The Upper Sedimentary Sequence of Grotta di Fumane, Northern Italy: A Micromorphological Approach to Study Imprints of Human Occupation and Paleoclimate Change

Abstract

Fumane Cave contains a sequence of natural and anthropogenic deposits documenting key transitions in the Paleolithic of Northern Italy. Open questions remain concerning the stratigraphic integrity, the formation processes, postdepositional alterations, and paleoclimatic implications of the sedimentary record. We examine these aspects through an extensive investigation based on field descriptions and micromorphological analysis of thin sections sampled during the last 25 years of excavations. Major components of the sediments are carbonate sands and limestone rubble originating from the physical breakdown of the cave roof and walls. Limited amounts of mica and quartz grains attest to weak eolian inputs. Sediments contain anthropogenic features and variable amounts of charcoal, bone, and lithic artifacts reflecting different uses of the site. Cryoturbation features observed in the field suggest an increased intensity of frost mainly after the accumulation of unit A2. This unit as well as unit A6 also show increased abundance of silt and clay cappings under the microscope, probably reflecting higher rates of snowfall and percolating meltwater during colder periods of the Last Glacial. However, limited expression of micromorphological features related to frost suggests rather modest changes in climate during the accumulation of the sequence. Overall, field descriptions and the micromorphological approach mostly corroborate the stratigraphic integrity of the sequence, underlining the high value of Fumane Cave as an archive of the late Middle to early Upper Paleolithic in Southern Europe.