Quaternary Environments and Humans最新文献

{"title":"Baring Bearma’s Bounty. Human and animal signatures in the Quaternary contexts of the Bearma Valley, Central India","authors":"Yezad Pardiwalla ,&nbsp;Vijay Sathe","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The rich Palaeolithic and fossil records of the Narmada and Son Valleys dominate paleoanthropological research from Central India, in large part because of their well-preserved Quaternary deposits. While data from other river valleys is emerging, finding both lithics and fauna in close proximity remains rare and spatio-temporal inconsistencies make assessment of implications for the larger area challenging. Ongoing investigations along the Bearma, the largest tributary of the River Sonar, has yielded a low-density fossil assemblage across three localities and a proximally located Large Flake Acheulean (LFA) site. The small fossil assemblage currently consists of both cranial and post-cranial elements in differing states of completeness and preservation, likely a function of post-depositional impacts and the time elapsed since exposure. Many of the important large mammalian herbivore species belonging to bovid, equid, cervid and proboscidean taxa that are commonly found during the Late Quaternary of the Indian Subcontinent are represented, making the region worthy of comparison with neighbouring fossiliferous areas. The new Palaeolithic site encountered less than 500 m downstream from the fossil localities is almost exclusively LFA technology in nature made primarily on slabs of Vindhyan sandstone. Preliminary analysis of the collected artefacts indicates a focus on the production of large flake blanks and debitage products from large cores configured according to various unifacial and bifacial technological methods. The frequency of these elements suggests the use of the area as a factory site, while the unmistakable presence of bifaces and other tools warrant broader interpretations. With the current lack of stratigraphic and chronometric data on either assemblage, it is premature to draw any chrono-contextual associations between the fossils and artefacts. However, this ∼5 km stretch of the Bearma yielding two significant proxies presents an excellent opportunity to understand hominin behaviour during the Quaternary and fill both geographical and temporal gaps in Central India.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100021"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000197/pdfft?md5=bbf8d8439d8d563ae44b3d201fa8bd9f&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000197-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141993125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An integrative study of new environmental and cultural data from the Hoabinhian of Laang Spean Cave (Cambodia) including modern human remains","authors":"Valéry Zeitoun ,&nbsp;Antonio Pérez-Balarezo ,&nbsp;Heng Sophady ,&nbsp;Yuduan Zhou ,&nbsp;Simon Puaud ,&nbsp;Antoine Zazzo ,&nbsp;Olivier Tombret ,&nbsp;Florent Détroit ,&nbsp;Lisa Gollette ,&nbsp;Christophe Griggo ,&nbsp;Corentin Bochaton ,&nbsp;Véronique Pois ,&nbsp;Ngov Kosal ,&nbsp;Hubert Forestier","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Although the Hoabinhian culture is renowned for its unifacial pebble tools and its discovery dates back more than a century, only a handful of sites provide complete information on this period. The site of Laang Spean, in Cambodia, has recently been described as a burial cave for the Neolithic period, but it was previously known as an emblematic Hoabinhian site for Cambodia. More comprehensive studies indicate that it offers a wide window onto the settlement of the Hoabinhian between 12900 and 5000 cal BP. The archaeological layer of the Hoabinhian culture at Laang Spean include faunal, human and lithic remains that enrich our understanding of the environment and way of life of this ancient culture. The faunal assemblage, dominated by bovines, tortoises, molluscs, and cervids, reflects a diverse ecosystem and the adaptability of the Hoabinhian people. The presence of both humid and dry forest indicators, alongside significant wetland areas, suggests their ability to exploit a variety of habitats. The lithic assemblage, characterized by a lower representation of unifaces and greater use of split cobbles, reflects a continuity in basic lithic reduction strategies with minor diachronic changes in raw material selection and tool production, possibly reflecting technological adaptations and increased intensity of occupation. The discovery of human remains, though challenging to contextualize precisely, contributes to understanding settlement patterns and cultural links in prehistoric Southeast Asia. The new data allow for a deeper interpretation of the environmental adaptations and hunting strategies of the Hoabinhian people, including their responses to climatic changes, such as the end of the Younger Dryas. This enhanced knowledge significantly contributes to our comprehension of the environmental dynamics and subsistence practices in prehistoric Southeast Asia and underscores the necessity of reassessing key Hoabinhian sites with modern excavation and dating techniques.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100020"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000185/pdfft?md5=c047da8a137df3dcfae4f20f58380608&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000185-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141997253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early hominins: Successful hunters, catchers, or scavengers? An agent-based model about hunting strategies in tropical grasslands","authors":"Jan-Olaf Reschke ,&nbsp;Susanne Krüger ,&nbsp;Christine Hertler","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We can see an increasing consumption of meat together with the corresponding behavioral adaptations in early hominins, such as <em>Homo erectus</em>. This new development was driven by one or more behavioral adaptations, such as a shift to a higher-quality diet, increased social interactions and/or changes in the life history strategies. The methods by which these hominins obtained meat—through scavenging the carcasses of large herbivores or hunting themselves—remain a topic of debate. They seem to have thrived in expanding grasslands, which offered few resources except for herds of large, gregarious mammals. In our study, we developed an agent-based model that simulates the behavior of a group of hunter-gatherers foraging in a reconstructed tropical grassland environment. The environmental parameters, including plant availability and prey population densities, are derived from the Serengeti National Park. In this model, agents gather or hunt various species either alone or as a group, using strategies early hominins may already have access to. The basic behavior and the implemented hunting strategies are based on data from recent hunter-gatherer societies living in tropical grasslands. Our model demonstrates how foragers may have thrived in tropical grasslands by either adopting fast hunting strategies, which often require access to sophisticated hunting tools, or by cooperating extensively, which would rely on an enhanced social structure to promote cooperative behavior. Our model can be used to study other scenarios by offering the option to change the environmental conditions and aspects of the agent behavior.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100019"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000173/pdfft?md5=ba33baf8e5b36880818d64be30795e99&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000173-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141962302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The steady loss – Palynological investigation into the main triggers of changes in vegetation and pastoral activity during the Norse period in southern Greenland","authors":"Sascha Krüger ,&nbsp;Tobias Schneider ,&nbsp;Raymond S. Bradley ,&nbsp;Isla S. Castañeda ,&nbsp;Ingo Feeser ,&nbsp;Christian Koch Madsen ,&nbsp;Astrid Strunk ,&nbsp;Boyang Zhao ,&nbsp;Catherine Jessen","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pastoral farming formed a key element of Norse subsistence strategies in South Greenland but with climatic changes of the Little Ice Age they may have reached their limit. Most recently, studies into hydrological changes across the Norse period (10th–15th century AD) revealed a severe drying trend that was coincident with the Norse demise during the early to mid-15th century AD. This study examines lake sediments from a central area of the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland. By means of palynology this study investigates whether climatic changes were responsible for decreasing hay yields and a consequent lack of winter fodder. The results suggest that droughts were likely only minor drivers of vegetation change. In fact, we demonstrate a complex entanglement of cooling trends, substrate impoverishment in the catchment of the sampled lake and human adaptation processes. The latter is manifested in a shift in usage of the farm towards a shieling/ dairy production. We conclude that the high amount of labour required to maintain hay yields while counterbalancing the lack of soil nutrients and the shortening of the growing season could be among the many driving forces in the process of Norse farming reorganization in South Greenland. Furthermore, the results allow for the discussion of a potential first palynological evidence of Norse water management in South Greenland.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100018"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000161/pdfft?md5=13f041a53241654105f7d5be69b98f68&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000161-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141845520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A MaxEnt predictive model for palaeontological sites in the Siwalik Hills: A case study from the Pinjor Formation of the Upper Siwalik Hills near Chandigarh, northern India","authors":"Anubhav Preet Kaur ,&nbsp;Matthew L. Sisk ,&nbsp;Parth R. Chauhan","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study presents application of the MaxEnt predictive model to identify potential palaeontological sites in the Siwalik Hills, focusing on the Pinjor Formation near Chandigarh, northern India. The Siwalik region holds rich vertebrate palaeontological records, yet lacks comprehensive site prediction models. This research employs MaxEnt (3.4.0) software, to predict areas suitable for fossil occurrences. Georeferenced presence data was derived from literature and field surveys, for training the model. Environmental predictors including Pinjor geological deposit boundary, Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Slope and Aspect were from a digital elevation model. Furthermore, model development involved parameter tuning, for developing a potentially useful model. Field validation of the model through pedestrian surveys identified new fossil localities, demonstrating the model's practical applicability. This research emphasizes the importance of MaxEnt in developing site predictive models, offering a valuable tool for optimizing palaeontological field surveys. While highlighting the model's success, the study also recognizes its limitations, especially concerning landscape and vegetation changes over time. Overall, this work establishes a foundation for further research in predictive modelling for palaeontological exploration in the Siwalik region and emphasizes the need for multidisciplinary efforts in salvage palaeontology to mitigate anthropogenic threats.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100017"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295023652400015X/pdfft?md5=84a2189366bfb9adb499432c7f50426f&pid=1-s2.0-S295023652400015X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141637437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holocene Palaeoenvironmental change at the mouth of Sabarmati River, Gulf of Khambhat, Western India","authors":"Chintan Vedpathak ,&nbsp;Archana Das ,&nbsp;S.P. Prizomwala ,&nbsp;Nisarg Makwana","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The fluvio-marine archives have been widely used to assess the imprints of land-sea interaction during the Holocene period, which has been enigmatic in terms of changes in environmental conditions. To comprehend the fluvial-marine interactions during the Holocene period in response to relative sea level changes, a sedimentary record has been studied from the mouth of the Sabarmati river at the Gulf of Khambhat (western India), which has also hosted mighty Harappan cultural centres during Holocene period. We employed a suite of multiproxy technique (sedimentology, OSL dating, geochemistry and foraminiferal content) from a terrace sequence at the Sabarmati River mouth (i.e. Vadgam). Based on an optical dating, the studied terrace sequence spans from 11 ± 1 ka to 1.3 ± 0.3 ka (11300–1300 year BP) covering almost entire Holocene period. The multiproxy investigation identified three distinct depositional zones at the site, namely zone 1 (11300–5300 year BP), which is characterised by a predominantly fluvial to marginal marine environment, zone 2 (5300–3700 year BP), which indicates a change to a marginal marine to predominantly marine environment, and zone 3 (3700–1300 year BP), which demonstrates a change to an again mixed environment. A present analogue to the palaeoenvironments in the area is provided by the deposition that is still occurring at the mouth of the Sabarmati River under the estuarine tidal environment. The variations in the rate of sedimentation and the source of the sediments are consistent with the environmental change, which will be driven by the changes in climatic circumstances in connection with the rapid sedimentation near the mouth of the Sabarmati River.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100016"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000148/pdfft?md5=b38fcf281288c18a2083e78a5af26cd3&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000148-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141542678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resource dependency and communication networks in Early Neolithic western Europe","authors":"Michael Kempf ,&nbsp;Solène Denis","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>During the European Neolithisation Process, a pivotal facet of Neolithic population dynamics lay in the capability of agro-pastoral communities to procure high-quality raw material for stone tools. Whether this material was sourced from local geological units or got transported via large-scale communication networks is, however, not yet fully understood. To trace the distribution patterns of Early Neolithic resource dispersal, we present a multicomponent network analysis and the first resource dependency model of Middle Eocene lithic records across western Europe. The model builds on topographic landscape permeability and Bartonian silicite dispersal and estimates the Chaine Operatoire (CO) sequences from i) directly sourced raw material based on accumulative cost functions; ii) chronologically differentiated network models; iii) a probability model of potential site distributions based on a point process model (PPM). We resume that early Neolithic site locations were particularly targeted at connecting to the supraregional resource exchange network that originated from the Paris Basin. Local resource exploitation predominated in the core region of Bartonian silicite distribution whereas distant sites were located on or close to high-probability communication and network corridors. Particularly striking is the differentiation highlighted by the CO segmentation towards the end of the Early Neolithic with distinct patterns of clustered production, intermediate, and dispersed consumer sites. This indicates that major production centres can be expected in close distance to the resource with high consumer density in secondary centres in a star-shaped pattern across the study area.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 5","pages":"Article 100014"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000124/pdfft?md5=7587e5065ce4b07b1fca9afb5cb8256a&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000124-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141478935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecology of large ungulates in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Palaeolithic through stable isotopes and tooth wear analysis","authors":"Dorothée G. Drucker ,&nbsp;Florent Rivals ,&nbsp;Jordi Nadal ,&nbsp;Isaac Rufí ,&nbsp;Joaquim Soler ,&nbsp;Narcís Soler ,&nbsp;Julià Maroto","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The northeastern Iberian Peninsula acted as a refuge zone during the Late Pleistocene where the persistence of terrestrial ecosystems could provide hunter-gatherers with large prey, mainly horse (<em>Equus ferus</em>) and red deer (<em>Cervus elaphus</em>). Isotopic (<em>δ</em>¹³C, <em>δ</em>¹⁸O, <em>δ</em>¹⁵N) and dental wear (mesowear and microwear) analyses have been applied on the remains of both species from the archaeological sites of Arbreda and Bora Gran at Serinyà (Girona), where evidence of human occupation from the Mousterian to the Magdalenian has been attested. The incremental enamel analysis on horse teeth revealed seasonal variation in carbonate <em>δ</em>¹⁸O but no detectable change in carbonate <em>δ</em>¹³C values, reflecting a rather stable diet and habitat over the year. Nevertheless, higher inter-individual than intra-individual contrast in carbonate <em>δ</em>¹³C indicate different environmental conditions from one individual to another for each stratigraphic unit. In red deer teeth, seasonal signals in enamel carbonate <em>δ</em>¹³C and <em>δ</em>¹⁸O demonstrated mirrored trends. Further, red deer show higher <em>δ</em>¹³C values than those of horses, both in enamel carbonate and bone collagen, as well as higher variability in mesowear and microwear scores, reflecting a mixed-feeding habit. Despite a strong grazing signal in mesowear and microwear, the lower <em>δ</em>¹³C values for horses suggest a higher dependence on relatively more humid habitats than red deer, which likely foraged in dryer environments with xeric plants during winter. These differences in ecological partitioning are particularly well illustrated in distinct collagen <em>δ</em>¹³C and <em>δ</em>¹⁵N values during the harsh climatic conditions of the Final Gravettian coeval to the GS-3 or Last Glacial Maximum. The capacity of red deer to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions contrasts with the niche persistence of horse allowed by the availability of mosaic habitat.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 4","pages":"Article 100011"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000094/pdfft?md5=e2cecdd9fcdab8beb0db994b1b078943&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000094-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141325223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does size matter? Morphological and content analysis of the coprolites from a Quaternary deposit in the Iberian Peninsula","authors":"Irene Cambronero,&nbsp;Nuria García","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Coprolites are very abundant in Quaternary deposits. However, they are often overlooked despite offering insights into both the surrounding environment and the species that produced them, particularly when skeletal remains are absent. We selected a Quaternary cave deposit from the Iberian Peninsula, Juan Labranz Cave, where an abundant and diverse coprolite collection was recovered, in order to develop a non-destructive study method that allows an accurate interpretation of the producer. Morphometric analyses of these specimens reveal two distinctive morphotypes associated with the two main carnivore occupations in the cave, hyaenas and bears. Morphotype I resembles hyaena coprolites in shape, texture, and bone inclusions, suggesting spotted hyaena as the most likely producer based on size. On the other hand, morphotype II deviates significantly, with a wrinkled texture and larger size, resembling bear faeces when eating carrion. Differences in bone fragment size and the presence of hair moulds further support these attributions. In conclusion, this study underlines the importance of considering taphonomy, morphology, size, and content in identifying coprolite producers, also high- lighting the relevance of these ichnofossils as indirect evidence of species and for the understanding of their ecological roles in Quaternary environments, where humans and other predators coexist.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 3","pages":"Article 100009"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000070/pdfft?md5=e1b129ad3b232c7388067196fe47f1a5&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000070-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141041881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution and controlling factors of natural levees during the past 4500 years derived from lowland archaeological ruins in central Kanto Plain, Japan","authors":"Susumu Tanabe","doi":"10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lowland archaeological ruins are frequently used in conjunction with sediment cores to reconstruct geomorphological evolution on alluvial plains. Lowland ruins are, as a rule, heterogeneously distributed across alluvial plains and retain short chronological records when compared to sediment cores. Along the historic banks of the Tone River, in the central Kanto Plain, thorough surveying prior to major construction projects in the Tokyo metropolitan area uncovered a dense swath of lowland archaeological ruins. This study demonstrates the evolution of natural levees during the past 4.5 kyr by compiling data from uniformly distributed lowland archaeological ruins in the central Kanto Plain. The location and age of 774 lowland archaeological ruins and 101 radiocarbon dates from surficial fluvial sediments in 42 sediment cores were compiled and arranged chronologically. As a result, levees and river terraces aged &lt; 4.5 ka were found to be contiguous with modern sedimentology in the Arakawa Lowland, while relatively young natural levees aged &lt; 2.8 ka are contiguous with the present Nakagwa Lowland. The Tone River migrated from the Arakawa Lowland to the Nakagawa Lowland at ∼5 ka. Subsequently, sea levels lowered between 4 ka and 3 ka. Due to sea level lowering, a minor tributary of the Tone River partially eroded the alluvial plain, and relatively old geomorphology persisted in the Arakawa Lowland. In contrast, in the Nakagawa Lowland, the major tributary of the Tone River eroded the entire alluvial plain. Following sea-level rises up to 2 ka, natural levees aggraded and formed new surface sediments in the Nakagawa Lowland due to large sediment discharge from the major tributary of the Tone River. Natural levee evolution in the central Kanto Plain is influenced by both river migration and sea-level fluctuation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":101053,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Environments and Humans","volume":"2 3","pages":"Article 100012"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950236524000100/pdfft?md5=1a6e1c0ef43f46cf67c89bdc181848b0&pid=1-s2.0-S2950236524000100-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141290034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}