Postglacial Development of Kazakhstan Pine Forests

Fossil pollen records from two peatlands and two lakes in Kazakhstan provide radiocarbon-dated evidence of vegetation change since 13 000 BP. During the Lateglacial open spruce (Picea obovata) forests started spreading along river valleys and over the Kazakhstan Foothills. By 9500 BP, the southern limit of spruce approached its present-day position. Between 9500 and 8000 BP steppe and open birch forests formed the vegetation in the south of the West Siberian Lowland. Dry steppe and semi-desert were the main types of vegetation in north Kazakhstan. From 7000 to 5500 BP Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) expanded in Kazakhstan and reached its present day southern limit. Since 5500 BP pine has formed monospecific forests in the lrtysh-Semipalatinsk area and in the northern part of the Kazakhstan Foothills. By 5000 BP lime (Tilia cordata) penetrated into the northern part of the Kazakhstan Foothills. The ranges of oak (Quercus robur), elm (Ulmus glabra) and black alder (AInus glutinosa) also expanded. The period 4500-3600 BP was characterised by a drier and more continental climate. During that time, the forested area decreased. The ranges of broadleaved trees and alder were reduced. A phase of less continental climate occurred 3300-2800/ 2700 BP. By 1500 BP the present southern limit of Scots pine was established.Les données palynologiques de quatre stations au Kazakhstan ont permis de reconstituer l'histoire de la végétation depuis 13 000 BP. Au Tardiglaciaire, des pessières claires à Picea obovata ont commencé à occuper les vallées des fleuves et les collines de Kazakhs. Vers 9500 BP la limite méridionale moderne de Picea obovata fut atteinte. Entre 9500-8000 BP les steppes et forêts claires de bouleaux (Betula alba) étaient répandues au sud de la Sibérie occidentale. Des steppes sèches et des semi-déserts constituaient alors la végétation du nord du Kazakhstan. Entre 7000 et 5500 BP, le pin sylvestre (Pinus sylvestris) s'est répandu au Kazakhstan jusqu'à sa limite méridionale actuelle. Depuis 5500 BP, Ie pin a constitué des forêts monospécifiques dans la région de Semipalatinsk-lrtysh et dans la partie septentrionale des collines de Kazakhs. Vers 5000 BP. Ie tilleul (Tilia cordata) fut présent dans la partie septentrionale des collines de Kazakhs. Les aires du chêne (Quercus robur), de l'orme (Ulmus glabra) et de l'aulne (AInus glutinosa) se sont étendues. Entre 4500 et 3600 BP, le climat est devenu plus sec et plus continental. L'aire de peuplement des forêts a diminué. La répartition des arbres aux larges feuilles et de l'aulne ont diminué. Un climat moins continental s'est instauré entre 3300 et 2800/2700 BP. Vers 1500 BP, la limite méridionale actuelle du pin s'est établie.Fossile Pollen-Belege von zwei Torfmooren und zwei Seen in Kasachstan liefern mittels Kohlenstoffdatierung den Nachweis einer Vegetationverànderung seit 13 000 v.u.Z. Im Spâtglazial begannen offene Fichtenwâlder (Picea obovata) sich entlang der Flusstâler und ùber die Gebirgsauslâufer Kasachstans auszubreiten. Um 9500 v.u.Z. bildeten Steppen und offene Birkenwàlder die Vegetation im Sùden des westsibirischen Tieflands. Trockene Steppen und Halbwùsten waren die hauptsàchlichen Vegetationstypen in Nord-Kasachstan. Von 7000 bis 5500 v.u.Z. breitete sich die Fôhre (Pinus silvestris L) in Kasachstan aus und erreichte ihre heutige sùdliche Grenze. Seit 5500 v.u.Z. hat die Kiefer monospezifische Wàlder im Irtysh-Semipalatinsk-Gebiet und im nôrdlichen Teil der Gebirgsauslâufer Kasachstans gebildet. Um 5000 v.u.Z. drang die Linde (Tilia cordata) in den nôrdlichen Teil der Gebirgsauslâufer Kasachstans ein. Die Ausdehnung von Eiche (Quercus robur), Ulme (Ulmus glabra) und Schwarzerle (AInus glutinosa) nahm auch zu. Die Zeit von 4500 - 3600 v.u.Z. zeichnete sich durch ein trockeneres und mehr kontinentales Klima aus. Wâhrend dieser Zeit nahm die bewaldete Zone ab. Das Vorkommen von grossblâttrigen Bàumen und Erlen nahm ab. Eine Phase weniger kontinentalen Klimas trat zwischen 3300 - 2800/2700 v.u.Z. ein. Um 1500 v.u.Z. war die gegenwârtige sùdliche Grenze der Fôhre etabliert

Recent dating of extinct Atlantic gray whale fossils, (Eschrichtius robustus), Georgia Bight and Florida, western Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) presents an interesting case study of climate related dispersal and extinction. While (limited) fossil records confirm its presence in the Atlantic up until the 18th Century, its abundance and distribution within the Eastern and Western basins are still not well understood. The discovery of presumed gray whale fossil remains from the Georgia Bight and the Atlantic coast of Florida, from the mid-1980s to late-2000s, provides a new opportunity to recover additional data regarding their chronology within the Western basin. Here, we apply accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon techniques to six fossil whale finds, identifying dates within marine isotope stage 3 (59–24 ka) and the late Holocene, ∼2,000 yr BP. We additionally confirm the taxonomic identification of two fossil bone samples as E. robustus using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS). The obtained dates, when combined with a larger corpus of previously published Atlantic gray whale fossil dates, support the hypothesis for the decline of the Atlantic gray whale in the late Pleistocene and the late Holocene. These new data augment the findings of the Eastern Atlantic Basin and better incorporate the Western Atlantic Basin into a pan-ocean understanding for the species

Ceramic findings and their chronology in the area between the southern deseado massif and the santa cruz river basin (southern patagonia, argentina)

El objetivo de este trabajo es informar sobre la recuperación de seis tiestos en el área ubicada entre el extremo sur del Macizo del Deseado y el río Santa Cruz. Si bien se trata de un registro arqueológico poco abundante, constituye un aporte significativo al conocimiento sobre el uso de esta tecnología entre grupos cazadores-recolectores en estas latitudes y en espacios intermedios entre la costa y la cordillera. Se presenta la información cronológica (AMS) e isotópica (δ13C y δ15N) generada a partir de la datación y análisis de las sustancias adheridas a las superficies planas de los fragmentos cerámicos. Asimismo, se exhiben los resultados de los análisis macroscópicos de los tiestos y microscópicos de las pastas. Sobre esta base se indaga acerca de las características de la cerámica, su posible función y el marco cronológico de uso de esta tecnología. Los resultados alcanzados son consistentes con aquéllos obtenidos en la región y apuntan a un uso tardío de la cerámica, a la utilización de recursos de estepa y a la posible obtención y transporte de recipientes por grupos indígenas con alta movilidad desde otros espacios.The purpose of this paper is to provide information about six sherds recovered from the area between the Southern Deseado Massif and the Santa Cruz River Basin. Very few sherds have been recovered from this region previously, and so these findings make a significant contribution to what is known about ceramic technologies used by hunter-gatherers at these latitudes, in an area located between the Andean range and the Atlantic coast. This paper provides macroscopic and microscopic data of the six sherds, which show considerable variability. It also reports isotopic values (δ13C and δ15N) and direct AMS radiocarbon ages for organic residues adhering to the flat faces of two sherds. The results are consistent with those from earlier studies indicating the use of ceramic technology by highly mobile indigenous groups in Southern Patagonia for steppe resources. Variations in sherd composition suggest that the original ceramic containers were probably acquired and transported into the region from other spaces.Fil: Cirigliano, Natalia Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Historia y Ciencias Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Teresita Francis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Franco, Nora Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Historia y Ciencias Humanas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: Brook, George. University of Georgia; Estados UnidosFil: Cherkinsky, Alexander. University of Georgia; Estados Unido

A Multi-Proxy Assessment of the Impact of Environmental Instability on Late Holocene (4500-3800 BP) Native American Villages of the Georgia Coast

Circular shell rings along the South Atlantic Coast of North America are the remnants of some of the earliest villages that emerged during the Late Archaic (5000-3000 BP). Many of these villages, however, were abandoned during the Terminal Late Archaic (ca 3800-3000 BP). We combine Bayesian chronological modeling with mollusk shell geochemistry and oyster paleobiology to understand the nature and timing of environmental change associated with the emergence and abandonment of circular shell ring villages on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Our Bayesian models indicate that Native Americans occupied the three Sapelo shell rings at varying times with some generational overlap. By the end of the complex\u27s occupation, only Ring III was occupied before abandonment ca. 3845 BP. Ring III also consists of statistically smaller oysters harvested from less saline estuaries compared to earlier occupations. Integrating shell biochemical and paleobiological data with recent tree ring analyses shows a clear pattern of environmental fluctuations throughout the period in which the rings were occupied. We argue that as the environment became unstable around 4300 BP, aggregation at villages provided a way to effectively manage fisheries that are highly sensitive to environmental change. However, with the eventual collapse of oyster fisheries and subsequent rebound in environmental conditions ca. post-3800 BP, people dispersed from shell rings, and shifted to non-marine subsistence economies and other types of settlements. This study provides the most comprehensive evidence for correlations between large-scale environmental change and societal transformations on the Georgia coast during the Late Archaic period

Findings from an in-depth annual tree-ring radiocarbon inter-comparison

The radiocarbon calibration curve so far contains annually resolved data only for a short period of time. With accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) matching the precision of decay counting, it is now possible to efficiently produce large datasets of annual resolution for calibration purposes using small amounts of wood. The radiocarbon inter-comparison on single-year tree-ring samples presented here is the first to investigate specifically possible offsets between AMS laboratories at high precision. The results show that AMS laboratories are capable of measuring samples of Holocene age with an accuracy and precision that is comparable or even goes beyond what is possible with decay counting, even though they require a thousand times less wood. It also shows that not all AMS laboratories always produce results that are consistent with their stated uncertainties. The long-term benefits of studies of this kind are more accurate radiocarbon measurements with, in the future, better quantified uncertainties.Additional co-authors: Douglas J Kennett, Timothy D J Knowles, Margot Kuitems, Todd E Lange, Fusa Miyake, Marie-Josée Nadeau, Toshio Nakamura, J Philip Naysmith, Jesper Olsen, Takayuki Omori, Fiona Petchey, Bente Philippsen, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, G V Ravi Prasad, Martin Seiler, John Southon, Richard Staff, Thibault Tun