Middle Pleniglacial Research Articles

Habitation conditions of the cave lion in the middle Indigirka River basin, North-East Siberia, during the Middle and Late Pleniglacial: Reconstruction based on palynological data

Pollen analyses of the sediment from skulls cavities of two cave lions Panthera spelaea from the middle Indigirka River basin, North-East Siberia, were performed to reconstruct the habitat conditions of the animals and to estimate changes in vegetation and climatic conditions in the region. Composition of the pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs indicates that the predators most likely died on the river floodplain or near the shore of the thermokarst lake, where grass/sedge meadows and shrub thickets, providing rich grazing grounds for large herbivores, existed. Palynological data indicate that both in the early Middle Pleniglacial and in the LGM the regional vegetation included forest, shrub tundra, meadow, mire and steppe communities similar to modern cold steppes in central Yakutia. During early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, the participation of arboreal vegetation was greater than in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) due to higher summer temperatures. In MIS 2, the role of open herbaceous cryoxerotic communities was greater, which is associated with a higher continentality of climate and a decrease in winter temperatures. This reconstruction is consistent with the general sequence of landscape and climatic changes in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Siberia in the Middle and Late Pleniglacial, based on paleobotanical studies of the locations of mammoth fauna and multidisciplinary studies of the Late Pleniglacial sediments from a broader area.

Reconstructing the Eemian to Middle Pleniglacial pedosedimentary evolution of the Baix loess–palaeosol sequence (Rhône Rift Valley, southern France) – basic chronostratigraphic framework and palaeosol characterisation

Abstract. Loess–palaeosol sequences (LPSs) are important archives of landscape evolution, recording alternating periods of geomorphic activity (dust deposition and slope processes) and landscape stability (soil formation). LPSs of the Rhône Rift Valley are located along a spatial climatic gradient from the mid-latitudes to the Mediterranean region. This position renders them extremely valuable archives for correlating LPSs in the European loess belt and the Mediterranean region. Despite this important function, Rhône Rift Valley LPSs have been little investigated. In this study, we aimed to narrow this knowledge gap, in a first step towards linking LPS-based mid-latitude and Mediterranean palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. We studied the ∼ 14 m thick Baix LPS located at the western edge of the Rhône Rift Valley near Valence. Here, we focus on the lower ∼ 7 m of the LPS, which comprises 12 of 19 soil horizons overall, and record regional palaeoenvironmental variations from the Eemian to the Middle Pleniglacial (∼ marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 to MIS 3). Our reconstruction is based on detailed field description, complemented by granulometry (10 cm vertical resolution), and micromorphological analyses. Luminescence screening of cut-out soil-sediment columns subsampled with ∼ 5 cm vertical resolution (126 subsamples over 7 m) provides a preliminary chronometry. The loess deposits of the Baix LPS are strongly calcareous and predominantly silty but also contain sandy and fine gravelly laminae typical of loess deposits subjected to slope-wash processes. From bottom to top, the investigated part shows three intensely pedogenised levels: (1) a basal sequence of reddish-brown Btg and Bt horizons of a thick Eemian Stagnic Luvisol (MIS 5e); (2) an early glacial yellowish-brown Bw horizon (MIS 5d-a); and (3) a yellowish-brown Bw horizon with large cone-shaped carbonate nodules in the associated underlying Bk horizon, interpreted as a truncated Middle Pleniglacial (MIS 3) Calcic Cambisol. The Baix LPS is in parts very similar to the Collias LPS ∼ 100 km further south but also exhibits differences, reflecting its position at the spatial climatic transition between the presently temperate and the Mediterranean zone.

Radiocarbon dates from the Netherlands and Doggerland as a proxy for vegetation and faunal biomass between 55 and 5 ka cal bp

ABSTRACTThree hundred forty‐one radiocarbon dates from the Groningen radiocarbon database are compiled in this study. They show for the first time that organic sediment samples from the eastern Netherlands and mammal bones from Doggerland reflect shifts in the presence and the density of vegetation (food for herbivores) and mammal biomass during the last ice age (Weichselian Stage, ~119–14.7 ka cal bp). Comparison with oxygen isotope curves of Greenland ice cores and geomorphological data shows that cold climate, in particular during the younger part of the Weichselian Middle Pleniglacial and during the Late Pleniglacial, and related scarcity or even absence of vegetation, were limiting factors for the carrying capacity of the landscape and thus for the population density of large herbivores during the period covered by 14C dating (last ca. 55 000 years). A ‘fossil gap’ during the Late Pleniglacial lasted ca. 13 000 years from ca. 28 to 15 ka cal bp. Previous research from the nearby Eifel region in Germany shows that environmental conditions were less extreme (‘refugium conditions’) than in the Netherlands, taking into account the continuous presence of spores of coprophilous fungi in the Eifel, indicating uninterrupted food supply for herbivores.

Chronostratigraphy of two Late Pleistocene loess-palaeosol sequences in the Rhône Valley (southeast France)

A sedimentological and chronostratigraphical investigation was carried out on two loess sections located in the Mediterranean area in southeast France along the Rhône River (Lautagne) and the lower reach of a tributary of the Rhône River (Collias). High-resolution sampling (5–20 cm) for magnetic susceptibility, grain size distribution (including non-parametric end-member modelling), colour reflectance and geochemistry was performed. The chronology was based on luminescence dating of quartz grains and radiocarbon dating of small gastropod shells, coupled with hierarchical Bayesian modelling. The Collias section (∼8 m thick) records the whole last climatic cycle. It comprises a thick red basal pedocomplex S1 developed during the Last Interglacial and the Early Glacial, similar to that observed elsewhere in southern and southeastern Europe. Loess deposition occurred during the Lower (L1L2) and the Upper Pleniglacial (L1L1). It was interrupted by soil formation during the Middle Pleniglacial, of which a brown Bwk horizon has been preserved (L1S1). By contrast, the ∼5 m thick Lautagne section provides a detailed record of the Upper Pleniglacial. Weakly developed hydromorphic soils are correlated with the Greenland Interstadials GI-4 to GI-2, while the main period of coarse loess sedimentation corresponds to the Greenland Stadials GS-5 to GS-2. At a regional scale, the time of loess deposition ranges between 38.5 ka and 12 ka, with a peak at ∼28–24 ka, overlapping with the maximal advance of the Alpine Ice Sheet (AIS). This strongly suggests that regional glacier dynamics was the main driver of loess sedimentation.

Palaeoenvironmental changes during the Middle and Early Upper-Paleolithic in the UpperTysa Depression, Ukraine (the Sokyrnytsya and Ruban’ sites)

The aim of the study is the reconstruction of palaeoenvironments of the Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Upper-Tysa Depression, related to short-period Upper Pleistocene changes. Stratigraphical, palaeopedological, pollen and archaeological methodologies have been applied in the study of several excavations at the Sokyrnytsya 1 and Ruban’ sites. Intense translocation processes (during formation of Luvisols and Albic Luvisols) during Late Pleistocene warm phases and Holocene, frequently transformed the material of underlying cold-phase non-soil sediments. The last are revealed in the lower horizons of palaeosols by their pollen assemblages, indicative of a periglacial climate, and by the levels with cryoturbations. The pollen succession of the last interglacial is found in the well-developed Kaydaky Luvisol. The presence of beech growing during the second half of the interglacial is a special feature of Transcarpathia. Above, two interstadials and two stadials are revealed in the early glacial. At Sokyrnytsya 1, Middle Palaeolithic first appeared at the very end of the last interglacial (when boreal forests dominated), and it is traced through sediments of the early glacial interstadials. The small collections of artefacts and the absence of specialized features on them do not allow them to be assigned to a specified technological-typological complex. During the interstadials of the early glacial (‘pl1’ and ‘pl3’), Luvisols and Cambisols developed beneath woodland, dominated by pine, but with admixture of deciduous trees, under a south-boreal climate. The cultural level at Ruban’, located in the transitional horizon from the late Pryluky soil to the Uday loess unit, is related to the Quina-type industry. Its analogues are quite common in Western Europe, but up to now have not been known to the east of the Carpathians. At that time, broad-leaved trees disappeared; the climate became cooler and drier. The presence of dry seasons is indicated by a level with abundant Fe-Mn concretions. At Sokyrnytsya 1, the Early Upper Palaeolithic non-Aurignacian cultural level is found in the Vytachiv unit (Middle Pleniglacial, around 38 - 39 ka BP). It is characterized by a technological-typological complex which has its analogue only in Eastern Europe (Kostenki XIV). In Vytachiv times, woodland, dominated by small-leaved trees,alternated with open landscapes of forbs and sedges. The climate was transitional from south-boreal to boreal. The Upper Palaeolithic level, which also is not related to a distinctive culture, is located above the level of the Bug (Late Pleniglacial), cryoturbations which deeply dissect the Vytachiv unit. The presence of both West European and East European archaeological industries and the exceptional palaeoenvironmental features of the studied area demonstrate its importance in the European context.

The Late Pleistocene soils as indicators of the impact of environmental changes on development of pedogenic processes (the study case from the Kryva Luka site, Donetsk area)

The aim of this paper is to reveal connections between Upper Pleistocene soil types and the vegetation, which existed during their formation. Palaeovegetation was reconstructed on the basis of pollen analysis, whereas morphological description of palaeosols and the data from their laboratory study (grain-size and bulk chemical analyses, contents of Corg., CaCO3 and dry salts) were used to reconstruct palaeopedological processes. The Kryva Luka sedimentary sequence was accumulated in a deep palaeogully (the incision of which occurred in early Kaydaky times), where, as a result of high sedimentation rates, welldeveloped Upper Pleistocene pedocomplexes formed, on one hand, and very good preservation of pollen was thus guaranteed. Several phases of soil development occurred in Kaydaky, Pryluky and Vytachiv times (the Ukrainian Quaternary framework), all represented in the section by individual palaeosols, separated by loess-like beds, or by erosional surfaces. The data collected demonstrates a cyclic pattern of short-period palaeoenvironmental changes during the Late Pleistocene. The last interglacial is related by paleopedological and pollen data to the Kaydaky unit. The pre-temperate stage of the interglacial is revealed in the gully deposits of subunit ‘kd1a’. The early-temperate stage corresponds to the Luvisol of subunit ‘kd1b’, which was formed under broad-leaved woods dominated by oak. The late-temperate stage is recorded in the Greyzemic Phaeozem of the soil ‘kd3b1’ (by the appearance of hornbeam) and the Mollisol ‘kd3b2’. The post-temperate stage of the interglacial and the transition to the early glacial occurred during formation of the uppermost bed of thelatter and the incipient soil ‘kd3c’. (pedosediments were also accumulated at this time). Both vegetational composition and the soil types reflect a warmer and wetter climate for the temperate part of the last interglacial, as compared to that existing in modern times. The soils of different phases of Pryluky and Vytachiv times were formed during interstadials, with cooler climates than at present. As recorded both in soil types and pollen assemblages, the climates during the early interstadials of Pryluky and Vytachiv times were wetter than now (particularly during the ‘pl1b1’ phase), but during their late interstadials, the climate was drier than the modern one (particularly during the phase ‘pl3b2’). On the basis of TL-dating obtained in sections in western Donetsk area and Central Ukraine, Pryluky times correspond to interstadials and stadials of the early glacial, whereas Vytachiv unit may be related to the middle pleniglacial. Types of cryostructures, connected with loess-like deposits of the stadials, indicate that the studied area in those times was under a severe continental climate, with deep seasonal freezing of the grounds. Nevertheless, the absence of ice pseudomorphs and of pollen of arctoalpine plants indicates that permafrost was not present. Changes in palaeopedogenic processes (as well as in types of sedimentation) mainly paralleled changes observed in the palaeovegetation. The extent of wooded areas, the role of broad-leaved trees in the forest composition, and the spread of xeric herbal associations had particularly notable effects on the development of pedogenic processes.

Climate and vegetation changes in coastal ecosystems during the Middle Pleniglacial and the early Holocene: Two multi-proxy, high-resolution records from Ría de Vigo (NW Iberia)

Abstract New multi-proxy analyses were performed on two sedimentary sections from shallow marine ecosystems of Ria de Vigo (NW Iberia) to study the effects of the MIS-3 and early Holocene environmental variability. High-resolution data (microfossils, sedimentary facies, and geochemistry) allowed performing a comprehensive reconstruction of the main environmental changes (climate, vegetation, hydrology and sea level) that occurred during part of the MIS-3 period (57.0–38.8 cal ka BP) and the early Holocene (11.2–7.0 cal ka BP). The chronology is supported by isotopic dating and the correlation of pollen data with other regional palaeo-climatic records. Several phases characterised by increasing pollen representation of deciduous Quercus alternate with others marked by increasing representation of heliophytes that may reflect the succession of Interstadials (GI) and Stadials (GS) described in Greenland ice cores. In addition, dinoflagellate cysts and diatoms reflect conditions in the marine environment (SST and productivity). New palynological data confirms that coastal ecosystems of Atlantic Iberia were sensitive to the main climatic oscillations affecting the North Atlantic. It also suggests that pinewoods, juniper communities and mesophilous deciduous forests with Carpinus betulus L. (which shows exceptionally high pollen abundances for the MIS-3) persisted in the surroundings of Ria de Vigo until ~7500 a BP. For the first time in this region, we describe the effects of an abrupt episode of cooling that may correspond to Bond cycle 7 (10.5 ka event).

Impact of climate change on the transition of Neanderthals to modern humans in Europe

Two speleothem stable isotope records from East-Central Europe demonstrate that Greenland Stadial 12 (GS12) and GS10-at 44.3-43.3 and 40.8-40.2 ka-were prominent intervals of cold and arid conditions. GS12, GS11, and GS10 are coeval with a regional pattern of culturally (near-)sterile layers within Europe's diachronous archeologic transition from Neanderthals to modern human Aurignacian. Sterile layers coeval with GS12 precede the Aurignacian throughout the middle and upper Danube region. In some records from the northern Iberian Peninsula, such layers are coeval with GS11 and separate the Châtelperronian from the Aurignacian. Sterile layers preceding the Aurignacian in the remaining Châtelperronian domain are coeval with GS10 and the previously reported 40.0- to 40.8-ka cal BP [calendar years before present (1950)] time range of Neanderthals' disappearance from most of Europe. This suggests that ecologic stress during stadial expansion of steppe landscape caused a diachronous pattern of depopulation of Neanderthals, which facilitated repopulation by modern humans who appear to have been better adapted to this environment. Consecutive depopulation-repopulation cycles during severe stadials of the middle pleniglacial may principally explain the repeated replacement of Europe's population and its genetic composition.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene environmental changes recorded in deposits of the Bukovynka Cave (the East-Carpathian foreland, Ukraine)

A study of pollen, fossil mammals and lithology (including grain-size analysis) of the terrigenous deposits in the Bukovynka Cave enables the reconstruction of the environments of several geochronologic subdivisions of the Middle Pleniglacial, Late Glacial and Holocene. A comparison of pollen assemblages in surface samples from the cave deposits and from the soils prove the importance of cave palynology for palaeovegetation reconstruction. The same patterns were shown by a comparison of pollen from hyaena coprolites in the cave and their enclosing sediments. In the Trapeznyi Chamber record, the two interstadials and one stadial identified are correlated with those of the Moershoofd interval, and the following stadial (after 41,000 yrs BP) is compared with the Hosselo stadial of Western Europe. In the Sukhyi Chamber record, Late Glacial times (around 10,700 yrs BP) differed from the Holocene in having a much harsher climate (with the spread of boreal forest). During the Holocene, a relatively wet phase, transitional from Atlantic to Early Subboreal, was separated from the similar phase of the Late Subboreal (2800 yrs BP) by a drier Middle Subboreal (with the disappearance of water-loving trees and the existence of steppe rodents). The Subatlantic was the wettest time, with culmination of a broad-leaved flora in the Roman (2300–1800 yrs BP) and Medieval (1000 yrs BP) Warm Periods. The cultivation of Cerealia started from 2800 yrs BP, and forest clearances increased after the Medieval Warm Period.

Late Pleistocene paleosols in the extra-glacial regions of Northwestern Eurasia: Pedogenesis, post-pedogenic transformation, paleoenvironmental inferences

Recent revision of the eastern boundary of the last glaciation of Eurasia opened new perspectives in the search of the paleopedological records in the north of Eastern Europe and Western Siberia. We studied paleosol-sedimentary sequences in the Upper Volga and Middle Ob basins as a regional paleoecological record for the Late Pleistocene thermochrons.Two key sections Cheremoshnik and Belaya Gora containing MIS3 and MIS5 paleosol units and additional section Koskovo 2 with polycyclic MIS3 paleosol were investigated. Their timescale are based on C14 and U/Th datings as well as on stratigraphic and paleobotanical correlations. Macro-, meso- and micromorphological observations together with fossil insects and plant macrofossil were used as paleoenvironment proxy. MIS3 paleosols show abundant redoximorphic and cryogenic features that allow interpreting them as gleyic Cryosols. Sub-fossil insects and plant macrofossil reflect the cold climate conditions. Three incipient Ah horizons in Koskovo 2 pedocomplex point to multiple phases of pedogenesis, correlative to the MIS3 paleosol levels in different sections of the Eurasian loess belt and to the major interstadials of the Middle Pleniglacial of the NW Europe MIS5 paleosols are also characterized by gleyzation and peat accumulation, in this case we suppose geomorphological control on hydromorphic pedogenesis; however paleosol in Belaya Gora has clear signs of polygenesis including the phase of clay illuviation. Insect and plant remains from the lower paleosol level of the Belaya Gora section show the transition from cold (terminal phase of MIS6) to warm first, and then to a moderately cold climate (within MIS5). The obtained results contribute to understanding of soil and landscape zonality in the largest plains of Eurasia mostly during the warm phases of Late Pleistocene.

Reconstruction of Late Pleistocene paleoenvironments in southern Germany using two high-resolution loess-paleosol records

Two loess-paleosol sequences from the Heilbronn Basin in southwestern Germany, Frankenbach and Talheim, have been investigated to gain information about environmental conditions during the last interglacial-glacial cycle. Since paleoenvironmental research on terrestrial archives is crucial for a better understanding of past climatic and environmental conditions, the profiles were studied using a multi-proxy approach. Applied methods include the analyses of grain-size distribution, element contents, sediment color, rock magnetism, micromorphology, and black carbon (BC) via benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCA). The data reveal that the two profiles show large variations in conservation due to their different geomorphologic positions. Moreover, the results imply a subarctic climate with stable conditions during the Middle Pleniglacial (MIS 3) in-situ soil formation phase while the Lower Pleniglacial (MIS 4) was characterized by erosion and reworking of Eemian and Early Glacial (MIS 5) material but also by accumulation of aeolian material during the late Lower Pleniglacial (MIS 4) in Frankenbach. The results further suggest that the Rhine River floodplain has been a major source for the accumulated material in the two profiles, which indicates westerly wind directions during the time of accumulation. The low GSI and U-Ratio of Upper Pleniglacial (MIS 2) sediments, supported by the overall high content of fine material, imply a larger distance to the source area. We give an overview of loess in the Heilbronn Basin and place it in a wider context of loess in Western Europe.

Middle Pleniglacial pedogenesis on the northwestern edge of the Carpathian basin: A multidisciplinary investigation of the Bíňa pedo-sedimentary section, SW Slovakia

The Middle Pleniglacial on the northern hemisphere is characterized by millennial scale, frequent, and high amplitude environmental climatic shifts. In loess-paleosol sequences (LPSs) the transition from the Lower (MIS 4) to the Middle Pleniglacial (MIS 3) was accompanied by significant erosion events, as recorded in various terrestrial archives across Central Europe. As a result, potentially existing paleosol horizons of the particular period have been widely erased from the LPSs and only little is known about pedogenesis in this vast area. This study tries to fill this gap in our knowledge through studying a pedo-sedimentary record from Bíňa, a site situated in a relatively poorly investigated area on the northwestern edge of the Carpathian Basin. We investigated a 12-m-high and more than 500-m-wide outcrop along the Hron River, where a well-structured sequence of fluvio-lacustrine sediments, paleosols, and loess is preserved. The paleoenvironmental development within the studied area is presented and discussed on the basis of soil micromorphology, rock-magnetic and geochemical measurements, grain size analyses, and a malacological record accomplished by luminescence dating. Based on the OSL dating of the central profile, the sequence provides a high resolution record of the time period 60–20ka (MIS 3–MIS 2). The most developed paleosol horizons (Phaeozem and two Bw horizons of Gleyic Cambisols) were dated to the early stage of the MIS 3 (60–50ka) and correlated with the Greenland interstadials GI-17/16, GI-14/13 and/or GI-12 (the northwestern European interstadials Oerel, Glinde and Moershoofd). The development of the Bw horizon of a Cambisol recorded within the younger loess body was dated to ca. 35ka and it probably corresponds to the late MIS 3 intestadials GI-8–5 (Denekamp). The preservation as well as the development of the well-stratified record were closely related to the specific hydro- and geomorphological settings of the paleo-channel structure in which the sequence developed. Although soil development benefited from the specific local settings, we suggest that the recorded paleosols can also be related to the interregional climate differences of the Carpathian Basin: within the northerly located pericarpathian zones, a moister climate predominated during the last Pleniglacial, in contrast to the drier continental areas to the South. Thus, a sharp climatic transition existed separating a semi-arid steppe region from a climatic zone under the persistent influence of Atlantic air masses.

Larixduring the Mid-Pleniglacial (Greenland Interstadial 8) on Kotelny Island, northern Siberia

Needles, wood and pollen of Larix, recorded in a peat deposit from Kotelny Island, northern Siberia, indicate the local occurrence of larch around 38 000 cal. a BP, which is during the Middle Pleniglacial (Greenland Interstadial 8) of the Weichselian last glacial period. The pollen record, dominated by Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Betula, Alnus, Salix and Artemisia, indicates steppe-tundra conditions with some shrubs and trees. The distribution of Larix species plays an important role in the reconstruction of climatic conditions during the Weichselian in Siberia. Nowadays Larix does not occur on Kotelny Island and in the present situation the temperature may not be the limiting factor for Larix, but instead the long, snowy winters and the moist tundra vegetation. Our data may contribute to a better understanding of Larix refugia and Weichselian climatic conditions in northern Siberia.

The loess-palaeosol sequence of Datthausen, SW Germany: Characteristics, chronology, and implications for the use of the Lohne Soil as a marker soil

A new loess-palaeosol sequence from the westernmost loess area along the upper Danube River in SW Germany is presented. The profile Datthausen comprises a sequence of Middle Pleniglacial (MPG) and Upper Pleniglacial (UPG) palaeosols, separated by a prominent erosional discontinuity. The uppermost MPG palaeosol consists of two olive-brown horizons, showing morphological characteristics of the “Lohne Soil” that represents the uppermost MPG palaeosol in many loess-palaeosol profiles in the humid loess regions of central Europe. Sedimentological, palaeopedological and micromorphological analyses, combined with luminescence dating, were carried out. Compared to the profiles Nussloch and Schwalbenberg II in the Rhine River region, the profile Datthausen shows more intense pedogenesis, mainly due to its position in a depression and lower loess-accumulation rates. Further, the MPG/UPG transition at Datthausen seems to date later in time, likely matching Greenland interstadial (GIS) 4 and/or GIS 3, rather than GIS 7 to GIS 5. We conclude that the Lohne Soil is a reliable pedostratigraphic marker, whereas its use as a chronometric marker sensu stricto (which should have formed during one well-defined phase of soil formation) is impeded as it evolved during several interstadials. Its use as a chronometric marker sensu lato (which may have formed over several phases of soil formation) is impeded, too, as its chronological position in different loess-palaeosol profiles may not be specific enough. The differences in pedogenesis and chronology between the profiles Nussloch and Schwalbenberg II on one side and the profile Datthausen on the other side are attributed to site-specific factors such as topography. The influence of these factors on pedogenesis at the local scale may prevail over the general climatic regime controlling soil formation at the regional level. Therefore, spatial diversity of palaeosols needs to be considered when matching loess-palaeosol profiles with marine and ice-core records for evaluating the impact of climate forcing on terrestrial palaeoenvironments.

Korobchyne-kurhan Palaeolithic Sitein the Landscape of the Velyka Vys River Basin

On the basis of paleopedological research at Korobchyne-kurhan site with a wide range of existing paleogeographic developments, in the article the main features of the ancient Velyka Vys basin landscape, where the site is located, are reconstructed. The landscape is considered as a system that includes the geological component, relief, hydrographic characteristics, climate, soil cover, flora and fauna. The natural conditions analysis of the time when the site existed provides important information to determination of regional patterns selection of individual physical and geographical environments of the past for human living. With the integration of archaeological and paleogeographic studies it is found out that the main assemblage of stone artifacts at Korobchyne-kurhan site is buried in the vytachiv soils suite, the formation of which occurred during the first two climatic optima of the Middle Pleniglacial. The similar to the modern wavy plain relief with a dense system of ravines and gullies was typical for the ancient landscape of the region where the site is situated. To the Velyka Vys wide valley were directed many of its tributaries and which composed a developed hydrographic basin system. In conditions of temperate climate, warm temperate climate with elements of aridization, there were brown and dark brown Vytachiv soils formed on which forest and forest-steppe flora was grown. A fragment of the northern part of the basin was covered mainly with pine forests with an admixture of spruce, oak, elm, linden and hazel. Forb meadows and Poaceae-Artemisia-Chenopodioideae flora were presented too. The rest part of the basin was dominated by forest-steppe vegetation. Woodlands have been formed mostly of pine with an admixture of birch and broad-leaved tree species. In the valleys, ravines and gullies there were grown broad-leaved coniferous forests with the participation of pine, spruce, oak, elm, linden and hazel. Steppe vegetation is represented by different associations of forb-Artemisia-Chenopodioideae flora. Among the large animals of the Vytachiv time in the basin there are discovered the remains of mammoth, bison, horse and cave lion. Asignificant number of smaller fauna of the region is similar to the modern species found in the forest-steppe. Thus, geomorphologic features of the Velyka Vys basin, partitioned diverse relief of terrain, developed hydrographic system of the river, a favorable climate and Vytachiv soil features contributed to the development of a rich forest and forest-steppe vegetation of the region, which was inhabited by a numerous and varied fauna. In consideration of such comfortable for the human existence natural environment and wealth of biological resources of the Velyka Vys basin in Vytachiv time becomes obvious the reasons for choosing that habitat by primitive societies. The attractiveness of the choice for the site was enhanced by the presence of available stone material resources, outcrops of which are located not far from the site.

Late Pleistocene loess of the Lower Rhine

From the Lower Rhine a compiled 25.7 m thick Late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequence is differentiated into five lithostratigraphic units: the Rheingau Member (MIS 5), the Keldach Member (Weichselian Early Pleniglacial, GS-21.1–18, MIS 4), the Ahrgau Member (Weichselian Middle Pleniglacial, MIS 3) and the Hesbaye and Brabant Members (Weichselian Late Pleniglacial, MIS 2). It correlates well with climate fluctuations known from ice cores and deep-sea cores. The sequence was continuously sampled by 335 samples. It cuts through all essential layers and soils of the Late Pleistocene Upper Loess Formation. A continuous coarse silt index (CSI) curve shows a maximum in the Hesbaye Member (31–24 ka b2k) indicating the strongest wind conditions during the early Late Pleistocene. Further CSI highs lie in the Keldach and early Brabant Members. CSI lows are found the early and middle Rheingau Member (GI-25–?GI-22), the Jackerath-Spenrath Soils within the deeper Keldach Member (?GI-20–19), the early Ahrgau Member (GI-17–GI-12) and finally in the Elfgen Soil (GI-2) at the base of the Brabant Member. The organic carbon culminates in the Titz Humus Zone, presumably at the end of GI-21, indicating scanty oxidation during the following cold Lower Weichselian Pleniglacial period. The Garzweiler Solcomplex forming a prevailing period of soil formation between 130 and 78 ka BP (MIS 5e–a) is considered as interglacial complex (Rhine Interglacial Complex) continuing the style of the older interglacial complexes of MIS 7, 9 etc. The Ahr Interstadial Complex (MIS 3) is seen as immature complex of warm phases with fabric of the interglacial complexes. – Author's suggestion: The Rhine Interglacial Complex covers MIS 5e–a and restricts the Weichselian Glacial to MIS 4 through MIS 2. This procedure follows the style of the older interglacial complexes.

Pollen and lithological data from the Bukovynka Cave deposits as recorders of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic change in the eastern foothills of the Carpathian Mountains (Ukraine)

The study of clastic sediments of the BukovynkaCaveshows biotic and climatic changes during the Middle Pleniglacial (the Trapeznyi Chamber), Late Glacial and Holocene (the Sukhyi Chamber) in the south-eastern part of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The artesian BukovynkaCaveis located near the villageof Stal’nivtsi(the Chernivtsi region), in the PrutRiver basin. It is developed in the Miocene gypsum strata. The Quaternary clastic infilling of the cave, as well as mammal taphonomy has been previously studied in the Trapeznyi Chamber (Vremir et al., 2000; Ridush, 2004; Ridush et al., 2012), whereas palaeomagnetic research and its palaeoenvironmental implication has been provided for the Sukhyi Chamber (Bondar and Ridush, 2014). The results of pollen and grain-size studies of clastic deposits in both chambers, supported by mammal finds, are presented in this paper. In the Chernivtsi region, the pollen study has been previously performed (without 14 C-dating) on the Upper Pleistocene loess-paleosol section of Snyatyn and on the Onut site of the Holocene flood-plain deposits of the River Prut (Artyushenko et al., 1982). 39 samples from the cave sediments have been processed for grain-size analyses using the ‘pipette’ technique by Kachinsky (1965). In order to get pollen from clastic sediments, the following technique has been applied: heating with 10% HCl and 10% KOH, cold treatment with HF, disintegration in a solution of Na 4 P 2 O 7 and separation in heavy liquid (CdI 2 and KI) with a specific gravity 2.2. The abundance and good preservation of pollen show that the cave chambers turned periodically into sedimentation traps. Mammal bones are also mostly well preserved. Re-deposited pollen are abundant in the Trapeznyi Chamber but occur very rarely in the Suchyi Chamber. The present-day vegetation near the cave is a meadow-steppe surrounded by Carpinus-Quercus forest. The high proportion of Pinus sylvestris pollen in the surface soil samples (30-40%) does not correspond to the limited role that pine has in the modern vegetation. On the basis of this fact, pine pollen in the cave deposits are also regarded as over-represented because of its ability to travel farther on the wind than other pollen and its better preservation in rocks.

Earthworm calcite granules: a new tracker of millennial‐timescale environmental changes in Last Glacial loess deposits

ABSTRACTEarthworm calcite granules (ECG) are secreted by several earthworm species, mostly Lumbricus terrestris and Lumbricus rubellus, which release them at the surface and in the upper part of soil horizons. For a long time, they have been found in various calcareous Quaternary deposits, but more recently in Western European loess sequences where they can be abundant in specific layers. In this study, we present the first continuous record of ECG abundance variations from two loess sequences in northern France dating from the last glacial period. The aim of this research is to evaluate the reliability of ECG as a new palaeoenvironmental proxy for the study of loess environments. ECG counts reveal a link between their abundance and the nature of stratigraphic units, i.e. very high abundances in tundra gley and boreal brown soil horizons and almost none in typical calcareous loess. These abundance variations are similar to those of terrestrial molluscs. The ECG signal thus suggests, along with sedimentological parameters (grain size index, calcium carbonate, total organic carbon), that milder climatic conditions occurred during the development of tundra gleys during the Upper Pleniglacial (∼20–35 ka), and of boreal brown soils during the Middle Pleniglacial (∼35–40 ka).

The paradigm of paraglacial megafans of the San Juan river basin, Central Andes, Argentina

The spatial distribution and several morphometric characteristics of the Quaternary alluvial fans of the San Juan River, in the province of San Juan, at the Central and Western part of Argentina, have been studied to classify them as paraglacial megafans, as well to ratify its depositional environmental conditions. The high sedimentary load exported by San Juan river from the Central Andes to the foreland depressions is estimated about 3,682,200 hm3. The large alluvial fans of Ullum-Zonda and Tulum valleys were deposited into deep tectonic depressions, during the Upper Pleistocene deglaciation stages. The outcome of collecting remotely sensed data, map and DEM data, geophysical data and much fieldwork gave access to morphometric, morphographic and morphogenetic data of these alluvial fans. The main drainage network was mapped on processed images using QGis (vers.2.0.1). Several fan morphometric parameters were measured, such as the size, the shape, the thickness, the surface areas and the sedimentary volume of exported load. The analyzed fans were accumulated in deep tectonic depressions, where the alluvium fill reaches 700 to 1200 m thick. Such fans do not reach the large size that other world megafans have, and this is due to tectonic obstacles, although the sedimentary fill average volume surpasses 514,000 hm3. The author proposes to consider Ullum-Zonda and Tulum alluvial fans as paraglacial megafans. According to the stratigraphic relationships of the tropical South American Rivers, the author considers that the San Juan paraglacial megafans would have occurred in the period before 24 ka BP, possibly corresponding to Middle Pleniglacial (ca 65–24ka BP). They record colder and more humid conditions compared with the present arid and dry conditions.

A 30,000-year pollen record from Mire Kupena, Western Rhodopes Mountains (south Bulgaria)

A palynological study was performed on a 2m thick sediment sequence recovered from Mire Kupena (1356m), a former lake in the Western Rhodopes Mountains (south Bulgaria) and supported by radiocarbon dating. The record extends back to ca. 30,000cal. yrs. BP (Middle Pleniglacial) when the study area was occupied by wooded steppe composed of Pinus sp., Pinus peuce, some Betula, Juniperus, and cold-tolerant herb vegetation dominated by Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae. In addition, the almost continuous presence of deciduous Quercus, Tilia, Corylus, Abies, Picea, Fagus, Alnus, and Carpinus betulus pollen suggests interstadial conditions and this area could be recognized as a montane refugial place. A reconstruction of the interval between ca. 24,000 and 15,000cal. yrs. BP was not possible due to an extremely low sediment accumulation rates or, more likely, a hiatus. The lateglacial landscape was dominated by mountain-herb steppe vegetation with isolated stands of Pinus, Betula and shrubland of Juniperus. The afforestation in the Early Holocene started with broad-leaved forests composed of Quercus with C. betulus, Carpinus orientalis/Ostrya, Ulmus, Tilia and Corylus and minor amounts of Pinus, Betula and Abies. In the Late Holocene (<ca. 4700cal. yrs. BP) Fagus began to gain importance chiefly at the expense of the mixed oak forests, while after ca. 2000cal. yrs. BP forests of Pinus sylvestris with some P. peuce quickly expanded around the mire. A comparison with other long palynological records from the mountains and lowlands of Bulgaria and in northern Greece reveals not only common trends in the vegetation development that are a reflection of the climate changes, but also site-specific features related to the location and topography of each site.