New dating indicates intermittent human occupation of the Nwya Devu Paleolithic site on the high-altitude central Tibetan Plateau during the past 45,000 years

The timing and mechanisms of the human occupation of the demanding high-altitude Tibetan Plateau environment are of great interest.Here,we report on our reinvestigations and dating of the Nwya Devu site,located nearly 4600 meters above sea level on the central Tibetan Plateau.A new microblade techno-complex was identified on a lower lake shore at this site,distinct from the previously reported blade tool assemblage.These two lithic assemblages were dated to 45.6±2.6 and10.3±0.5 ka using optically stimulated luminescence and accelerator mass spectrometry^(14)C methods.They represent,respectively,the earliest known Paleolithic and microlithic sites on the interior Tibetan Plateau,indicating multiple occupation episodes of hunter-gatherers during the past 45 ka.Our studies reveal that relatively stable depositional conditions and a paleoenvironment characterized by a comparatively warm climate facilitated these multiple occupations at Nwya Devu.The contemporaneous occurrence of the Upper Paleolithic blade technology on the Tibetan Plateau and most of Eurasia between 50 and 40 ka indicates rapid,large-scale dispersals of humans that profoundly affected human demography on a large scale.Combining new archaeological evidence and previously reported genetic data,we conclude that the Tibetan Plateau provided a relatively stable habitat for Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers,which may have contributed to the complex and multiple-origin gene pool of present-day Tibetans.

Early Holocene environment at a key location of the northwest boundary of the Asian summer monsoon: a synthesis on chronologies of Zhuye Lake, Northwest China

The intensified monsoon increases summer rainfall and creates wet conditions in the Asian summer monsoon region during the early Holocene. Along with millennial-scale changes of the monsoon intensity, it is still unclear whether the boundary of the monsoon region changes according to monsoon variability. Investigations into the early Holocene environment in monsoon marginal zones are crucial for understanding the monsoon boundary changes. Zhuye Lake is located at the northwest edge of the Asian summer monsoon, the northern Qilian Mountains, which are less affected by modern summer monsoon water vapor. Previous studies have reached different conclusions regarding the early Holocene climatic and environmental changes based on different dating methods（^14C and OSL（optically stimulated luminescence）） and materials（shells, carbonate, pollen concentrates and bulk organic carbon）. In this study, we synthesized 102 ^14C dates and 35 OSL dates from ten Holocene sedimentary sections and ten paleo-shorelines in the lake basin. A comparison between ages from different dating methods and materials generally shows that carbon reservoir effects are relatively slight in Zhuye Lake while the disordered chronologies are mainly related to the erosion processes and reworking effects. In addition, proxy data, including lithology, pollen, total organic carbon and carbonate, were collected from different sites of Zhuye Lake. According to the new synthesis, the early Holocene environment was relatively humid, associated with high runoff and lake water levels. The result indicates that the monsoon boundary moves to the north during the period of the intensified monsoon. A typical arid-area lake was formed during the mid-Holocene when carbonate accumulation and high organic matter contents were the main features of this period. The lake retreated strongly during the late Holocene, showing a drought trend. Overall, the lake evolution is generally consistent with the Holocene Asian summer monsoon change, showing the monsoon influence to monsoon marginal zones.

Isotope implications of groundwater recharge,residence time and hydrogeochemical evolution of the Longdong Loess Basin,Northwest China

Groundwater plays a dominant role in the eco-environmental protection of arid and semi-arid regions.Understanding the sources and mechanisms of groundwater recharge,the interactions between groundwater and surface water and the hydrogeochemical evolution and transport processes of groundwater in the Longdong Loess Basin,Northwest China,is of importance for water resources management in this ecologically sensitive area.In this study,71 groundwater samples(mainly distributed at the Dongzhi Tableland and along the Malian River)and 8 surface water samples from the Malian River were collected,and analysis of the aquifer system and hydrological conditions,together with hydrogeochemical and isotopic techniques were used to investigate groundwater sources,residence time and their associated recharge processes.Results show that the middle and lower reaches of the Malian River receive water mainly from groundwater discharge on both sides of valley,while the source of the Malian River mainly comes from local precipitation.Groundwater of the Dongzhi Tableland is of a HCO3-Ca-Na type with low salinity.The reverse hydrogeochemical simulation suggests that the dissolution of carbonate minerals and cation exchange between Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+)and Na+are the main water-rock interactions in the groundwater system of the Dongzhi Tableland.Theδ^(18)O(from-11.70‰to-8.52‰)andδ2H(from-86.15‰to-65.75‰)values of groundwater are lower than the annual weighted average value of precipitation but closer to summer-autumn precipitation and soil water in the unsaturated zone,suggesting that possible recharge comes from the summer-autumn monsoonal heavy precipitation in the recent past(≤220 a).The corrected 14C ages of groundwater range from 3,000 to 25,000 a old,indicating that groundwater was mainly from precipitation during the humid and cold Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods.Groundwater flows deeper from the groundwater table and from the center to the east,south and west of the Dongzhi Tableland with estimated migration rate of 1.29-1.43 m/a.The oldest groundwater in the Quaternary Loess Aquifer in the Dongzhi Tableland is approximately 32,000 a old with poor renewability.Based on theδ^(18)O temperature indicator of groundwater,we speculate that temperature of the Last Glacial Maximum in the Longdong Loess Basin was 2.4℃-6.0℃ colder than the present.The results could provide us the valuable information on groundwater recharge and evolution under thick loess layer,which would be significative for the scientific water resources management in semi-arid regions.

Sedimentary facies and paleoenvironmental interpretation of a Holocene marsh in the Gironde Estuary in France

The Monards Marsh is located on the northeastern bank of the Gironde Estuary in France. Lithological, sedimentolngical and mi- cropalacontological investigations were made on four cores to determine the evolution of Holocene sedimentary environments and processes in this area over the last 6 000 a. Three main lithological facies are distinguished from bottom to top： （ 1 ） grey laminated silty-sandy clay ; （2） homogeneous dark grey silty clay ; and （ 3 ） compact silty clay. About 26 benthic foraminifera species are identified and divided into six groups according to their ecological characteristics. In association with lithology, sedimentary structures and grainuiometry, the distribution of foraminifera group is used to define external slikke, internal slikke, external schorre, internal schorre, and continental marsh facies. Combined with 14C（AMS） dating, these data indicate four successive paleoenvironments in the Monards Marsh： （ 1 ） Holocene transgression resuited in the development of a basal schorre facies overlying fluvial deposits that transformed to slikke facies sedimentation; the transgression maximum occurred around 5 600 to 5 4430 a BP and was inferred to be associated with the last phase of the rapid Holocene sea-level rise; （2） post-trangressive maximum sedimentation resuited in a regressive sequence of deposits prograding towards the estuary, corresponding to the stahilisation of sea level after 5 4430 a BP; （3） a slight positive tendency in the sea level around 2 800 a BP recorded in the central part of the marsh; and （4） the wetland to a continental marsh environment. The sequential pattern for the evolution of wetlands in this estuarine area during the Holocene is fluvial facies - blackish schorre facies - slikke facies - blackish schorre facies - continental marsh facies. Characteristics of sedimentary facies distribution and evolution reveal that the development of Holocene salt marsh in this area was controlled by the sea-level change and tidal range. The sedimentary facies show an obvious surficial and vertical banding distribution in which the texture and structure, authigenie mineral, foraminifera distribution and bioturbation indicate many distinct difference characteristics.

广东南海西樵山新发现细石器年代与海侵现象研究

引言广东南海西樵山遗址是20世纪50年代珠江流域史前时代研究领域最重要的考古发现之一,在我国华南地区人类演化与石器技术发展史中具有极为重要的学术意义,其遗存规模与文化现象在国内十分罕见。1958年西樵山遗址最先由黄玉昆发现①,1960年贾兰坡、尤玉柱首次提出“西樵山文化”的概念②。