Palaeogeographic Changes at Lake Chokrak on the Kerch Peninsula,Ukraine, during the Mid‐ and Late‐Holocene

This project has reconstructed the palaeogeographic and environmental evolution of Lake Chokrak on the Kerch Peninsula, Ukraine, during the mid‐ and late‐Holocene. This record has been evaluated in association with a regional archaeological data set to explore human–environment interactions over this period. The results show major changes in the palaeogeographic setting of Lake Chokrak since the 3rd millennium B.C., when the postglacial marine transgression had started to fill the study area. Microfaunal analyses reveal the long persistence of an open marine embayment that only became separated from the Sea of Azov when a sand barrier developed during the late 2nd millennium B.C. When colonizing the Black Sea region after the 8th century B.C., the Greek settlers erected a fortification with a small settlement on a promontory that was by then a peninsula‐like headland extending into the lake. The colonists abandoned their settlement at the end of the 1st millennium B.C. when the depth of the surrounding lake decreased from 1.5 m to less than 1 m. Today, Lake Chokrak dries up completely during summer. A detailed relative sea level (RSL) curve for the northern coast of Kerch has been established. Sea level reached its highest position at the present day. Since the 3rd millennium B.C., sea level continuously rose, without any of the previously postulated regression/transgression cycles. The RSL curve indicates differential subsidence rates within short distances in relatively stable areas, exceeding 40 cm per 1000 years. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Obsidian Subsource Identification in the Sierra de Pachuca and Otumba Volcanic Regions,Central Mexico,by ICP‐MS and DBSCAN Statistical Analysis

Otumba and Sierra de Pachuca obsidian deposits in Central Mexico have been important sources of raw material since pre‐Hispanic times. Numerous archaeological investigations have suggested that the economical and political expansion of major Mesoamerican societies were linked to the control of obsidian sources and distribution of quarried material. Sierra de Pachuca contains several obsidian flows and numerous quarries throughout the region that were preferentially exploited by different cultures. The Otumba Volcanic Complex has four important obsidian domes, but three of them have not been studied in detail. A geochemical characterization of subsources from the Sierra de Pachuca and Otumba Volcanic Complex is an important step toward future sourcing of obsidian artifacts that would help provide insight into spheres of influence and trade by past cultures in Central Mexico. Having this purpose in mind, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) was used to analyze obsidian samples collected from five separated locations at Sierra de Pachuca and four at Otumba, followed by statistical analysis (density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise, DBSCAN). We were able to distinguish three chemically distinctive subsources in Sierra de Pachuca and three in Otumba. This study illustrates the importance of accurate characterization of obsidian raw material when attempting to define subsource usage.     

Preliminary chemical and micromorphological observations on Urartu (800–600 B.C.) ceramics,eastern Turkey

Anatolia has long been a major pottery production center of the ancient world, dating back 7000 cal yr B.P. The Early Iron Age Urartu Kingdom (800–600 B.C.) of eastern Anatolia is known for the production of high‐quality pottery, but little is known regarding firing technology and manufacture of these ceramics. Here we present a preliminary study of Urartu ceramic micromorphology and chemistry and suggest that the Urartus had good knowledge of local geology and intentionally used chemical fluxes (Pb, Rb, and Li) to attain desired firing temperatures. The sophisticated production of Urartu ceramics is comparable to later high‐quality Roman pottery (terra sigillata) procured from the same area. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Morphological and geochemical analysis of the Laguna Blanca/Zapaleri obsidian source in the Atacama Puna

This paper describes a large obsidian deposit located along the southern banks of Laguna Blanca, on the eastern slope of the Jarellón volcanic caldera near the Chilean–Bolivian border. The obsidian at this site occurs in flows or sheets of deflated black or reddish to brown pebbles, redeposited on the shores of a lake. Blocks of obsidian are only found around the caldera rim. Here we analyze the shape of the obsidian pebbles and their geochemistry, comparing them with previously published data. The results indicate that the geochemical composition of the samples strongly matches previous analyses of obsidian from cultural contexts. This obsidian source was one of the most important sites of obsidian procurement since at least the Formative Period in the Atacama Puna region. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Early Farming in the Northern Boreal Zone: Reassessing the History of Land Use in Southeastern Finland through High‐Resolution Pollen Analysis

The early stages of agriculture in the Boreal forests of Northern Europe remain poorly understood. Although pottery appeared during the 6th millennium B.C., this has not been seen as an indication of a true Neolithic in the north. In later prehistory, vast parts of the region are thought to have remained a wilderness. In order to test these assumptions, a high‐resolution pollen analysis and an archaeological survey were carried out at Lake Huhdasjärvi, SE Finland. The results indicate signs of cultivation already by the early Neolithic, 5260–4260 B.C., and slash‐and‐burn cultivation concentrated on deciduous forests is recorded from ca. A.D. 600 onwards. By A.D. 930, an intensive form of swidden cultivation began in the coniferous forests, indicating a well‐established agricultural settlement. The discovery of Neolithic (late 6th millennium B.C.) buckwheat pollen suggests that the roots of agriculture in northernmost Europe may have to be searched for in China rather than the Near East.     

Iranian ultrapotassic volcanism at ~11 Ma signifies the initiation of post‐collisional magmatism in the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone

Ultrapotassic rocks are a common, but volumetrically minor, hallmark of post‐collisional magmatism along the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt. Here, we document the occurrence of ultrapotassic volcanic rocks from the Eslamy peninsula, NW Iran in the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone. Our results indicate that magma genesis involved melting of phlogopite‐ and apatite‐bearing peridotites in the sub‐continental lithospheric mantle at ~11 Ma. These peridotites likely formed by metasomatism involving components derived from subducted sediments during Neotethyan subduction. The ~11 Ma ultrapotassic volcanism was preceded by a magmatic gap of ~11 Ma after the cessation of arc magmatism in NW Iran and Armenia, thus likely representing the initiation of post‐collisional magmatism. The age coincides with the onset of collision‐related magmatic activity and topographic uplift in the Caucasus–Iran–Anatolia region, and also with other regional geological events including the closure of the eastern Tethys gateway, the end of Arabian underthrusting and the start of escape tectonics in Anatolia.     

Glacial lake levels and Eastern Great Lakes Palaeo‐Indians

This article investigates changing lake levels in the late Pleistocene eastern Great Lakes in order to gain insights into the Early Palaeo‐Indian occupations. Significant new information bearing on lake level history is provided, notably the first well‐documented deposits of a high water level above modern in the ca. 11,000–10,300 B.P. period in the southern Lake Huron basin. The lake level information, along with paleoenvironmental and site data, reinforces site age estimates to the 11th millennium B.P.; suggests significant numbers of sites have been inundated by rising water levels; provides specific information on the setting of archaeological sites such as placing the Parkhill site adjacent to a large lake estuary; indicates reasons for the attractiveness of shorelines to Palaeo‐Indians including persistence of more open areas conducive to higher game productivity; and points to ideal areas for future archaeological site survey, particularly in the Lake Erie drainage. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Pachuca obsidian source,Hidalgo, Mexico: A geoarchaeological perspective

Sierra Las Navajas, known to archaeologists as “the Pachuca obsidian source,” has been a major source of obsidian to Mesoamerican societies for more than 3000 years, producing a fine green obsidian unique in Middle America. It was the primary source of the obsidian that formed the economic backbone of the major sociopolitical centers of Classic period Teotihuacán, epi‐Classic Toltec Tula, and Aztec Tenochtitlán. In this paper, the obsidian of Sierra Las Navajas is discussed in the following contexts: (1) geologically, because the extraordinary quality of the Pachuca obsidian, its ease of extraction, and its distinctive color and chemistry are a direct result of its geologic emplacement; (2) locally, as the different mining localities within Sierra Las Navajas reflect the varying needs of the cultures working them; and (3) globally, as the obsidians of Las Navajas were used in concert with obsidians from other sources, and were traded great distances across Mesoamerica. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Implications of the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River for hydrologic engineering and water use at Chavín de Húntar,Peru

Channeling of water through a variety of architectural features represents a significant engineering investment at the first millennium B.C. ceremonial center of Chavín de Huántar in the Peruvian Central Andes. The site contains extensive evidence of the manipulation of water, apparently for diverse purposes. The present configuration of the two local rivers, however, keeps available water approximately 9m below the highest level of water‐bearing infrastructure in the site. Geomorphic and archaeological investigation of the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River has revealed evidence that the Chavín‐era configuration of the Wacheqsa River was different. A substantially higher water level, likely the result of a local impoundment of river water caused by a landslide dam, made the provision of water for the hydrologic system within the site a more readily practical possibility. We review what is known of that system and argue that the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River is critical to understanding this aspect of hydrologic engineering and ritual practice at Chavín. This study demonstrates the relative rapidity and archaeological relevance of landscape change in a dynamic environment. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Natural Obsidian Glass as an External Accuracy Reference Material in Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry

Compared with solution ICP‐MS, LA‐ICP‐MS studies have thus far reported comparatively few external reference data for accuracy estimates of experiments. This is largely the result of a paucity of available reference materials of natural composition. Here, we report an evaluation of natural glass (obsidian) as an inexpensive and widely available external reference material. The homogeneity of over forty elements in six different obsidian samples was assessed by LA‐ICP‐MS. Accuracy was tested with two obsidian samples that were fully characterised by electron probe microanalysis and solution ICP‐MS. Laser ablation experiments were performed with a variety of ablation parameters (fluence, spot sizes, ablation repetition rates) and calibration approaches (natural vs. synthetic reference materials, and different internal standard elements) to determine the best practice for obsidian analysis. Furthermore, the samples were analysed using two different laser wavelengths (193 nm and 213 nm) to compare the effect of potential ablation‐related phenomena (e.g., fractionation). Our data indicate that ablation with fluences larger than 6 J cm^?2 and repetition rates of 5 or 10 Hz resulted in the most accurate results. Furthermore, synthetic NIST SRM 611 and 612 glasses worked better as reference materials compared with lower SiO₂ content reference materials (e.g., BHVO‐2G or GOR128‐G). The very similar SiO₂ content of the NIST SRM glasses and obsidian (i.e., matrix and compositional match) seems to be the first‐order control on the ablation behaviour and, hence, the accuracy of the data. The use of different internal standard elements for the quantification of the obsidian data showed that Si and Na yielded accurate results for most elements. Nevertheless, for the analysis of samples with high SiO₂ concentrations, it is recommended to use Si as the internal standard because it can be more precisely determined by electron probe microanalysis. At the scale of typical LA analyses, the six obsidian samples proved to be surprisingly homogenous. Analyses with a spot size of 80 μm resulted in relative standard deviations (% RSD) better than 8% for all but the most depleted elements (e.g., Sc, V, Ni, Cr, Cu, Cd) in these evolved glasses. The combined characteristics render obsidian a suitable, inexpensive and widely available, external quality‐control material in LA‐ICP‐MS analysis for many applications. Moreover, obsidian glass is suited for tuning purposes, and well‐characterised obsidian could even be used as a matrix‐matched reference material for a considerable number of elements in studies of samples with high SiO₂ contents.     

Lamproites as indicators of accretion and/or shallow subduction in the assembly of south‐western Anatolia,Turkey

The geochemistry and mineralogy of lamproites from south‐western Anatolia can be used as a snapshot of the lithospheric composition beneath the Menderes Massif. High and near‐constant K₂O contents, the presence of mantle xenocrystic phlogopite and olivine, highly magnesian olivine phenocrysts and Cr‐rich spinel inclusions all indicate that the lithospheric mantle was phlogopite‐bearing ultradepleted harzburgite at the time of lamproite eruption (20–4 Ma). This mantle assemblage most probably originated in a complex multistage process, including (intra‐oceanic) supra‐subduction zone depletion during the final stages of southern Neotethyan ocean closure, and accretion of the forearc oceanic lithosphere as shallowly subducted material to the already assembled Anatolia. The data presented here support shallow subduction of the oceanic lithosphere as a cause of the uplift of the Menderes Massif, in contrast to the traditional core‐complex model. Terra Nova, 00, 000–000, 2010     

Correlation of environmental and cultural chronology in New Caledonia

A case study in New Caledonia explores the changes in the natural and cultural setting at the end of the Lapita period in the first millennium B.C. After the mid‐Holocene highstand, sea level fell about 1.5 m, thereby enlarging coastal plains, altering previous mangrove and marshy settings, and transforming nearshore marine environments. Many of these changes occurred gradually over several centuries, but the termination of finely decorated Lapita pottery coincided with the first signs of loss of coastal habitat optimal for marine‐based horticulturalists in the first millennium B.C. Organized village compounds and extensively cultivated landscapes emerged much later, in the first millennium A.D. The results suggest that, although the Lapita phenomenon represents the founding ancestry of Oceanic societies, it also represents the end of an era and way of life that eventually could not be maintained in a changing world. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Obsidian from the northern sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift: implications for archeology

Obsidian is abundant in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Petrological and geochemical features of obsidian from four volcanic centers in the MER, namely Birenti, Dofen, Fentale and Kone, are presented. Compositional and petrological variability is noted among the Dofen and Fentale obsidian, but not in those from Kone and Birenti where each have separate but uniform elemental composition. The Fentale and Kone obsidian were source materials for the artifacts of a number of Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age/Neolithic sites in the region. We have yet to determine whether Dofen and Birenti were sources for archeological artifacts. The study also shows that volcanic episodes from a single center do not necessarily result in compositional variability.     

Intercomparison of Boron Isotope and Concentration Measurements. Part I: Selection, Preparation and Homogeneity Tests of the Intercomparison Materials

In 1999 the Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse (IGG), with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), undertook the collection, preparation and distribution of eight geological materials intended for a blind interlaboratory comparison of measurements of boron isotopic composition and concentration. The materials came from Italian sources and consist of three natural waters (Mediterranean seawater and two groundwaters) and five rocks and minerals (tourmaline, basalt, obsidian, limestone and clay). The solid materials were crushed, milled and mixed, in preparation for distribution. Extensive assays performed at the IGG on these materials demonstrated that their boron isotopic and chemical compositions are homogeneous.
Additional homogeneity tests were carried out on solid material fragments at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, with the specific objective of investigating the suitability of some of them for the calibration in situ of micro-analytical techniques. Two materials, B4 (tourmaline) and B6 (obsidian), proved to be isotopically homogeneous and may become excellent references for in situ microanalyses of boron isotopes.
The materials described here were used as the basis of a major laboratory intercomparison study and are now available for further distribution from either the IAEA (solid materials) or the IGG (waters).     

长白山黑曜岩地质特征与成因浅析

长白山黑曜岩是火山活动的产物,除了具有长白山火山特有的喷出方式,与众不同的地质特征之外,还是长白山历史文化的重要物证.通过化学成分分析、物理性能测试,对长白山黑曜岩的特征、形成、分布及成因进行了初步分析,为了解长白山黑曜岩及今后开发利用提供了依据.     

Geoarchaeological studies in Nara,Japan: The integrated findings

In this article, the authors summarize 20 years of scholarship and two field projects on geoarchaeology in Nara, Japan, carried out by researchers from 12 different institutions in 4 countries. The research goal was to test an aerial photographic reconstruction of surface landforms in the Nara Basin with subsurface data. Project A was conducted at Asawa; it tested, through geological coring, whether a suspected swampy backmarsh in the eastern basin existed and whether it would yield data on the transition to wet rice agriculture in the mid‐1st millennium B.C. Project B was conducted at Miwa; it tested, through geological coring and subsequent excavation, the nature of upland agricultural terrace formation in the southeastern basin and whether the suspected existence of a 4th‐century palace site could be confirmed. Two layers of carbonaceous clay at Asawa were dated to the Early (˜5000–3500 B.C.) and Final (˜1000‐300 B.C.) phases of the Jomon period. Pollen data revealed the establishment of an evergreen oak forest from 5,000 years ago and anthropogenic changes in forest cover from 2,000 years ago. Phytoliths from rice, millets, reeds, and bamboo were recovered in layers postdating the Final Jomon carbonaceous clay. A fault scarp with anthropogenic modification of the terraces was identified at Miwa. It was discovered that an incised stream valley had been infilled in the Medieval period at the same time surface layers were razed; the front of the terrace was extended in the premodern period. Remains were recovered from the Middle Yayoi (˜100 B.C.–A.D. 100) and the Medieval (˜A.D. 1185–1603) periods. However, as the terracing involved razing the early historic levels, no data were recovered on the alleged 4th‐century palace site. The significance of these findings lies in the identification of (a) a swampy backmarsh at Asawa, where initial agricultural efforts in growing wet rice in the basin may have occurred, confirming the aerial photographic reconstruction; and (b) hillside terracing activities at Miwa, from the Medieval period onwards, which have radically changed the configuration of the natural topography. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Subarctic Front migration at the Reykjanes Ridge during the mid‐ to late Holocene: evidence from planktic foraminifera

Expansion of fresh and sea‐ice loaded surface waters from the Arctic Ocean into the sub‐polar North Atlantic is suggested to modulate the northward heat transport within the North Atlantic Current (NAC). The Reykjanes Ridge south of Iceland is a suitable area to reconstruct changes in the mid‐ to late Holocene fresh and sea‐ice loaded surface water expansion, which is marked by the Subarctic Front (SAF). Here, shifts in the location of the SAF result from the interaction of freshwater expansion and inflow of warmer and saline (NAC) waters to the Ridge. Using planktic foraminiferal assemblage and concentration data from a marine sediment core on the eastern Reykjanes Ridge elucidates SAF location changes and thus, changes in the water‐mass composition (upper ˜200 m) during the last c. 5.8 ka BP. Our foraminifer data highlight a late Holocene shift (at c. 3.0 ka BP) in water‐mass composition at the Reykjanes Ridge, which reflects the occurrence of cooler and fresher surface waters when compared to the mid‐Holocene. We document two phases of SAF presence at the study site: from (i) c. 5.5 to 5.0 ka BP and (ii) c. 2.7 to 1.5 ka BP. Both phases are characterized by marked increases in the planktic foraminiferal concentration, which coincides with freshwater expansions and warm subsurface water conditions within the sub‐polar North Atlantic. We link the SAF changes, from c. 2.7 to 1.5 ka BP, to a strengthening of the East Greenland Current and a warming in the NAC, as identified by various studies underlying these two currents. From c. 1.5 ka BP onwards, we record a prominent subsurface cooling and continued occurrence of fresh and sea‐ice loaded surface waters at the study site. This implies that the SAF migrated to the southeast of our core site during the last millennium.     

Petrographic and geochemical characterization of Archaic‐Hellenistic tableware production at Solunto,Sicily

A selected assortment of Archaic‐Hellenistic tableware samples from Solunto, a Phoenician‐Punic site located 20 km east of Palermo (Sicily), has been subjected to thin‐section petrography and chemical analysis (XRF). In this settlement several ceramic kilns remained operative over a long time period (7th to 3rd century B.C.). The main goal of this analytical study is to distinguish the ceramics manufactured locally from regional and off‐island imports. Analytical results were matched to similar data concerning local natural clay sources and to coeval tableware productions from other sites in the same area. The ceramic pastes used by the ancient craftsmen of Solunto in the case of this class of pottery could be differentiated clearly by their petrochemical characteristics. We conclude that ceramics were locally produced far beyond satisfying just internal consumption needs, indicating interaction of Solunto with neighboring Greek colonies, indigenous people, and Phoenician‐Punic colonies of Sicily. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Pinched between the plates: Armenia's voluminous record of volcanic activity

Located in the heart of the Lesser Caucasus mountains, where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, Armenia occupies an exceptional geological position shaped through millions of years of subduction and collision. It is a unique place on the Earth recording extensive intrusive and volcanic activity related to the long-standing continental convergence. The volcanoes of Armenia provide a rare opportunity to study the sources and processes involved in this unusual type of magmatism. More than 500 Quaternary volcanoes have been mapped in Armenia, most of them formed from single eruptive episodes. Among several large composite volcanoes, the mighty Aragats stands out as the largest volcano in Armenia and the region altogether. Volcanic deposits testify to the range of eruptive styles—from the ignimbrites formed in eruptions as explosive and voluminous as any seen globally in the modern era to the enormous fissure-fed lava flows that form the Southern Caucasus flood basalt province, the smallest and youngest Large Igneous Province in the world. Several pre-historical and historical eruptions have been documented, highlighting the potential for future volcanic activity in the region. In recent years, research has focused on the volcanic hazards associated with the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, located in the foothills of Aragats volcano. This article highlights some of the extraordinary volcanic and intrusive features observed in Armenia and summarizes aspects of recent volcanological and petrological research.     

Las Cargas: Characterization and Prehistoric Use of a Southern Andean Obsidian Source

The importance of obsidian from the northern Patagonian source at Las Cargas is reflected in its early use (∼8000 years B.P.) and extensive geographic diffusion but is nonetheless surprising in light of the source's high altitude (located in the Andes Cordillera), which makes it both difficult to access under ideal conditions and inaccessible for much of the year. Prehistoric use of the Las Cargas source can inform us about mobility, subsistence choices, economics of stone consumption, trade, and territoriality. Here we present the results of various lines of evidence (surface survey, X‐ray fluorescence and instrumental neutron activation analyses, artifact morphometry, and obsidian hydration dating) used to characterize obsidian from Las Cargas and its prehistoric use during the Holocene. Results indicate that Las Cargas obsidian occurs at the source as blocks and nodules, which are chemically homogeneous and of variable quality. Use of the source was nearly continuous through time, and the primary knapping activities performed there were the production of blanks and preparation of cores.