Paleolandscape Reconstruction Research Articles

Multi-scale palaeolandscape reconstruction at the Upper Paleolithic Byki sites, central East European Plain

The Byki complex on the left bank of the Seim River (Desna basin) comprises eight sites, including multilayer ones, differing chronologically and culturally. The dates of key cultural layers are from 21 to 18 thousand BP. Questioning the use of local landscapes by prehistoric people and the reasons for repeated occupation of the area required a paleolandscape reconstruction. For this purpose, a set of methods were applied on a research scale from local (archaeological excavation) to regional (within a radius of several kilometres). The site's position in the regional topography has been studied using GIS methods, for the nearest encirclement of Byki a detailed digital terrain model was constructed. The near-surface stratigraphy was studied by ground penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic survey, coring and archaeological excavations. This resulted in the creation of a map of natural depressions layout and their three-dimensional visualisation. It was found that by the time people first arrived, the natural relief was a combination of sand dunes and rounded thermokarst sinkholes. The sediments filling the sinkholes indicate the over-watered conditions made them unsuitable for human habitation (the cultural layers do not extend into the sinkholes), but they could provide a source of water. Most of the sites are found on top of an aeolian barkhan. The distance maps showed that the sites’ location provided the best visibility in all directions. Thus, this atypical location of Byki sites at significant distances from the nearest rivers can be explained by a combination of several advantages: location on the edge of a valley in terms of distance vision, local topographic diversity that provided comfortable living conditions and possibly a water supply.

Relative abundance of grazing and browsing herbivores is not a direct reflection of vegetation structure: Implications for hominin paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

The diet of fossil herbivores inferred from enamel stable carbon isotopes is often used to make paleoenvironmental reconstructions. While many studies have focused on using environmental indicator taxa to make paleoenvironmental reconstructions, community-based approaches are considered to provide a more complete picture of paleolandscapes. These studies assume that the diet and relative abundance of herbivores are related to the areal extent of different vegetation types on the landscape. Here, we quantitatively test this assumption in 16 modern ecosystems in eastern and southern Africa with a wide range of woody vegetation cover. We conducted a landscape-level spatial analysis of vegetation patterns using a published land cover data set and computed landscape metrics. We compiled data on relative abundance and diet of herbivores inferred from carbon isotope studies for all large herbivores in these ecosystems. We found that despite differences in the total areal extent of different vegetation types, numerous sizable patches of each vegetation type are available in most ecosystems. However, despite variation across the ecosystems examined, grazers are typically the most abundant herbivores even in sites that have a higher proportion of forest and shrub cover. This indicates that the diet and relative abundance of herbivores is not a simple reflection of the total areal extent of vegetation types available on the landscape. The higher proportion of grazers observed in these ecosystems is a result of multiple factors including habitat heterogeneity, differences in biomass turnover rate between grasses and woody vegetation, resource partitioning, and the advantages of group living in open environments. Comparison of diet and relative abundance of herbivores in modern ecosystems to fossil herbivore assemblages shows that very different vegetation regimes can support similar herbivore assemblages. This study has significant implications for paleolandscape reconstructions and cautions against a simplistic wooded vs. grassland paleoenvironmental interpretations based on fossil herbivore assemblages.

Biostratigraphy of the Devonian–Lower Carboniferous Deposits of the Bambui-Olingda Subzone (South Muya Ridge, Western Transbaikalia)

The results of biostratigraphic studies of the Devonian–lower Carboniferous deposits of the Bambui-Olingda subzone of the Vitimkan-Tsipinsk zone of the Baikal-Vitim fold system are presented. These deposits are isolated from the composition of the Riphean and Vendian–Cambrian formations. Their age was revised on the basis of numerous findings of fauna and flora. The carbonate Bambui and terrigenous Chulegma formations and the terrigenous-carbonate Kadalin stratum are assigned to the Devonian. The volcanogenic-terrigenous Yendekt sequence is dated as late Devonian (Famennian)–early Carboniferous (Tournaisian), while the terrigenous Ognenskaya and Amatkanskaya formations are dated as early Carboniferous (Tournaisian and Visean). Significant changes have been made to the Paleozoic stratigraphy scheme of the subzone. Paleolandscape reconstructions for the Bambui-Olingda basin and coastal land areas in the Devonian–early Carboniferous are proposed. The Devonian carbonate complex was formed in calm conditions of a shallow warm shelf sea. A change in the paleolandscape situation occurred at the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary. Sedimentation of significant thicknesses continued under the conditions of a deepening open shelf-slope paleobasin adjacent to the volcanic zone.

From sink to source: Late Quaternary landscape evolution and fluvial dynamics of the Hautapu River catchment, New Zealand

Landscapes are dynamic and respond to a range of internal and external processes that influence the balance between erosion and sedimentary preservation. Documenting past depositional and erosional events is fundamental to understanding processes of landscape formation and unpacking the interplay between stream power and sediment supply. Here, we focus on a paleo-landscape reconstruction of the Hautapu River valley in New Zealand, with the aim of investigating the influence of volcanic activity, uplift, and climate on fluvial and landscape dynamics. The study area is characterized by Pliocene marine sediments superimposed by a suite of Late Pleistocene river terraces and associated cover beds. Volcaniclastic deposits of the Mataroa Formation, derived from partial collapse of the Mt. Ruapehu stratovolcano, overlie the oldest terrace level and are used to reconstruct the paleo-landscape. Depth of incision is obtained by comparing remnant terrace surfaces to present day topography. An early channel switching event after c. 125–150 ka is correlated to increased sediment supply and resultant fluvial aggradation following emplacement of the Mataroa Formation. Remobilization of volcaniclastic material resulting in blockage and channel avulsion is considered to have redirected the flow of the Hautapu River into the Mangoiwa Stream valley, evidenced by the gentle gradient, wide and more deeply incised valley geomorphology. A more recent channel abandonment event at c. 15 ka is correlated to subsidence of the Ruapehu Graben and piracy by the Whangaehu River, effectively isolating the Hautapu catchment from Mt. Ruapehu and its active source of volcaniclastic sediment. Simultaneous abandonment of the Mangoiwa Stream valley and re-establishment of the Hautapu River into its former channel is attributed to uplift, pre-existing valley morphology and strength contrasts between the valley fill and its underlying marine succession. Accelerated erosion during cold climate phases is considered to have effectively stripped regolith from deforested highlands leading to a reset of the landscape, greatly increased sediment yields and fluvial aggradation. Subsequent landscape stabilization and ongoing regional uplift during climate amelioration is associated with a reduction in sediment supply and excess stream power, leading to incision and knickpoint retreat.

Formation of evolutionary landscape science in Russia

In contrast to paleogeography and evolutionary geography, evolutionary landscape science is only a few decades old. This paper traces the history of paleogeographic research and, on this basis, the development of the methodology and methods of evolutionary landscape science. In this country, paleogeographic research began with the reconstruction of vegetation cover based on the edaphic approach. Later, such work started to be based on the integration of palynological data and reconstructions of climatic changes. Actual papers on evolutionary landscape science appeared only in the last decades of the XX century. At the turn of the millennium, work on paleolandscape reconstructions and paleolandscape mapping commenced. The main methods for large-scale paleoreconstructions of landscapes, which constitute the basis for works on evolutionary landscape science, are presented in the given paper. An essential part of the research is the application of the landscape-edaphic approach to specific chronological sections and the compilation of maps of conditionally restored (indigenous) landscapes. Detailed paleolandscape studies in the key areas of forest zones in the European Territory of Russia (ETR) made it possible to reveal some patterns in the evolution of their landscapes in the Holocene.

Landscape evolution across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary in southwestern North Dakota, U.S.A.

The Hell Creek Formation and overlying Fort Union Formation record a geologically rapid base-level rise that was approximately contemporaneous with the K/Pg extinction and deposition of Chicxulub-impact indicators. An outstanding question that remains is whether this base-level rise is attributable to: 1) a multi-thousand-year transgression adjacent to a relatively low-relief coastal plain, causing a rise in the water table; or 2) catastrophic flooding due to upland denudation, rapid channel accretion, and hydrologic reorganization resulting from wildfires/deforestation consequential of the impact. Herein we aim to address which of these hypotheses is most consistent with a paleolandscape reconstruction at Mud Buttes, a locality where the boundary clay (BC) is coincident with the Hell Creek-Fort Union contact. One hundred twenty-seven trenches were examined laterally across ∼2 km transect of K/Pg boundary. The uppermost Hell Creek is comprised of three pedotypes: Pale-Silt Inceptisol (PSI), Olive-Clay Vertisol (OCV), and Chocolate-Clay Vertisol (CCV), which range from moderately well-drained, to variable to poorly drained, to very poorly drained, respectively. All of the BC occurs superjacent to the CCV, despite this pedotype accounting for only ∼50% of the pre-event landscape. The edaphic features preserved in the CCV pedotype are not attributable to Paleogene overprinting, which indicates that hydromorphic conditions began prior to the impact. Furthermore, 46% of BC is overlain by lignite, despite lignite occurrence on 17% of the earliest Paleogene landscape. This reveals that the poorest-drained landscape positions of the latest Cretaceous persisted across the boundary. These relationships are most consistent with a non-catastrophic base-level rise.

Small mammal species turnover in response to climatic variations during the Holocene in Patagonia: A paleolandscape reconstruction

The goal of this study was to document the effects produced by Holocene climatic changes on the composition of small mammals along the elevational gradient in the Somuncurá Plateau Protected Area, northern extra-Andean Patagonia. A bone sequence accumulated by the disintegration of owl pellets was analyzed with taphonomic, paleoecological, and paleoenvironmental purposes. The studied site is located near the boundary between the Southern Monte and the Patagonian Steppes, and the paleontological sequence encompasses the middle Holocene. Multivariate analyses were used to classify Holocene samples into a regional geographical pattern, following the elevational and vegetation gradients. Comparisons between fossil and recent owl pellet samples indicated that species composition differed substantially during the middle Holocene. The species recovered constitutes the current assemblages from the bunchgrass steppes at the higher elevations of the plateau and implies an extension of the Patagonian Steppe occupying areas currently under the Monte influence. This paleoenvironmental context would have been developed under lower temperatures and stronger westerly winds. With temperature as the main factor to the structuring of the small mammal communities in Somuncurá, both past and present, special attention must be paid to the design of conservation strategies for this Protected Area considering future scenarios of climate change.

Buried late Quaternary channel systems in the Danish North Sea – Genesis and geological evolution

The Danish North Sea has been subject to extensive seismic surveying (both 2D and 3D) during the past four decades. The 3D seismic data from the area has mainly been used for hydrocarbon exploration, but in the last decade, it has also been utilized for investigating the Quaternary sediments and especially buried incised valleys. The erosional and depositional processes involved in forming such valleys are important in paleolandscape reconstruction, but are often difficult to determine, since sediment deposited by flowing water, displays ambiguous geometric structures. In this study, we combine the analysis of infill geometries, from high-resolution 2D seismic data, with plan-view morphology analysis, from 3D seismic data, and lithological data from borehole reports, in order to constrain the origin of buried channels in the Danish North Sea. This data integration makes differentiations of a subaerial vs. subglacial origin more robust. The study focusses on analyzing a proglacial to fluvial channel system, which was initiated as a subglacial tunnel valley system during the Last Glacial Maximum, and subsequently evolved as a fluvial system after deglaciation. The channel system was active in a marsh environment during a period of subaerial exposure in the late Weichselian to early Holocene. During the Holocene transgression, the system was gradually flooded leaving estuarine tidal deposits in the underfilled channels. Once the area was completely flooded, the channel system was buried under marine sands.

Paleolandscape Reconstruction Based on the Study of A Buried Soil of the Bronze Age in the Broadleaf Forest Area of the Russian Plain

Late Holocene landscape evolution at the southern frontier of the forest belt of European Russia is studied based on detailed morphological, analytical and microbiomorphic research of a soil chronosequence that included a surface soil and a soil buried under the Bronze Age kurgan. Both soils (Folic Eutric Cambisols) are formed on similar geomorphic surfaces in the same parent material and in close proximity to each other. The soil morphology and the key analytical features are controlled by low-reactive parent material and imply close similarity of the present landscapes and those of the Bronze age. At the same time the morphological features show that the buried soil was influenced by the phase of weak aridization, which led to the formation of a dark mull humus horizon. Microbiomorphic assemblages (phytoliths, pollen) support the earlier conclusion that the soils of the study area had being developed mostly under forest vegetation.

Mid and Late Holocene evolution of Brateș Lake region (Danube floodplain) based on the multiproxy analysis

This study proposes a local paleo–landscape reconstruction of the Danube floodplain based on a stratigraphic sequence retrieved from Brateș Lake which, by its emplacement near the confluence of Danube – Prut rivers, was fully receptive to changes associated to hydrological, geomorphological or anthropogenic driven events. Due to its intermediate position within the Lower Danube valley Brateș Lake is a proxy for the evolution of Cotul Dunării area (the region of Danube valley turning from S–N to W–E direction) and provide valuable information about the timing of Danube river advancement to the Black Sea after its reconnection to World Ocean. The sediments were analysed to get the history of their deposition by means of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating, grain–size parameters, organic matter and carbonate content, magnetic susceptibility together with paleo–fauna and pollen content which altogether led to the identification of main stages: i) delta front advance into Danube estuary (before 8000 BP), ii) shoreline foreshore deposits which describe shoreline position (8000–7900 yrs BP), iii) river floodplain development (7900–5300/5000 yrs BP), iv) lake formation (5300/5000 yrs BP – present).

Paleolandscape reconstruction and interplay of controlling factors of an Eocene pedogenically-modified distal volcaniclastic succession in Patagonia

The middle Eocene Koluel-Kaike Formation, located in the San Jorge Basin, Patagonia, Argentina, is a strongly pedogenically modified succession associated with volcaniclastic input in an aggrading distal eolian-dominated fluvial system, located ∼400 km downwind of the Eocene Andean volcanic arc. The coordinated study of sediments and paleosols of this unit allows (1) reconstruction of environmental conditions and landscape evolution, and (2) determination of the interplay of the main forcing factors in the evolution of the Kokuel-Kaike Formation. The landscape reconstruction attests to the existence of a loessic rolling plain drained by a subordinate fluvial system, composed of both unconfined and confined flows, with locally ponded areas. Over these, thick stacked cumulative paleo-Ultisols and vertic paleo-Ultisols developed with scarce simple and stacked compound vitric Entisols analogues and compound Inceptisols equivalents. This high-resolution sedimentological-pedological analysis of the Kokuel-Kaike Formation indicates that the interplay between episodic volcaniclastic supply and cyclic climate controlled landscape evolution and soil development.

Exploring Integrated Geophysics and Geotechnics as a Paleolandscape Reconstruction Tool: Archaeological Prospection of (Prehistoric) Sites Buried Deeply below the Scheldt Polders (NW Belgium)

AbstractDuring extensive construction works in Antwerp harbour, well preserved Late Glacial dune formations were discovered buried deeply below the Scheldt polders and covered by peat, organic matter (OM) rich clays and marine clayey to sandy sediments. First, coring based archaeological prospection strategies for evaluating prehistoric occupation levels in wetland landscapes are reviewed. Next, a more effective approach including near surface geophysical and geotechnical techniques is proposed and tested in Doelpolder Noord. The results indicate that high resolution electromagnetic induction survey at multiple coil spacing provides a suitable approximation of the prehistoric landscape variability but is challenged by variations in groundwater brackishness. Gridded cone penetration tests provide a solution in such cases and serve as an excellent interpretation tool for the conductivity data in general. Due to the required effort, electrical resistance imaging and shear wave land seismics were judged inefficient. Finally, a small dune with indications of paleosol conservation and estimated suitability for Final Palaeolithic to Early Neolithic occupation is sampled by Dutch hand augering and Sonic Drill Aqualock coring. Archaeological indicators for prehistoric occupation such as burnt bone and flint fragments were retrieved from these samples after sieving. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANDSCAPES OF THE SHKOTOVO PLATEAU OF SIKHOTE-ALIN IN THE LATE HOLOCENE

New data in the development of the basalt plateau landscapes under multidirectional changes of climate in the late Holocene is presented. Objects for paleolandscape reconstructions were lacustrinemarsh deposits of the Larchenkov marsh. The marsh arose on the site of a paleolake that has passed several stages of development. The greatest depth and area of the lake had about 3220–4000 14 С years BP in the conditions of warming and increasing moisture. At the fi nal stage of its existence, there have been periods of flooding and the shallowing with general tendency to active bogging. At the top of the sections of peat bogs, the volcanic ash B-Tm of Baitoushan volcano (the eruption 969 AD) was found. Stages in the development of landscapes were highlighted and the borders of their reconstructions were defined. Natural landscape-forming factors with the analysis of change rates of the biotic components were analyzed. Conclusions on stability of geosystems are made, and the contribution of global and regional paleoclimatic events is estimated. In forest vegetation of the plateau, the share of broadleaf species has increased during warming periods, the share of the Korean pine and dark coniferous, primarily spruce, has increased in the cold periods. In forest vegetation of the plateau, the share of broadleaf species has been increasing during warming periods, the share of the Korean pine and dark coniferous, primarily spruce, has been increasing in the cold periods. The expansion of dark coniferous forests had occurred in climatic conditions similar to modern – about 2550 14 С years BP; coniferous-deciduous forests had retreated to the edge of the plateau. The larch ( Larix komarovii ) had existed framing the paleolake during the all studied period and is a relic of the Last Glacial Maximum. The formation of modern landscapes with identifying their ages was analyzed.

Isotope Signature of Sand Calcites in the Paris Basin: A Proxy for Permafrost/Groundwater Paleoconditions

Sand calcites occurring as rhombohedral crystals and spherolitic concretions in several Tertiary sandstone formations in the Paris basin have been dated to the cooling periods of the four last glacial stages, using 14C and U-Th methods. Sand calcites constitute a novel proxy to estimate paleo-groundwater levels and the extension of permafrost conditions. The δ13C and δ18O compositions of sand calcites are a function of precipitation depth in relation with the warming of surface water during infiltration. Sand calcites appear as precious markers for Pleistocene paleo-landscape reconstructions.

Paleolandscape Reconstruction of the Abrau Peninsula Littoral (Krasnodar Territory): Based on Sediments at the Entrance of Lobanova Shchel

Burial ground horizons dating as far back as the 6th–2nd centuries BC and the cultural layers associated with settlements dated to the Late Bronze (?) Age, the Classical Antiquity, and the Middle Ages, have been identified during a multidisciplinary study of sediments exposed by trenching at the entrance of Lobanova Shchel (Lobanova Gorge), near a burial ground of the 6th–2nd centuries BC. The study has provided insights into general regularities of paleolandscape evolution in the littoral zone of the Abrau Peninsula. A correlation between the composition of plant communities, changes in sea level, seismic and sedimentary processes has been carried out.

On the use of integrated process models to reconstruct prehistoric occupation, with examples from Sandy Flanders, Belgium

AbstractIntensive archaeological investigations in Sandy Flanders (Belgium) revealed sites dating from the Final Paleolithic to the Neolithic, showing a discontinuous spatial and temporal distribution. To improve the understanding of these occupational patterns, a paleolandscape reconstruction is proposed. A major problem in paleolandscape reconstruction is that basic data are scattered in the temporal and spatial sense. Therefore, we propose an interdisciplinary approach to the application of different process models to soil–water–landscape reconstruction. The process models used include a digital elevation model, a hydrological, a pedogenetic, and a land‐evaluation model. The result is a modeling framework in which these discipline‐specific models, which provide input to each other, are integrated. Outcomes of the different models are still preliminary, because of the ongoing calibration and application of the models. The paper focuses on the methodological aspects of constructing the modeling framework and the questions one needs to answer in advance to facilitate the integration of the model results. Furthermore, errors within each individual model need to be accounted for and ideally are propagated into the next modeling step. Because of model complexity and runtime this is presently unfeasible. Alternatively, we propose to repeat the last step of the model framework (the land‐evaluation procedure) for perturbations of the parameters reflecting the estimated model errors. We emphasize the difficulties occurring when integrating these different models, such as those relating to scale differences and error propagation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Archaeological horizons and fluvial processes at the Lower Paleolithic open-air site of Revadim (Israel)

In this paper we present new data pertaining to the paleo-landscape characteristics at the Acheulian site of Revadim, on the southern coastal plain of Israel. Sedimentological, isotopic, granulometric and micromorphological studies showed that the archaeological remains accumulated in an active fluvial environment where channel action, overbank flooding and episodic inundation occurred. Measurements of total organic matter and its carbon isotopic composition indicate that the hominin activity at the site started at a period of relatively drier conditions, which coincided with erosion of the preceding soil sequence. This process led to the formation of a gently-undulating topography, as reconstructed by a GIS model. Later deposition documents relatively wetter conditions, as indicated by carbon isotopic composition. Formation processes identified at the site include fluvial processes, inundation episodes that resulted in anaerobic conditions and formation of oxide nodules, as well as small-scale bioturbation and later infiltration of carbonate-rich solutions that resulted in the formation of calcite nodules and crusts. The combination of micro-habitats created favorable conditions that repeatedly drew hominins to the area, as seen by a series of super-imposed archaeological horizons. This study shows that site-specific paleo-landscape reconstructions should play an important role in understanding regional variation among hominin occupations and in extrapolating long-term behavioral patterns during the Middle Pleistocene.

REMOTE SENSING IN THE STUDY OF SIBERIA'S MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES

A Russian geographer outlines several principal directions involving the application of remote sensing technologies to research on mountain systems in the Lake Baykal region of East Siberia. These include remote sensing applications involving: temporal comparison of images from different times; landscape forecasting and paleoland-scape reconstruction; determination of present-day dynamics; and computer-aided image processing. The paper describes how these and other methods were used to delineate the boundaries of a new Kodar National Park and in landscape/regional planning in the Goloustnaya River basin. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1998, No. 4, pp. 121-128.