Luonan Basin Research Articles

중국 바이써(Baise) 분지 주먹도끼의 발견과 성격

This paper collates information on the current status of investigations and related handaxes in the Baise Basin over the last 50 years, focusing on the Fengshudao site, through a metrological analysis of handaxes Type,Shape, size, lithology and other attributes) and other areas (other sites in the Baise Basin, the Luonan Basin, the Imjin/Hantan River Basins , the Geum River Basin, the Yeongsan River Basin, the Acheulian handaxes in the western Old World) for comparative analysis and to understand their nature.
 The Baise handaxe belongs to the pebble industry in southern China. Because its cultural attributes include Acheulean technology, it occupies a pivotal position in the pebble culture of southern China and Asia. From its discovery in the early 1970s to the present, in the past 50 years, relevant investigations and research have achieved scientific research results, which have attracted widespread attention from the international academic community. Therefore, Chinese academic circles have also begun to discuss the ‘Movius line’. At present, there are 41 sites containing handaxes in the Baise Basin, and a total of 499 handaxes have been found. Among them, 11 were excavated from strata, and the rest were collected from the surface.
 The Fengshudao handaxes were basically made from large flakes and pebbles, with three types of stone: sandstone, quartzite and igneous rock. The sandstone is the most abundant and has the most stable ‘broadness’(B/L) and ‘flatness’(Th/B). According to the results of the metrological analysis, the ‘broadness’ (B/L) and ‘flatness’ (Th/B) indices of the Fengshudao handaxes are relatively high, and the ‘Pointness’ (B1/B2) index is relatively low. A comparison with other sites in the Baise Basin, the Luonan Basin, the Imjin/Hantan River Basins , the Geum River Basin, the Yeongsan River Basin, the Acheulian handaxes in the western Old World Acheulean handaxe shows that the Fengshudao handaxe is broader, thicker and has a more pointed base. In terms of industrial assemblages, handaxes and picks are common forms of assemblage in the Baise Basin, while Cleavers are rare, which is a clear difference from the Acheulian industry of the western Old World.

A Late Middle Pleistocene human tooth from the Luonan Basin (Shaanxi, China)

A Late Middle Pleistocene human tooth from the Luonan Basin (Shaanxi, China)

Structural Characteristics of Luonan Basin Based on Gravity Data

The Luonan Basin is a typical intermountain basin in the Qinling orogenic belt. The tectonic characteristics of the basin and its adjacent areas are very complex. Previous studies on Luonan Basin mainly focus on paleontology and sedimentation, and lack of reports on basin studies using geophysical data. In order to study the tectonic characteristics of Luonan Basin, this paper collected 1:500000 gravity data in the study area, and used the sliding average filtering method to separate the remaining gravity anomalies from the Bouguer gravity anomalies, and analyzed the causes of gravity anomalies. In this paper, the normalized total horizontal derivative vertical derivative, total horizontal gradient mode and vertical second derivative are used to infer the faults in the study area by referring to the remaining Bouguer gravity anomalies and geological data. According to the inferred results and geological data, the boundary of the basin is determined. Three gravity profiles across the basin were fitted by a 2.5D human-computer interaction inversion method. The results show that the high gravity is caused by the basement uplift, and the low gravity is the reflection of the Meso-Cenozoic and low-density intrusive rocks. The faults in the study area are mainly in NE, NW and nearly EW directions. The development of the basin is controlled by the basin margin faults. The east-west length of the basin is 85km, the maximum north-south width is 7km, and the basin area is 420km². Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene are mainly developed in the basin. The basement depth of the basin is "deeper in the middle than in the west, and deeper in the west than in the east", with the maximum depth of about 1130m.

Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of Liuwan Paleolithic site in the Luonan Basin, Central China

The Luonan Basin is a key region of early human settlement in Central China with more than 300 discovered Paleolithic sites. Artifact layer 1 of the Liuwan site was dated to approximately 0.6 million years (Ma) based on correlation with the well-dated loess–paleosol sequence of the central Chinese Loess Plateau. This study reassessed the age of the Liuwan artifact layer via an absolute dating method, namely, 26Al/10Be burial dating. We determined the burial age of artifact layer 1, which was most likely at least 0.60 ± 0.12 Ma (1ơ), using three simple burial ages. The new burial age confirmed the previous estimated age and provided a considerably accurate age range. Therefore, we suggest the use of the 26Al/10Be burial dating method in thin loess-covered Paleolithic sites around the Qinling Mountain Range is helpful to understand the early human behavior.

Tectonic uplift-influenced monsoonal changes promoted hominin occupation of the Luonan Basin: Insights from a loess-paleosol sequence, eastern Qinling Mountains, central China

Quaternary soil deposits from northern and southern China are distinctly different, reflecting variability of the East Asian monsoon north and south of the Qinling Mountains. Coeval sediments from the transitional climatic zone of central China, which are little studied to date, have the potential to improve our understanding of Quaternary monsoon changes and associated influences on hominin occupation of this region. Here, we investigate in detail a well-preserved and continuous Quaternary loess-paleosol sequence (Shangbaichuan) from the Luonan Basin, using a variety of weathering indices including major and trace element ratios, clay mineralogy, and Fe-oxide mineralogy. The whole-rock samples display similar rare earth element patterns characterized by upper continental crustal ratios: (La/Yb)N ≈ 9.5 and Eu/Eu* ≈ 0.65. Elemental data such as (La/Yb)N, La/Th and Eu/Eu* ratios show a high degree of homogeneity, suggesting that dust in the source region may have been thoroughly mixed and recycled, resulting in all samples having a uniform initial composition. Indices for pedogenic weathering such as Na/K, Ba/Sr, Rb/Sr, CIA, CIW, CPA, PIA, kaolinite/illite, (kaolinite + smectite)/illite, and hematite/(hematite + goethite) exhibit similar secular trends and reveal a four-stage accumulation history. The indices also indicate that the climate was warmer and wetter during the most recent interglacial stage, compared with coeval environments of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Secular changes in weathering intensity can be related to stepwise uplift of the Qinling Mountains and variation in East Asian monsoon intensity, both of which played significant roles in controlling climate evolution in the Luonan Basin. Furthermore, intensified aridity and winter monsoon strength in dust source areas, as evidenced by mineralogic and geochemical changes, may have been due to the mid-Pleistocene climate transition. Based on temporal correlation of warmer and wetter climatic conditions with more frequent hominin occupation, we infer that the paleoclimate in the eastern Qinling Mountains remained mild and favorable during glacial stages of the Late Quaternary, thus promoting early human settlement.

Consistent C3 plant habitat of hominins during 400–300 ka at the Longyadong Cave site (Luonan Basin, central China) revealed by stable carbon isotope analyses of loess deposits

The proportions of woody and grassland taxa in terrestrial ecosystems played an important role in the origin and evolution of early Palaeolithic hominins. However the influence of ecosystem changes on hominin behavior and adaptations in Asia has not been studied in detail. Hominins have exploited the Luonan Basin in the Eastern Qinling Mountains, central China, since the early Paleolithic. Dated sites, consisting of alternating loess and soil deposits with in situ artefacts, are common in the region, and provide a detailed record of Early to Middle Pleistocene hominin environments. Here, we present the results of measurements of the stable carbon isotopic composition of soil organic matter (δ13CSOM) in the loess-paleosol sequences from the Longyadong Cave site. Our analyses of δ13CSOM show that for at least 400 ka the Longyadong Cave site and its surroundings were dominated by C3 woody plants, whereas the nearby Liuwan site was dominated by C4 and C3 mixed grassland or woody grassland vegetation. These findings demonstrate that between 400 and 300 ka in the Luonan Basin, hominins occupied a habitat consisting of a mosaic of grassland and woodland/forest. Although the vegetation of the region changed in response to the glacial–interglacial climatic cycles, patches of woody vegetation in landscapes such as at Longyadong Cave site persisted continuously. Such environments seem to be have been favored by hominins living in the Luonan Basin, possibly because they provided a diverse range of food resources during both glacial and interglacial intervals of the Middle Pleistocene, when most of northern China was experiencing an increasing trend of drying and cooling and steppe environments were expanding. Thus, the Luonan Basin would have served as a refugium for hominin occupation in China during the Middle Pleistocene.

Taphonomic and paleoenvironmental issues of the Pleistocene loessic Paleolithic sites in the Qinling Mountains, central China

Abstract Hinterland intermountain basins and northern and southern piedmonts of the Qinling Mountains accumulated a large amount of loess during the Pleistocene. The loess strata not only record local paleogeographic and paleoenvironmental changes, but also contain rich hominin fossils and Paleolithic remains. In the northern piedmont of the Qinling Mountains and the lower valley of the South Luohe River, the loess strata have multi loess-paleosol sequences with aeolian loess continuously accumulating during glacial and interglacial cycles. In contrast to the northern piedmont, loess stratigraphy in the hinterland intermountain basins of the Qinling Mountains is relatively thin and contains finer loess particles. In this “mini” type of loess stratum, the density of Paleolithic remain generally is higher than the Loess Plateau in the north of the Qinling Mountains. Based on stratigraphic, chronological, and lithic artifacts analysis in recent years, it appears that the regional lithic assemblage belongs to the Oldowan (Mode I) lithic industry, and it is dominated by choppers, cores, flakes, and simple retouched flake tools from 1.15 to 0.6 Ma. Paleolithic open-air sites such as Gongwangling and Chenjiawo in the Lantian area, Shangbaichuan and Liuwan in the Luonan Basin, Qiaojiayao in the Lushi Basin, Longgangsi and Yaochangwan in the Hanzhong Basin, Guanmiao in the Ankang Basin, and the Yunxian Man Site in the Yunxian Basin are representative sites in the region; from 400 to 250 ka, the Longyadong cave site in the Luonan Basin inherited the characteristics of the local Mode I lithic industry, the stone assemblage is made up of cores, flakes, and small retouched flake tools, such as scrapers, points, and burins; during the period from 250 to 50 ka, bi-facially retouched Acheulean tools (Model II), such as hand-axes, picks, and cleavers, were commonly found in the Qinling Mountains region. The emergence of a large number of Model II artifacts indicates that local lithic industries went through a major transition process. Zhanghuokou, Guoyuan, and Huaishuping sites in the Luonan Basin, Diaozhai, Ganyu, Laochihe, and Xiehu sites in the Lantian area, Hejialiang site in the Hanzhong Basin are representative sites in this period; to the turn of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, it may also exist a small flake-retouched tools lithic industry in the piedmonts of the northern and southern sides of the Qinling Mountains. The lithic assemblages in different stages of the Qinling Mountains region reflect the hominin behavioral changes and the development of lithic technology during the Pleistocene.

Age of newly discovered Paleolithic assemblages at Liuwan site Luonan Basin, central China

The Luonan Basin contains thousands of stone artifact scatters located in the upper drainage of South Luo River, central China. Despite many years of survey, the age of these Paleolithic artifacts remained uncertain. In 2007, our team established for the first time a chronological framework for the natural loess deposit at locality 1, at the site of Liuwan. Here we report on two in situ artifact assemblages buried in loess deposit which were excavated at Liuwan localities 2 and 3 in 2009. The characteristics of these two Paleolithic assemblages are similar: the stone artifacts are small, and include stone hammers, cores, flakes, chunks, debris, and a small number of retouched tools, represented primarily by scrapers and points. We dated the loess–paleosol sequences at the two new localities, established chronology on the basis of stratigraphic analysis and comparison of magnetic susceptibility profiles between localities 1, 2, and 3, and the typical loess–paleosol time series. Our results suggest that the artifact bearing layer 2 at locality 3 is in the S5 SS2 paleosol unit, dated to between 575 and 568 ka; the artifact bearing layer 1 at localities 2 and 3 is in the soil unit S5 SS3 dated to between 625 and 581 ka. This result suggests that hominin occupation of the Luonan Basin occurred between 625–581 ka and 575–568 ka, there is a probable change in raw materials exploitation from vein quartz in the artifact layer 1 to a mixed vein quartz and quartzite in the artifact layer 2. The Liuwan site is chronologically similar to the Qiaojiayao site in the middle of South Luo River, and indicates that the hominins ranged widely in the Qinling Mountains during the Middle Pleistocene.

Relationship between surface pollen assemblages and vegetation in Luonan Basin, Eastern Qinling Mountains, Central China

The catchment of South Luohe River in Central China is an important region for investigating modern pollen-environment relationship, because it is located in the transitional zone between south and north China, an environment which is sensitive to climate changes. In this study, 40 surface samples under ten vegetation types were collected to reveal the relationship between pollen assemblages and vegetation. The results show that the surface pollen assemblages reflect the vegetation quite well. In forest topsoils, the average of arboreal pollen content is greater than 40%, and the Selaginella sinensis spore is high. As to sparse forest grassland and shrub community, the average arboreal pollen is 13.2% and 16.6% respectively, and the shrub pollen is relatively higher than that of grassland samples. The grassland and farmland are characterized by low percentage of tree and shrub pollen ( 80%). Pinus, Quercus and some other arboreal pollen can indicate the regional vegetation because of their dispersal ability. Quercus pollen is under-representative and so is Pinus. Artemisia pollen is significantly over-represented, has poor correlation with the plant coverage, and may reflect human disturbance. Gramineae can indicate plant quite well, but with low representation. High content of Chenopodiaceae probably suggests human impact. Predominant Selaginella sinensis can be used as an indicator of forest environment. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis of pollen assemblages can distinguish forest and non-forest vegetation well. The former method is better at separating pine and mixed forests, while the latter is more stable and could better differentiate farmland and other non-forest area. The first axis of PCA mainly reflects the humidity.

Middle Pleistocene bifaces from Fengshudao (Bose Basin, Guangxi, China)

The Bose (also Baise) Basin in Guangxi, southern China is well known for the presence of Paleolithic bifacially worked implements. The Bose Basin handaxes came to the attention of the international scientific community primarily for two reasons: 1) the age at 803 ka (thousands of years), places it at the Early to Middle Pleistocene transition; and 2) the presence of bifaces tests the validity of the Movius Line and whether it was time to simply discard the model. However, questions were almost immediately raised because the age was based on the supposed association of Australasian tektites that may or may not have been redeposited, and at the time of the initial publications all of the Bose Basin handaxes were surface collected. Thus, whether the Bose bifaces can necessarily be associated with the tektites and whether the tektites themselves were redeposited are important considerations. Here, we report the findings from recent excavations from the Fengshudao site located in the Bose Basin. The primary findings are: 1) the in situ excavation of tektites, which do not appear to have been redeposited, in association with bifaces from one stratigraphic level from one site indicates that the age of these stone tools should be around 803 ka; 2) the Fengshudao hominins were utilizing locally-available quartz, quartzite, and sandstone river cobbles; and 3) in a number of aspects, the Fengshudao handaxe morphology differs from the typical western Acheulean, and are quite large and thick compared with even the bifaces from other regions of eastern Asia (e.g., Luonan Basin, China; Imjin/Hantan River Basins, Korea). Although Fengshudao may be a case of western Acheulean hominins dispersing into the Bose Basin from nearby South Asia, it is quite possible that the Fengshudao bifaces can be considered an example of convergent evolution.

TT-OSL dating of Longyadong Middle Paleolithic site and paleoenvironmental implications for hominin occupation in Luonan Basin (central China)

Dating middle Pleistocene hominin occupations alongside the reconstruction of paleoenvironments in China between 700 and 100ka has always been a challenging task. In this paper, we report thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating results for a Middle Paleolithic site in the Luonan Basin, central China, which we have named Longyadong Cave. The results suggest that the age of cave infilling and the deposition of sediments outside the cave range between 389±18 and 274±14ka. These deposits are stratigraphically and geochronologically correlated with the L4 loess and S3 paleosol units of the typical loess–paleosol sequence of the Chinese Loess Plateau, and with Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 10 to 9, respectively. On the basis of these new ages and the available paleoenvironmental data, it is suggested that the Longyadong hominins might have occupied the site both in glacial and interglacial periods, demonstrating that they coped well with environmental change in this mountainous region in warm/wet and cold/dry climates. The study further implies that the hominins abandoned the Longyadong Cave between 274±14 and 205±19ka, when it was sealed by alluvial and slope deposits.

Rock magnetic investigation of loess deposits in Luonan Basin (central China) and its paleoclimatic implications - A case study

Rock magnetic investigation of loess deposits in Luonan Basin (central China) and its paleoclimatic implications - A case study

Multiphase timing of hominin occupations and the paleoenvironment in Luonan Basin, Central China

Thousands of Paleolithic artifacts have been recovered from Paleolithic sites in the Luonan Basin, in the upper South Luohe River of central China. Their discovery suggests that the basin was an important area for hominin settlement during the Pleistocene. However, the initial timing of this occupation and the environmental conditions for this period are still largely unknown. In addition, the sediments are not well dated and most of the artifacts lie on the surface. In an attempt to resolve these issues, a new systemic paleomagnetic analysis was carried out on the loess deposits that contain in situ stone tools. Our detailed loess–paleosol analyses of the stratigraphy of different sites in the basin and Chinese Loess Plateau shows the accumulation of the loess since at least 1.1 million years (Ma) ago. Moreover, recently discovered in situ cores, flakes and retouched stone tools in these deposits show that hominins used this region repeatedly from 0.8–0.7 Ma to 0.4–0.3 and 0.2–0.1 Ma. Pedostratigraphic analyses, magnetic susceptibility and carbon isotope analyses also indicate that these hominins lived in a subtropical to warm-temperate climate with broad-needle-leaf forest vegetation mixed with grasses.

Ages for hominin occupation in Lushi Basin, middle of South Luo River, central China

A newly discovered Paleolithic site in loess deposits in the Lushi Basin, South Luo River, central China, is dated using pedostratigraphic analysis, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and magnetostratigraphic analysis. This region is regarded as an important place for hominin occupation and settlement during the early to middle Pleistocene. Results indicate that the archaeological site dates from 600 ka to 620 ka, reinforcing the view that Homo erectus had occupied a large area of eastern Asia by 620 ka. The lithic assemblages of Lushi Basin is a flake and core technology, typical for this time period in north-central China. It may be compared with that at the Zhoukoudian locality 1 in north China and some sites in the Luonan Basin, and provides important data for understanding the behavior and stone tool technology of early Chinese hominins.

Large cutting tool variation west and east of the Movius Line

Norton et al. (2006) compared "handaxes" from Korea and two basins with Acheulean assemblages (Olorgesailie, Kenya and Hunsgi-Baichbal, India). The authors found significant morphological variance between Eastern and Western handaxes, leading them to conclude that East Asian tool forms were not morphologically similar to typical Acheulean implements. We test this finding using a larger array of localities, and find some metrical overlaps between handaxes and cleavers in the West and East. We indicate the role of convergence in lithic assemblage formation, but we also raise the possibility that handaxes and cleavers in the Luonan Basin (China) may represent evidence for Acheulean stone tool manufacturing methods.