Western Palaearctic palaeoenvironmental conditions during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene inferred from large mammal communities,and implications for hominin dispersal in Europe

Large-scale fluctuations in global climate and resulting changes in ecology had a profound effect on human evolution and dispersal. Though hominin remains are scarce, studies focussing on the more abundant records of fossil land mammal communities can contribute greatly to our knowledge of the palaeoenvironmental circumstances that influenced and directed the global spread of hominins. To produce a comprehensive and accurate account of the evolution of western Palaearctic habitat diversity between 2.6 and 0.4 Ma BP, information generated from large mammal communities from 221 key sites has been included in this study.The palaeoecological conditions of the western Palaearctic during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene were principally controlled by the following key factors: (1) a widespread trend of temperature decrease, (2) the periodicity of the global temperature record, (3) the intensity of single climatic stages, (4) the temporal pattern of climatic variation, (5) geographical position, and (6) the distribution of continental water resources. A general picture of the evolution of western Palaearctic habitat diversity saw the replacement of extensive forested terrain by an alternating sequence of varied savannah-like and forested habitats during the 2.6–1.8 Ma span, as well as an alternation between different types of predominantly open habitats between 1.8 and 1.2 Ma. Both of these processes were governed by 41 ka temperature periodicity. During the 1.2–0.9 Ma time span, irregular climatic fluctuations were more common and habitat variability increased. The subsequent 0.9–0.4 Ma interval, a period controlled by 100 ka periodicity, was by comparison more stable, with longer climatic cycles alternating between open and forested landscapes. During the entire Early and early Middle Pleistocene, assemblages of large mammal communities reveal a distinct trend of decreasing continentality between Eastern and South-Eastern Europe on the one hand, and South-Western and North-Western Europe on the other. This trend was due to the effect of the Atlantic Ocean, while in Southern Europe the relatively low continentality was balanced by influences from the Mediterranean Sea.When plotted against evidence of hominin occurrence, the data on western Palaearctic habitat diversity inferred from large mammal communities indicate clear environmental stimuli for the earliest human dispersal in Europe. These are: (1) a wide range of habitats, implying a high diversity of resources; (2) mild climates with low seasonality, implying a lack of strong environmental fluctuations. Around 1.8 Ma at the latest, hominins of African origin entered the western Palaearctic for the first time, taking advantage of the diversity of habitats and resources, particularly along large river systems. Their subsequent westward spread between 1.7 and 1.3 Ma was restricted to Mediterranean-influenced areas, which offered a high variability of habitats and relatively low seasonality. The increase in environmental diversity, which occurred from 1.2 Ma onwards, opened up South-Eastern and Eastern Europe for hominin occupation. According to the available records, North-Western and Central Europe were initially colonized during late Early to early Middle Pleistocene interglacials, when these regions experienced periods of low seasonality and considerable habitat diversity.     

Multi‐block finite‐difference method for 3D elastodynamic simulations in anisotropic subhorizontally layered media

Prediction of elastic full wavefields is required for reverse time migration, full waveform inversion, borehole seismology, seismic modelling, etc. We propose a novel algorithm to solve the Navier wave equation, which is based on multi‐block methodology for high‐order finite‐difference schemes on curvilinear grids. In the current implementation, the blocks are subhorizontal layers. Smooth anisotropic heterogeneous media in each layer can have strong discontinuities at the interfaces. A curvilinear adaptive hexahedral grid in blocks is generated by mapping the original 3D physical domain onto a parametric cube with horizontal layers and interfaces. These interfaces correspond to the main curvilinear physical contrast interfaces of a subhorizontally layered formation. The top boundary of the parametric cube handles the land surface with smooth topography. Free‐surface and solid–solid transmission boundary conditions at interfaces are approximated with the second‐order accuracy. Smooth media in the layers are approximated up to sixth‐order spatial schemes. All expected properties of the developed algorithm are demonstrated in numerical tests using corresponding parallel message passing interface code.     

石榴辉石岩的电导率及对岩浆底侵的约束

河北汉诺坝新生代玄武岩携带的石榴辉石岩为岩浆底侵于上地幔顶部40～45 km形成的堆晶岩,是壳-幔过渡带的典型样品。本文使用Solartron 1260阻抗分析仪,测量1.2 GPa和380～900 ℃下石榴辉石岩WD958的电阻率。样品电导率(σ)与温度的关系遵守Arrhenius方程: σ=σ₀exp(-ΔH/kT),其中T是样品的绝对温度,k是Boltzmann常数,指前因子σ₀为97.5 S/m,活化焓ΔH为1.27 eV。使用傅立叶红外光谱仪测定样品中单斜辉石的平均含水量为117×10^-6 H₂O,橄榄石无水,石榴子石的含水量因蚀变无法测定。使用Hashin-Shtrikman平均方法计算样品WD958的电导率,发现样品可看作由含水单斜辉石、无水石榴子石和无水橄榄石组成的高阻集合体,电导率同时受小极化子导电和质子导电的影响。如果原位的石榴辉石岩的矿物含水量保持平衡,其电导率将提高1个数量级,质子导电成为主控导电机制。石榴辉石岩在高温的壳-幔过渡带(～1 000℃)表现为高导层,而在正常地温梯度下,与尖晶石二辉橄榄岩的电导率近似,为高阻层。因此,在岩浆底侵作用下,电性上的壳-幔边界将随着温度和含水量的变化而改变。