Quaternary International最新文献

{"title":"Tectonic and climatic controls on the evolution of the middle Yellow River: new insights from sedimentology and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology","authors":"Xu Lin ,&nbsp;Haijin Liu ,&nbsp;Jing Liu-Zeng ,&nbsp;Milo Barham ,&nbsp;Maximilian Dröllner ,&nbsp;Siyi Li","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the formation and evolution of the middle reaches of the Yellow River is essential for comprehending the overall development of the modern Yellow River. However, two competing hypotheses propose that the formation of the middle Yellow River occurred either during the Neogene or the Quaternary. To resolve this ambiguity, we performed detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology (<em>n</em> = 275) and particle size analysis (<em>n</em> = 490), as part of a broader sedimentological investigation of Neogene strata within the Jinshan Canyon and Sanmenxia Basin of the middle Yellow River and contextualized these data with published paleomagnetic ages and regional tectonic and climatic data. Within the middle Jinshan Canyon, detrital sediments in the Weijiawa section at 8.1 Ma primarily originated from the adjacent Lvliang Mountains. However, the detrital sediments in the nearby Mujiawa section at 3.6 Ma are significantly influenced by the more distal northern Ordos Block suggesting longer distance fluvial connectivity. The composition of clastic materials in the Jiwangqiao section of Sanmenxia Basin to the south of the Jinshan Canyon is influenced by the Wei River and proximal Zhongtiao Mountains at 5.0 and 3.6 Ma, while it is shaped by the Yellow River in the middle reaches at 4.4 and 3.8 Ma. The observed provenance changes can be primarily attributed to enhanced recycling of Mesozoic sandstone and mudstone, driven by three key factors: (1) the northeastward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau, (2) the intensification of the East Asian summer monsoon system, and (3) inherent lithological variations within the geological formations. This reflects the complex interplay between tectonic activity, climatic forcing, and bedrock susceptibility in shaping the regional geomorphology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"752 ","pages":"Article 110059"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571023","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 Saalian climatic oscillations – revision of pollen record in Poland compared to other evidences","authors":"Aleksandra Majecka ,&nbsp;Mirosława Kupryjanowicz ,&nbsp;Dorota Nalepka ,&nbsp;Irena Agnieszka Pidek ,&nbsp;Magdalena Fiłoc ,&nbsp;Wojciech Granoszewski ,&nbsp;Anna Hrynowiecka ,&nbsp;Małgorzata Malkiewicz ,&nbsp;Małgorzata Nita ,&nbsp;Bożena Noryśkiewicz ,&nbsp;Adam Walanus ,&nbsp;Hanna Winter ,&nbsp;Łukasz Bujak","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eemian pollen profiles from the area of Poland were reviewed for the presence of a record of the Late Saalian (within the decline of the Warta stadial of the Odranian Glaciation) at their base. Such a record was found to occur in as many as 49 profiles, which creates enormous opportunities for palaeoecological reconstructions relating to the end of the penultimate glaciation and its transition to the last interglacial, including a detailed reconstruction of the vegetation history and climatic changes that occurred during this time. On the example of a selection of revised pollen profiles, Late Saalian climate oscillations were found to be expressed by the presence of two stadials: the older Stadial 1 and the younger of which was correlated with the Kattegat stadial in Western Europe, separated by an interstadial corresponding to the Zeifen interstadial. For each of these oscillations, quite large differences were shown between individual profiles, in terms of both pollen records and lithology. The differences probably have several reasons: (1) the meridional differentiation of the analysed site locations, (2) the diversity in stratigraphic and taxonomic resolution of the conducted pollen analyses and (3) the non-normative description of the sediments not being supported by lithological and geochemical analyses. The location of the Late Saalian/Eemian boundary in the analysed profiles was also investigated, and new criteria for its determination were formulated that reference both pollen and lithological records. On this basis, in the case of two profiles, the location of this boundary as determined in previous studies was changed. It was indicated that the same mineral sediments could have been deposited in different climatic conditions, probably depending on the structure of the catchment area. Additional proxies (e.g. geochemical, lithological, isotopic, morphoscopic) can highlight catchment specificity and verify the one-dimensional (and thus sometimes erroneous) view that lithology is evidence of climate characteristics, which poses a challenge for future revisions of stratotype sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110034"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790014","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":"A complete sequence of red clay, lacustrine deposits, and loess on the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau: Implications for the Neogene-Quaternary tectono-geomorphic evolution","authors":"Yong Xu ,&nbsp;Hu Wang ,&nbsp;Jianqiang Wang ,&nbsp;Lu Sun ,&nbsp;Jianxing Li ,&nbsp;Feng Pan ,&nbsp;Chong Guan ,&nbsp;Leping Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lacustrine sediments were preserved in local depressions of the Chinese Loess Plateau contemporaneous with the deposition of loess and red clay from the Neogene to Quaternary. These lacustrine sediments can provide key constraints for reconstructing the differential uplift of the Ordos Plateau, as well as the tectonic-geomorphic evolution and paleoclimate changes of the Loess Plateau since the Middle Pliocene. The Wuqi paleo-lake was an ancient lake developed along the southern piedmont of the Baiyu Mountains. Here, the sedimentary environments and evolutionary stages of the paleolake were systematically analyzed by combing the sedimentary characteristics of regional strata and research on high-resolution typical profiles. Paleomagnetic measurements demonstrate that polarity zones recorded in the Hegou profile correspond well with polarity zones since the C3n.2n normal subchron, with the basal age determined at approximately 4.5 Ma. The field characteristics, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, combined with paleomagnetic ages reveal that the Wuqi Paleolake was formed at approximately 3.6 Ma, evolving through the deep lake, shallow lake, sedimentary basin, and floodplain phases before going extinct at approximately 0.8 Ma. Since 0.8 Ma, loess-paleosol sequences have accumulated in the paleolake area, resembling those in other regions of the Loess Plateau. The demise of the Wuqi Paleolake is attributed to the uplift of the Baiyu Mountains, the modification of regional drainage networks, and accelerated headward erosion of rivers. The sedimentary evolution of the Wuqi Paleolake provides key evidence for understanding neotectonic movements and paleoenvironmental evolution of the Loess Plateau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110035"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790015","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":"Formation mechanisms of large-scale ancient landslides in the Meigu River basin, eastern margin of Tibetan plateau","authors":"Zhiqiang Yin ,&nbsp;Liang Chen ,&nbsp;Hai Shao ,&nbsp;Dong Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaoguang Qin ,&nbsp;Dameng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110045","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As one of the most serious natural hazards, landslides have caused extensive destruction to buildings and natural environments worldwide. However, the formation mechanisms of ancient landslides remain poorly understood due to the lack of detailed landslide inventories and chronological constraints. In this study, we present a systematic investigation of large-scale landslides in the Meigu River Basin (MRB), located on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in southwest China. Using high–spatiotemporal-resolution remote-sensing imagery, field verification, and a series of radiometric dates, we aim to examine the potential triggers of regional landslide activity. The results show that large-scale ancient landslides were mainly controlled by active faults, folds, joints, and soft interlayers, which rendered rock groups susceptible to movement. The integration of radiocarbon (¹⁴C) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicates that the MRB landslides developed during three main periods: the last glacial (66–40 ka), the late Pleistocene to early Holocene (20–9 ka), and the middle to late Holocene (6–0.2 ka). These results suggest a close coupling between large-scale ancient landslide formation and climatic fluctuations. Overall, this study highlights that geological controls and climatic triggers were the two key factors governing large-scale landslide development in the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110045"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521279","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 Pleistocene and Middle Holocene dynamic environmental transitions in sediments of drainless depressions (Raciąska Plain, Poland) in the context of regional climate changes","authors":"Joanna Gadziszewska ,&nbsp;Monika Niska ,&nbsp;Jerzy Jonczak","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Raciąska Plain is a foreland area marking the extent of the last glaciation, located along the outflow of glacial waters. For years, it has been the subject of scientific interest due to its distinctive terrain morphology. In the vicinity of the Wkra River valley, there are endorheic depressions where the sedimentation of organic deposits takes place. The properties of the sediments accumulating at the bottom of these basins result from fluctuations in climatic and environmental conditions, making them sensitive indicators of environmental change. The aim of the conducted research was to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the Mak endorheic basin by analyzing organic sediments from two profiles (Mak-1, Mak-2). The analysis of two profiles from different zones of the same basin—with varying morphometric characteristics and differing degrees of connectivity with river waters—made it possible to trace the ecosystem's response to regional climate changes and to compare the differences and similarities in the biotic and abiotic responses recorded in the sediments. As part of the study, palynological, geochemical, and microfaunal (Cladocera) analyses were carried out on sediments deposited during the Late Glacial as well as the Early and Middle Holocene. The results indicate varying dynamics of sediment accumulation at the studied sites, which stem from local geomorphological and hydrological conditions. The differing directions of environmental change in the two profiles are evidenced by the distinct species composition and frequency of cladocerans, as well as differences in the presence of non-pollen palynomorphs (CAZM, LPAZ). The Mak-1 profile more clearly reflects the dynamics of fluctuations in climatic and hydrological conditions. In contrast, sediment accumulation in the Mak-2 profile occurred under more stable conditions, which favored the accumulation of organic matter and the development of aquatic biocenoses. The findings provide valuable information on environmental changes in the Raciąska Plain, contributing to the existing body of paleoecological data and offering comparative material for regional analyses. They also highlight the importance of a multi-site approach in reconstructing the natural history of water bodies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110068"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624784","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":"Genesis of the Quaternary megafauna fossil deposit of Lagoa do Rumo (state of Bahia, Brazil): Paleoenvironmental and paleoecological aspects","authors":"Ricardo da Costa Ribeiro ,&nbsp;Fábio Henrique Cortes Faria ,&nbsp;Ismar de Souza Carvalho ,&nbsp;Herminio Ismael de Araújo-Júnior","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Taphonomic and geochronological data from the fossiliferous deposit of Lagoa do Rumo, Baixa Grande (Bahia State, Brazil), were used to infer paleoecological and paleoenvironmental aspects. Biostratinomic changes indicate long-term subaerial exposure of skeletal remains prior to final burial, suggesting an attritional accumulation with a preservation bias toward megafauna, especially the giant ground sloth <em>Eremotherium laurillardi</em>. Fossildiagenetic alterations caused by seasonal fluctuations in the water table resulted in poor histological preservation and permineralization by iron and manganese oxides. The ages suggest a prolonged period of fossil accumulation at Lagoa do Rumo (∼51 kyr), reflecting varying paleoenvironmental conditions during its formation. The taphonomic and geochronological data point to a complex formation history, with taphonomic biases driven by climatic seasonality and condensed paleoenvironmental and paleoecological scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110022"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145468808","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":"Exploring alternative Neolithization trajectories in Northeast China (Nen River Basin)","authors":"Yunchen Tan ,&nbsp;Henny Piezonka ,&nbsp;Peter D. Jordan","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110046","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110046","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the drivers of diversity and change in regional Neolithization trajectories has emerged as a major theme in World Prehistory with new insights appearing in many parts of the globe. In Northeast Asia, research on Neolithic transition over the past two decades has focused primarily on millet and rice domestication and their role in the rise of farming, social complexity, and early Chinese civilization. However, not all regions followed this agricultural trajectory. Instead, several areas exhibit “alternative” pathways to sedentism, storage-based economies, and emergent social diversification, but these remain underrepresented in international literature. In Northeast China, the Nen River basin, located north of the early farming communities of the Yellow and Liao River basins, is one such region. The Nen River drains into the Songhua River, one of the major tributaries of the Amur River, which drains into the Pacific Ocean. Importantly, the Nen River basin includes extensive wetlands and rich mosaic environments, which emerged during climatic shifts during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. These aquatic ecosystems supported a transition to broad-spectrum foraging, which in turn led to sedentism and emergent social complexity without any evidence of plant domestication or substantial reliance on staple crops. These sites flourished culturally and demographically under the ameliorating conditions of the Holocene Climatic Optimum, but underwent a transition to nomadic pastoralism after the 4.2 ka cold and aridity event, with many distinctive local cultural traditions persisting. In this paper, we present an integrated synthesis of currently available archaeological and palaeo-environmental records from the Nen River basin. The aim is to reconstruct the cultural and social developments that arose from human-environmental interactions from the Late Pleistocene into the middle and late Holocene in this vital region of Northeast Asia. Our research indicates that Neolithization here occurred independently of agriculture, supported instead by aquatic and terrestrial resources. We further highlight the global potential for studying diverse “Neolithicities” across different world regions, and conclude with a series of themes and questions that require further research and cross-cultural synthesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110046"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521281","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":"Freshwater invertebrate assemblages and environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene-Holocene of Salto de Piedra site (central Pampean Region, Buenos Aires, Argentina)","authors":"Pamela Steffan ,&nbsp;Gustavo N. Gómez ,&nbsp;Sara García-Morato ,&nbsp;Jonathan E. Bellinzoni ,&nbsp;Ricardo Bonini ,&nbsp;Cristian M. Favier-Dubois ,&nbsp;Claudia I. Montalvo ,&nbsp;María Teresa Alberdi ,&nbsp;M. Dolores Marin-Monfort ,&nbsp;Yolanda Fernandez-Jalvo ,&nbsp;José Luis Prado","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110047","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110047","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Salto de Piedra is a paleontological site located in the Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) close to Olavarría City at the upper basin of Tapalqué Creek. This site provides new insights about the late Quaternary climatic evolution of the area. The taxonomic and taphonomic analyses of freshwater gastropods from this period allow us to evaluate the magnitude of environmental changes in the area. Paleoclimatic inferences at the top of the sequence (Late Pleistocene) indicate a trend from arid conditions at facies 8 to humid ones towards facies 11 (Early Holocene). This transition from arid to humid conditions is also reinforced by post-depositional taphonomic processes. These bioindicators are analyzed with data on the geochemistry of the deposits containing them. Results indicate the alternation of palustrine and lacustrine conditions. These variations of local conditions are correlated with regional records of nearby archaeological sites that inferred arid to humid environmental transitions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110047"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521278","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":"Evidence of bipolar knapping of mammoth ivory at Medzhybizh A: Technological and experimental insights from a lower Palaeolithic context","authors":"Oleksandr Naumenko ,&nbsp;Vadim Stepanchuk","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110049","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110049","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents the results of a technological and experimental study of mammoth ivory artefacts recovered from Layer II–I of the Medzhybizh A Lower Palaeolithic site in western Ukraine. Ivory is an unusual material in prehistoric knapping traditions, especially in earlier periods. Our experiments demonstrate that the workability of ivory depends strongly on its preservation state: over-dried specimens are brittle and fragment easily, while better-preserved ones allow more controlled knapping. The analysis identifies diagnostic traces of intentional modification on archaeological specimens, including bipolar on anvil knapping features, scars, facets, impact points, and intensive edge trimming. A deliberately shaped ivory pieces produced by knapping suggests that hominins at Medzhybizh A employed a flexible and opportunistic raw material strategy, occasionally experimenting with ivory as a substitute for lithic materials. While the technological actions mirror stone knapping techniques, no evidence indicates adaptation to the specific properties of ivory. The results provide unique insights into the variability and adaptability of raw material strategies during the Middle Pleistocene and contribute to discussions on early ivory processing traditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"751 ","pages":"Article 110049"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145580074","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}

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