A skeleton of peat-trapped forest rhinoceros Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (Jäger, 1839) from Gorzów Wielkopolski, Northwestern Poland: a record of life and death of the Eemian large mammals

We present a description of an almost complete skeleton of the forest rhino (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis) found near Gorzów Wielkopolski (Northwest Poland) in its geological and palaeoenvironmental context. While finds of bones and teeth are common, the importance of this find resides in, that it is the most complete specimen of this species, almost perfectly preserved in a well-studied and dated stratigraphic and sedimentological context, along with other fossil fauna and flora. The OSL dates of glaciofluvial sediments sandwiching skeleton-bearing horizons indicate a Middle Eemian age of the Pleistocene paleolake land. This warm climate is also indicated by the results of sedimentological, geochemical, paleobotanical, and isotopic analyses. The rhino skeleton was deposited in a shallow area near the lake’s littoral zone. Bite marks of a large predator (cave hyena) were recognized on the rhino’s pelvis, which, due to their location, were probably created post-mortem. With an estimated height of 1.82 m at the withers, this was a large adult Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis. The results of osteometric analyses indicate that we are dealing with one of the largest known individuals of this species. Although it suffered from a pathologically deformed spine, the individual died at a relatively old age.Peer reviewe

Stages of the formation of the Łeba barrier-lagoon system on the basis of the geological cross-section near Rąbka (Southern Baltic Coast, Poland)

The ar ti cle pres ents the re sults of a de tailed study of the geo log i cal struc ture of the £eba Bar rier in the R¹bka crosssec tion (South ern Bal tic, Po land). The bar rier sep a rates Lake £ebsko from the Bal tic. Five sed i men tary com plexes were dis tin guished there (M2–M6). The spa tial vari abil ity of the grain-size dis tri bu tion was ex am ined and suc ces sion stages of the mol lusc fauna oc cur ring in the in di vid ual sed i men tary com plexes were dis tin guished. Ra dio car bon dating was used to es tab lish the age of the most im por tant events dur ing the pro cess of for ma tion of the bar rier, which took place in the course of sev eral rel a tive sea-level changes. The first sed i men tary com plex (M2) at R¹bka is connected with the sec ond ingression (i2) of the Bal tic Sea (ca. 6,700–6,000 14C years BP), sea-level sta bi li za tion (6,000–5,500 14C years BP), and at last sea-level low er ing (5,500–5,000 14C years BP) in the re gion of the Gardno-£eba Coastal Plain. The sed i men tary com plex M3 de vel oped in a la goonal en vi ron ment when the bar rier was sit u ated north of its pres ent po si tion (5,000–3,000 14C BP). The next low er ing of the sea-level made the la goon shal lower and caused the emer gence of small but al ready subaerial stretches of bar rier land with a fresh wa ter fauna in the north (4,880±40 14C BP). With the next ingression stage (i3), which took place be tween 4,500 and 3,000 BP, the bar rier shifted to its pres ent-day po si tion and the la goon changed into a fresh wa ter lake. From 3,000 to 1,700 14C BP fos sil soil and peats de vel oped on the bar rier sur face as a re sult of an other sea-level low er ing. The last ingression stages (i4 and i5), youn - ger than 1,700 BP, built up the bar rier, prac ti cally in its to day’s lo ca tion (sed i men tary com plexes M4 and M5). The youn gest sed i men tary com plex (M-6) is rep re sented by pres ent-day beach sands

Lithology and geochemistry of the Late Glacial and Holocene sediments from Gostyń Lake (Western Pomerania, Myślibórz Lakeland)

Sediment geochemistry and lithology were studied in Gostyń Lake in the eastern part of the Myślibórz Lakeland (part of the Western Pomeranian Lake District). The research was undertaken because relatively shallow lake basins without ground supply contribute to the intensification of water circulation through evaporation. Late Glacial and Holocene phases in the evolution of Gostyń Lake were reconstructed based on selected geochemical indicators (Fe/Mn, S/Fe, Na/K, Mg/Ca, Cu/Zn, Na+K+Mg/Ca, Fe/Ca) as well as on the presence of human activity (Stone Age, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and Roman Period). Also, the geochemical and archaeological data were correlated. Generally, the lithogeochemical composition variability in the Gostyń Lake deposits was found to be controlled by changes in: 1) the climate, related to the biogenic accumulation environment, 2) land cover in the Late Glacial and Holocene, and 3) human activities. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed four major variable groups responsible for the changes: hydroclimatic variations which determined the type of sedimentary conditions during the Holocene climate optimum; changes in the organic matter provenance (along with conditions favouring sulphide precipitation); and denudation processes in the Gostyń Lake catchment. The methods used allowed the distribution of ancient settlement to be traced. Interpretation of the geochemical indicators (Fe/Mn, Cu/Zn, S/Fe, Ca/Fe) should involve many more factors which, in the relevant literature, are treated as measures of changes in redox condition

Geochemistry of a sedimentary section at the Wąwelnica archaeological site, Szczecin Hills (Western Pomerania)

The results of geochemical assays on biogenic sediments filling a fossil lacustrine basin at Wąwelnica, in the Szczecin Hills, within the left-bank part of the Oder River catchment are presented. The data reveal a natural Holocene sedimentation sequence similar to that found for other sites in central Europe. The geochemical record of palaeo-environmental changes, which may be a consequence of human activities in the proximity of the site, is distinctly bipartite. The part of the profile corresponding to the lacustrine sediment accumulation during the Greenlandian occasionally shows an increased mineral content and an elevated catchment erosion index. An incidental presence of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic communities is confirmed by archaeological evidence from a few sites in the Szczecin Hills. More distinct episodes of mineral matter supply and more pronounced changes in geochemical indicators can be inferred as occurring from the onset of the older part of the Atlantic until the Older Subboreal. Most of the flint artefacts discovered along with a collection of vessel fragments in the Mierzyn-Dołuje area are associated with the Neolithic occupation. However, changes in the deposits’ geochemistry do not reflect all the settlement stages associated with the consecutive human groups identified by archaeological evidence. Possible reasons include a low sediment accumulation rate having restricted peat mass accretion and prevented the storing of any higher amounts of water. This, along with the climate-change-caused lowering of the water table, could have periodically stopped the accumulation of autochthonous organic matter. In addition, intensified human activities coincided with periods of stable and low water level in the basin. On the other hand, breaks in human activity correspond with moist Holocene stages and local flooding events

Changes in habitat conditions in a Late Glacial fluviogenic lake in response to climatic fluctuations (Warta River valley, central Poland)

The Warta River valley was greatly influenced by the ice sheet of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A small peatland located in the Warta drainage system is here used as a palaeoarchive of climatic and habitat changes during the Late Glacial (Weichselian). The Ługi sediment profile was investigated using multi-proxy (pollen, Chironomidae, Cladocera and geochemistry) analyses that recorded changes in a fluviogenic sedimentary depression. After the Poznań Phase (LGM), Ługi functioned as an oxbow lake that was cut off from the active river channel as a result of fluvial erosion. Since that time, the Warta River has flowed only along the section now occupied by the Jeziorsko Reservoir. Sedimentation of lacustrine deposits started at the beginning of the Late Glacial. Summer temperature reconstructions indicate cool Oldest and Younger Dryas, but no clear cooling in the Older Dryas. During the Younger Dryas the palaeolake was completely occupied by a peatland (fen), which periodically dried out during the Holocene. Investigation of this site has tracked the reaction of the habitat to climatic, hydrological and geomorphological changes throughout the Late Weichselian