Journal of Quaternary Science最新文献

{"title":"From Highlands to Henge: Refining the Provenance and Transport Pathways of Stonehenge's Altar Stone","authors":"Anthony J. I. Clarke,&nbsp;Remy L. J. Veness,&nbsp;Christopher L. Kirkland,&nbsp;Chris D. Clark,&nbsp;Niall Gandy,&nbsp;Andy Emery,&nbsp;Sarah L. Bradley,&nbsp;Jeremy C. Ely,&nbsp;Ignéczi Ádám","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Altar Stone, the 6000 kg central sandstone megalith at Stonehenge in southern England, is suggested to have originated from the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland, some 700 km away. However, its source location within this large basin remains unresolved and its mode of transport uncertain. Proposed mechanisms include Neolithic human transport via marine or overland routes or southward movement as a glacial erratic. Here, we combine sandstone provenance analysis with ice flow modelling to constrain potential sources and transport pathways. Ice sheet reconstructions show that southward transport vectors from northeast Scotland were highly localised, making precise source determination critical to evaluating glacial erratic transport plausibility. Candidate source areas farther south within the Orcadian Basin are more compatible with southward glacial dispersal, but show weaker correspondence with the detrital zircon age spectra that characterise the Altar Stone. By contrast, sandstones from Caithness on the mainland of northeast Scotland provide the closest match in zircon age structure; yet, modelled glacial transport from this region is predominantly towards the north-east, with a localised south-eastward pathway directed towards Dogger Bank. Glacial dispersal to Dogger Bank would reduce the anthropogenic transport distance required to Stonehenge from 700 km to 400 km. However, such a model raises an additional temporal problem, as Dogger Bank was inundated by post-glacial sea-level rise before the Altar Stone likely arrived at Stonehenge. Glacial transport may have provided an intermediate stage in the stone's journey, but alone cannot account for the final emplacement on Salisbury Plain. Even under a glacially assisted scenario, substantial anthropogenic transport would have remained necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 6","pages":"888-895"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148699972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early deglaciation history of the southeastern Baffin Island shelf (Eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago)","authors":"Alexis P. Belko,&nbsp;Alexandre Normandeau,&nbsp;Patrick Lajeunesse,&nbsp;Audrey Limoges","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>During the last glacial period, the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) was the largest terrestrial ice sheet on Earth. Its evolution since the Last Glacial Maximum profoundly influenced Earth's geodynamics and surface processes. Investigating the past dynamics of the LIS provides critical insights into how contemporary ice sheets may respond to ongoing climate change. In this paper, we combine lithostratigraphy, targeted foraminiferal assemblage analysis, and swath bathymetry to reconstruct the early phase of retreat of the LIS margin across the Broughton and Merchants fjord–cross-shelf–trough systems in southeastern Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Radiocarbon dates based on mixed foraminiferal assemblages provide a revised deglacial chronology for southeastern Baffin Island. In Broughton Trough, the absence of moraines indicates a continuous retreat without prolonged stabilization until at least 12.9 k cal a BP. However, turbidites preserved in sediment cores record meltwater discharge during glacial retreat. In contrast, the Merchants Ice Flow stabilized on a grounding-zone wedge (GZW) between the LGM and 12.0 k cal a BP. Within the associated turbidite sequence downflow of the GZW, the transition between the presence of the foraminiferal species <i>Islandiella helenae</i> typically associated with ice-edge or seasonally open-water conditions and the absence of ice-rafted debris suggests the development of an ice shelf during this stabilization phase. Previously reported terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide dates show that the inter-trough region appears to have deglaciated more rapidly than the adjacent troughs, acting as a transitional zone between the Broughton and Merchants ice flow sectors. When integrated with previously published terrestrial record, these results provide an updated deglaciation history of southeastern Baffin Island.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"686-701"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148522899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deglaciation of the Burren glacio-karst, western Ireland, during Termination 1: Implications for North Atlantic climate and karstification","authors":"Gordon Bromley,&nbsp;Colin Bunce,&nbsp;Brenda Hall,&nbsp;Aaron Putnam,&nbsp;Frank McDermott","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70068","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Burren uplands in western Ireland form one of the most extensive and best-preserved examples of glacio-karst in Europe. Subsumed by the Irish ice sheet during the Late Pleistocene, granite erratic boulders and <i>in situ</i> silica veins in the limestone bedrock provide a rare opportunity to reconstruct the timing and rate of deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using cosmogenic beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be) surface-exposure dating. Such information is key to establishing seasonal climatic conditions in the circum-North Atlantic during the last glacial termination, particularly Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1: ~18.0–14.7 ka), and quantifying landscape denudation rates in temperate maritime karst systems. This study reports a new deglacial chronology from the Burren, constrained with <i>in situ</i> ¹⁰Be and supported by minimum-limiting U-Th and ¹⁴C ages, that reveals pronounced thinning and retreat of terrestrial ice between ~18.0 and 17.0 ka. In conjunction with existing measurements of Burren karst features, we applied the new age constraint for postglacial exposure to refine long-term denudation rates, which are broadly similar to other maritime European karstlands. The close agreement between the ¹⁰Be surface-exposure ages and independent ages for Burren deglaciation also permits an empirical test of our chosen production rate and confirms it is applicable to this period and these latitudes. From a palaeoclimatological perspective, the Burren ¹⁰Be record indicates deglaciation during HS1, a pattern that we propose supports recent hypotheses invoking globally warming Heinrich summers despite anomalous wintertime cooling of the circum North Atlantic.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"702-715"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70068","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new, ~4500-year varve record and high-resolution tephrochronology from lake Hämälänlampi, eastern Finland, provides age constraints for the Furnas C and the Glen Garry/Askja A-2000 eruptions","authors":"Maarit Kalliokoski,&nbsp;Veera Erola,&nbsp;Saija Saarni","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The northern European distal cryptotephra framework is constantly developing both in terms of identification of new tephra horizons and improved age constraints for the already well-established tephra marker horizons. However, many prehistoric tephra layers have only been dated by the radiocarbon method, with its inherent problems. Here, we present a new ~4500-year, continuously varved lacustrine sediment record and tephrochronology from lake Hämälänlampi, eastern Finland. The varve chronology was established by repeated varve counts from epoxy-impregnated sediment blocks and selected elemental maps (Si, K, Fe and Mn) produced by micro-XRF scanning. The sediment core was investigated for the presence of cryptotephra, and the exact location of the nine identified cryptotephra horizons was pinpointed with either 0.5- or 1-cm depth resolution. The volcanic glass shards were geochemically characterised and correlated to their source eruptions. As a result, we report the first findings of the Hekla 1947, Furnas C and Hekla C tephras in Finnish environmental records, and provide varve ages for the Furnas C, Hekla Y, Hekla C and Öræfajökull 3.5 ka tephras for the first time. We also suggest a new, high-resolution varve age 128–117 BCE for the Glen Garry tephra, based on integration of varve ages from several studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"837-854"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70079","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights from western Latvia into Holocene spatial and temporal patterns of tufa deposition in central European alkaline fens","authors":"Rafał Kiełczewski,&nbsp;Krzysztof Pleskot,&nbsp;Mariusz Gałka,&nbsp;Magdalena Marzec,&nbsp;Liene Aunina,&nbsp;Anna Cipriani,&nbsp;Karina Apolinarska","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We present a sediment record from the Maitiku Springs alkaline spring-fed fen in western Latvia, documenting the history of fen development and CaCO₃ precipitation. Our ultimate goal is to determine whether new data from this previously underexplored eastern Baltic region align with spatial and temporal patterns of tufa deposition in Central Europe. Our analysis integrates geochemical proxies, palaeobiological data and radiocarbon-dated terrestrial plant macrofossils recovered from two sediment cores extracted from the fen dome's top and slope. The Maitiku fen has been active since approximately 9.4 ka BP and shows two main phases of intensive CaCO₃ precipitation: between 6.3 and 5.2 ka BP, and from around 3.6 ka BP to the present. These results support the view that, in the eastern Baltic, CaCO₃ precipitation was largely limited during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM), with current tufa formation initiating only in the late Holocene (after 5000 cal a BP). This pattern contrasts with that of the southern Baltic region, where the HTM coincided with the peak of tufa deposition, commonly followed by a decline in carbonate precipitation later in the Holocene. We attribute this regional difference primarily to contrasting hydroclimatic conditions during the HTM, linked to frequent anticyclonic circulation over northern Europe.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"754-769"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533647","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}

{"title":"Decoupling climate and human impacts on the nitrogen cycle during the Irish Bronze Age","authors":"Sarah Ferrandin,&nbsp;Gill Plunkett,&nbsp;Neil Ogle","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70066","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Disentangling climate variability and human activity in past nitrogen cycling is key to understanding ecosystems. Previous studies in Ireland observed a widespread, permanent shift in terrestrial nitrogen cycling during Later Prehistory, potentially linked to intensifying land-use. Here, we investigate whether this shift was climatically or anthropogenically driven by analysing three raised bogs—highly sensitive to climate change—using pollen, testate amoebae-inferred water-table depth and geochemical proxies (<i>δ</i>¹⁵N, <i>δ</i>¹³C_org and C_org:N). We identify shifts in bog surface wetness, based on radiocarbon- and tephra-constrained age–depth models: wet conditions ~4700–4450 cal BP, a dry interval ~4400 cal BP, wetter conditions ~4300–3150 cal BP, two drought phases ~3150–3050 and ~2850–2700 cal BP (Late Bronze Age and Terminal Dowris droughts), and renewed wet conditions ~2600 cal BP, consistent with the 2.7 ka event. Bulk peat <i>δ</i>¹⁵N values broadly tracked bog surface wetness but were more strongly influenced by secondary decomposition, highlighting post-depositional controls. Overall, our results show that Bronze Age droughts did not produce lasting changes in peat <i>δ</i>¹⁵N, indicating that sustained nitrogen cycle shifts observed by others after ~3000–2600 cal BP likely reflect cumulative human impacts rather than climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"672-685"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70066","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights into Red Deer Ecology during the Late Epigravettian: New isotopic evidence from Riparo Tagliente (Italian Prealps)","authors":"Mahym Amanova,&nbsp;Dorothée G. Drucker,&nbsp;Federica Fontana","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70069","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The transition from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Late Glacial marked a shift from the cold conditions of Greenland Stadial-2 (GS-2) to the warmer phases of Greenland Interstadial-1 (GI-1), enabling the reoccupation of Alpine regions by Late Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers. Riparo Tagliente, a rockshelter in northeastern Italy, preserves the most extensive Late Glacial stratigraphy in the southeastern Alps and provides key evidence for early human re-settlement by Late Epigravettian groups. To investigate environmental conditions and resource stability, we analyzed stable carbon and oxygen isotopes (<i>δ</i>¹³C_carb, <i>δ</i>¹⁸O_carb) in enamel carbonate from red deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>) second and third molars across stratigraphic units 13 to 5, spanning GS-2.1a to GI-1. Tooth <i>δ</i>¹³C values reflect a diet based on C3 plants within relatively open woodland environments, showing limited change across climatic transitions. Intra-tooth <i>δ</i>¹⁸O profiles record seasonal conditions, summer in M2 and winter in M3, and were used to estimate past temperatures. Reconstructed mean monthly winter temperatures reached −3.1°C in layer 10, with summer temperatures rising to ~16°C in layer 9 during GI-1. These results highlight environmental continuity in red deer ecology despite climate fluctuations, suggesting that stable, open habitats supported sustained human use of the site throughout the Late Glacial.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"716-731"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70069","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proglacial lake records of Holocene glacier behaviour and catchment processes in Slettedalen, Northeast Greenland","authors":"Kathryn Adamson,&nbsp;Matt Carney,&nbsp;Stamatia Galata,&nbsp;Tom Bishop,&nbsp;Timothy Lane,&nbsp;Vikas Mackevicius,&nbsp;Rochelle Taylor","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70074","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Constraining Arctic catchment response to Holocene climate change is vital for understanding future environments. We present detailed sedimentological, geochemical and grain size end-member analysis of two Holocene (~7.0 ka to present) lake sequences, S1 and S2, close to Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland. They provide new insights into glacier behaviour and catchment processes during a period of profound environmental change. The lowermost unit (&gt;6.8 ka) captures the retreat of Dombjerg glacier and exposure of the S1 and S2 basins—unified by high water levels—when they received large volumes of glacigenic sediment. During the Holocene Thermal Maximum (~6.8–3.5 ka), Dombjerg glacier receded. High runoff, slope processes and fluvial activity dominated. S1 and S2 became largely disconnected, forming two depocentres; S1 was characterised by glacial and glaciofluvial inputs and S2 was characterised by alluvium and colluvium. Dombjerg glacier advanced during Neoglacial cooling (after ~2.0 ka). S1 and S2 were again unified by higher lake levels, facilitating the throughflow of glacigenic material into both depocentres. The LIA is poorly expressed or absent in the Slettedalen records, commensurate with regional reconstructions. At present, the basins are connected only by streamflow, and coarse-grained sediment reflects renewed runoff and slope instability under ongoing climate warming.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"784-802"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70074","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148534501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elemental geochemical constraints on paleoprecipitation in westerlies-dominated arid Asia: A comparative surface soil study from NE Iran and SW Tajikistan","authors":"Jiamei Lei,&nbsp;Qiang Wang,&nbsp;Yining Tang,&nbsp;Jia Jia,&nbsp;Xiangfeng Tang,&nbsp;Yongqiu Wu,&nbsp;Mi Wang,&nbsp;Davlatkhudzha Murodov,&nbsp;Farhad Khormali,&nbsp;Xin Wang","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Westerlies-dominated arid Asia spans the dry mid-latitude Asian interior from NE Iran across the Central Asian interior to NW China and the southern Mongolian Plateau. Although elemental geochemical proxies are widely used in monsoonal Asia, their applicability to loess deposits in this broader arid domain remains insufficiently tested, especially in its western and central sectors. Here, we investigate the geochemical characteristics of modern surface soils (0–2 cm) from the Iranian Loess Plateau and SW Tajikistan to evaluate their relationships with present-day climatic conditions and their implications for paleoclimatic reconstruction. Specifically, we aim to (i) characterize elemental geochemical parameters and their paleoclimatic significance and (ii) identify robust proxies for paleoprecipitation reconstruction. Our results indicate (i) low chemical weathering intensity in both regions; (ii) a coupled influence of provenance and climate on weathering processes; and (iii) in NE Iran, strong relationships between the mean annual precipitation and the indices C [(Fe + Al + Mn + Cr + Co + Ni)/(Ca + Mg + Na + K + Sr + Ba)] (<i>r</i> = 0.73, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), Rb/Sr (<i>r</i> = 0.72, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), and Re [(CaO + MgO + K₂O + Na₂O)/(Fe₂O₃ + MnO₂)] (<i>r</i> = −0.71, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), supporting their use for quantitative precipitation reconstruction. By contrast, in SW Tajikistan, soil moisture reflects the combined effects of atmospheric precipitation, seasonal temperature variability, and temperature-controlled snow/ice meltwater, obscuring a unique precipitation–proxy relationship and restricting these indices to qualitative indicators of past moisture conditions. Overall, this modern-process calibration provides an elemental geochemical framework for paleoclimate interpretation in western and central arid Asia, and underscores the need for region-specific proxy validation under contrasting hydrological regimes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"803-820"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148522751","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}

{"title":"Late Quaternary climatic variability in the Eastern Mediterranean recorded in Hermes Cave, Corinth Rift, Greece","authors":"Ch. Pennos,&nbsp;S. Pechlivanidou,&nbsp;S. Modestou,&nbsp;A. Persoiu,&nbsp;S.F.M. Breitenbach,&nbsp;U. Ninnemann,&nbsp;R.L. Gawthorpe,&nbsp;J. Maccali,&nbsp;S-E. Lauritzen,&nbsp;R.Ø. Skoglund,&nbsp;Th. Thuesen","doi":"10.1002/jqs.70072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Greek peninsula lies at the intersection of major atmospheric circulation systems, making it a key location for reconstructing past climate variability in the Eastern Mediterranean. In this study, we present a new high-resolution multi-proxy speleothem record from Hermes Cave, located on the shoulder of the Corinth Rift in southern Greece. Stalagmite ZCG1 grew during two distinct intervals (~123–98 ka and ~36–7 ka), separated by a pronounced hiatus of ~62 ka. We combined ²³⁰Th/U dating, stable isotope (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) analyses and trace-element (Sr/Ca) ratios to reconstruct climatic and hydrologic changes from the latter part of the Last Interglacial through to the Holocene. The early part of the record documents humid conditions followed by a long-term trend towards higher δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values, pointing to progressive aridification that culminated in growth cessation near 98 ka. Growth resumed during MIS 3 under initially dry conditions that gradually became wetter towards the Holocene, with millennial-scale variability coinciding with Heinrich events and the Last Glacial Maximum. The Holocene section of the record documents a sustained humid phase, with several distinct episodes of reduced effective moisture, most notably during the 8.2 ka event. Comparison with marine sediment cores from the Gulf of Corinth highlights a strong coupling between regional hydroclimate, vegetation cover, and sediment flux into the marine environment. This study demonstrates that stalagmites from Hermes Cave provide a robust terrestrial complement to offshore records, offering critical insights into the timing, mechanisms and regional expression of Late Quaternary climate variability in the Eastern Mediterranean.</p>","PeriodicalId":16929,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Quaternary Science","volume":"41 5","pages":"821-836"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jqs.70072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}