Yong-Jiang Huang , Xue-Ping Ji , Nina G. Jablonski , Jian-Hui Liu , Qing Yang , Zi-Ning Zou , Jun Yang , Yun-Heng Ji
{"title":"Archaeobotanical study of the Tangzigou site reveals wild plant exploitation in the terminal Paleolithic of southwest China","authors":"Yong-Jiang Huang , Xue-Ping Ji , Nina G. Jablonski , Jian-Hui Liu , Qing Yang , Zi-Ning Zou , Jun Yang , Yun-Heng Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wild plants have been an important part of the diet of ancient people, and their remains at archaeological sites are therefore a good proxy for disentangling human exploitation of plant foods in the history. Yunnan in southwest China has been poorly explored in archaeobotany, especially for periods before the Neolithic when gathering was still dominant in plant utilization. Here, we present an archaeobotanical assemblage consisting of fruit and seed remains from the regionally terminal Paleolithic (8740 ± 30 BP) Tangzigou site in western Yunnan. Our taxonomic identification shows that the archaeobotanical assemblage is poor in diversity with only four taxa, i.e., <em>Celtis</em> sp. (hackberry), <em>Prunus persica</em> (wild peach), <em>Vitis</em> sp. (wild grape) and <em>Choerospondias axillaris</em> (Nepal hog plum), which have served as potential food resources to ancient people of the site. However, the full picture of plant exploitation by the Tangzigou people cannot be gained only from the low abundance and diversity of plant remains at the site itself. Based on what is known of the practices of hunter-gatherers today, most fruits and seeds were probably eaten by Tangzigou people during the course of foraging trips, with only a small fraction being carried back to the site for processing and consumption. The fruit stone remains of <em>C. axillaris</em> have been processed with fire accidently or intentionally; the intentional fire-processing was probably for consumption of the seeds inside, which is compatible with the processing of animal foods with fire by the Tangzigou people. Our study brings to light the possible incorporation of plant food resources into the diet of the latest Paleolithic Tangzigou people who are suggested to have lived under a warm subtropical climate. It also enriches our knowledge of the historical use of wild plants by early Holocene humans in southwest China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109980"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145057312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. A. Sakharov, Yu. V. Yashunsky, A. E. Davydov, V. I. Taskaev, I. A. Morozov
{"title":"Mixed-Layer Glauconite-Nontronite Clay Minerals from Biomorphoses and Host Rocks of the Gzhelian Stage (Moscow Region)","authors":"B. A. Sakharov, Yu. V. Yashunsky, A. E. Davydov, V. I. Taskaev, I. A. Morozov","doi":"10.1134/S002449022570018X","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S002449022570018X","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Study of the internal structure of the recently described new species of sponge <i>Gzhelistella cornigera</i> (Davydov et al., 2023) and fusulinids from the Gzhelian stage (Moscow region) revealed numerous polymineral biomorphoses composed of mixed-layer clay minerals, goethite, chalcedony, and sanidine. A detailed structural and crystal-chemical study of clay minerals from biomorphoses and the host rock revealed a structural heterogeneity of the mixed-layer minerals. Using the X-ray diffraction pattern modeling method, it has been established that the clay material in the studied samples is represented by two authigenic mixed-layer (glauconite-nontronite) types with a contrasting relationship between the content of different layers and/or their alternation order, but identical structural and crystal-chemical characteristics of the crystallites. It is shown that such formations should be considered a single heterogeneous mixed-layer structure, with the relationship and/or alternation order of different layer types in crystals varying within certain limits. It has been established that the structural and crystal-chemical characteristics of mixed-layer minerals from brown biomorphoses and host rocks are almost indistinguishable, whereas these parameters are significantly different for green biomorphoses. It is assumed that the newly formed clay minerals from host rocks, like their brown analogs, were formed under similar physicochemical conditions. It is also obvious that during the formation of mixed-layer phases, brown biomorphoses were already deprived of the biogenic organic matter, while green biomorphoses retained it in sufficient quantity to change the environmental conditions within themselves in some places.</p>","PeriodicalId":18150,"journal":{"name":"Lithology and Mineral Resources","volume":"60 5","pages":"553 - 571"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. A. Levitan, L. G. Domaratskaya, A. V. Koltsova, K. V. Syromyatnikov
{"title":"Comparative Analysis of Geochemical Peculiarities of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Pleistocene Sediments","authors":"M. A. Levitan, L. G. Domaratskaya, A. V. Koltsova, K. V. Syromyatnikov","doi":"10.1134/S0024490225700221","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S0024490225700221","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Based on the reports of DSDP, ODP, IODP phases of the International Deep-Sea Drilling Project and other references, the arithmetic mean chemical compositions of the main Pleistocene sediment types in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans are compared. The mean chemical composition of different sediment types was calculated as the arithmetic mean of the chemical component concentrations, as well as the average composition of Pleistocene sediments, on the whole, for three main ocean basins. It is shown that masses of the dry sedimentary material play the leading role in the comparative analysis of the weighted mean chemical composition. The mass accumulation rates are evaluated for the major oxides in Pleistocene sediments of all oceans. Data on modern factors influencing the oceanic sedimentation, ratios of the water catchment areas with accumulation basin areas, composition of provinces, continent climate, as well as areas of the sea floor above/under the critical depth surface, and primary production of the ocean are considered. These data are compared with our results concerning the values of major oxide concentrations in Pleistocene sediments of all oceans. It has been established that the mean chemical composition of oceanic sediments is governed mainly by the level of critical depth surface and degree of geochemical differentiation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18150,"journal":{"name":"Lithology and Mineral Resources","volume":"60 5","pages":"477 - 495"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Late Pliocene‒Quaternary (<2.7 Ma) Sedimentation in the Eurasian Basin (Arctic Ocean)","authors":"A. V. Zayonchek, S. Yu. Sokolov, A. V. Soloviev","doi":"10.1134/S002449022570021X","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S002449022570021X","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Geomorphological analysis and age correlation of the Late Pliocene–Quaternary regional stages identified in the ARC1407A seismic section by onlapping the oceanic basement, with the age specified based on calculations of the position of theoretical linear magnetic anomalies, were carried out. Interpretation of the ARC1407A seismic time section makes it possible to use the previous seismostratigraphic correlations of glaciomarine deposits for the western Barents Sea and the northeastern part of the adjacent deep-water basin. Based on the geomorphological analysis, extended canyon systems were identified in the Nansen Basin and eastern Amundsen Basin. Significant amounts of sedimentary cover in the Nansen Basin are glaciomarine sediments deposited since the end-Late Pliocene. In the central Nansen Basin, glaciomarine sediments were deposited simultaneously from two closely located troughs (Saint Anna and Voronin). Glaciomarine sediments, transported to the central Nansen Basin cyclically, have a mixed character (underwater landslides and turbidite flows). In the Amundsen and Podvodnikov basins, glaciomarine deposits began to form in the second half of the Middle Neopleistocene.</p>","PeriodicalId":18150,"journal":{"name":"Lithology and Mineral Resources","volume":"60 5","pages":"496 - 511"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rehab A. Fekry, Mohammed I. El Anbaawy, Gebely A. Abu El-Kheir, Said Mohamed Said, Rania Abu-Ali
{"title":"Characterization and Paleoenvironmental Implications of Phosphorite-Bearing Deposits in Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt","authors":"Rehab A. Fekry, Mohammed I. El Anbaawy, Gebely A. Abu El-Kheir, Said Mohamed Said, Rania Abu-Ali","doi":"10.1134/S0024490225700166","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S0024490225700166","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The current study presents an integrated investigation of petrographical, mineralogical, and geochemical data from Upper Cretaceous phosphorite-bearing strata west of the Abu-Tartur Plateau in the Western Desert of Egypt. Fifty-five samples representing phosphorite and associated rocks were collected from six outcrops. Three facies are identified: phosphorites, carbonates, and siliciclastics. The mineralogy of the samples was quantified via X-ray diffraction (XRD) as follows: fluorapatite, dolomite, calcite, pyrite, quartz, and smectite species. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) permitted the quantification of the major oxides: SiO<sub>2</sub>, Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, MgO, Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, CaO, K<sub>2</sub>O, Na<sub>2</sub>O, P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>, and SO<sub>3</sub> as well as F and loss of ignition (LOI). The statistical analysis of these geochemical data revealed three significant controlling factors during and after the deposition of the studied phosphorite and associated rocks. These factors represent the effects of the diagenesis of phosphorites, argillaceous marine rocks, and alumino-silicates in descending order of their relative strength. Trends of the analyzed major elements for the study samples are documented. Phosphorite, phosphatic rocks, dolomitized rocks, and siltstone-mudstone are recognized lithologies on the basis of the chemical compositions of the analyzed major oxides. The principal diagenetic processes affecting the phosphorite-bearing rocks included dolomitization, pyritization, silicification, bone dissolution, and micritization.</p>","PeriodicalId":18150,"journal":{"name":"Lithology and Mineral Resources","volume":"60 5","pages":"589 - 603"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Growth Faulting, Rate of Oligocene Sediment Accumulations, and Stratal Geometries in a Greater Ughelli Depobelt Oil Field, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria","authors":"Raphael Oaikhena Oyanyan","doi":"10.1134/S0024490225700142","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S0024490225700142","url":null,"abstract":"<p>To ascertain the rate of sediment accumulations and relationship to growth faulting and the formation of stratal geometries favourable to petroleum accumulation, seismic data interpretations and stratigraphic datum age-depth plot analysis as well as well-log correlations within a sequence stratigraphic framework were conducted. Biostratigraphic data show that the age of sediments penetrated by oil wells from 2280 to 3544 m depth ranged from Early Oligocene to Late Oligocene and deposition took place in inner to middle neritic environments. For 7.8 million years, the rate at which sediments accumulated over the under-compacted Akata Formation shales varied between about 144.34 and 301.54 m/Ma. The high rate of sedimentation triggered the formation of a growth fault and the nucleation and growth of other synthetic faults. The growth faults are characterised by rollover anticline and drag folds consisting of footwall anticline and hanging-wall syncline. The footwall anticlines, like the rollover anticlines, offer drilling targets. Despite strata faulting and associated complexities, principles of sequence stratigraphy was used to successfully correlate well logs across the field in both the strike and dip directions. Four third-order depositional sequences, five genetic sequences, and system tracts were identified. Highstand Systems tract (HST) and Transgressive Systems tract (TST) are well preserved in the four depositional sequences, while LSTs are primarily found in Early Oligocene deeper sequences and in downdip wells, but all generally pinch-out in updip direction. The dip-orientated stratigraphic correlation implies stepwise progradation or down-stepping stratal geometries as a result of the non-uniformed subsiding platform generated by growth faulting.</p>","PeriodicalId":18150,"journal":{"name":"Lithology and Mineral Resources","volume":"60 5","pages":"621 - 633"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Y. Lavrushin, Y. Ma, C.-F. You, A. S. Aidarkozhina, E. V. Sokol, Y.-P. Lin, G. A. Chelnokov, S. N. Koch, X. Ma, G. Zheng
{"title":"δ11B in Mud Volcanic Waters of the Kerch–Taman Mud-Volcanic Area (Crimea–Caucasus Region): Genesis and Formation Conditions of the Boron Mineralization","authors":"V. Y. Lavrushin, Y. Ma, C.-F. You, A. S. Aidarkozhina, E. V. Sokol, Y.-P. Lin, G. A. Chelnokov, S. N. Koch, X. Ma, G. Zheng","doi":"10.1134/S0024490225700191","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S0024490225700191","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The isotopic-geochemical characteristics of boron in waters of 21 mud volcanoes in the Kerch–Taman area have been determined. Boron concentration varies from 14 to 550 mg/L, and δ<sup>11</sup>B values range from +8.3 to +54.7‰ (+21‰ on average). Low δ<sup>11</sup>B values (~+14‰) were also obtained in two freshwater samples collected from aquifers of Neogene–Quaternary sediments. These data reflect the high heterogeneity of boron isotopic characteristics in waters of various genesis, which are discharged on the Earth’s surface within the Kerch and Taman peninsulas. It is shown that the increase of boron concentration in the mud volcanic waters is provided by the contribution of isotopically light (δ<sup>11</sup>B ~ +10‰) boron. The inverse relationship between δ<sup>11</sup>B and δ<sup>18</sup>O values in water was found. It indicates common mechanisms of <sup>10</sup>B and <sup>18</sup>O enrichment in the mud volcanic waters. These processes are temperature-dependent. They demonstrate a significant correlation of boron concentrations ([B]) and its isotopic composition (δ<sup>11</sup>B) with T(Mg-Li)-temperatures in the range from ~40 to 130<sup>o</sup>C. Thus, the chemical ([B]) and isotopic (δ<sup>11</sup>B) variations observed in the studied mud volcanic waters reflect different depths of the formation of water salt composition and, respectively, the different temperature stages of catagenetic transformation of sedimentary strata. The revealed patterns are probably related to the smectite transformation into illite, which takes place in the clayey strata of the Maikop Group and is accompanied by the release of large volumes of dehydration waters with high δ<sup>18</sup>O values (up to +14‰). The most probable source of boron with low δ<sup>11</sup>B values is destructive smectites.</p>","PeriodicalId":18150,"journal":{"name":"Lithology and Mineral Resources","volume":"60 5","pages":"527 - 552"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Harel Shochat , Cheryl A. Makarewicz , Guy Bar-Oz , Michael Buckley , Linda M. Reynard , Ayelet Gilboa
{"title":"A thousand years of Nubian supply of sub-Saharan ivory to the Southern Levant, ca. 1600–600 BCE","authors":"Harel Shochat , Cheryl A. Makarewicz , Guy Bar-Oz , Michael Buckley , Linda M. Reynard , Ayelet Gilboa","doi":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106366","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jas.2025.106366","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Finely crafted ivory objects were highly valued prestige commodities in the Levant and more generally throughout the ancient Near East, wielded as symbols of authority, rulership, and participation in trans-regional trade networks. Our research aims to trace the networks and agents involved in the trade of ivory to the Southern Levant over a period of a thousand years (1600 BCE–600 BCE) by identifying its biological and geographical sources. This timespan encompassed major shifts in the geopolitical landscape of this region, from Late Bronze Age Canaanite city-states under Egyptian hegemony to autochthonous Iron Age territorial polities. Proteomic analyses reveal that ivories were harvested mostly from African elephants, while multi-stable isotope analyses indicate that these animals generally inhabited woodland mosaic habitats, probably located in the upper White Nile tributary. Elephant ivories were probably acquired by Nubian traders via small-scale exchange with local hunters who harvested elephants from diverse ecological niches within that broader ecoregion. The persistence of ivory sourced from this region despite the political disintegration of Dynastic Egypt, the widely recognized mediator of ivory exchange networks, suggests that Nubians actively asserted their monopoly over the procurement and distribution of lucrative ivory independent of Egyptian control and prestige economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106366"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145057397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ethan L. Silvester , Richard Bindler , Christian Bigler , Caroline Björnerås , Karl Ljung , Dan Hammarlund
{"title":"Diatom and biogeochemical changes during recent centuries in a small boreal lake: deciphering the influence of large volcanic eruptions","authors":"Ethan L. Silvester , Richard Bindler , Christian Bigler , Caroline Björnerås , Karl Ljung , Dan Hammarlund","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Volcanic eruptions can have severe societal and environmental impacts as shown by ash dispersal and sulphur emissions from recent Icelandic eruptions. However, ice-core sulphur records demonstrate that these events were minor as compared to eruptions of much larger magnitude in recent centuries, with severe implications for past society documented in historical records. Biological and chemical evidence of these events can be found in highly resolved varved sediment records. Such records can provide insight into the responses and resilience of lake ecosystems and surrounding catchments following widespread atmospheric perturbations brought about by large volcanic eruptions. In this study we analysed varved sediments spanning the period 1641–1931 CE from Lake Kassjön, a small boreal lake in northern Sweden. We aimed at assessing the potential impacts of the Icelandic eruption of Laki 1783–1784 and the Indonesian eruption of Tambora (1815), based on diatom analysis in combination with organic and inorganic geochemical analyses at sub-decadal resolution. To provide site-specific process understanding, we also assessed the impacts of an intensive ditching operation, which is known to have occurred in 1900–1902 CE. While no significant responses to the eruption of Tambora were identified, our findings indicate enhanced weathering of minerals in the catchment following the eruption of Laki and changes in nutrient dynamics reflected by multiple decades of succession in the diatom assemblage. In timing with Laki, we found an immediate and sustained increase in the concentrations of <em>Aulacoseira tenella</em>. Increased delivery of terrestrial organic matter to the lake and altered nutrient dynamics persisted for around half a century following the eruption of Laki, coinciding with elevated diatom productivity. With consideration of available land-use records, we identify a series of mechanisms as potentially responsible for the immediate responses of the diatom assemblage as well as the more long-lasting effects on the aquatic environment mediated by catchment processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 109608"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145045446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yinan Zhang , Feng Gao , Yang Wan , Fan Yang , Bin Gao , Yueming Zeng , Bo Liu , Zetao Zhang , Wenwei Huang , Weiming Wang , Qiang Li , Xijun Ni
{"title":"Small-mammalian fossils from the Paleolithic Dayin Cave site in Yunnan, Southwest China","authors":"Yinan Zhang , Feng Gao , Yang Wan , Fan Yang , Bin Gao , Yueming Zeng , Bo Liu , Zetao Zhang , Wenwei Huang , Weiming Wang , Qiang Li , Xijun Ni","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small mammals have short life spans, rapid reproductive cycles, wide distributions, and are sensitive to climate change. Composition of small mammal faunas is useful for reconstructing the paleoenvironment. Here we report the small mammals unearthed from the Dayin Cave, an archaeological site in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Screen washing yielded two small mammal faunas. One has a radiocarbon date of approximately 32 ka BP. The other has a radiocarbon date around 18 ka BP, equivalent to the period of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We performed taxonomic analyses, faunal comparisons, principal component analysis and cluster analyses on the small mammal fossils from the Dayin Cave. Our results show most of the species from the older fauna (∼32 ka) are forest-dwelling species, indicating the flourishing of forests and a relatively warm and humid climate. The younger fauna is dominated by <em>Eothenomys</em>, today an alpine-subalpine shrubland dweller, suggesting the flourishing of shrublands and perhaps a decrease in temperature. The stone tools discovered from the fossiliferous Layers 1 and 2 in. the Dayin Cave belong to the same type, suggesting that they were probably used by one hunter-gatherer group that lived in the Dayin Cave, and the populations were not affected by the cooling of the climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"748 ","pages":"Article 109979"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}