Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi

Indonesia harbors some of the oldest known surviving cave art. Previously, the earliest dated rock art from this region was a figurative painting of a Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis). This image from Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 in the limestone karsts of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi, was created at least 43,900 years ago (43.9 ka) based on Uranium-series dating. Here, we report the Uranium-series dating of two figurative cave paintings of Sulawesi warty pigs recently discovered in the same karst area. The oldest, with a minimum age of 45.5 ka, is from Leang Tedongnge. The second image, from Leang Balangajia 1, dates to at least 32 ka. To our knowledge, the animal painting from Leang Tedongnge is the earliest known representational work of art in the world. There is no reason to suppose, however, that this early rock art is a unique example in Island Southeast Asia or the wider region.

Geological and geomorphological investigations in the Early Pleistocene paleontological multi-site of Olteț River Valley, Romania

<p>The Olteț River Valley in southern Romania hosts a large number of fossiliferous sites, the richest of which is Valea Grăunceanului. Based on biochronological estimations, these sites were assigned to the Late Villafranchian (MN17/MNQ1), at ~2.0-1.8 Ma. As yet, no other dating methods were employed and our present study aims to provide the geological and geomorphological background for radiometric and trapped charge dating, as well as for the stratigraphic correlation of these sites. These deposits are represented by fluvial-lacustrine sediments belonging to the Dacian Basin, a part of the Eastern Paratethys domain.</p> <p>Our approach is to create a regional stratigraphic column onto which to place the fossil sites. We first created a high-resolution 3D model of the surface using UAV technology. Further, we sampled sediments from several sections and determined their grain size and mineralogy. We also sampled pedogenic carbonates and fossil teeth for preliminary geochemical analysis, in preparation for uranium series dating.</p> <p>Although no human fossils have been found so far in the Olteț River Valley, the site is important for understanding the environment used by early humans to migrate out of Africa. These sites are close both in time and space to important anthropological sites such as Dmanisi, Khapry or Kozarnika, while being part of an area dominated by large water bodies that included the Pannonian, Dacian and Euxinic lakes.</p>

Dating of impure carbonates – Utilizing laser ablation MC-ICPMS to reconstruct initial 230Th/232Th ratios

<p><span>Uranium series dating is a valuable and well-established tool for age determination of carbonates in paleoclimatology. However, detrital contamination can alter results. A correctional term is commonly used to account for additional Th introduced into the sample material as detritus. </span><span>This correction requires to make assumptions about the initial </span><sup><span>230</span></sup><span>Th/</span><sup><span>232</span></sup><span>Th ratio of the detrital material, since it is not possible to extract it from an individual measurement. Laser ablation multi collector ICPMS equipped with multiple ion counting detectors offers the possibility to use an isochrone technique to extract the initial </span><sup><span>230</span></sup><span>Th/</span><sup><span>232</span></sup><span>Th value from heterogeneous samples with a high detrital content. This decreases systematic errors and uncertainties introduced by the detrital correction term and therefore improves the possibility of dating impure carbonates.</span></p>

Mid-Holocene extinction of cold-water corals on the Namibian shelf steered by the Benguela oxygen minimum zone

An exceptionally large cold-water coral mound province (CMP) was recently discovered extending over 80 km along the Namibian shelf (offshore southwestern Africa) in water depths of 160–270 m. This hitherto unknown CMP comprises >2000 mounds with heights of up to 20 m and constitutes the largest CMP known from the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. Uranium-series dating revealed a short but intense pulse in mound formation during the early to mid-Holocene. Coral proliferation during this period was potentially supported by slightly enhanced dissolved oxygen concentrations compared to the present Benguela oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The subsequent mid-Holocene strengthening of the Benguela Upwelling System and a simultaneous northward migration of the Angola-Benguela Front resulted in an intensification of the OMZ that caused the sudden local extinction of the Namibian corals and prevented their reoccurrence until today.