahola, indicating also an earlier ice coverage at Skjonghelleren.

Stygobitic Isopods of East Africa

BIOGEOGRAPHIA — vol. X/V - 1988 (Pubblicato il 31 dicembre 1990) The Biogeography of Somalia Stygobitic Isopods of East Africa(qq’) GIUSEPPE MESSANA llC€7ZL‘7‘0 dz’ Studio per [:2 Fczzmz&#39;rtzqca ed Ecologia Tr0pz&#39;caZz&#39;», via Roma/zcz 17, 50125, Florence Italy SUMMARY In Africa, and in East Africa in particular, freshwater isopods are exclusively subterranean. The fauna of subterranean waters from this region, although not as rich and varied in isopod species as temperate areas, includes a good number of strictly stygobitic isopods from karst environments, no riverine in- terstitial species, and is well represented by marine interstitial forms. From the beginning of the century to date, 6 species of 2 genera of the family Stenasellidae, S!8)Ztl5€f- Zn: and Am/zt/Jmrteizaselli/r, and 3 species of 2 genera of Cirolanidae, Skotobae/Ia and Haproltmtz, have been discovered in the karst environment of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Marine interstitial isopods are represented by 2 species, one from the family Microcerberidae and the other from the Janiropsidae. Stygophilic and stygoxene isopods are completely absent from continental waters, and are present only in some coastal caves of Kenya with one cirolanid species of the \videly distributed marine genus A/z/22&#39;/M. The author discusses the present distribution of the isopod families Cirolanidae and Stenasellidae in the subterranean waters of East Africa and offers some considerations on the colonization and zooge- ographic connections with isopods from other regions. The presence of species of Stenasellidae which have undergone a different morphological evolution from the other species of the family in the region is explained by the presence of stygobic fishes living in the same phreatic layer. The cohabitation of cirola— nids and stenasellids in the same localities, together with a distribution which matches the coast-line of ancient seas, leads to the hypothesis of a simultaneous invasion of subterranean waters directly from the sea, In tropical Africa, particularly in the eastern areas, aquatic isopods occur exclusively in subterranean waters. The limited amount of information on isopods from superficial waters all refers to marine isopods, usually sphaero— matids (e.g. Dymmzeizellcz) which ascend the River Congo estuary (Brian & Dartevelle, 1949), and to cymothoids of the genera Ic/at/yyoxemzs and Lz&#39;r071e— ca, both parasites of characid and cichlid fish (Fryer, 1956; Trilles, 1976, 1979; Avdeev, 1984), but nothing exists on fresh water, free—living forms. This situation seems to be the rule for most tropical regions. Moreover, the few limnic species to be found in temperate regions can almost be consid- ered as accidental, restricted as they are to a few genera of Asellidae in Europe and North America, and to a few reported species of the Janiridae family in South America and South Africa (Bowman et al., 1987; Grindley, 1963). ~ (*1) Pubblicazioni del «Centro di Studio per la Faunistica ed Ecologia Tropicali» clel Consiglio Nazio~ nale delle Ricerche. 113

High-precision mass-spectrometric uranium-series dating of cave deposits and implications for palaeoclimate studies

CALCITE deposits in caves, known as speleothem, can provide valuable palaeoenvironmental information1–4. In particular, because speleothem are deposited only in air-filled caves, gaps in deposition in coastal caves record high-stands of sea level. Here we report the use of isotope-dilution mass spectrometry to date speleothem by the uranium-series method. The use of mass spectrometry in uranium-series dating was first applied to corals5, and has greatly improved the precision of this dating method. The speleothem dated here—a flowstone from 15 m below modern sea level in a Bahamian cave—records changes in sea level over the past 280,000 years. The dated hiatuses in deposition indicate high sea-level stands that are in general agreement with data from deep-sea oxygen isotope stratigraphy6 and other estimates for the timing of high-stands and glacial minima1–3,7.

Last interglacial sea levels and coastal caves in the Cape Province, south Africa

The dating of the 6 to 8-m shoreline in southern Africa as early Pleistocene prompted a reassessment of evidence from archaeological cave sites on the south coast of the Cape Province which had suggested that this shoreline is of last interglacial age. The successions in the caves at Klasies River Mouth and Die Kelders have been misinterpreted. In fact, they confirm a pre-last interglacial age for this feature. These sites, together with Herolds Bay Cave, indicate that in southern Africa the only last interglacial shoreline above present sea level is at about 4 m, and that it dates from isotope substage 5e.

History of sea arches and remnant stacks of La Jolla, California, and their bearing on similar features elsewhere

In the past there has been little attempt made to describe and explain the various types of sea arches that are found along the coasts of the world. Since we have some good examples of arches, shown in old photographs around the Point La Jolla area in southern California, it is desirable to consider the history of these arches as a model for a theoretical study of arches found elsewhere. Using the excellent compilation of photographs of the previous one hundred years, we have been able to make reasonable explanations for these La Jolla arches and have found that they were formed partly as the result of exposure of an irregular coastline due to block-fault uplift of quite recent date. However, a somewhat different cause has accounted for the development of each case, as opposed to any one process such as the cutting on two sides of a projecting point, as suggested by Johnson (1925, 1938) for several arches. The only arch still intact in the La Jolla area is apparently the result of the submergence of the west end of a series of coastal caves where an embayment due to land and sea erosion intersected the cave at its head. Large southerly storms in the early 19th century may account for the undercutting of emergent hogbacks (Dana, 1969), and elsewhere surge channels cutting under hard layers in soft material have played a role in the formation of arches, but only one example of erosion on two sides of a point is indicated. Comparing our information from Point La Jolla to arches in other areas we find that there are several examples where projecting points of land indicate recent diastrophism and arches are developed which are similar to those at La Jolla, but we know little about them. We agree with Johnson that many arches have been the result of wave erosion on the two sides of projecting points. Probably an equal number have formed as the result of surge channels where currents have penetrated weak layers capped by more resistant formations. Although we have no good examples, we feel sure that some arches are largely the result of exposure of both ends of solution caverns.

Four new genera of Mesoveliidae (Hemiptera, Gerromorpha) and the phylogeny and classification of the family

AbstractCryptovelia terrestris n. gen., n. sp. (Brazil), Darwinivelia fosteri n. gen., n. sp. (Galapagos Is.), Mniovelia kuscheli n. gen., n. sp. (New Zealand), and Cavaticovelia n. gen. (type-species: Speovelia aaa Gagné &amp; Howarth, 1975; Hawaii) are described. The phylogenetic relationships between the mesoveliid genera are discussed in the light of characters revealed by the new taxa. Habitat preferences of mesoveliids include humid terrestrial and/or marginal aquatic habitats, which probably are the most ancestral, and lava-tubes, coastal caves, intertidal marine habitats, and the plant-covered freshwater surface, which probably are the derived kinds of habitats. A classification of the Mesoveliidae with a check list of genera and species is presented. Two subfamilies are recognized: Madeoveliinae (with two genera) and Mesoveliinae (seven genera). The biogeography of the Mesoveliidae is finally discussed.

Application of holocene geological data for siting coastal nuclear power plants: An example from Puerto Rico

Geological and geophysical investigations for a nuclear power plant (NORCO) on the north-central coast of Puerto Rico indicate that the proposed site is structurally suitable and free of late Quaternary faults. However, conflicting interpretation of erosional geomorphic features, primarily nips, terraces and caves cut in coastal eolianities and jointed Tertiary carbonates a few to 10 m above sea level, suggest the possibility of non-fault related epeirogeny as young as Holocene in age. Seven peat samples cored from Cienaga Tiburones, a coastal marsh within the site area, and three wood samples from near-coast fluvial sediments at Arecibo and San Juan, yielded radiocarbon dates ranging in age from about 1,200 to 8,700 years BP. The age and depth associations of these dated sediments fall within or slightly below an envelope defining the maximum oscillatory points of 15 world-wide, Holocene sea level curves. The relationship of the Puerto Rico and world-wide curves suggests no measurable epeirogenic uplift of the north-central coast for at least the last 10,000 years. Coastal caves and terraces above present sea level thus owe their origin to pre-Holocene high stands, or to cave collapse, storm surge, and other modern processes capable of producing erosional features above present tidal range. The analysis of Holocene geological data for north-central Puerto Rico may be a useful technique applicable for siting coastal nuclear power plants elsewhere in the world.

Early Occurrence of Domestic Sheep in Sub-Saharan Africa

RECENT excavations by the South African Museum at a coastal cave situated at Die Kelders some 100 miles east of Cape Town have revealed the earliest definite sheep remains in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Radiocarbon Date for Two Painted Stones from a Coastal Cave in South Africa

THE mountains of the coastal regions of South Africa and parts of the interior contain hundreds of caves and rock shelters with prehistoric rock paintings (for distribution, see ref. 1). Although many have been documented by tracings and many have been published, little is known of the artists and none has been accurately dated. Early indigenous populations allied to the Bushmen and Hottentots are assumed to have been responsible for most of the paintings.