Formation of mud clast breccias and the process of sedimentary autobrecciation in the hominin-bearing (Homo naledi) Rising Star Cave system,South Africa

Unconsolidated mud clast breccia facies in the hominin-bearing (Homo naledi) Rising Star Cave, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, are interpreted to have formed through a process termed sedimentary autobrecciation in this study. This process, by which most of the angular mud clast breccia deposits are thought to have formed autochthonously to para-autochthonously via a combination of erosion, desiccation, diagenesis and microbial alteration of laminated mud deposits, is thought to have taken place under relatively dry (i.e. non-flooded) conditions inside the cave. Subsequently, gravitational slumping and collapse was the dominant mechanism that produced the mud clast breccia deposits, which commonly accumulate into debris aprons. The mud clast breccia is typically associated with (micro) mammal fossils and is a common facies throughout the cave system, occurring in lithified and unlithified form. This facies has not been described from other cave localities in the Cradle of Humankind. Additionally, sedimentary autobrecciation took place during the deposition of some of the fossils within the Rising Star Cave, including the abundant Homo naledi skeletal remains found in the Dinaledi Subsystem. Reworking of the mud clast breccia deposits occurs in some chambers as they slump towards floor drains, resulting in the repositioning of fossils embedded in the breccias as evidenced by cross-cutting manganese staining lines on some Homo naledi fossil remains. The formation of the unlithified mud clast breccia deposits is a slow process, with first order formation rates estimated to be ca 8 × 10⁻⁴ mm year⁻¹. The slow formation of the unlithified mud clast breccia facies sediments and lack of laminated mud facies within these deposits, indicates that conditions in the Dinaledi Chamber were probably stable and dry for at least the last ca 300 ka, meaning that this study excludes Homo naledi being actively transported by fluvial mechanisms during the time their remains entered the cave.     

Mass spectrometric U-series dating of the Chaoxian hominin site at Yinshan,eastern China

The fossils of Chaoxian hominin, widely accepted as representing archaic Homo sapiens in eastern China, were recovered from the middle or slightly higher levels of Layer 2 deposits of a collapsed cave at Yinshan, Anhui Province. Results of mass spectrometric U-series dating of intercalated speleothem calcites are presented. Based mainly on four broadly coeval calcite samples, the hominin fossils should be bracketed in the range of 310–360 ka or somewhat older. These ages are much older than the previous estimate at 160–200 ka based on the U-series dating of fossil teeth and bones, and may be cited as supporting evidence for an earlier H. erectus–archaic H. sapiens interface in China.     

周口店第四纪地质与环境变迁研究进展与展望

本文综述了周口店地区80多年来在第四纪地质、古人类、考古及环境研究方面的成果和重要进展,简要地展望了今后的工作。在过去的80多年中,在周口店发现了丰富的直立人、早期智人和晚期智人化石以及大量的旧石器;建立了较为完整的第四纪地层层序;发现了早更新世的古冰楔,并命名为太平山冰缘期;第1地点记录了中更新世三次明显的气候冷暖波动。今后应注意早更新世新地点寻找,人类的进化及"北京人"的社会行为研究,环境标志及环境事件的细致研究,生物-气候事件的对比研究,建立周口店的生物-气候事件地层序列。      

中国的洞穴与裂隙堆积

洞穴和裂隙堆积是陆相地层中一个重要的组成部分,经过一百多年的研究,它已成了我国地层表中的一个明确的时空单位,就目前信息,其地质时代从第三纪早期一直延续到第四纪晚期。本世纪发现的洞穴堆积地点上千处,其中含古人类和古猿类化石的地点已达４０多个,与其伴生的哺乳动物化石４００余种。这些珍贵的史料,对研究第三纪以来洞穴堆积地层的时序具有十分重要的意义。     

Cave bear occupation in Schwabenreith Cave,Austria, during the early last glacial: constraints from 230Th/U‐dated speleothems

The cave bear was a prominent member of the Upper Pleistocene fauna in Eurasia. While breakthroughs were recently achieved with respect to its phylogeny using ancient DNA techniques, it is still challenging to date cave bear fossils beyond the radiocarbon age range. Without an accurate and precise chronological framework, however, key questions regarding the palaeoecology cannot be addressed, such as the extent to which large climate swings during the last glacial affected the habitat and possibly even conditioned the final extinction of this mammal. Key to constraining the age of cave bear fossils older than the lower limit of radiocarbon dating is to date interlayered speleothems using ²³⁰Th/U. Here we report new results from one such site in the Eastern European Alps (Schwabenreith Cave), which yielded the highest density of bones of cave bear (Ursus spelaeus eremus). Although dating of the flowstones overlying this fossiliferous succession was partly compromised by diagenetic alteration, the ²³⁰Th/U dates indicate that the bear hibernated in this cave after about 113 ka and before about 109 ka. This time interval coincides with the equivalent of Greenland Stadial 25, suggesting possible climate control on the cave bear's habitat and behaviour. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

周口店太平山北坡早更新世洞穴地层的划分

１９８５年，曹伯勋等在周口店太平山北坡发现了一个早更新世洞穴－洼地堆积地点（东洞），并作了初步报导。１９９２～１９９３年，笔者又对该剖面进行了哺乳动物化石的系统采集工作，获得了丰富的化石，为确定东洞动物群的性质及该剖面地层时代提供了确凿证据。研究表明该地点堆积物形成于１．６７～０．９７ＭａＢ．Ｐ，太平山组应包括整个剖面。     

Age of the fossil Dali Man in north-central China deduced from chronostratigraphy of the loess–paleosol sequence

Dali Man, an archaic type of early Homo sapiens, is of great significance to the origin of Homo sapiens. Achievements have been made during the past decades in the understanding of the fossil human skull as well as the accompanying mammalian fossils and stone artifacts. However, the absolute age of the fossil Dali Man still remains unclear. Based on the magnetic susceptibility of loess sediments and the relationship of terracing process with climatic condition, we correlated the loess sequence and the subjacent terrace alluvium at the Dali Man site with the well-studied loess–paleosol sequence at Luochuan in the central part of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The correlation indicates that the loess–paleosol sequence at the Dali Man site extends down to the paleosol S2, and the underlying fluvial deposits correspond to the loess L3. Because the Dali Man skull appears in the basal gravel layer of the terrace, and because the deposition of the terrace gravels would occur during the transition from S3 paleosol formation to L3 loess accumulation, the age of the fossil Dali Man is inferred to be ca 270 ka, which is equivalent to the age of the boundary between the loess L3 and paleosol S3 on the magnetic susceptibility time series of the Luochuan loess–paleosol sequence.     

Geological characteristics and evolution of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau since the late Cenozoic

The eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau developed an integrated series of late Cenozoic lacustrine, loess, red and moraines deposits. Various genetic sediments recorded rich information of Quaternary palaeoenvironment changes. Xigeda Pliocene lacustrine deposits, formed during 4.2 Ma B.P.–2.6 Ma B.P., experienced nine periodic warm-cold stages. Eolian deposition in western Sichuan began at 1.15 Ma B.P., and the loess-soil sequences successively record fourteen palaeomonsoon change cycles. Red clay in the Chengdu plain record five stages of paleoclimatic change stages since 1.13 Ma B.P.. There was an old glacial period of 4.3 Ma B.P. in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. During the Quaternary, there were five extreme paleoclimatic events corresponding to five glaciations. __________ Translated from Geological Bulletin of China, 2007, 26(12): 1620–1626 [译自: 地质通报]     

北京猿人洞穴堆积气候地层的重新划分与对比

周口店第一地点洞穴四十余米厚的堆积层自下而上共分为 17层 ,新近测量的年代推前了近 2 0 0 ka。对堆积层所含哺乳动物化石和孢粉资料进行聚类统计和因子分析 ,结合风化系数和微量元素含量等古气候代用指标 ,重新定量地描绘它所记录的古气候波动旋回。根据第 2层 TIMS测年为 410 ka B.P.,第 14层上部是磁性地层测量的B/ M界线 ,可以将该洞穴堆积层 1— 14层对比于深海岩心 δ1 8O气候曲线的 11— 19段或中国黄土—古土壤序列S4— S7,并且古气候旋回内的次级波动也可进行一定程度的对比。     

New interglacial deposits from Copenhagen,Denmark: marine Isotope Stage 7

During a pre‐site survey and construction of a new metro route and station in Copenhagen, fossiliferous organic‐rich sediments were encountered. This paper reports on multidisciplinary investigations of these organic sediments, which occurred beneath a sediment succession with a lower till, glacifluvial sand and gravel, an upper till and glacifluvial sand. The organic sediments were underlain by glacifluvial sand and gravel. The organic‐rich sediments, which were up to 0.5 m thick, accumulated in a low‐energy environment, possibly an oxbow lake. They were rich in plant fossils, which included warmth‐demanding trees and other species, such as Najas minor, indicating slightly higher summer temperatures than at present. Freshwater shells were also frequent. Bithynia opercula allowed the sediments to be put into an aminostratigraphical framework. The amino acid racemization (AAR) ratios indicate that the organic sediments formed during Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7), which is consistent with optically stimulated luminescence dating that gave ages of 206 and 248 ka from the underlying minerogenic deposit. The assemblages from Trianglen are similar to interglacial deposits from the former Free Port (1.4 km away) in Copenhagen, except that Corbicula and Pisidium clessini were not found at Trianglen. The presence of these bivalves at the Free Port and the ostracod Scottia tumida at Trianglen indicates a pre‐Eemian age. AAR data from archived Bithynia opercula from the Free Port were almost identical to those from Trianglen, indicating that the two sites are contemporary. We suggest the Trianglen interglacial be used as a local name for the MIS 7 interglacial deposits in Copenhagen. MIS 7 deposits have rarely been documented from the region, but MIS 7 deposits may have been mistaken for other ages. The use of AAR ratios in Bithynia opercula has a great potential for correlation of interglacial non‐marine deposits in mainland northern Europe.     

Late Quaternary speleothem pollen in the British Isles

As with many terrestrial areas, the British Quaternary sequence is characterised by incomplete, fragmentary records, whose correlation is based on stratigraphic or biostratigraphic techniques due to the lack of radiometric ages beyond the ～40 kyr limit of ¹⁴C dating. Speleothems (secondary cave calcite deposits) offer a significant advantage over many sources of palaeoenvironmental information; they can be dated to a high precision and accuracy by uranium‐thorium (²³⁸U‐²³⁰Th) thermal ionisation and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry in the time period back to 500 kyr. They may also contain sufficient well‐preserved pollen representative of contemporary vegetation above the cave to allow palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. This study adopts the novel approach of combining pollen and thermal ionisation mass spectrometric (TIMS) U‐Th dating of British speleothems to produce well‐constrained palaeoenvironmental records. We report for the first time precisely dated records of pollen assemblages from speleothems suggesting the presence of thermophilous arboreal species in phases previously considered to have been consistently cool or cold and devoid of trees. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

白龙江流域中上游第四纪沉积物的发育特征及其灾害效应

白龙江流域是我国四大地质灾害高发区之一,也是全国17个地质灾害重点防治区之一。第四纪沉积物的广泛分布为地质灾害提供了丰富的物质基础。本文基于遥感和GIS技术,结合影像特征和野外实际调查,建立了研究区第四纪成因类型（5大类11亚类）的解译标志;运用所建立的解译标志,对研究区进行了精细解译,新增第四纪残积物、坡积物、泥石流堆积和人工堆积等8个沉积亚类,补充和完善了滑坡堆积体和崩积物的面域数据,共解译第四纪沉积物面积444.7 km2,较前人研究资料扩展了380.4 km2;研究区上游段主要受地形地貌因素影响,第四纪沉积物沿白龙江主河道及其支流分布,中游段主要受地质构造控制,第四纪沉积物沿活动断层呈条带状分布,下游段主要受地层岩性影响,第四纪沉积物呈片状分布;第四纪沉积物灾害效应主要表现为崩滑效应和对泥石流的补给效应。本文研究成果对研究区区域地质灾害调查和风险评价提供了技术支撑。     

同位素地层和土壤地层及其在第四纪研究中的应用

同位素地层和土壤地层是在多元地层划分理论的基础上,为适应第四纪高分辨率古环境研究的需要而建立起来的两种地层划分的方法。这两种地层划分方法在第四纪古环境的研究中显示了很强的生命力。     

Geochemical Characteristics of Eolian Deposits on the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and Implications for Provenance

Eolian dust deposition is intimately related to atmospheric circulation and environmental setting of the source region, and therefore is an invaluable tool for studying the evolutionary history of atmospheric circulation patterns and paleoclimatic change. Identifying the provenance of any eolian deposit is crucial not only for reconstructing the paleoenvironmental history of the dust source region, but also for understanding the paleoclimatic significance of various indices. Loess and paleosol samples from the Garze region on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau(TP) were analyzed for their elemental(major and trace elements) and isotopic(Sm-Nd) geochemistry and compared with those of Northern Chinese(NC) loess formed at the same age. The results show that the geochemical compositions of the Garze loess and paleosol samples are similar to those eolian deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP), and also resemble the average UCC. This indicates that the eolian deposits on the eastern margin of the TP were derived from well-mixed sedimentary protoliths that had undergone numerous upper crustal recycling processes, just as with the CLP loess deposits. However, compared with NC loess, the Garze samples have higher ∑REE, Li, Rb, Zr, Cs, Hf and Bi concentrations, higher TiO2/Al2O3, Hf/Nb, La/Nb, Th/Nb and lower K2O/TiO2, Zr/Hf, Ba/Rb ratios. From the Sm-Nd isotopic geochemistry, εNd(0) and 147Sm/144Nd values of Garze loess and paleosol samples are clearly lower than the NC loess. The higher Bi, Zr and Hf concentrations are relevant to the widely distributed acid-magmatic rocks in this region, whereas the higher contents of Li, Cs, Rb are attributed to the high background values of the TP. The geochemical characteristics of the Garze loess and paleosol samples further prove that the local glacial and other Quaternary detrital sediments are predominantly the contributors for the eolian deposits on the eastern margin of the TP. Stable element concentrations and their ratios in the Garze loess and paleosol samples formed at different times have relatively greater variation ranges in comparison with the NC loess, indicating that the source regions for eolian deposits have been unstable since the late Early Pleistocene. We attribute the instability of dust sources to variable earth surface conditions and the changeable TP winter monsoon in direction and intensity, which are in turn related to the uplift of the TP.     

周口店田园洞洞穴发育与充填序列探讨

周口店田园洞遗址是2001年新发现的一处重要的更新世晚期古人类遗址。该遗址经过两次发掘,出土了34件古人类化石和大量哺乳动物化石,是中国目前从人类化石本身所测得的最早现代人遗址。田园洞地处华北地台北部的燕山板内(陆内)构造带西南缘,发育于中元古界蓟县系薄层碳酸盐岩地层内。周围褶皱和次级断裂发育,岩脉侵入和片理化作用明显,为地下水的水平和垂直运动提供了大量不同级序和不同形式的通道,提高了岩石的透水性,有利于岩溶的发育。田园洞的形成以岩溶裂隙水垂直渗流方式沿岩脉和节理裂隙溶蚀而成。洞内地层对比和岩石矿物分析显示洞穴经历了洞穴发育期-快速堆积期-稳定沉积期-充填完成期的充填过程。动物化石和古人类化石属原地埋藏,古人类活动于角砾层快速堆积期。田园洞古人类活动的时间处于距今4万年前的晚更新世M IS 3阶段,对探讨中国现代人起源具有重要意义。     

Late Pleistocene vertebrate-bearing deposits at San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily): Preliminary data on faunal diversification and chronology

This paper deals with the chronology and the possible correlations among levels of different excavated areas in the Pleistocene vertebrate-bearing deposits at the large San Teodoro Cave (North-Eastern Sicily). Two trenches have been excavated along the eastern side of the cave, located at a distance from the entrance, respectively, of 8 m (α trench) and 28 m (β trench) and at different depths. Lithological features, biometrical data from small mammals and ecological data from molluscs point to similar environmental conditions for the α trench deposits and those located along the eastern wall of the cave in the eastern part of the β trench. The same evidence, and the taphonomic features of large mammals, points to different environmental conditions and perhaps to different ages for the deposits located in the western part of the β trench. The survival of elephants in Sicily up to 32,000 years ago is a new significant result of the ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U dating carried out from a concretionary stratum from the β trench and represents the youngest elephant survival in the western Mediterranean islands.     

Fossil mammoths from Santa Cruz Island, California

Mammoth remains on Santa Cruz Island, one of the four Northern Channel Islands of California, are very sparse, in marked contrast to those reported from Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands of the same island group. A probable major reason for this scarcity is that Quaternary deposits are greatly restricted on Santa Cruz Island. It is proposed, contrary to popular opinion, that fossils found on Santa Cruz Island were derived from animals which died on the island, and were not transported there by humans. Reasons for this conclusion are that the size and geological context of the fossils are similar to those of the largest mammoth fossils of Santa Rosa Island, and that, in spite of extensive investigations by many persons, mammoth remains have not been found in middens, either on the islands or on the adjacent mainland.     

Speleothems in gypsum caves and their paleoclimatological significance

This article highlights the relationship between speleothems growing inside gypsum caves and the particular climate that existed during their development. Speleothems in gypsum caves normally consist of calcium carbonate (calcite) or calcium sulphate (gypsum) and the abundance of such deposits greatly differs from zone to zone. Observations carried out over the last 20 years in gypsum caves subjected to very different climates (Italy, Spain, New Mexico, northern Russia, Cuba, Argentina) highlight wide variation in their cave deposits. In arid or semi-arid climates, the speleothems are mainly composed of gypsum, whilst in temperate, humid or tropical regions, carbonate formations are largely predominant. In polar zones no speleothems develop. These mineralogical details could be useful paleoclimatic indicators of climate change. The interpretation proposed is based on the fact that in gypsum karst the kind of speleothems deposited is determined by competition between the two principal mechanisms that cause precipitation of calcite and gypsum. These mechanisms are completely different: calcite speleothem evolution is mainly controlled by CO₂ diffusion, while gypsum deposits develop mostly due to evaporation. Therefore, the prevalence of one kind of speleothem over the other, and the relationship between the solution–precipitation processes of calcite and gypsum, may provide evidence of a specific paleoclimate. Additionally, other non-common deposits in gypsum caves like moonmilk, cave rafts and dolomite speleothems can be used as markers for the prevalence of long, dry periods in humid areas, seasonal changes in climate, or rainfall trends in some gypsum areas. Moreover, the dating of gypsum speleothems could contribute paleoclimatic data relating to dry periods when calcite speleothems are not deposited. In contrast, the dating of calcite speleothems in gypsum caves could identify former wet periods in arid zones.     

双河洞中大熊猫-剑齿象动物群化石的发现

对贵州省境内的双河洞历次科考中发现的第四纪动物群化石进行初步研究和总结,认为目前对双河洞第四纪动物群研究尚处于起步阶段,化石的发现者都是洞穴科考专家,古生物知识相对欠缺且重视不够是洞穴化石研究进展缓慢的原因。为了加快双河洞第四纪动物群的研究进程,以今年中法联合科考过程中发现的大熊猫-剑齿象动物群化石为样本,采用ICP-MS铀系定年方法对这批大熊猫骨骼化石碳酸盐岩包裹物的年龄进行测试,结果表明该化石群化石距今6.75万年,初步判定此动物群可能生存于中更新世-晚更新世早期。这批哺乳动物化石及其地层信息将为贵州（尤其是黔北）第四纪的研究提供重要资料。