Late Pleistocene Record Research Articles

Brunhes to burials – loess region of Krems, Lower Austria

Abstract. This excursion is dedicated to loess–paleosol sequences (LPSs) and the Quaternary research history in the region around Krems an der Donau (Krems a.d. Donau), Austria. The landscape at the eastern exit of the picturesque Wachau valley, carved by the Danube into crystalline basement rocks, is covered by thick loess and has a more than 100-year-long research history. Local Upper Paleolithic findings (e.g., Venus of Willendorf, Fanny of Stratzing, Wachtberg infant burials) are world famous. The outcrops of Paudorf, Göttweig-Furth, and Krems-Schießstätte were type localities of the Quaternary period until the 1970s. Recently, these complex LPSs with discontinuities and polygenetic units were reinvestigated, with a focus on the Middle to Late Pleistocene (Brunhes) record.

Diversity and Paleoecology of the Zone 3 Late Pleistocene Vertebrates at Kincaid Shelter (41UV2), Central Texas, USA

ABSTRACT Kincaid Shelter (Uvalde County, Texas) contains a sequence of vertebrate and cultural remains spanning from the late Pleistocene to Historic. Kincaid Shelter perhaps is best known for its Paleoindian component, including a cobblestone floor interpreted as a Clovis habitation surface. Zone 3 lacustrine sediments are beneath that cobblestone floor and yielded a diverse late Pleistocene vertebrate fauna. Recovered in 1948, the assemblage has never been formally studied or described. The current analysis focuses on the composition, paleoecology, and taphonomy of the Zone 3 faunal assemblage to establish and clarify this important late Pleistocene record. Sixteen vertebrate taxa are represented. Large mammals predominate, but reptiles, including American alligator, and a bird also occur. The presence of Bison antiquus and Panthera atrox indicate a late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean Land Mammal Age) age for the faunal assemblage. The Zone 3 faunal composition is typical of latest Pleistocene faunas from the Great Plains and supports an interpretation of a grassland biome.

Ostracod response to monsoon and OMZ variability over the past 1.2 Myr

We present the first continuous middle through late Pleistocene record of fossil ostracods from the Maldives in the northern Indian Ocean, derived from sediment cores taken at Site U1467 by Expedition 359 of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). Site U1467 lies at 487 m water depth in the Inner Sea of the Maldives archipelago, an ideal place for studying the effects of the South Asian Monsoon (SAM) system on primary productivity, intermediate depth ocean circulation, and the regional oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The Inner Sea acts as a natural sediment trap that has undergone continuous sedimentation for millions of years with minor terrestrial influence. Our record spans from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 35 to the present, covering the mid-Pleistocene transition (1.2–0.6 Ma) and the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE, at ~480 ka) the time when ice age cycles transitioned from occurring every 40,000 years to 100,000 years. The ostracod data is interpreted alongside the existing datasets from the same site of sedimentological (grain-size) and XRF-elemental analyses, and new organic biomarker data also from Site U1467. These datasets support the paleoenvironmental interpretation of the ostracod assemblages. Ostracods are abundant and diverse, displaying a prominent change in faunal composition at the MBE related to the increase in the amplitude of glacial-interglacial cycles, which deeply affected the monsoon system and thereby the past oceanographic conditions of the Maldives Inner Sea. Furthermore, ostracods exhibit distinctly different assemblages across glacial-interglacial cycles, particularly after the MBE, and these changes convincingly correspond to variability of the OMZ. Glacial periods are characterized by ostracod indicators of well‑oxygenated bottom water due to the intensification of the winter monsoon and the contraction of the OMZ. Abundant psychrospheric ostracods during glacials suggests that a southern sourced water mass, such as Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) and/or Subantarctic Mode water, bathed the Maldives Inner Sea during glacial periods. In contrast, interglacial stages are characterized by ostracod species and biomarker data that indicate low-oxygen conditions and sluggish bottom water circulation pointing to an expansion of the regional OMZ due to the strengthening of the summer monsoon. Our results highlight the sensitivity of ostracods to oceanographic and climate variability.

The Pescara Paleovalley System (Central Italy): A Millennial-Scale Record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Glacio-Eustatic Events

The Pescara Paleovalley System (Central Italy): A Millennial-Scale Record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Glacio-Eustatic Events

The Pescara Paleovalley System (Central Italy): A Millennial-Scale Record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Glacio-Eustatic Events

The Pescara Paleovalley System (Central Italy): A Millennial-Scale Record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Glacio-Eustatic Events

Late Quaternary Stratigraphy and Geochronology of the Spring Creek Drainage along the Southern High Plains Eastern Escarpment, Northwest Texas

The eastern escarpment breaks of the Southern High Plains of Texas are both a geomorphic and ecotonal transition zone from the high plains surface to the Rolling Plains below. The geoarchaeological record on the Southern High Plains surface is well documented, but few studies have investigated the sediments, soils, and geochronology of the eastern escarpment. The current investigation has targeted the discontinuous remnants of Late Quaternary deposits within Spring Creek, a tributary within the upper Brazos River basin. A total of 19 profiles, core, and isolated exposure locations placed along a transect from Macy Fork through upper Spring Creek and 40 radiocarbon ages provide a composite sequence and geochronology that also documents the Late Pleistocene to Late Holocene paleoenvironments of this drainage. The resulting record illustrates a series of major changes in sediments and local habitats over the past ~11,550 radiocarbon years (13,469–13,390 calendar years), characterized primarily by reductions in available water and increasing aridity that peaked during the middle Holocene. This sequence provides significant context to an expanding record of Late Pleistocene to middle Holocene biota and cultures. Subsequent downcutting of the drainage post-6000 14C yr B.P. (6988–6744 calendar years) removed large sections of the depositional sequence. Local topography within Spring Creek drainage greatly impacted the preservation of these deposits. The remaining record provides some different insights than those available from the Southern High Plains record.

Revisiting the Taman peninsula loess-paleosol sequence: Middle and Late Pleistocene record of Cape Pekla

Loess deposits are widely spread all over Eastern Europe, extending as far south as the Sea of Azov and the northern Black Sea. For many decades these regions have been noted for series of key sections. However, despite prolonged investigations, a lack of absolute dating and detailed lithological data has left many unresolved problems in the correlation of the regional stratigraphic schemes. In this study, integrated studies were undertaken on the loess-paleosol sequence exposed on the northern coast of the Taman Peninsula, separating the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea. The exposure in the coastal scarp near Cape Pekla was sampled in detail for standard lithological and stratigraphic analyses, and for the first time, detailed data on the sediments lithology and petromagnetic properties were obtained, as well as the first optically stimulated luminescence age estimates. The data lead us to conclude that the formation of continental series exposed in the Pekla section started at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. There are five well pronounced buried soil complexes (PS 1–5) exposed in the sequence, covering sedimentation from the Middle Pleistocene to the present day. We attribute two lower paleosols (PS 4 and PS 5) to two main warm intervals of the Middle Pleistocene – MIS 9 and MIS 13, and the Kamenka interglacial paleosol, correlated with MIS 7 from other parts of the Azov loess area, is represented in the Pekla section by a sand layer formed at the time of the marine transgression dated to interval 220–280 ka (MIS 7). The upper soil horizons (PS1, PS2 and PS3) developed between 20 and 220 ka. The Pekla section contains a considerable proportion of sand fraction – presumably, due to active eolian processes that developed in immediate vicinities of sources of the material. The paleosol characteristics and the structure of loess horizons in the Pekla subaerial series differ considerably from the well described loess-paleosol series of the Northern Azov Sea coasts. In all probability, this region of the Taman Peninsula belongs to a specific province located south of the North Azov loess-soil province.

Late Pleistocene interstadial sea-levels (MIS 5a) in Gulf St Vincent, southern Australia, constrained by amino acid racemization dating of the benthic foraminifer Elphidium macelliforme

In contrast to the detection and resolution of Late Pleistocene interstadials (Marine Isotope Stages; MIS 5c, 5a and 3) in marine and ice core-based oxygen isotope records, accurately defining palaeosea-levels for these events from sea level indicators remains a challenge. Commonly, such investigations have been undertaken in tectonically active, subduction-related settings, on emergent marginal marine-coastal successions above present sea level, given that the higher ice volumes during these Marine Isotope Stages resulted in ice-equivalent sea levels significantly below present, particularly in far-field settings. Delineation of palaeosea-levels for this period, has accordingly involved an assumption about the long-term rate of coastal uplift. Core SV#23 collected from the tectonically highly stable, remote far-field setting of southern Gulf St Vincent, southern Australia, in a present water depth of 40 m obtained a 3.89 m undisturbed sedimentary record of Late Pleistocene to Holocene age. The basal 2.39 m of the sediment record is of Late Pleistocene interstadial age, as it overlies the Last Interglacial Glanville Formation (128–118 ka; MIS 5e) and occurs beneath the Holocene St Kilda Formation. The extent of aspartic acid and glutamic acid racemization in the benthic foraminifer Elphidium macelliforme sampled at 2 cm intervals continuously from the interstadial succession in Core SV#23, confirms the relative age interpreted from lithostratigraphy. A mean amino acid racemization (AAR) age of 75 ± 13 ka indicates a correlation with MIS 5a, and highlights the utility of E. macelliforme as a species for AAR geochronology. As the foraminifers more closely define the timing of sedimentation, the interstadial succession is regarded as beyond the range of radiocarbon dating (>50 kyr), as revealed in a comparison of radiocarbon ages of fossil molluscs with AAR ages for E. macelliforme from the same depth intervals within the interstadial succession. All of the radiocarbon ages for fossil marine molluscs from the interstadial succession represent minimum ages, resulting from contamination by trace levels of modern radiocarbon. The foraminiferal faunal assemblages within the interstadial succession reveal changes of water depth at the time of deposition, pointing to millennial-scale sea level variability. In particular, the ratio of Elphidium crispum to E. macelliforme indicates several oscillations in relative sea level within a bandwidth of 26 to 24 ± 4.6 m below present sea level (BPSL). Notwithstanding the large uncertainty associated with palaeosea-level estimation based on the Elphidium ratio, the inferred relative sea level record is in accord with the sea level records of Barbados and the Red Sea, and points to Sub-Milankovitch interstadial sea level variability as noted in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores.

A drowned Mesolithic shell midden complex at Hjarnø Vesterhoved, Denmark and its wider significance

Anthropogenic shell accumulations (shell middens), often of great size, occur in their tens of thousands around the world’s coastlines. They mostly date from the Mid-Holocene onwards and are frequently taken as symptomatic of a Postglacial ‘revolution’ involving world-wide population growth and intensification in exploitation of marine resources. However, the comparative rarity of earlier deposits may have as much to do with Postglacial sea-level rise and the loss of evidence from earlier palaeoshorelines as with genuine socio-economic trends. Here we investigate the underwater Mesolithic (Ertebølle) shell midden of Hjarnø Vesterhoved in Denmark, one of the first underwater shell middens to be systematically verified as an anthropogenic shell deposit in a region world-famous for its many hundreds of Ertebølle shell mounds on the present shoreline. We show how a combination of geophysical survey, coring, excavation, stratigraphic interpretation and macroscopic analysis of midden contents can be used to identify underwater deposits, to unravel their taphonomic and post-depositional history in relation to surrounding sediments, and to distinguish between cultural and natural agencies of shell accumulation and deformation. We demonstrate the presence of an intact underwater shell-midden deposit dated at 5400–5100 cal BC, one of the earliest in Denmark. We demonstrate the usefulness of such material in giving new information about early coastal subsistence economies and greater precision to the measurement of palaeo-sea levels. We discuss the implications of our results for an improved understanding of the Mesolithic record in Denmark and of biases in the archaeological record of Late Pleistocene and Early-to-Mid Holocene coastal contexts. We emphasise the importance of researching more fully the geomorphological and taphonomic processes that affect the accumulation, destruction, burial, preservation and visibility of underwater archaeological deposits, the need to extend underwater investigations more widely and to more deeply submerged palaeoshorelines, and the combination of methods required to advance such investigations.

Paleolimnological record of the Pampean plains (Argentina) as a natural archive of South American hydroclimatic variability since the LGM to the Current Warm Period

Laguna Mar Chiquita (LMC, 30°54′S – 62°51′W) is a highly variable and shallow saline lake, located in the Pampean Plains of Argentina. The paleolimnological record of LMC contains information on the environmental variability that occurred in a large area of Southern South America since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) until the present. As inferred from the diatom assemblages, sedimentary features and geochemical proxies, prolonged intervals of high and lowstands have caused variations in water salinity, trophic state and sedimentary processes. This is the first paleolimnological reconstruction covering the hydroclimatic variability that occurred over the last 25,000 cal yr BP in the Argentinean Pampean region. Results are in accordance with well-known global climatic phases. The Late Pleistocene record is characterized by a scenario dominated by lowstands, hypersaline, and oligotrophic lake conditions. Radiocarbon ages (25,000–19,000 cal yr BP) indicate that the onset of the record is coeval with the LGM. Later, a progressive lake water level increase was registered at ⁓17,000 cal yr BP, which can be assigned to the Heinrich Stadial 1. A shift toward comparatively drier conditions identified in the record between ⁓14,700 and 13,000 cal yr BP can be chronologically related to the Antarctic Cold Reversal. The transition from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene (13,500–10,500 cal yr BP) is recorded by highstand phases while the Early Holocene record is characterized by high to intermediate water levels. The hydrological reconstruction corresponding to the Mid-Holocene is characterized by alternating phases of high/lowstands. The onset of the Late Holocene record is marked by the development of dry conditions and thus lowstand phases, while around 1300 cal yr BP a distinct water lake level increase is recognized. This humid phase, ascribed to the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, is followed by the record of lowstands between 500 and 1000 cal yr BP, being coeval with the Little Ice Age. The uppermost part of the record of LMC encompasses the Current Warm Period, showing a marked shift towards high lake water level conditions. The hydrological variability registered in the paleolimnological record, highlights the importance of Laguna Mar Chiquita as an outstanding paleoclimate sensor of hydroclimatic variations for a large area of South Eastern South America.

Late Pleistocene glaciers in Greece: A new 36Cl chronology

Glaciers formed in the highest mountains of Greece during the Late Pleistocene, but the timing of glacier maxima is poorly understood. This paper presents 27 36Cl terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages from glacial boulders on Mount Tymphi (2497 m a.s.l., 40oN) in Epirus, northwest Greece. These ages address both a significant geographical gap in Mediterranean glacial chronologies and a temporal gap in the glacial history of this region by targeting the previously undated Late Pleistocene record. Late Pleistocene glaciers were restricted to the cirques and upper valleys of Mount Tymphi. Terminal and lateral moraines between 1700 m and 2050 m a.s.l. mark the extent of Late Pleistocene glaciers on the southern side of Mount Tymphi. Moraines marking the maximum extent of Late Pleistocene glaciation date to 29.0 ± 3.0 ka and 25.7 ± 2.6 ka, taking the oldest ages as most representative of moraine emplacement. Glaciers had retreated to the high cirques by 24.5 ± 2.4 ka during Heinrich Stadial 2. Rock glaciers formed under cold and drier conditions during this period of glacier retreat. This 36Cl dataset complements published U-series ages from secondary calcites in glacial sediments below 1700 m elevation, which demonstrate more extensive Middle Pleistocene glaciations in MIS 6 and MIS 12. A Late Pleistocene glacier maxima on Mount Tymphi at 25.7–29 ka is in good agreement with well-preserved outwash sediments dating to 24–28 ka in the Voidomatis River record downstream and is consistent with the Ioaninna basin pollen record indicating cool and wet conditions, most favourable for glacier growth, at 25–30 ka.

Hunter-Gatherer Occupation of the Central Colorado Plateau during the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition

The central Colorado Plateau contains an exceptional density of cultural resources. Historically, however, archaeological investigations have overlooked the late Pleistocene and early Holocene record of this region. As such, there is currently a biased understanding of the earliest human occupations and adaptations. The regional Paleoindian record is reviewed here to assess the nature of initial human occupation of the area. Projectile point typologies, toolstone selection, and site distributions are used to characterize the land use patterns used by the region's earliest inhabitants. Results suggest that as early as circa 13,000 cal BP Clovis groups were familiar with the lithic landscape and habitually made use of local materials. Subsequent Paleoindian populations maintained relatively consistent levels of occupation throughout the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Finally, the presence of classic Southwest, High Plains, and Great Basin–related lithic technologies suggests that the central Colorado Plateau was part of early interregional land use strategies.

First occurrence of musk ox Ovibos moschatus in the Late Pleistocene (MIS 3) record from NW Iberia: Paleobiogeographic and paleoenvironmental implications

A remarkable musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) assemblage was recovered at Cowshead Cave (Picos de Europa Mountains, NW Spain). This find is of special paleobiogeographic relevance since it involves the first occurrence of this species in NW Iberia and extends the boundary of its Eurasian distribution range to the SW.Fossils correspond to at least two individuals: one young male about 20 months old, which includes an extraordinarily well-preserved skull, and one subadult of about 38–44 months. The bone deposit, dated to 34.9 ± 0.4 cal ka BP (MIS 3), accumulated in a karst cave that acted as a natural trap, agreeing with the geomorphology and the good preservation of the remains.Considering that musk ox skulls of young individuals are extremely rare in the Pleistocene record, the detailed comparative study of the skull here presented provides new and relevant information. The skull from Cowshead is larger than modern specimens of similar individual age from Greenland; additionally, some remarkable morphological peculiarities in skull and teeth were identified.One metacarpal of the subadult individual was compared to recent and Pleistocene specimens and was among the largest in the entire sample. Significant differences in morphology and size between fossil and recent metacarpals were detected.Teeth microwear analysis suggests a browsing diet based on twigs and leaves at the time of death, which is consistent with a winter diet.The cold and arid environment inferred from the presence of musk ox is consistent with the paleontological record, since cold-adapted mammals occurred at other contemporary assemblages from NW Iberia.

The Paleolithic in the Nihewan Basin, China: Evolutionary history of an Early to Late Pleistocene record in Eastern Asia.

The Nihewan Basin of China preserves one of the most important successions of Paleolithic archeological sites in Eurasia. Stratified archeological sites and mammalian fossils, first reported in the 1920s, continue to be recovered in large-scale excavation projects. Here, we review key findings from archeological excavations in the Nihewan Basin ranging from ~1.66 Ma to 11.7 ka. We place particular emphasis on changes in stone tool technology over the long term. Though Pleistocene lithic industries from East Asia are often described as simple in character, re-evaluation of the stone tool evidence from the Nihewan Basin demonstrates significant, though periodic, innovations and variability in manufacturing techniques through time, indicating adaptive and technological flexibility on the part of hominins. Synthesis of paleoenvironmental and archeological data indicate changes in hominin occupation frequency in the Nihewan Basin, with chronological gaps suggesting that continuous presence in high, seasonal latitudes was not possible prior to the Late Pleistocene.

Middle to late Pleistocene record of explosive volcanic eruptions in marine sediments offshore Kamchatka (Meiji Rise, NW Pacific)

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the first detailed study of a late Pleistocene marine tephra sequence from the NW Pacific, downwind from the Kamchatka volcanic arc. Sediment core SO201‐2‐40, located on the Meiji Rise ~400 km offshore the peninsula, includes 25 tephras deposited within the last 215 ka. Volcanic glass from the tephras was characterized using single‐shard electron microprobe analysis and laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry. The age of tephras was derived from a new age model based on paleomagnetic and paleoclimate studies. Geochemical correlation of distal tephras to Kamchatkan pyroclastic deposits allowed the identification of tephras from the Karymsky, Gorely, Opala and Shiveluch eruptive centers. Three of these tephras were also correlated to other marine and terrestrial sites and hence are identified as the best markers for the north‐west Pacific region. These are an early Holocene tephra from the Karymsky caldera (~8.7 ka) and two tephras falling into the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 glacial time: an MIS 6.4 tephra from Shiveluch (~141 ka) and the MIS 6.5 Rauchua tephra (~175 ka) from Karymsky. The data presented in this study can be used in paleovolcanological and paleoceanographic reconstructions.

Late Pleistocene and Earliest Holocene avifauna from the Loutra Almopias Cave (Macedonia, Greece)

The bird fauna of the Loutra Almopias Cave comprised eight orders, 22 families, 41 genera and at least 47 species (68 different taxa) established based on 551 avian bone finds. The Loutra Almopias Cave is a new (26th) Pleistocene avian locality in Greece. About 92.5% of the material was dated to the Earliest Holocene (11.230 ± 110 y. BP), coming from the upper chamber of the cave, whereas an older assemblage was dated to the Late Pleistocene (37,880 y. ± 370/360 BP), coming from the floor chambers of the cave. Here is provided the first fossil record of 13 species in Greece (Buteo lagopus, Francolinus francolinus, Lagopus lagopus, Bonasa bonasia, Dryocopus martius, Lulula arborea, Bombicylla garrulus, Cinclus cinclus, Sylvia borin, Carduelis carduelis, Loxia curvirostra, Plectrophenax nivalis, and Emberiza cirlus). Three genera (Francolinus, Anthus and Riparia/Ptyonoprogne) were established for the first time in Pleistocene deposits in the country. The record of Fr. francolinus was the first one for the Balkans and Eastern Europe. At both sites inside the cave, regardless of their different age, the habitat preferences of the identified bird species indicated that the surrounding paleoenvironment included both grassy openlands (dominated by gramineans) and woodland (coniferous or mixed woods). In addition, rocky habitats were represented in the surroundings of the locality. The presence of small species of Perdicinae (26%) and corvids (34%) indicated the former existence and prevelance of open grassy fields and rocky environments. The Alpine chough was the most abundant species at both localities. In the Earliest Holocene it comprised 29.5%, whereas in the Late Pleistocene it reached 25.6% of the material. Such a representation suggests a natural non-human accumulation of the material, probably due to the feeding behavior of Bubo bubo. The Late Pleistocene record (19 taxa; 41 finds) included Falco sp. cf. F. peregrinus, Perdix perdix, Perdix sp., Alectoris graeca, Alectoris sp., Lagopus cf. lagopus, cf. Bonasa bonasia, Columba livia, Columba palumbus, Bubo bubo, Melanocorhypha calandra, Anthus sp., Turdus sp., Pica pica, Pyrrhocorax graculus, Loxia curvirostra, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Fringillidae gen. indet., non-Passeriformes indet. and also suggests the site has been used by the eagle owl. The climate probably used to be drier and cooler than in the Earliest Holocene. The record of 17 woodland species from the Earliest Holocene that were absent in the Late Pleistocene could be explained by the more humid and moderate climate at the very end of the Pleistocene.

Late Pleistocene Record of Off‐Fault Deformation and Vertical Slip Rates from the Wasatch Fault Zone, Utah: Implications for Fault Segmentation from Lake Bonneville Shorelines

AbstractIn an effort to better understand the Pleistocene history of the Wasatch fault zone, we evaluate the deformation and displacement of the Bonneville and Provo high‐stand shorelines of Lake Bonneville along the Wasatch Front. We apply an automated shoreline elevation measurement application developed as part of this study to measure Lake Bonneville shoreline elevations along the Weber and Brigham City segments of the fault, adding to a previously published dataset of shoreline elevations on the Salt Lake City segment. Tectonically deformed shorelines on the footwall of the fault demonstrate elevation patterns that are inconsistent with the idea that the Pleasant View salient, a bedrock salient marking the segment boundary between the Weber and Brigham City segments of the fault, is a persistent barrier to fault rupture since the late Pleistocene. Shoreline features are elevated ∼20 m across the segment boundary as compared to shoreline features on the northern part of the Brigham City segment. We suggest the possibility that fault rupture through the Pleasant View salient has been common since the late Pleistocene and speculate that a similar relationship could exist between the Provo and Salt Lake City segments, based on similarities between the shoreline elevation patterns on the Brigham City and Salt Lake City segments of the fault. Vertical slip rates measured from displaced shorelines at the Pleasant View salient (Brigham City–Weber segment boundary) are generally higher compared to those at the Honeyville spur (Collinston–Brigham City segment boundary). Statistically significant vertical slip rates calculated from the Provo shoreline at the Pleasant View salient (0.8±0.5 to 0.9±0.6 mm/yr and 0.7±0.5 to 0.9±0.6 mm/yr) suggest that late Pleistocene vertical slip rates are slightly lower than Holocene rates; however, large uncertainties in the shoreline elevation measurements exist.

A New Mormoopid Bat from the Oligocene (Whitneyan and Early Arikareean) of Florida, and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Major Clades of Mormoopidae (Mammalia: Chiroptera)

A new genus and species of fossil bat, Koopmanycteris palaeomormoops, representing an ancient member of the endemic Neotropical family Mormoopidae, is described from the Oligocene of Florida. This new species is known from two paleokarst deposits in northern peninsular Florida, the early Oligocene (Whitneyan, 30–32 Ma) I-75 Local Fauna in Alachua County and the late Oligocene (early Arikareean, 26–28 Ma) Brooksville 2 Local Fauna in Hernando County. The discovery of Koopmanycteris extends the fossil record of the Mormoopidae back in time almost 30 million years. Compared to most other described taxa of North American Tertiary bats, the fossil sample of Koopmanycteris palaeomormoops is substantial, consisting of 50 specimens including: P4, all lower teeth from p3 through m3, dentary, petrosal, humerus, proximal radius, and femur. Koopmanycteris is morphologically intermediate between the two living genera of mormoopids, Mormoops and Pteronotus, but is most similar to the former taxon. Characters shared by Koopmanycteris and Mormoops include: large anterolabial basin on P4; large, double-rooted p3; secondary process ventral to angular process on dentary; absence of groove separating capitulum into medial and lateral portions on distal humerus; presence of prominent ridge on posterolateral edge of distal humeral shaft; rounded extremity on proximal radius; and presence of a prominent ridge or tubercle on posterodistal shaft of femur. All of these features appear to be relatively derived, with the exception of the large, double-rooted p3. In several mandibular characters, Koopmanycteris more closely resembles Pteronotus, including: pronounced posteroventral process on the symphysis; lack of curvature of ventral edge of horizontal ramus between posterior edge of symphysis and p4; and less pronounced dorsal upturning of ascending ramus compared to Mormoops. Koopmanycteris retains the primitive dental morphology of Mormoops, with a large double-rooted p3, and the primitive posterior mandibular morphology of Pteronotus, with the lesser degree of dorsal flexion of the ascending ramus. A phylogenetic analysis including all known extant mormoopid lineages as well as representative outgroups from other noctilionoid clades confirms that Koopmanycteris and Mormoops are sister taxa. These findings indicate that the lineages leading to Pteronotus and Mormoops were distinct by ∼30 Ma. The fossil record tentatively indicates that the Mormoopidae originated in North America in the early Oligocene or earlier, and may not have reached South America until the Pliocene following the onset of the Great American Biotic Interchange. Several lines of evidence support this hypothesis: (1) the earliest fossil record of the Mormoopidae is in the early Oligocene of Florida; (2) the greatest diversity and endemism of modern mormoopid species is in the West Indies; and (3) the absence of a pre–late Pleistocene record, lack of endemism, and marginal recent distribution of mormoopids in South America. Most species of living mormoopids are obligate cave dwellers, suggesting that the occurrence of caves and paleokarst deposits has affected both their modern distribution and fossil record.

Revision of the late Middle Pleistocene stratigraphy and palaeoclimate in Poland

The aim of this paper is a critical verification of the late Middle Pleistocene stratigraphy in Poland in connection with stratigraphical schemes in the neighbouring countries. Although a terrestrial record of the Middle Pleistocene is almost complete in western and southern Europe, it is full of gaps in central and eastern Europe. Eight key sites in Poland and one in Belarus were selected to compile environmental and palaeoclimate data for a revised stratigraphy from the termination of MIS 12 to MIS 6, and the chronology was based on correlation with oxygen isotope stratigraphy and OSL ages. The late Middle Pleistocene record starts with the Holsteinian lake sequences, some of which have been initiated already at the end of MIS 12, persisted through MIS 11 and terminated in mid-MIS 10. In the examined sites, MIS 11 is represented also by deposits of meandering rivers in a temperate climate. In contrast, there is no evidence for deposition in most of MIS 10 and in MIS 9. A warmer and presumably wet episode at the beginning of MIS 8 lead to local erosion, followed by development of small lakes. Modest ice sheet advance into central Europe occurred in the second part of MIS 8, as reflected by a till, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits and presumably, also by permafrost and ice wedges in western Belarus. MIS 7 seems to have been generally warm and wet when small lakes and meandering rivers could develop. Such mild conditions were interrupted with cool and probably drier episodes when braided rivers and limited pedogenesis occurred. Saalian ice sheet cover of central Europe in MIS 6 was widespread, but even more importantly, in this stage periglacial environments were dominant, as shown by continuous permafrost, intensive aeolian activity and development of ice wedges and involutions. Braided rivers developed during short wetter intervals.

Late Pleistocene to early Holocene high-quality quartz crystal procurement from the Valiente quarry workshop site (32°S, Chile, South America).

The procurement of high-quality lithic resources is amongst the most indicative processes of decision-making in the archaeology of early human groups peopling the Americas. Directly dated deposits from quarry workshops have been absent of the late Pleistocene record of South America. We present the results of the excavations of a high-quality translucent quartz crystal workshop that yielded radiocarbon-dated coherently layered stratigraphic deposits that shed light into the behavior of the initial stages of lithic procurement. Based on a detailed analysis of the context of the Valiente site (32° S, Chile, South America), we discuss the stages of bifacial production of point technology. The deposit produced evidence of cumulative occupations over the period between 12,630 and 11,320 calibrated years before present. This ~1,300-year span is coincidental with a major environmental step-wise drying trend as indicated by the local and regional pollen records. Furthermore, it is synchronous to the process in which natural landscapes became the earliest taskscapes in the region, thereby encompassing major cultural changes related to the organization of the land use. These results are discussed in the frame of contemporaneous archaeological data to discuss specific aspects of technology and decision-making of the earliest settlers of South America.