scholarly journals Mortality profiles of Castor and Trogontherium (Mammalia: Rodentia, Castoridae), with notes on the site formation of the Mid-Pleistocene hominin locality Bilzingsleben II (Thuringia, Central Germany)

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-58
Author(s):  
Wolf-Dieter Heinrich ◽  
Lutz C. Maul
Keyword(s):  
Homo Erectus ◽  
Gravitational Mass ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Mortality Pattern ◽  
Mass Flows ◽  
The Difference

The Middle Pleistocene site Bilzingsleben II is well-known for its wealth of vertebrate and archaeological remains. Of particular importance is the record of Homo erectus bilzingslebenensis. Most palaeontologists consider the find horizon as a primary vertebrate deposit formed during human occupation, while some archaeologists attribute its formation to turbulent gravitational mass flows, inundation or a combination of both. Here we present mortality profiles of the beavers Castor and Trogontherium to provide further arguments to this controversial discussion. The mortality profiles of Castor from Bilzingsleben II, Weimar-Ehringsdorf and Weimar-Taubach are largely identical indicating similar taphonomic filters that were effective in the formation of the find layers. Individuals, which were tentatively classified as suspected ±2–2½ year old beavers dominate by far in all three sites. The structure of these mortality profiles shows similarities to Stiner’s (1990) “prime dominated mortality pattern”, which is indicative of human hunting. This consideration is supported by the difference of the mortality profile of Trogontherium from Bilzingsleben II (dominance of older individuals) in relation to the profiles of non-hominin generated assemblages of Tegelen and Mosbach 2 (dominance of younger individuals). Thus, our data support the interpretation of the Palaeolithic find horizon of Bilzingsleben II as a primary vertebrate deposit, but not the gravitational mass flow and inundation hypotheses.

SITE FORMATION OF THE LATE AND POTENTIALLY MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE FARRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE, CHALBI BASIN, NORTHERN KENYA

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mallory N. Gerzan ◽  
◽  
Gary E. Stinchcomb ◽  
Joseph V. Ferraro ◽  
Steven L. Forman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Northern Kenya

scholarly journals Changes in Paleovegetation and Paleoclimate in China Since the Late Middle Pleistocene: A Case Study of the Dajiuhu Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4848
Author(s):  
Liwei Wu ◽  
Xinling Li ◽  
Qinghai Xu ◽  
Manyue Li ◽  
Qiufeng Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Asian Monsoon ◽  
East Asian Monsoon ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Central China ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

The East Asian monsoon system is an important part of global atmospheric circulation; however, records of the East Asian monsoon from different regions exhibit different evolutionary rhythms. Here, we show a high-resolution record of grain size and pollen data from a lacustrine sediment core of Dajiuhu Lake in Shennongjia, Hubei Province, China, in order to reconstruct the paleovegetation and paleoeclimate evolution of the Dajiuhu Basin since the late Middle Pleistocene (~237.9 ka to the present). The results show that grain size and pollen record of the core DJH-2 are consistent with the δ18O record of stalagmites from Sanbao Cave in the same area, which is closely related to the changes of insolation at the precessional (~20-kyr) scale in the Northern Hemisphere. This is different from the records of the Asian summer monsoon recorded in the Loess Plateau of North China, which exhibited dominant 100-kyr change cyclicities. We suggest that the difference between paleoclimatic records from North and South China is closely related to the east–west-oriented mountain ranges of the Qinling Mountains in central China that blocked weakened East Asia summer monsoons across the mountains during glacial periods.

The Recent History and Pleistocene Deposits of the Plateau North of Lake Eyasi, Tanganyika

1941 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Kent
Keyword(s):  
Rift Valley ◽  
Recent History ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
East African ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Lake Beds

ONE of the objectives of the East African Archaeological Expedition of 1934–5 was the examination of the plateau north of Lake Eyasi—the Vogel River area—where, it was hoped, a continuation of the richly fossiliferous Oldowaya Middle Pleistocene lake beds would be found. This hope was essentially realized ; deposits with an interesting Middle Pleistocene fauna a little earlier than that of Oldoway were found, with the difference that they were entirely terrestrial. The development of precisely datable beds resting upon a main Rift Valley Scarp made possible a study of physiographical changes associated with the faulting.

scholarly journals Stress anisotropy in natural debris flows during impacting a monitoring structure

Landslides ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Nagl ◽  
Johannes Hübl ◽  
Roland Kaitna
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flows ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Vertical Wall ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Frictional Resistance ◽  
Gravitational Mass ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Stress Anisotropy ◽  
Mass Flows ◽  
Stress Ratios

AbstractThe frictional resistance of rock and debris is supposed to induce stress anisotropy in the unsteady, non-uniform flow of gravitational mass flows, including debris flows. Though widely used in analytical models and numerical simulation tools, concurrent measurements of stresses in different directions are not yet available for natural flow events. The present study aims to investigate the relation of longitudinal and bed-normal stress exerted by two natural debris flows impacting a monitoring barrier in the Gadria creek, Italy. For that, a force plate in front of a barrier was used to continuously record forces normal to the channel bed, whereas load cells mounted on the vertical wall of the barrier recorded forces in flow direction. We observed an anisotropic stress state during most of the flow events, with stress ratios ranging between 0.1 and 3.5. Video recordings reveal complex deposition and re-mobilization patterns in front of the barrier during surges and highlight the unsteady nature of debris flows. These first-time in-situ measurements confirm the assumption of stress anisotropy in natural debris flows for gravitational mass flows, and provide data for model testing.

scholarly journals The Heat of the Flow: Thermal Equilibrium in Gravitational Mass Flows

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan‐Thomas Fischer ◽  
Roland Kaitna ◽  
Kilian Heil ◽  
Ingrid Reiweger
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Equilibrium ◽  
Gravitational Mass ◽  
Mass Flows

scholarly journals Man the Fat Hunter: The Demise of Homo erectus and the Emergence of a New Hominin Lineage in the Middle Pleistocene (ca. 400 kyr) Levant

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e28689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miki Ben-Dor ◽  
Avi Gopher ◽  
Israel Hershkovitz ◽  
Ran Barkai
Keyword(s):  
Homo Erectus ◽  
Middle Pleistocene

Excavation of the Lower Palaeolithic Site at Amey's Eartham Pit, Boxgrove, West Sussex: A Preliminary Report.

1986 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 215-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Roberts ◽  
M. R. Bates ◽  
C. Bergman ◽  
A. P. Currant ◽  
J. R. Haynes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Site Formation Processes ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Environmental Reconstruction ◽  
Multidisciplinary Research ◽  
Lower Palaeolithic

The acheulian site at Boxgrove contains one of the most extensive areas of in situ fauna and flintwork yet discovered in Britain. This material is found in a complex sequence of sediments which represent depositional conditions from a 42 m sea level rise to the onset of a full periglacial climate. Excavation of the archaeological horizon has been accompanied by a programme of multidisciplinary research examining site formation processes, palaeolandscape and palaeoecological development, using sedimentological and environmental reconstruction techniques. Dating of the site is tentative as no absolute dates are available at present. However, comparative analysis with other British sites would suggest a position for the Boxgrove sequence within the Middle Pleistocene. The archaeological horizon is interpreted as being deposited towards the latter part of an interglacial or an interstadial period.

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