Evolution Of Asia Research Articles

A Newly Dated Late Pleistocene and Holocene Archaeological Assemblage from Bukhtarma Cave in the Southern Altai Piedmont, East Kazakhstan

The Altai mountains contain a number of cave and rockshelter sites that have given crucial information about human evolution in Asia. Most of these caves are located in the Gornyi Altai of Siberia, while the southern flank of the range remains much less known. Bukhtarma Cave was a karstic cave located near the former village of Peshchera, on the banks of the Bukhtarma River running through the foothills of the southern (Kazakh) Altai mountains. The Soviet East Kazakhstan Archaeological Expedition carried several excavation campaigns in the cave in the early to mid 1950s, discovering Paleolithic stone tools as well as animal bones. The collections were split between the East Kazakhstan Regional Museum of Local History in Öskemen (the lithic and part of the faunal collection) and the Zoological Institute in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) (most of the fauna). Subsequently, the site was flooded by the construction of the Bukhtarma Reservoir in 1958, such that further fieldwork is impossible. However, in 2020, we reanalyzed the zooarchaeological collections and obtained several 14C dates. Based on the excavation documentation and the newly obtained dates exclusively taken from cut marked and carnivore-modified bone, we reconstruct at least three Paleolithic archaeological horizons, spanning the time between ca. 47–30 ka cal BP and exhibiting Middle and Upper Paleolithic characteristics, as well as the remains of several Holocene occupations, the latest of which dates to the Bronze Age. We present here a summary of the lithic and faunal assemblage and draw general conclusions about the site’s placement within the regional Paleolithic.

Stable isotope revealed hydroclimate transition and topography growth in the Northern Tibetan Plateau at ∼ 10 Ma

The Middle to Late Miocene uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau had been revealed in a large amount of studies, however, its effects on hydrological and climatic evolution in Asia remains unclear due to the lack of well dated direct hydrological records in this region. Here, we report a carbonate oxygen isotope record (δ18Oc) from the western Qaidam Basin, and compare it with the δ18Oc records of five different basins in the Northern Tibetan Plateau. These data reconstruct the hydroclimatic evolution in this region and show a divergence of δ18Oc variation pattern in different basins at ∼11.5–8.5 Ma, which is different with a consistent evolution pattern of them before and after this time interval. This divergence is characterized by a significant decrease of δ18Oc in the windward locations while an increase in the leeward locations. This δ18Oc divergence was decoupling with the concurrent stable global climate, but consistent with the contemporaneous uplift of the northern Tibetan plateau. This suggests a possible link between δ18Oc divergence and topographic growth, which is further supported by a ∼ 1000 m paleoelevation increase revealed by our δ18Oc paleoelevation reconstruction. We suggest that the topography growth of the northern Tibetan Plateau especially the surrounding mountains would have facilitated water vapor transport to the windward regions, resulting in isotopic depletion in the water vapor masses. Whilst, a blocking of water vapor masses would induce aridity and increased evaporation in the leeward slopes, thus enriching heavy isotopes in precipitation there. This study corroborates the extensive uplift of the Northern Tibetan Plateau during ∼11.5–8.5 Ma from an isotopic perspective. A comparison of the obtained δ18Oc records with modern ones further suggests an establishment of modern hydroclimatic patterns in northern Tibetan Plateau at ∼8.5 Ma.

Landform evolution in Asia during the Cenozoic revealed by formation of drainages of Wei River and Indus River

Formation and evolution of the Asian landform was determined by growth of the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau and evolution of the Asian monsoon climate during the Cenozoic period. In this process, mountain building and degradation, and river drainage reorganization are the most obvious results. On the other hand, developments of large scale drainages preserved in related basin sediments are direct records of evolution of Asian landforms. In this study, we use thick fluvial-lacustrine sediments in the Weihe Basin near the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sediment cores from Arabian Sea adjacent to the southwest Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau, to reconstruct erosion processes of the Himalaya-Karakorum and Qinling Mountains and infilling history of the Weihe Basin and northern Arabian Sea during the Cenozoic. Based on independent stratigraphic chronology and source-to-sink analyses, our results show that the large drainages of the Wei River and the Indus River were established at an upper limit of time by middle Eocene. Since the formation of these large drainages is mainly determined by topography and precipitation/runoff, we deduce that key parts of Asian landform such as southwestern/western Tibetan Plateau and Qinling Mountains had grown to a significant elevation to form the proto-Indus and proto-Wei rivers catchment. The modern-analogue Asian topography was established at least by the middle Eocene. Our new results support an early origin of the Asian landforms as responses to the collision of Indian and Eurasian plates and erosion by the Asian hydrology processes.

Formation and evolution of the Asian landscape during the Cenozoic

<p>Asia has a unique set of landscapes, notably characterized by the highest plateau in the world, the strongest monsoon circulation, and an immense arid region. When and how this landscape was formed have long been investigated, but explanations remain elusive. In this paper, through a synthesis of both terrestrial and marginal marine sedimentary records and numerical simulation analyses, we propose that tectonic uplift/deformation and global cooling during the Cenozoic have controlled the evolution of Asian topography and climate, respectively, and, the Asian landscape. The Asian landscape has undergone three main stages of evolution, <i>viz</i>: development of low-relief topography and warm-dry climate during the Eocene (~50-34 Ma); emergence of high relief topography in the southwest, along with a diverse range of landforms elsewhere, associated with a warm monsoon-arid climate coupling system during the Oligocene to early Pliocene (34-3.0 Ma); and development of the typical Asian summer and winter monsoon circulation and present landscape since the late Pliocene, accompanied by significant global cooling. Our analyses reveal that the distribution of river catchments, flora, fauna and soils are controlled by tectonic uplift/deformation and palaeoclimate changes. Stepwise evolution of the Asian landscape since ~50 Ma was driven by tectonic deformation and global temperature changes, each of which may play different role(s) in landscape evolution. For instance, the India-Asia collision played a vital role in the formation of the Asian topographic configuration in the middle Eocene, which generated regional atmospheric circulation. On the other hand, global cooling during the late Pliocene played an important role in generating the modern-like Asian landscape including the rapid accumulation of loess deposits, strengthening of the Asian monsoon circulation, and the evolution of modern topography. To summarize, we broadly propose a three-stage history of landscape evolution in Asia during the Cenozoic. The detailed processes of Asian landscape evolution and the specific roles of tectonism and global temperature in controlling Asian landscapes and palaeoclimate evolution need to be further investigated.</p>

Tectonic and Climatic Impacts on Environmental Evolution in East Asia During the Palaeogene

AbstractPalaeogene environmental evolution in East Asia remains ambiguous. Here we present integrative work including magnetostratigraphy, grain‐size, geochemistry, and clay mineralalogy from a 1609 m‐thick fluviolacustrine sequence in eastern China. The results reveal two periods of tectonic control alternating with three periods of climatic control on the sedimentary evolution. Tectonic activity in the study area, as revealed by particle coarsening and reduced weathering, occurred during 65.6–59 Ma and strengthened in Asia during 55–54 Ma in response to the India‐Eurasia collision. Weathering gradually enhanced in East Asia during 59–55 Ma, probably caused by global warming. Continuous global warming during 54–50.5 Ma is responsible for enhanced aridification in East Asia. From 50.5 to 37.6 Ma, global cooling weakened evapotranspiration and increased westerlies‐derived moisture. Both aspects increased effective moisture and chemical weathering in East Asia. These results shed light on how alternating tectonism and climate change impacted environmental evolution in Asia during the Palaeogene.

Human Evolution in Asia: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

We review the state of paleoanthropology research in Asia. We survey the fossil record, articulate the current understanding, and delineate the points of contention. Although Asia received less attention than Europe and Africa did in the second half of the twentieth century, an increase in reliably dated fossil materials and the advances in genetics have fueled new research. The long and complex evolutionary history of humans in Asia throughout the Pleistocene can be explained by a balance of mechanisms, between gene flow among different populations and continuity of regional ancestry. This pattern is reflected in fossil morphology and paleogenomics. Critical understanding of the sociocultural forces that shaped the history of hominin fossil research in Asia is important in charting the way forward.

Mantle Evolution of Asia Inferred from Pb Isotopic Signatures of Sources for Late Phanerozoic Volcanic Rocks

We present a systematic study of Pb isotope ages obtained from sources of the late Phanerozoic volcanic rocks from unstable Asia and also volcanic rocks and kimberlites from stable regions of the Siberian and Indian paleocontinents. In the mantle sources, we have recorded events of the Early, Middle, and Late epochs of the Earth’s evolution. Evidence on the Early epoch are preserved in sources of the protolithosphere and viscous lower protomantle likely generated from the Hadean magma ocean about 4.51 and 4.44 Ga and in sources of the viscous upper mantle that acquired low µ and elevated µ (LOMU and ELMU) signatures in the early Archean (4.0–3.7 Ga). The Middle and Late epochs are denoted by sources of the viscous upper mantle that was generated, respectively, in the late Archean-Paleoproterozoic (2.9–2.6 Ga and 2.0–1.8 Ga) and in the Neoproterozoic-late Phanerozoic (0.7–0.6 Ga and < 0.25 Ga). Our results show the specific role of the mantle beneath unstable Asia in terms of globally varied µ signatures and the same mantle epochs in sources of the late Phanerozoic volcanic rocks and kimberlites from stable regions of the Siberian and Indian paleocontinents, but with high μ (HIMU) signatures that are distributed worldwide and explained by sulfide sequestration of Pb from the mantle to the core. We refer the LOMU-ELMU mantle sources to the Asian high-velocity lower mantle domain and propose that the HIMU generating processes were focused mainly in the South Pacific and African low-velocity lower mantle domains in the Middle Mantle Epoch of the Earth’s evolution due to influence of the unbalanced solid core.

New Erinaceidae (Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from the Middle Miocene of Mae Moh, Northern Thailand

ABSTRACT The Galericinae are a group of Erinaceidae that are currently distributed in Southeast and Eastern Asia. Although galericines have an Asian origin, their fossil record in this region is scarce, which greatly limits the knowledge of the evolutionary history of this group. We describe here the first fossils of Eulipotyphla from the middle Miocene (13.4–13.2 Ma) of the Mae Moh Basin of northern Thailand, and assign the material to three taxa of Erinaceidae attributable to the Galericinae (Galerix rutlandae, Lantanotherium anthrace, sp. nov., and Lantanotherium sp.). The Mae Moh erinaceids present a Lantanotherium-Galerix association that is uncommon in the Miocene of Asia. Galerix rutlandae is a species formerly described in the Siwaliks of Pakistan and India, which reaffirms the strong affinities during the middle Miocene between the mammalian faunas of Southeast and Southern Asia. The discovery of two species of Lantanotherium in Mae Moh provides additional knowledge about the evolution in Asia of this widespread Miocene genus that had never been recorded in Southeast Asia. The presence of three Galericinae in Mae Moh Basin reinforces the hypothesis of a mainly closed and wet environment during the deposition of the K and Q lignite layers. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BDE7F01C-360C-4D4B-988C-01633F1AB722

Age control of the first appearance datum for Javanese Homo erectus in the Sangiran area.

The chronology of the World Heritage Site of Sangiran in Indonesia is crucial for the understanding of human dispersals and settlement in Asia in the Early Pleistocene (before 780,000 years ago). It has been controversial, however, especially regarding the timing of the earliest hominin migration into the Sangiran region. We use a method of combining fission-track and uranium-lead dating and present key ages to calibrate the lower (older) Sangiran hominin-bearing horizons. We conclude that the first appearance datum for the Sangiran hominins is most likely ~1.3 million years ago and less than 1.5 million years ago, which is markedly later than the dates that have been widely accepted for the past two decades.

Dating the arrival of the first hominins in Java

Paleoanthropology The World Heritage archaeological site at Sangiran on the island of Java in Indonesia has major importance for the understanding of human arrival and evolution in Asia. However, the timing of the first appearance of Homo erectus at the site has been controversial. Using a combination of dating techniques for hominin-bearing sediments, Matsu'ura et al. resolved the arrival of H. erectus at ∼1.3 million years ago (see the Perspective by Brasseur). This dating suggests that the earliest hominins in Sangiran are at least 200,000 years younger than has been thought and may represent an important step to the resolution of the controversy. Science , this issue p. [210][1]; see also p. [147][2] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aau8556 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aba3800

A new Eocene cylindrodontid rodent from the Erlian Basin (Nei Mongol, China) and its implications for phylogeny and biochronology

ABSTRACTWe report a new early–middle Eocene cylindrodontid rodent, Gobiocylindrodon ulausuensis, gen. et sp. nov., from the Ula Usu West locality, Erlian Basin, Nei Mongol, China. Gobiocylindrodon ulausuensis is morphologically more primitive than known later cylindrodontids in having lower-crowned molars, less-rounded upper molars in occlusal view, a more oblique hypolophid on p4, a slightly anterolabially extended hypoconid on m1–3, and a narrow posterosinusid posteriorly and a broad mesosinusid anteriorly on the lower cheek teeth. The lower incisor enamel of G. ulausuensis is pauciserial. Our phylogenetic analysis of a data matrix including 14 taxa and 40 morphological characters reveals that G. ulausuensis is a basal cylindrodontid. Gobiocylindrodon ulausuensis casts new light on early cylindrodontid evolution in Asia and provides new evidence for mammalian dispersals between Asia and North America during the early–middle Eocene. Gobiocylindrodon-bearing strata are probably Arshantan in age.

Magnetostratigraphic dating of the Linyi Fauna and implications for sequencing the mammalian faunas on the Chinese Loess Plateau

AbstractThe Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) in North China is an important terrestrial archive that witnessed the environmental changes and mammal and early human evolution in Asia over the past 2.6 Ma. Establishing precise ages for the Pleistocene faunas on the CLP is critical for better understanding of these environmental, biological, and archaeological issues. Here we report a new magnetostratigraphic record that places age constraints on the Linyi Fauna on the southeastern CLP. Our investigated 170-m-thick Linyi section mainly consists of two portions: (1) an overlying eolian Quaternary loess-paleosol sequence and (2) underlying fluvial-lacustrine sand and silty clay. Paleomagnetic results suggest that the composite section records the Brunhes chron, Jaramillo and Olduvai subchrons, and successive reverse polarity portions of the intervening Matuyama chron. The Linyi Fauna is located between Jaramillo and Olduvai subchrons in the fluvial-lacustrine interval, with an estimated age of ~1.5–1.6 Ma. Combining previously dated faunas, we establish a Pleistocene magnetochronology spanning from 2.54 to 0.65 Ma for the faunas on the CLP.

Loess deposits since early Pleistocene in northeast China and implications for desert evolution in east China

Loess deposits and deserts are regarded as coupled geological systems and loess deposits on the periphery of deserts can often be used to reconstruct desert evolution. Previous studies of desert evolution in Asia are mainly concentrated in northwest China and the China Loess Plateau, and little is known about long-term desert evolution in east China. In this study, we selected the Sishijiazi loess section in the Chifeng area in northeast China to study the long-term evolution of the desert in east China. A high-resolution magnetostratigraphy combined with optically stimulated luminescence dating indicated that the age of the section base is approximately 1.02Ma. The Brunhes-Matuyama boundary is at the depth of 39.8m in loess unit L8, and the upper boundary of the Jaramillo Subchron is at the depth of 60.8m in paleosol S10. The results of grain-size analysis indicate a coarsening grain-size trend in the past 1.0Ma. In addition, based on grain-size variations, the desert evolution in east China since ∼1.0Ma can be divided into three stages: stability from 1.0 to 0.8Ma, desert recession from 0.8 to 0.5Ma, and gradual expansion since 0.5Ma. Our results further indicate that the evolution of desert in east China was mainly controlled by changes in global ice volume, and that the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau may have had an additional effect.

AMS 14C dating of the hominin archaeological site Chuandong Cave in Guizhou Province, southwestern China

This study presents detailed AMS 14C dating of charcoals, burned and unburned bones, and teeth from the hominin archaeological site Chuandong Cave, located in Puding County, Guizhou Province, southwestern China. The charcoal samples were pretreated with either the acid−base−acid (ABA) or ORAU−XR method, the unburned bone and teeth samples with ABA-collagen pretreatment, and the burned bone samples with the ORAU−CB method. The AMS 14C ages of the charcoal samples provide the most reliable results in this study. The AMS 14C dates of the bone samples are generally younger, possibly due to posterior amino acid contamination. Based on the AMS 14C ages, we propose the following chronology for the site: Layers 3 to 5 formed between 11.5–12.5 ka BP (all 14C ages reported in this study are calibrated ages unless stated otherwise. A BP = years before 1950 CE), a period corresponding to the Younger Dryas; Layers 6 to 7 formed between 14–24 ka BP, a period including the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); and Layers 8–9 likely formed before 34 ka BP corresponding to the late Pleistocene. According to the above chronology, the Chuandong humans (modern Homo sapiens) were present at 12 ka BP, i.e., the late Pleistocene. This conclusion differs from the previous estimate at ∼9 ka BP, i.e., the early Holocene. Furthermore, the Chuandong Culture likely began as early as 34 ka BP and survived in the region throughout the cold and dry LGM. Detailed studies on the hominin archaeological sites in Guizhou, including Chuandong Cave and Maomaodong Cave, are warranted to better understand hominin evolution in Asia.

In pursuit of stability: evolution of Asia's regional financial architecture

ABSTRACTOver the last 30 years, East Asia has progressed from virtually no intergovernmental arrangement in the 1980s to exclusive financial regionalism supported by strong centripetal forces in the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis (1997–1998), but this move has not yet produced coherent regional financial architecture. This article examines the evolution of Asia's regional financial architecture of the last three decades and discusses factors that have promoted and inhibited Asia's efforts toward financial regionalism. Since the Global Financial Crisis (2008–2009), the centripetal forces that aided the region's defensive regionalism have weakened, and the crisis has moved the region to seek multiple sources of financial stability from global to regional. On the one hand, given its export-promotion strategy, East Asia still relies heavily on the global financial architecture, and the region's US dollar dependence continues. On the other hand, the Global Financial Crisis has triggered China to seek reform in global financial order and some alternative solutions. For the latter, its monetary authority actively engages in internationalization of its currency, Renminbi, and promotion of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In this environment, coherent financial regionalism for East Asia is yet to emerge, as East Asian governments continue to search for monetary and financial stability.

Palaeoenvironmental and chronological constraints on the Early Pleistocene mammal fauna from loess deposits in the Linxia Basin, NE Tibetan Plateau

Abstract The Longdan mammal fauna from the central part of Linxia Basin, NE Tibetan Plateau, is the first Early Pleistocene fauna in China in which the fossils are derived loess deposits, and it provides an excellent opportunity to document mammalian and environmental evolution in Asia. However, the precise age and palaeoenvironmental setting of the fauna are controversial due to the poor exposure of the outcrop section. In the present study, a 105-m-long drill core was obtained from Longdan village and used for detailed magnetostratigraphic dating. The results demonstrate that the late Pliocene- Pleistocene loess deposits in the Longdan section deposited since ca. 3 Ma and that the Longdan fauna has an age range of 2.5–2.2 Ma. In addition, the results of lithological and rock magnetic analyses demonstrate that paleosols are weakly developed throughout the whole core and that in the lower and middle parts the core the magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence are relatively low and uniform. These observations, combined with the ecological characteristics of the Longdan fauna, indicate that during the Early Pleistocene the climate in the Longdan area, and even in the Linxia Basin, was sub-humid and that the aeolian dust was frequently subjected to post-depositional reworking by water.

New magnetochronology of Late Miocene mammal fauna, NE Tibetan Plateau, China: Mammal migration and paleoenvironments

Lanzhou Basin lies on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in western China and is a rich source of Oligocene–Miocene mammalian fossils. Obtaining precise age determinations for these fossils is important to address key questions concerning mammalian and environmental evolution in Asia associated with stepwise Tibetan Plateau uplift. Here we report a new magnetostratigraphic record for the Xingjiawan fluvio-lacustrine section from the northwestern margin of Lanzhou Basin that can be correlated to the geomagnetic polarity timescale with two options. The Late Miocene Xingjiawan Fauna is located either at the boundary between reversed polarity chron C4r.1r and normal polarity chron C4n.2n or at the boundary between subchrons C5r.1r and C5n.2n, with an estimated age of at least ∼8 Ma or perhaps as early as ∼11 Ma. Both age estimations imply that the fossil Stegodon in the Lanzhou Basin is the oldest known record of Stegodon worldwide; it predates the formerly oldest Stegodon find from Africa by at least one million years and perhaps by as many as four million years. This provides new evidence for an Asian origin of Stegodon. Together with other faunal components, a mixed woodland/grassland setting existed in the Lanzhou Basin during the Late Miocene, in contrast to its modern arid environment.

Review of Ansaldo (2009): Contact languages. Ecology and evolution in Asia

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First Hominoid from the Late Miocene of the Irrawaddy Formation (Myanmar)

For over a century, a Neogene fossil mammal fauna has been known in the Irrawaddy Formation in central Myanmar. Unfortunately, the lack of accurately located fossiliferous sites and the absence of hominoid fossils have impeded paleontological studies. Here we describe the first hominoid found in Myanmar together with a Hipparion (s.l.) associated mammal fauna from Irrawaddy Formation deposits dated between 10.4 and 8.8 Ma by biochronology and magnetostratigraphy. This hominoid documents a new species of Khoratpithecus, increasing thereby the Miocene diversity of southern Asian hominoids. The composition of the associated fauna as well as stable isotope data on Hipparion (s.l.) indicate that it inhabited an evergreen forest in a C3-plant environment. Our results enlighten that late Miocene hominoids were more regionally diversified than other large mammals, pointing towards regionally-bounded evolution of the representatives of this group in Southeast Asia. The Irrawaddy Formation, with its extensive outcrops and long temporal range, has a great potential for improving our knowledge of hominoid evolution in Asia.

Evolution of Asia's Outward-Looking Economic Policies: Some Lessons from Trade Policy Reviews

This Working Paper contains some observations concerning the evolution of trade and trade-related policies in the Asia-Pacific region since the establishment in 1989 of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), whose goal is to improve the transparency of these policies. It also draws some lessons from the Reviews undertaken. In particular, the Paper examines how reforms, either unilateral or in connection with bilateral, regional or multilateral trade agreements, can be greatly facilitated by transparency, including cost-benefit (C-B) analyses of policies and measures that take full account not just of the interests of domestic producers, but also those of other groups, including exporters and domestic consumers. While high quality transparency is not cheap, the costs of achieving it pale in comparison with the financial assistance involved and efficiency losses associated with such assistance. Trade Policy Reviews (TPRs) throw light not only on measures that appear to contravene WTO rules, although that is not their purpose; more importantly, they identify measures not seemingly covered by WTO rules, which can, nonetheless, have economic effects equivalent to measures that are subject to these rules. One of the main lessons from these TPRs is that impediments to economic development are largely homegrown. Consequently, unilateral structural reform, of which liberalization of both trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) has been an integral part, is of paramount importance. By fostering transparency, particularly evaluating the effectiveness of policies and measures in achieving their objectives and their overall impacts (intended or unintended) on the economy, the TPRM can be a catalyst for unilateral reform, including liberalization of trade and FDI. Although the latter has received added impetus from multilateral liberalization under the auspices of the GATT/WTO, the stalling of negotiations in connection with the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) should not preclude further unilateral liberalization. By contrast, the benefits of preferential trade agreements are far from obvious, notwithstanding their proliferation during the past decade throughout the Asia-Pacific region, where few governments have subjected these agreements to rigorous cost-benefit analysis.