Palaeogeography

A new Silurian microvertebrate assemblage from the Tortworth inlier, Avon, England

by Susan Turner

Maroukian, H., Palyvos, Ν., Pavlopoulos, K., Nicolopoulos, E., Palaeogeographic evolution of the Kerinthos coastal area (N. Evia island) during the Late Holocene, Proceedings of the 9th International Congress, Athens, September 2001, Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, Vol. XXXIV/1, 2001, 459-465

by Vangelis Nikolopoulos

Fish otoliths and depth variations in the Plio-Pleistocene of Rhodes island, Aegean Sea

by Konstantina Agiadi

Fish otolith paleobathymetric application to the Early - Middle Quaternary deposits of Kephallonia and Zakynthos islands (Ionian Sea, Western Greece)

by Konstantina Agiadi

Fish otoliths are herein used to estimate the depositional depth of the Early – Middle Pleistocene deposits at SE... more Fish otoliths are herein used to estimate the depositional depth of the Early – Middle Pleistocene deposits at SE Zakynthos and SW Kephallonia Islands (Ionian Sea, Western Greece), through comparison with the modern bathymetric distributions of the determined fish taxa. These estimates provide a more detailed picture of the depth variations for the Gelasian – Ionian stage interval in the study areas. The Gerakas Formation’s Early Pleistocene marine deposits (SE Zakynthos Island, Ionian Sea) were deposited at average depths of 400-450 meters, with eustacy playing an important role in the depth variability, between 1.95 – 1.73 Ma. An uplifting episode, followed by subsidence takes place between 1.73 – 1.66 Ma, taking the area to 200-300 meters of depth, and then back to 400-500 meters. However, the area seems uplifted again to 200-400 meters later on in the Calabrian stage (1.25 – 0.97 Ma). Sedimentation of the Akrotiri deposits (NW Kephallonia Island, Ionian Sea), during the same chronostratigraphic interval, took place in a similar setting. At the Early Pleistocene (1.95 – 1.73 Ma) this basin reached depths of 400-450 meters, with uplift and following subsidence taking place between 1.73 – 1.66 Ma. Overall, the application of fish otolith paleobathymetry in the study areas provide a detailed picture of the depth variations for the Early Quaternary interval and refine the currently hypothesized pattern of tectonic movements.

The Late Palaeozoic trilobites of Iran and Armenia and their palaeogeographical significance.

by Rudy Lerosey-Aubril

LEROSEY-AUBRIL, R. in press. The Late Palaeozoic trilobites of Iran and Armenia and their palaeogeographical significance. Geological Magazine.

The Iranian territory is composed of a mosaic of tectonic units, several of which underwent in the Permian and... more The Iranian territory is composed of a mosaic of tectonic units, several of which underwent in the Permian and Triassic periods a migration from northern Gondwana to southern Laurussia associated with the opening of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Although this broad outline of Permo-Triassic palaeogeographical evolution of Iranian microplates is now widely accepted, the individual timing of migration of these blocks, and their biogeographical relationships, remain insufficiently known. Here I review the Late Palaeozoic record of trilobites in Iran and Armenia, and discuss their palaeobiogeographical affinities in an attempt to shed light on the Permian palaeogeographical evolution of Iranian and Armenian terranes. Seven Iranian or Armenian localities, representative of five tectonic units, have yielded Carboniferous and Permian trilobites. Ten species are recognized, including two new taxa, Persia praecox gen. nov. sp. nov. and Pseudophillipsia (s.l.) parvizii sp. nov. P. praecox is the only Carboniferous (Tournaisian) species. The others are Wordian to Wuchiapingian in age and can be separated into three morphological groups, probably representing clades. One is composed of representatives of Acropyge, while the two others (armenica-group and paffenholzi-group) comprise species of Pseudophillipsia. Only P. (s.l.) parvizii sp. nov. from the Zagros Mountains (Arabian Plate) is not attributed to one of these groups. The distribution of trilobites in Iran and Armenia strongly suggests that the Alborz, Central Iran, and Transcaucasia microplates represented a single biogeographical unit in the Middle and Late Permian. Special relationships of this biochore with South China can also be stressed.

In Sight of Doggerland: From speculative survey to landscape exploration

by Simon Fitch

Co-authored with Vince Gaffney and Ken Thomson.
Published in Internet Archaeology (Issue 22)

The North Sea has long been known by archaeologists as an area of Mesolithic occupation, and has even been argued as... more The North Sea has long been known by archaeologists as an area of Mesolithic occupation, and has even been argued as the heartland of the Mesolithic in North Western Europe. Yet this area remains effectively terra incognita to archaeologists, and the nature of its occupation, tantalisingly elusive. The submergence of this landscape has therefore effectively hindered archaeological research into this vitally important region. Yet this region contains one of the most detailed and comprehensive records of the Late Quaternary and Holocene, and its preserved sedimentary successions represent a mine of information that remains untapped by archaeologists. However the lack of direct data pertaining to this region results in all previous maps of the prehistoric landscape being at best hypothetical.

This paper will present results which illustrate that through the utilisation of spatially extensive oil industry data, the recovery information pertaining to the actual Mesolithic landscape of the North Sea is now possible. This information reveals the diversity of this landscape and shows that much greater consideration of submerged Mesolithic landscapes is now required of archaeologists. Whilst the study of such landscapes is in its infancy, the availability of such information offers the possibility of transforming how we interpret traditional terrestrial data and its relationship to the larger European Mesolithic

Jordá Pardo, J.; Maestro González, A.; Aura Tortosa, J. E.; Álvarez Fernández, E.; Avezuela Aristu, B.; Badal García, E.; Morales Pérez, J. V.; Pérez Ripoll, M. y Villalba Currás, M. P. 2011: "Evolución paleogeográfica, paleoclimática y paleoambiental de la costa meridional de la Península Ibérica durante el Pleistoceno superior. El caso de la Cueva de Nerja (Málaga, Andalucía, España)". Bol. R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. Sec. Geol. 105 (1-4). 137-147.

by Bárbara Avezuela Aristu

S. Arnoldussen, 2008, A Living Landscape: Bronze Age settlement sites in the Dutch river area (c. 2000-800 BC), Leiden (PhD thesis, 536p)

by stijn arnoldussen

Today, half of the Netherlands is situated below sea level. Because of this, water-management is of key importance... more Today, half of the Netherlands is situated below sea level. Because of this, water-management is of key importance when it comes to maintaining present-day habitation of the Dutch low-lands. In prehistory, however, large parts of the Dutch landscape were highly dynamic due to ongoing fluvial sedimentation. Vast deltaic areas with ceaseless river activity formed the backdrop against which prehistoric occupation took place. Although such landscapes may seem inhospitable, the often excellently preserved archaeological evidence indicates that people lived in these lowlands throughout prehistory.

This book describes why Bronze Age farmers were keen to settle here and how these prehistoric communities structured the landscape around their house-sites at various scales. Using a vast body of evidence from several large-scale excavations in the Dutch river area, the author, reconstructs the changes in the cultural landscape over time. Starting from the Middle Neolithic, changing preferences for settlement site locations and changes in domestic architecture are traced in detail to the Iron Age. However, for proper understanding of the cultural landscape, not only settlements but also graves and patterns of object deposition – and their landscape characteristics – are discussed.

By using evidence of over 50 major excavations, yielding over 300 house plans, this book contains by far the richest data-set on Dutch Bronze Age settlements. Most of these results were not before published in English, making this book of over 500 pages a true academic treasure for an international audience.

The in-depth presentation of Bronze Age settlement sites, as well as the critical discussion of models and premises current in later prehistoric settlement archaeology, have an important relevance stretching beyond the Dutch lowland areas on which it is based. The wealth of high-quality Dutch data is presented as a synthesized (yet well-annotated) narrative, that rises above mere site interpretation, even more so due to its landscape-scale focus. Therefore this book is a must-have for those interested in later prehistoric cultural landscapes and settlement archaeology.

Early and Middle Palaeozoic vertebrate palaeogeography: recent advances and critical comments

by Živilė ŽIGAITĖ

Early and Middle Palaeozoic vertebrate palaeogeography: recent advances and critical comments

by Živilė ŽIGAITĖ

Vertebrate microremains from the Lower Silurian of Siberia and Central Asia: palaeobiodiversity and palaeobiogeography

by Živilė ŽIGAITĖ

ŽIVILĖ ŽIGAITĖ,
VALENTINA KARATAJŪTĖ-TALIMAA,
and ALAIN BLIECK

Vertebrate microremains from the Lower Silurian of Siberia and Central Asia: palaeobiodiversity and palaeobiogeography
Journal of Micropalaeontology September 2011, v. 30:97-106; doi:10.1144/0262-821X11-016

Análisis geomofológico y paleogeográfico de la Costa del Sol Oriental en los alrededores de Nerja (Málaga, S. de España)

by Jesús F. Jordá

Neanderthalers in de Noordzee?

by Marc Hijma

Hijma, M., Westerhoff, W., Roebroeks, W., van Kolfschoten, T., Cohen, K. (2011) Neanderthalers in de Noordzee? ARCHEObrief 15 (2) 32-38 (in Dutch).

(Dutch)
Het is algemeen bekend dat de Noordzee een rijke schatkamer herbergt aan fossiele zoogdieren. Dit wordt... more (Dutch)
Het is algemeen bekend dat de Noordzee een rijke schatkamer herbergt aan fossiele zoogdieren. Dit wordt keer op keer bevestigd wanneer bij het vissen (met sleepnetten) of bij zand- en schelpwinningsprojecten grote hoeveelheden botmateriaal mee omhoog worden gehaald. Grote resten van mammoeten, zoals slagtanden en kiezen, zijn sterk tot de verbeelding sprekende voorbeelden. Voor velen is het echter een verrassing te horen dat OOK een groot deel van het Nederlandse paleo- en mesolithische erfgoed in de Noordzee ligt. Vuurstenen werktuigen en gereedschappen uit bot zijn en worden met regelmaat gevonden. Het in 2009 door Ronald Plasterk gepresenteerde stukje schedel van een 'Zeeuwse' neanderthaler is een uitzonderlijke toevalstreffer die het belang van het erfgoedpotentieel van de Noordzee onderstreept. In dit eerste van twee artikelen over de archeologie van de Noordzeebodem wordt aandacht besteed aan het Noordzee Neanderthal Project en aan archeologie en geologie van het Eurogeulgebied.

(English)
It is well known that the North Sea is rich in fossil mammal remains. Time and time again this is testified when during fishing or sand-extraction large amounts of bone material are retrieved. However, relatively unknown is the notion that also a large part of Dutch Palaeo- and Mesolithic cultural heritage lies in the North Sea. Flint artifacts and bone tools are common finds. In 2009 it was announced that a fragment of a Neanderthal skull was found, a lucky shot, but clearly indicating the cultural potential of the North Sea. In this first paper in a set of two about North Sea archaeology, the North Sea Neanderthal Project is introduced and the archaeology and geology of the Eurogeulgebied, an important site, is presented.

Holocene transgression of the Rhine river mouth area, The Netherlands/Southern North Sea: palaeogeography and sequence stratigraphy

by Marc Hijma

Hijma MP, Cohen KM. 2011. Holocene transgression of the Rhine river mouth area, The Netherlands/Southern North Sea: palaeogeography and sequence stratigraphy. Sedimentology 58(6),: 1453-1485. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2010.01222.x.

This study presents a detailed reconstruction of the palaeogeography of the Rhine valley (western Netherlands) during... more This study presents a detailed reconstruction of the palaeogeography of the Rhine valley (western Netherlands) during the Holocene transgression with systems tracts placed in a precise sea-level context. This approach permits comparison of actual versus conceptual boundaries of the lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. The inland position of the highstand Rhine river mouth on a wide, low-gradient continental shelf meant that base-level changes were the dominant control on sedimentation for a relatively short period of the last glacial cycle. Systems in such inland positions predominantly record changes in the balance between river discharge and sediment load, and preserve excellent records of climatic changes or other catchment-induced forcing. It is shown here that the transgressive systems tract-part of the coastal prism formed in three stages: (i) the millennium before 8·45 ka bp, when the area was dominated by fluvial environments with extensive wetlands; (ii) the millennium after 8·45 ka, characterized by strong erosion, increasing tidal amplitudes and bay-head delta development; and (iii) the period between 7·5 and 6·3 ka bp when the Rhine avulsed multiple times and the maximum flooding surface formed. The diachroneity of the transgressive surface is strongly suppressed because of a pulse of accelerated sea-level rise at 8·45 ka bp. That event not only had a strong effect on preservation, but has circum-oceanic stratigraphical relevance as it divides the early and middle Holocene parts of coastal successions worldwide. The palaeogeographical reconstruction offers a unique full spatial–temporal view on the coastal and fluvial dynamics of a major river mouth under brief rapid forced transgression. This reconstruction is of relevance for Holocene and ancient transgressive systems worldwide, and for next-century natural coasts that are predicted to experience a 1 m sea-level rise.

Considering the ‘Terra Incognita’ and the implications for the Cultural Resource Management of the Arabian Gulf Palaeolandscape

by Richard Cuttler

Cuttler, R., Fitch, S., Al-Naimi, F., A. 2011

Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Archaeology of the U.A.E. P Hellyer, H Al Naboodah and D Potts (eds) Trident Press Ltd

The effects of changes in sea level over the past 100,000 years have been monumental both as a powerful catalyst for... more The effects of changes in sea level over the past 100,000 years have been monumental both as a powerful catalyst for migration and for the displacement of populations. While the submergence of earlier landscapes has generally made them inaccessible to archaeologists, the potential for environmental preservation is thought to be higher than in most terrestrial areas. Despite this, these landscapes are often considered a ‘terra incognita’ to mainstream archaeology, due not only to the depth of water, but also to their burial through sedimentation. In the Arabian Gulf and elsewhere this has inevitably led to the marine areas being given less ‘archaeological credence’ than terrestrial areas.

Over recent years a multitude of extensive marine geophysical data sets have been gathered, chiefly for the purposes of oil and gas exploration. Although such geophysical surveys are primarily targeted towards the mapping of deep subsurface rock formations, the top section of the data can be processed specifically to detail the currently unknown shallow palaeo-geomorphology of the Gulf, providing information that would be impossible to collect within archaeological budgets. Using such data to document palaeolandscapes is just one element of a marine mapping program which can form the basis of a cohesive strategy for managing the archaeological resource in marine areas. Such strategies impact upon education, the accessibility of heritage information to the public, and ultimately the protection of this marine cultural landscape.

Turner, S. & Burrow, C.J. 2011. A Lower Carboniferous xenacanthiform shark from Queensland, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31, 241-257.

by Susan Turner

A new genus of xenacanthiform shark

An Open Letter in Support of Palaeontological Digital Data Archiving

by Ross Mounce

Published online on Friday 18th March 2011, co-authored with Aodhán Butler (Uppsala University), Katie Davis (NHM), Alex Dunhill (University of Bristol), Russell Garwood (Imperial College London), James Lamsdell (University of Kansas), David Legg (Imperial College London), Graeme Lloyd (NHM), Michael Pittman (UCL), Rachel Warnock (University of Bristol), Jo Wolfe (Yale University)

Encouraging the palaeontology community to act now to make digitally-archiving research data in appropriate... more Encouraging the palaeontology community to act now to make digitally-archiving research data in appropriate freely-accessible databases a 'normal' part of the publication process.

Submerged Prehistory: Marine ALSF Research in Context - Monograph Series

by Andrew Bicket

Authored: A. Bicket (Wessex Archaeology)
Edited: J Gardiner (Wessex Archaeology)

This is part of 6 monographs intended to provide an overview of the state of current knowledge based on background literature as well as the contribution that had been made through projects funded to date by the Marine ALSF.

This monograph summarises the great contribution of the MALSF to the study of submerged prehistory in the offshore... more This monograph summarises the great contribution of the MALSF to the study of submerged prehistory in the offshore areas of Britain. The review outlines the development of world-leading methodologies and successful integration of industrial and archaeological working practices. Focusing upon MALSF- financed research, a chronological synthesis of the archaeology and palaeo-landscape reconstructions from large regions of the southern North Sea, English Channel and elements of the west coast encompasses much of the last 1 million years. The wide dissemination and contribution of this research to the understanding of the submerged prehistory of Northwest Europe and Britain is showcased. This substantial body of research serves as an exemplar of best-practice. The MALSF has enabled cross-disciplinary collaboration to better manage, preserve and investigate the finite and internationally important archaeology preserved offshore.

Turner, S. & Burrow, C. J. 2004. Gyracanthids from western Gondwana. In Richter, M. & Smith, M.M. eds 10th Early/Lower Vertebrate symposium, Gramado, Brazil, May 24-28 2004, abstracts, pdf. 46-47.

by Susan Turner

Turner, S., Miller, R., Vergoossen, J.M.J., Paton, B., Newman M.J. & Davidson, R.(NB.latter's name left off in error by eds) 2004. The “Protodontidae” of Woodward 1932. In Richter, M. & Smith, M.M. eds 10th Early/Lower Vertebrate symposium, Gramado, Brazil, May 24-28 2004, abstracts, pdf. p. 45.

by Susan Turner

presented as a poster