scholarly journals Luminescence dating of a late Middle Pleistocene glacial advance in eastern England

2021 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip L. Gibbard ◽  
Mark D. Bateman ◽  
Jane Leathard ◽  
R.G. West
Keyword(s):  
Previous Investigation ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Eastern Margin ◽  
First Time ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Glacial Advance

Abstract Previous investigation of isolated landforms, on the eastern margin of the East Anglian Fenland, England, has demonstrated that they represent an ice-marginal delta and alluvial fan complex deposited at the margin of an ice lobe that entered the Fenland during the ‘Tottenhill glaciation’ (termed the ‘Skertchly Line’). They have been attributed, based on regional correlations, to a glaciation during the Late Wolstonian (i.e. Late Saalian) Substage (Drenthe Stadial, early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6). This paper aimed to test this correlation by directly optically luminescence dating, for the first time, sediments found within the Skertchly Line at Shouldham Thorpe, Norfolk, and Maidscross Hill, Suffolk, together with those in associated kame terrace deposits at Watlington, Norfolk. Ages ranged from 244 ± 10 ka to 12.8 ± 0.46 ka, all the results being younger than MIS 8 with some clearly showing the landforms have been subsequently subjected to periglacial processes, particularly during the Late Devensian Substage (∼MIS 2). Most of the remainder fall within the range 169–212 ka and could be assigned to MIS 6, thus confirming the previously proposed age of the glaciation. The local and regional implications of these conclusions are discussed, the maximum ice limit being linked to that of the Amersfoort–Nijmegen glaciotectonic ridge limit in the central Netherlands.

Facies Composition and Stratigraphic Position of the Quaternary Upper Yenisei Sequence in the Tuva and Minusa Depressions

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 1127-1138
Author(s):  
I.D. Zol’nikov ◽  
I.S. Novikov ◽  
E.V. Deev ◽  
A.V. Shpansky ◽  
M.V. Mikharevich
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
Gorny Altai ◽  
Stratigraphic Position ◽  
Geochronological Dating ◽  
Current Ripples

Abstract —The paper concerns the sediment sequence, which is widespread in the Yenisei valley and in the Tuva and Minusa depressions and also present in the valleys of the southern Chulym plain. The sediments of this sequence were previously described as “Neogene mud-shedding”, as well as moraines, alluvial fan deposits, alluvium of Middle Pleistocene high terraces, and lacustrine sediments. The giant ripple marks on the Upper Yenisei terraces was commonly interpreted as ribbed moraines; however, in recent studies, these ridges have been repeatedly referred to as marks of giant current ripples. Besides, some recently published papers provide description of geology of this sequence fragments suggesting its deposition by cataclysmic floods. Geomorphological analysis of the area shows Pleistocene glaciers to have been localized within the medium–high mountainous areas. The glaciers did not reach the Tuva and Minusa depressions and occupied large areas only in the Todzha basin and on the periphery of the Darkhat basin, forming a glacial dam at its outlet, which resulted in glacial-dammed lakes filling the basin completely. These lakes outburst, and the resultant flooding led to the deposition of megaflood sediments, which we refer to here as the Upper Yenisei sediment sequence. A detailed analysis of its facies architecture revealed similarity of these sediments to those of the Sal’dzhar and Inya sequences in Gorny Altai. Most of the Upper Yenisei megaflood sediments are localized in topographic lows of the Tuva and Minusa depressions. Beyond the Altai–Sayan mountainous area, the megaflood sediments of the Upper Yenisei sequence compose high terraces of the Yenisei, Chulym, Chet’, and Kiya rivers in the southern Chulym plain. The formation of Upper Yenisei sequence dates to the first half of the Late Pleistocene, inasmuch as it contains inset alluvial sediments of the second terrace of the Yenisei River. The available data allow suggesting that the Upper Yenisei sequence formed in the first Late Pleistocene regional glaciation. The Sal’dzhar sequence in Gorny Altai and the fourth terrace of the Ob’ River on the Fore-Altai plain are stratigraphic analogs of the Upper Yenisei sequence. The Upper Yenisei and Sal’dzhar sequences can thus be considered future regional markers serving as a link for the local stratigraphic schemes of the Altai–Sayan mountainous area and adjacent West Siberian plains. The results obtained call for verification by geochronological dating, first of all, by modern luminescence dating methods covering a wider chronological interval than radiocarbon dating.

A late–Middle Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 6) vegetated surface buried by Old Crow tephra at the Palisades, interior Alaska

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 801-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto V. Reyes ◽  
Britta J.L. Jensen ◽  
Grant D. Zazula ◽  
Thomas A. Ager ◽  
Svetlana Kuzmina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

Late Middle Pleistocene glaciofluvial sedimentation in western Norfolk, England

2012 ◽  
Vol 91 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 63-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.L. Gibbard ◽  
S. Boreham ◽  
R.G. West ◽  
C.J. Rolfe
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Previous Description ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Landscape Morphology ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Front Movement

AbstractInvestigation of landforms on the eastern margin of the East Anglian Fenland basin has demonstrated that they represent a series of glaciofluvial delta-fan and related sediment accumulations (the Skertchly Line) deposited at the margin of an ice-lobe that entered the depression. This ‘Tottenhill glaciation’ dated to ca 160 ka, or the late Wolstonian (= late Saalian) Stage, is equivalent to that during the Netherlands' Drenthe Substage (Marine Isotope Stage 6). Of these landform complexes, an additional site at Shouldham Thorpe, previously nominated as the stratotype for deposits linked to a pre-Anglian Stage, Midlands'-derived Ingham/‘Bytham river’, has now been studied. Examination of the internal structure and form of the feature, using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), supported by section logging, borehole records, local landscape morphology and previous description, together indicate that the deposits rest on an eroded surface of Lowestoft Formation diamicton (Anglian Stage) and must therefore be of post-, rather than pre-Anglian age. The investigations indicate that the Shouldham deposits were laid down as a glacio-marginal subaerial (‘terminoglacial’) fan at the ice-front. In common with other sequences in the Skertchly Line complexes, deposition at Shouldham Thorpe was accompanied by minor ice-front movement, this fan potentially being deposited before retreat to the Tottenhill locality. The implications of the results are discussed.

scholarly journals Quaternary alluvial fan systems of the Agri intermontane basin (southern Italy): tectonic and climatic controls

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Giano
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Normal Faults ◽  
Tectonic Deformation ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Plan View ◽  
Intermontane Basin ◽  
Eastern Margin

Quaternary alluvial fan systems of the Agri intermontane basin (southern Italy): tectonic and climatic controls The Agri River high valley is a Quaternary intermontane basin located in southern Italy. The tectonic evolution of this basin was controlled by Lower Pleistocene strike-slip master faults, subsequently reactivated as normal faults until the Middle Pleistocene. The Quaternary sediments of the basin infill are mainly constituted of continental clastics, represented by coarse-grained alluvial deposits divided by unconformities. The arrangement of clastic deposits suggests that the Pleistocene to Holocene alluvial fan system developed along the eastern margin of the valley. Five generations of slope and alluvial fan systems have been recognized in the Agri basin. The oldest fans have formed on both slope and alluvial deposits. The younger alluvial fans are located along the entire valley floor and arose upon the earlier fan apexes originating in these valleys. The youngest fans are arranged in two different generations and show proximal facies distributed along the foot slopes. Plan view morphology, fan slope profiles, and sedimentary features of the fan system have been used here to determine the magnitude of the tectonic deformation episode affecting the faulted mountainous front of the Agri basin eastern margin. Both fast and slow tectonic episodes occurred during the different regional Quaternary tectonic stages that affected the southern Apennine chain. These tectonic episodes have therefore been analysed in relation to climatic conditions in order to determine their contributions to the evolution of the Pleistocene to Holocene fan systems.

scholarly journals Wooden tools and fire technology in the early Neanderthal site of Poggetti Vecchi (Italy)

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 2054-2059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biancamaria Aranguren ◽  
Anna Revedin ◽  
Nicola Amico ◽  
Fabio Cavulli ◽  
Gianna Giachi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Technology ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
The Other ◽  
Marine Isotope Stage ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Buxus Sempervirens ◽  
Fossil Bones ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

Excavations for the construction of thermal pools at Poggetti Vecchi (Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy) exposed a series of wooden tools in an open-air stratified site referable to late Middle Pleistocene. The wooden artifacts were uncovered, together with stone tools and fossil bones, largely belonging to the straight-tusked elephant Paleoloxodon antiquus. The site is radiometrically dated to around 171,000 y B.P., and hence correlated with the early marine isotope stage 6 [Benvenuti M, et al. (2017) Quat Res 88:327–344]. The sticks, all fragmentary, are made from boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) and were over 1 m long, rounded at one end and pointed at the other. They have been partially charred, possibly to lessen the labor of scraping boxwood, using a technique so far not documented at the time. The wooden artifacts have the size and features of multipurpose tools known as “digging sticks,” which are quite commonly used by foragers. This discovery from Poggetti Vecchi provides evidence of the processing and use of wood by early Neanderthals, showing their ability to use fire in tool making from very tough wood.

scholarly journals Fossil record of a Characiform in the Monte Hermoso Formation (lower Pliocene), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Palaeobiogeographical implications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio BOGAN ◽  
Federico AGNOLIN ◽  
Juan Marcos MIRANDE
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Buenos Aires Province ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Southern Boundary ◽  
Pampean Region ◽  
First Time ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

The fossil record of fishes from the Farola de Monte Hermoso locality (lower Pliocene) in the southern Buenos Aires province, Argentina, shows an unusual composition. The locality at the southern boundary of the Brazilian Ichthyogeographic Realm. However, its fossil record is composed of fossil fishes that are not necessarily related to Brazilian lineages, namely indeterminate siluriforms, trichomycterid catfishes, and percomorphaceans. The aim of the present contribution is to describe and report for the first time isolated specimens belonging to Characidae fishes. In the Pampean region the fossil record of characids is restricted to Oligosarcus Günther, 1864 sp. from the late-middle Pleistocene. The present finding fills a temporal gap between the Paleogene and Quaternary reports and indicates that Brazilian fish lineages were present in the area by early Pliocene times, and may constitute an indirect evidence of the evolution of the basins in the southern Pampean Area.

scholarly journals Changes in Paleovegetation and Paleoclimate in China Since the Late Middle Pleistocene: A Case Study of the Dajiuhu Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4848
Author(s):  
Liwei Wu ◽  
Xinling Li ◽  
Qinghai Xu ◽  
Manyue Li ◽  
Qiufeng Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
East Asian Monsoon ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Central China ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

The East Asian monsoon system is an important part of global atmospheric circulation; however, records of the East Asian monsoon from different regions exhibit different evolutionary rhythms. Here, we show a high-resolution record of grain size and pollen data from a lacustrine sediment core of Dajiuhu Lake in Shennongjia, Hubei Province, China, in order to reconstruct the paleovegetation and paleoeclimate evolution of the Dajiuhu Basin since the late Middle Pleistocene (~237.9 ka to the present). The results show that grain size and pollen record of the core DJH-2 are consistent with the δ18O record of stalagmites from Sanbao Cave in the same area, which is closely related to the changes of insolation at the precessional (~20-kyr) scale in the Northern Hemisphere. This is different from the records of the Asian summer monsoon recorded in the Loess Plateau of North China, which exhibited dominant 100-kyr change cyclicities. We suggest that the difference between paleoclimatic records from North and South China is closely related to the east–west-oriented mountain ranges of the Qinling Mountains in central China that blocked weakened East Asia summer monsoons across the mountains during glacial periods.

scholarly journals Directional changes in Levallois core technologies between Eastern Africa, Arabia, and the Levant during MIS 5

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Blinkhorn ◽  
Huw S. Groucutt ◽  
Eleanor M. L. Scerri ◽  
Michael D. Petraglia ◽  
Simon Blockley
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Reduction Activity ◽  
Core Technology ◽  
Geographic Expansion ◽  
First Time ◽  
Mis 5

AbstractMarine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, ~ 130 to 71 thousand years ago, was a key period for the geographic expansion of Homo sapiens, including engagement with new landscapes within Africa and dispersal into Asia. Occupation of the Levant by Homo sapiens in MIS 5 is well established, while recent research has documented complementary evidence in Arabia. Here, we undertake the first detailed comparison of Levallois core technology from eastern Africa, Arabia, and the Levant during MIS 5, including multiple sites associated with Homo sapiens fossils. We employ quantitative comparisons of individual artefacts that provides a detailed appraisal of Levallois reduction activity in MIS 5, thereby enabling assessment of intra- and inter-assemblage variability for the first time. Our results demonstrate a pattern of geographically structured variability embedded within a shared focus on centripetal Levallois reduction schemes and overlapping core morphologies. We reveal directional changes in core shaping and flake production from eastern Africa to Arabia and the Levant that are independent of differences in geographic or environmental parameters. These results are consistent with a common cultural inheritance between these regions, potentially stemming from a shared late Middle Pleistocene source in eastern Africa.

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