Mechanical characterization of raw material quality and its implication for Early Upper Palaeolithic Moravia

Iberia, a natural cul-de-sac peninsula, plays a major role in the study of the Neanderthals demise and its eventual relationship with the spread of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) in Europe. The site of Cova Eirós (Galicia, Spain), located in NW Iberia, contains Middle and Upper Palaeolithic levels, based on the cultural remains recovered at the site. No human remains directly associated with those levels were discovered yet. The available radiocarbon dates from the levels 2 (c. 35 ka cal BP, Early Upper Paleolithic) and 3 (c. 41 ka cal BP, Late Middle Paleolithic), point to a late survival of Neanderthal groups in North Iberia and to a relative quick arrival of the AMH, c. 35-36 ka cal BP, with respect to other territories of the Iberian Peninsula. The archaeological record shows clear differences between the Middle and the Upper Palaeolithic occupations, regarding raw-material acquisition, lithic technology and subsistence strategies. The location of Cova Eirós in the westernmost margin of the Cantabrian Rim and in the Atlantic Façade, makes this site a key place to understand the spread of the first AMH and the progressive demise of Neanderthal populations.

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An Early Upper Palaeolithic decorated bone tubular rod from Pod Hradem Cave, Czech Republic

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00050201 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 88 (339) ◽

pp. 30-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Duncan Wright ◽

Ladislav Nejman ◽

Francesco d'Errico ◽

Miroslav Králík ◽

Rachel Wood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Czech Republic ◽

Modern Human ◽

Raw Material ◽

Tubular Bone ◽

Bayesian Modelling ◽

Upper Palaeolithic ◽

Laboratory Examination ◽

Human Identity ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Early Upper

Personal ornaments are a notable feature of the Early Upper Palaeolithic in Europe and an important expression of modern human identity. The tubular bone rod from Pod Hradem Cave in the Czech Republic is the first example of its kind from Central Europe. Laboratory examination reveals the techniques used in its manufacture and underlines the skill of its maker. AMS dates and Bayesian modelling suggest a cultural association with the Early Aurignacian period. It illustrates the cultural links across large areas of Europe at this time, although it is unique in its specific combination of size, raw material and decorative features.

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Mechanical Behavior of Gypsum and Cork Based Composite Material

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.730-732.361 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 730-732 ◽

pp. 361-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Graca Vasconcelos ◽

Andreia Martins ◽

Sandra Cunha ◽

Aires Camões ◽

Paulo B. Lourenço

Keyword(s):

Composite Material ◽

Mechanical Characterization ◽

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity ◽

Ultrasonic Pulse ◽

Pulse Velocity ◽

Raw Material ◽

Engineering Construction ◽

Fgd Gypsum ◽

By Products

The main aim of this work is the mechanical characterization of a composite material resulting from the combination of three by-products coming from industry, namely, flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, granulated cork and textile fibers from tire recycling. The material is considered as a green material as the raw material are considered by-products and it is intended to be used as a building material for non-structural purposes in civil engineering construction. The mechanical characterization includes uniaxial compressive tests and bending tests for characterization of the fracture behavior. Additionally, ultrasonic pulse velocity is measured to evaluate its variation with time of curing.

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First approximation to the Gravettian shell bead assemblage from Cova Foradada

10.31219/osf.io/rnpbc ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Gala García-Argudo ◽

Juan I Morales ◽

Artur Cebrià ◽

Josep M. Fullola

Keyword(s):

Residue Analysis ◽

3D Models ◽

Environmental Scanning ◽

Preliminary Evaluation ◽

Upper Palaeolithic ◽

Stratigraphic Sequence ◽

Digital Microscope ◽

Shell Beads ◽

Early Upper

The main goal of this paper is to approach the techno-cultural behaviour of the Gravettian groups in NE Iberia through the study of the shell ornaments. Here we present the archaeo-malacological assemblage recovered at the Early Upper Palaeolithic sequence of Foradada Cave (Calafell, Tarragona). Recent excavations have uncovered a stratigraphic sequence formed by three main layers corresponding to the Late Pleistocene. The patterns of thearchaeological record points to short and ephemeral human occupations, while most of the time the cave is occupied by medium and large size carnivores.The techno-typology and the first chronological approaches place these occupations along the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition, from the Chatelperronian to the Gravettian. The uppermost of these layers has provided a malacological assemblage composed of more than 160 shell beads that were mostly recovered in less than 1m2. A ?first direct AMS C14 age on a single Homalopoma sanguineum specimen date this layer ca.31 kyr cal BP, consistent with an attribution to the Early Gravettian.Traditionally the studies of perforation technology of shell beads have been based on subjective methods, like the typological characterization of their morphologies. Trying to overcome this, we have developed a 2D outline characterization of the perforations through an Elliptical Fourier Analysis. This test allows the preliminary evaluation of the shape differences between the species and their diferential technological management. To semi-automatically process the large amount data generated, the software package SHAPE has been used.The perforation techniques and suspension systems (as well as the use-wear traces) have been analysed first by digital microscopy equipment, allowing to create 3D models of the perforations. Later Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) was used to identify polished areas and wear features. Most of the ornaments are smeared in red ochre. The residue analysis was performed first visually with the digital microscope, and then complemented with the ESEM Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The further development of this work will allow to understand the role of shell beads as a group identity marker in the NE Iberia coastline during the Early Upper Palaeolithic.

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Mechanical characterization of Trebisacce stone: preliminary results

Rendiconti online della Società Geologica Italiana ◽

10.3301/rol.2016.14 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 47-50

Author(s):

Giulia Forestieri ◽

Maurizio Ponte

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Characterization ◽

Preliminary Results

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Massively Parallel Mechanical Characterization of Nanowires

10.26226/morressier.5f5f8e69aa777f8ba5bd5f86 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rodrigo Bernal

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Characterization ◽

Massively Parallel

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Spectro-mechanical Characterization of Aromaticity and Maturity of Kerogens in Oil Shale at 6 nm Spatial Resolution

10.26434/chemrxiv.7336160 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Devon Jakob ◽

Le Wang ◽

Haomin Wang ◽

Xiaoji Xu

Keyword(s):

Spatial Resolution ◽

Oil Shale ◽

Infrared Imaging ◽

Mechanical Characterization ◽

Optical Diffraction ◽

Chemical Compositions ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Eagle Ford Shale

<p>In situ measurements of the chemical compositions and mechanical properties of kerogen help understand the formation, transformation, and utilization of organic matter in the oil shale at the nanoscale. However, the optical diffraction limit prevents attainment of nanoscale resolution using conventional spectroscopy and microscopy. Here, we utilize peak force infrared (PFIR) microscopy for multimodal characterization of kerogen in oil shale. The PFIR provides correlative infrared imaging, mechanical mapping, and broadband infrared spectroscopy capability with 6 nm spatial resolution. We observed nanoscale heterogeneity in the chemical composition, aromaticity, and maturity of the kerogens from oil shales from Eagle Ford shale play in Texas. The kerogen aromaticity positively correlates with the local mechanical moduli of the surrounding inorganic matrix, manifesting the Le Chatelier’s principle. In situ spectro-mechanical characterization of oil shale will yield valuable insight for geochemical and geomechanical modeling on the origin and transformation of kerogen in the oil shale.</p>

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