ABSTRACT There is now a wealth of glass‐shard geochemical data for volcanic ash (tephra) layers from a wide range of volcanoes and eruptions, providing invaluable datasets for tephrochronology. However, compilation of published data to assess tephra correlations leads to large files and requires careful management. Here, we show that a project within the IntChron Integration Tool (Ramsey et al., 2019), an open‐access and versatile online application, can be used to effectively store and manage tephra information, geochemical data and relevant metadata, while also providing visualisation and statistical tools. The visualisation functionality allows sites to be plotted on a variety of base maps, enables the plotting of tephra shard concentrations through a sequence and generates biplots of major and trace elements. The statistical tools are similarly invaluable for investigating compositional variability and relationships, and for assessing the probability that datasets correlate. An IntChron Integration Tool project supports the entire workflow, from sample and data collection through analysis and interpretation, to the generation of publication‐ready plots. Here, we present an example project to show the functionality using published data from distal tephra layers in the Lake Suigetsu core, and proximal eruption deposits from volcanoes across Japan. This project contains over 7000 geochemical analyses from 12 publications, demonstrating the power of the IntChron Integration Tool to manage, visualise and archive geochemical datasets.
ABSTRACT Studies on biomobility in the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) or the Harappan Culture provide important insights into pastoral practices, trade and environmental adaptation that shaped the civilisation's economy and social networks. At its height, the IVC engaged in extensive trade across its vast territory, resulting in cultural and economic change across diverse ecological zones. Although archaeological finds indicate trade in artefacts throughout the civilisation, our understanding of human and animal mobility remains limited due to a lack of geochemical and isotopic data on provenance. A key unresolved issue in biomobility is distinguishing between local and broader animal husbandry practices and their trade connections. To address this, we analysed faunal teeth, bone bioapatite and bone‐encased soil using C–O–Sr–Nd isotopes from two Harappan sites, Kanmer (Gujarat) and Tigrana (Haryana), located more than 900 km apart. Our isotope data and the existing literature suggest that, in Kanmer, specialised animal‐feeding methods were used, and local rainfall was the primary water source across all settlements. Data from both sites show that most sheep/goat were raised locally with little movement; however, bovines in Kanmer from the mature and late‐mature phases had diverse, possibly non‐local origins, likely from Haryana. At Tigrana, some animals also showed signs of movement from nearby regions. Regional movement of bovines from a better watered region to a semi‐arid region may indicate trading as an important aspect of this civilisation embedded within broader social and economic networks.
ABSTRACT The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered vast areas of North America during the Wisconsinan, including the Labrador Shelf, off the coast of eastern Canada. The shelf is characterized by glacial cross‐shelf troughs, which have been considered as predominantly eroded by the last ice advance. Nevertheless, these cross‐shelf troughs contain substantial sedimentary infill that has not yet been thoroughly explored and elucidated. Therefore, we hypothesize that older, potentially non‐glacial, sediments are preserved within these cross‐shelf troughs on the Labrador Shelf. In this study, we investigate the stratigraphic infill of three major trough systems on the Labrador Shelf using 2D seismic reflection data to refine the erosional and depositional processes that produce the geomorphology and stratigraphy of the shelf. The results of the study present an updated Quaternary stratigraphy of the Labrador Shelf, comprising eight seismic units. For the first time, we interpret glaciomarine and open marine deposits between glacial till layers. Additionally, we identified sets of elongated depressions, at three different depth intervals. Some of them are classified as subglacial meltwater channels and some others as ice stream troughs. Finally, we propose a stratigraphic evolution model consisting of 10 phases and spanning two glacial–interglacial cycles. The results support our hypothesis and suggest that the deeper sediment layers on the shelf contain evidence of older glacial–interglacial cycles. They also lend support to the hypothesis of a multiphase origin over multiple glacial cycles for the cross‐shelf troughs. Consequently, new opportunities are provided for the reconstruction of ice‐sheet dynamics and associated oceanographic conditions on the Labrador Shelf, as the sedimentary succession provides an archive to reconstruct dynamics of ice sheets during at least two Quaternary glacial–interglacial cycles.
ABSTRACT Sedimentary ancient DNA in well‐dated contexts ( sed aDNA) has great potential as a palaeoecological proxy. A few studies have attempted palaeoecological reconstructions using sed aDNA from soil; these studies have been mainly restricted to cold and/or dry soils. The study of soils from wet, temperate locations has been limited due to uncertainties surrounding the longevity and mobility of DNA in these environments. We addressed this knowledge gap with a novel field experiment that (i) tracked the movement and longevity of ‘exotic’ DNA applied to a wet, temperate soil and (ii) compared extant plant community structure with recent (decades old) environmental DNA (eDNA) data extracted from shallow (<20 cm deep) soil samples. We used DNA metabarcoding to detect the exotic DNA and reconstruct plant communities from soil eDNA at different depths. Dating control provided by layers of volcanic ash indicated that our oldest soil samples were formed ~100 years ago. Our findings indicated low survivability and limited (centimetre‐scale or less) mobility of applied DNA. The reconstructed plant communities closely resembled extant vegetation cover. We concluded that sed aDNA would be suitable as a palaeo‐proxy for vegetation in similar settings, albeit restricted to the most abundant taxa. Further work in more taxonomically and structurally diverse settings, preferably with different soil types, would be required to establish the broader use of soil sed aDNA as a palaeoecological proxy in wet, temperate soils.
This study presents a high-resolution, multi-proxy reconstruction of environmental and land-use change from Lake Dojran over historical times (last 2500 years), combining pollen, biomarkers, radiocarbon dating, Ottoman taxation records and other historical data. Our results show that vegetation dynamics were persistently shaped by human activity, with climatic variability acting as a secondary driver. Agricultural expansion, arboriculture, pastoralism and woodland clearance correspond to the differing political and economic regimes of the Macedonian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Phases of stability-such as the (Roman) Augustan era and the 16th-century Pax Ottomana-coincide with strong agricultural intensification, while climatic anomalies, conflict and epidemics are reflected in declines in cultivation. The integration of palaeoecological data with spatially resolved Ottoman records allows the identification of distinct socio-ecological zones within the catchment, including cereal-oriented lowlands and pastoral uplands, explaining divergent land-use trajectories. These combined data sets demonstrate the value of a consilient approach, revealing how environmental, economic and administrative factors interacted to shape long-term landscape transformation and local resilience.
The timing and spatial patterns of glaciers retreat in the Northern French Alps during the Lateglacial (19.0-11.7 ka) remain debated, reflecting discrepancies among available chronological data sets. The complex interactions between major glaciers, such as the Rh & ocirc;ne and Arve glaciers to the north and the Is & egrave;re glacier to the south, represent a significant challenge for reconstructing post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) glacial retreat. In this study, we present a new framework for understanding Lateglacial glacier history in the Arve Valley, integrating 18 new in situ 10Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) exposure ages obtained from erratic and morainic boulders together with refined geomorphological interpretations based on LiDAR-derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Results, expressed as minimum exposure ages, indicate that glacier recession began around 17.6 ka, with the Arve glacier remaining in the downstream sector of the valley until the end of a readvance phase around 15.9 ka. Following this readvance, the glacier receded by more than 30 km in a few hundred years at most, before continuing to withdraw towards the Mont-Blanc massif prior to the Younger Dryas readvance. These findings provide new constraints on the timing of deglaciation in the Northwestern Alps and contribute toward a better understanding of post-LGM glacier retreat in a complex confluence system.
The Aso-3 tephra is one of the most significant widespread marker layers from the Middle to Late Pleistocene, generated by a large caldera-forming eruption at the Aso volcano in Kyushu, southwestern Japan. Despite its importance, a distal co-ignimbrite ash correlative has yet to be clearly identified, primarily because although volcanic glass shows a broad chemical composition range, available refractive index and major-element glass data remain limited. This issue has made it difficult to identify the distribution area of the widespread Aso-3 tephra and utilize it as a marker layer. Consequently, the ability to synchronize terrestrial and marine records from Japan and the northwestern Pacific during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6/5 transition is limited. This study reports the identification of a previously unrecognized tephra layer (SKR tephra) within the basal part of the Furuya Formation in the Omaezaki area of central Japan as Aso-3 tephra. Petrological and geochemical analyses reveal that the SKR tephra consists of two compositionally distinct glass groups, whose major element composition closely corresponds to that of the Aso-3B unit within the Aso-3 pyroclastic flow deposits. Furthermore, the glass composition of SKR tephra matched that of cryptotephra (MD26.70 tephra) contained within a sample taken from marine core MD012422 off the coast of Shikoku at a depth of approximately 26.7 mbsf. The MD26.70 tephra was deposited during the MIS 6/5 transition, demonstrating that the SKR tephra represents a valuable stratigraphic marker synchronizing terrestrial and marine records for this period. Consequently, the SKR tephra contributes to refining the regional tephra chronology of central Japan. It serves as an indicator layer enhancing the potential for high-resolution paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Japanese archipelago and the northwestern Pacific during the MIS 6/5 transition.
Cave sediments are key archives of past environmental and climatic change, and yet, detailed terrestrial records from tropical south-east Asia remain scarce, particularly from archaeologically relevant sites. This study analyses 29 sediment samples from Long Long Rak Cave, an archaeologically significant site with evidence of human burial and occupation dating to similar to 2 ka, Thailand, using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle-size analysis and thermoluminescence (TL) dating (six age estimates) to investigate environmental change and sedimentary processes. Sedimentation patterns vary between chambers, reflecting differences in cave morphology and microclimate. Higher-energy depositional conditions during similar to 13.4-11.3 ka, as evidenced by coarse sediments, erosional surfaces and Fe/Mn nodules formed under fluctuating redox conditions, indicate variable hydrological conditions with episodic higher-energy flow events and enhanced sediment transport, broadly corresponding to terminal Pleistocene climatic instability, including the Younger Dryas. This was followed by a transitional phase of reduced and variable water input prior to a stratigraphic discontinuity at similar to 10.3 ka, which marks a shift to lower-energy slackwater deposition and reduced sediment supply, marking Early Holocene hydrological adjustment. Evidence for post-depositional modification includes clay translocation, Fe/Mn oxide and phosphate mobilisation, secondary calcite precipitation and bioturbation by termites and humans. Human activity is restricted to upper deposits dated to similar to 2 ka, indicating that most natural sediment accumulation predates cultural use of the cave.
The paleoecology of early hominin dispersal(s) out of Africa remains a central topic of discussion in paleoanthropology. While African and Eurasian records are relatively well documented, the Indian Subcontinent has remained underrepresented in this discourse. Here, we present the first multiproxy paleoecological reconstruction of Early-to-Middle Pleistocene (2.58-0.4 Ma) environments in the northern Indian Subcontinent, combining dental delta C-13 and delta O-18 isotope analysis, dental mesowear, and dental ecometric trait data from 289 mammalian dental specimens from the Pinjor Formation, Upper Siwalik Hills of northern India. delta C-13 values indicate a predominantly C-4-based herbivore guild throughout the study period, with progressive broadening toward mixed C-3-C-4 diets after similar to 1.77 Ma. Strong temporal variation in delta O-18 values indicates that hydroclimatic variability was possibly the primary driver of this ecosystem reorganization across this interval. In conformity to results from the dental enamel, climate estimates based on dental ecometric trait data document a similar transition from drier, open grassland conditions before similar to 1.77 Ma to a more productive, structurally heterogeneous savannah mosaic ecosystems after similar to 1.77 Ma. These results demonstrate that the region sustained a predominantly savannah mosaic ecosystem, with an increase in habitat heterogeneity after the Early to Middle Pleistocene Climate Transition, corresponding to an increase in precipitation. This mosaic landscape sustained resource availability and opportunities, critical for survival of hominins dispersing through the region. This study fills a critical geographic gap by adding to the growing body evidence indicating that hominins occupied diverse and regionally variable environments during early out-of-Africa dispersal(s). (c) 2026 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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.
While competition with large carnivores is likely to have shaped Middle Paleolithic hominins' subsistence behavior, palimpsested human and carnivore accumulations render the signal challenging to isolate. This study presents a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of a non-anthropogenic faunal assemblage from a MIS 5 (similar to 130-80 ka) hyena den and porcupine lair at Geula Cave (Mount Carmel, Israel). The assemblage features abundant hyena and porcupine remains, pervasive gnawing, and negligible anthropogenic impact, which we draw on to assess human-carnivore interaction (or resource use). The ungulate assemblage is diverse and similar to that of contemporaneous anthropogenic assemblages, implying significant hunting-niche overlap. We propose that high ungulate diversity during MIS 5, possibly driven by interglacial corridor connectivity between Africa and the Levant, reduced competitive pressure and facilitated coexistence. Using hyena prey as an ecological baseline reveals how apparent "human choices" may reflect shared constraints within a competitive predator guild.
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)] (r = 0.73, p < 0.001), Rb/Sr (r = 0.72, p < 0.001), and Re [(CaO + MgO + K2O + Na2O)/(Fe2O3 + MnO2)] (r = -0.71, p < 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.
Termites are landscape geo-engineers whose nesting activities substantially modify the physical and chemical properties of soils. Fossilised termite nests commonly constitute the only identifiable evidence of ancient termite activity and represent valuable trace fossil archives for reconstructing past environments. Here, we describe a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies, Columnanidus calitzdorpensis ichnogen. ichnosp. nov., from Quaternary alluvial deposits near Calitzdorp, South Africa. The subterranean nests are subcylindrical structures, reaching similar to 1 m in height and similar to 65 cm in diameter, and are characterised by a similar to 12 cm wide, shelved nest wall surrounding an empty central cavity. Within the nest wall, the gallery and chamber morphology and abundance vary between the inner and outer zones. The nests are preserved as calcretised features, composed of inter-laminations of clastic sediment and pedogenic carbonate precipitate. U-series dating of the carbonate laminations yields robust age peaks at 401 +/- 46 ka and 323 +/- 12 ka, indicating a Middle Pleistocene minimum age for nest formation. These ages coincide with intervals favourable for pedogenic carbonate development under semi-arid to arid climatic conditions. Hardpan calcretes capping the nests suggest prolonged periods of semi-arid conditions and sustained pedogenic stability during the Middle Pleistocene in the Calitzdorp region.
Glacial Lake Fraser, which formed in British Columbia against the retreating Cordilleran Ice Sheet, stored similar to 520 km(3) of water before its near-total drainage into the Salish Sea during an outburst flood event. Despite the impact of the outburst flood on sediment transport and landscape evolution in the Fraser River valley, its peak discharge and drainage duration are not well constrained. Here, multiple numerical modelling techniques are used to provide insight into the characteristics of the outburst flood. Boulder fields and giant gravel bars that provide evidence of water depth and flow dynamics are used to calibrate a step-backwater model of peak discharge. This numerical estimate of peak discharge is compared with several ice-dam failure scenarios, involving different parameters for the failure mechanism, duration and size, simulated using the HEC-RAS dam-breach model. The glacial Lake Fraser outburst flood had a peak discharge of at least 500 000-800 000 m(3) s(-1), and incision of the ice dam was likely relatively gradual, meaning that the lake drained over the course of several weeks. These findings improve our understanding of flood dynamics and enable more detailed estimations of the regional impacts of this event. (c) 2026 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Victoria Cave, north Yorkshire, England, contains a long sequence of Pleistocene clastic sediments and calcite flowstones. Earlier work, using U-Th dating, established that the flowstone units formed in interglacial stages corresponding to Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 13, 11, 9, 7 and 5. The intervening laminated sediments were therefore assigned to glacial stages (MIS 12, 10, 6 and 2) and regarded as rhythmites that settled from ponded glacial meltwater in the cave. Victoria Cave is a rare instance of cave rhythmites that formed over a number of glacial-interglacial cycles. The macro- and micromorphologies of the rhythmites support the above interpretation, and the mineralogy demonstrates that the sediments probably derive from rock types within the local area. An OSL age of 66 +/- 8.4 ka from the uppermost unit of the rhythmites and two C-14 ages of 46.1-54.9 cal. ka BP and 48.9->55.0 cal. ka BP, for horse and reindeer, respectively, from the overlying Bone-bearing Cave Earth provide a new chronology for these Late Pleistocene sediments. Together, these results indicate that the youngest rhythmites in Victoria Cave formed during MIS 4 and not MIS 2 as previously assumed. This provides strong support for more widespread glaciation in northern England in MIS 4 (similar to 71-59 ka) than has previously been recognised. The MIS 4 rhythmites represent the most tightly constrained cave rhythmites in Britain and the first terrestrial-based evidence from this area for glaciation at that time. (c) 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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.
The freshwater environments of the Eemian are well documented, although mostly focussed on lakes. Here, we present results from lake sediments of dark grey, laminated, organic-rich medium sand, on top of very dark grey gyttja at the site of Ejstrup, west of Kolding, Denmark. Based on pollen counts, the sediments were biostratigraphically classified as mid-Eemian. Despite the lake deposition, the assemblage of aquatic insect subfossils clearly indicates a river environment. The aquatic assemblage was rich, including five beetle taxa, 23 caddisfly taxa and 29 taxa of dipterans (non-biting midges, blackflies and brine flies). Specifically, analyses of the species' habitat traits point to a 15-25 m wide river, likely a tributary to a lake. This lowland river was likely fast-flowing, and meandering, with a sequence of riffle areas containing boulders, stones and gravel, separated by areas of sand, and bordered by silty/muddy areas along the banks. Furthermore, the riverbed may have contained a large amount of submerged dead wood but only sparse vegetation, due to an overall dense riparian canopy dominated by Carpinus betulus, Corylus avellana and Alnus sp. Based on the Trichoptera species, we reconstruct a mid-Eemian July mean air temperature of 18.1 degrees C, that is, 1.2 degrees C higher than the 1991-2020 average. The Eemian river environment, assumed to be unaffected by human influence, may serve as a useful reference for the present-day restoration of heavily anthropogenically impacted Danish and European rivers.
Roman impacts on local society is a subject of international significance. Loch Clunie, Perthshire, lies only 5.4 km from Inchtuthil, the only Roman legionary fortress in Scotland, and contains two crannogs and a probable lakeside hillfort. Despite this proximity and the likelihood of local-Roman interaction, these sites remain unexcavated. This paper presents palaeoenvironmental evidence for long-term social-economic change at Loch Clunie, contributing to a region with few well-dated environmental-archaeological sequences for the Roman Iron Age and beyond. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorph and sedimentological analyses are used to investigate patterns of environmental change and social activity from the later prehistoric period through to the late medieval era. The results indicate the presence of a local farming community pre-dating Roman incursions into Scotland. This is followed by a marked increase in barley cultivation either slightly before or during the early Roman Iron Age. The mid-Roman Iron Age is represented by a short-lived vegetation downturn and subsequent recovery. However, the most distinct change occurs during the late Roman Iron Age, represented by a pronounced decline to almost complete disappearance of barley from the third to fourth centuries AD, lasting approximately 400 years. Settlement-economic downturns are emerging at other sites in north-eastern Scotland with comparable temporal scales, although their causes appear to be complex. At Loch Clunie, there is no evidence to link this event to the Severan campaigns of AD 208-211. Indeed, this event appears slightly later. There is evidence, however, for a rise in lake levels, which could potentially be linked to Late Roman climatic deterioration.
