The new 14C chronology for the Palaeolithic site of La Ferrassie,France: the disappearance of Neanderthals and the arrival of Homo sapiens in France

The grand abri at La Ferrassie (France) has been a key site for Palaeolithic research since the early part of the 20th century. It became the eponymous site for one variant of Middle Palaeolithic stone tools, and its sequence was used to define stages of the Aurignacian, an early phase of the Upper Palaeolithic. Several Neanderthal remains, including two relatively intact skeletons, make it one of the most important sites for the study of Neanderthal morphology and one of the more important data sets when discussing the Neanderthal treatment of the dead. However, the site has remained essentially undated. Our goal here is to provide a robust chronological framework of the La Ferrassie sequence to be used for broad regional models about human behaviour during the late Middle to Upper Palaeolithic periods. To achieve this goal, we used a combination of modern excavation methods, extensive geoarchaeological analyses, and radiocarbon dating. If we accept that Neanderthals were responsible for the Châtelperronian, then our results suggest an overlap of ca. 1600 years with the newly arrived Homo sapiens found elsewhere in France.     

Evidence for geographic variation in the diets of late Pleistocene and early Holocene Bison in North America, and differences from the diets of recent Bison

During the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, Bison was widely dispersed across North America and occupied most regions not covered by ice sheets. A dietary study on Bison paleopopulations from Alaska, New Mexico, Florida, and Texas was performed using two methods that relate dental wear patterns to diet, mesowear analysis and microwear analysis. These data were compared to a mixed sample of extant Bison from the North American central plains, extant wood Bison from Alberta (Canada) and a variety of other modern ungulates. Mesowear relates macroscopic molar facet shape to levels of dietary abrasion. The mesowear signature observed on fossil Bison differs significantly from the hyper-abrasive grazing diet of extant Bison. Tooth microwear examines wear on the surface of enamel at a microscopic scale. The microwear signal of fossil samples resembles to modern Bison, but the fossil samples show a greater diversity of features, suggesting that fossil Bison populations regularly consumed food items that are texturally inconsistent with the short-grass diet typical of modern plains Bison. Mesowear and microwear signals of fossil Bison samples most closely resemble a variety of typical mixed feeding ungulates, all with diets that are substantially less abrasive than what is typical for modern plains Bison. Furthermore, statistical tests suggest significant differences between the microwear signatures of the fossil samples, thus revealing geographic variability in Pleistocene Bison diets. This study reveals that fossils are of value in developing an understanding of the dietary breadth and ecological versatility of species that, in recent times, are rare, endangered, and occupy only a small remnant of their former ranges.     

State-of-the-art overview of the Loess Palaeolithic of Poland

In Poland, loess mainly occurs in the southern part of the country, in the Polish Uplands, and on the northern foreland of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. Most of these sediments come from the time of the last glaciation–the Vistulian (Weichselian) glaciation. Thin covers of loess from the penultimate glaciation have been preserved in Upper Silesia. Only a few sites from the Middle Palaeolithic remain in the loess. In the eastern part of Poland loess creates profiles several metres high. Discoveries in this zone represent the cultural sequence from the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. We know more traces of various cultures from the Upper Palaeolithic exist. The study attempts to synchronise profiles from selected archaeological open-air sites, outlines of the history of research on loess sites, and attempts to explain terminological and conceptual issues. The issue of loess in the cave site profiles will not be discussed in the article.     

塔里木盆地原油中的微化石与油源岩形成环境

本文基于塔里木盆地原油中发现的８９属１８３种孢子花粉化石和１６属２７种菌藻类化石的研究，通过孢粉化石的油源对比确认中代陆相油源的重要贡献、并根据孢子花粉母体植物和藻类的生态特征讨论了油源岩形成的环境。     

大兴安岭中段晚二叠世林西组介形虫化石及环境意义

晚二叠世-中三叠世在中亚造山带东段构造演化过程中是承上启下的关键地质时期,所以晚二叠世林西组沉积环境对研究古亚洲洋闭合这一重大问题具有重要意义。大兴安岭地区晚二叠世林西组曾有双壳、叶肢介、植物及孢粉化石记录,但鲜有介形虫化石报道。在大兴安岭中段林西组研究中首次发现介形虫化石,经初步研究,主要分子有Kemeroviana,Volganella,Iniella,Qitaina,Darwinuloides,Palaeocypridopsis,Tomiella,Darwinula和Urumqiella等,暂划为Volganella-Kemeroviana组合,其时代为晚二叠世。与俄罗斯地台晚二叠世介形虫化石群关系较为密切,部分属种曾见于我国新疆准噶尔盆地和塔里木盆地。从介形虫化石组合特征和保存特点来看,其生存环境为淡水湖泊,故认为这一地区的林西组为陆相沉积。     

安徽巢湖下三叠统含巢湖龙动物群地层微相特征及古环境

安徽巢湖马家山剖面下三叠统南陵湖组中段上部—上段下部第598—630自然层中产出早三叠世巢湖龙动物群化石。通过对赋存巢湖龙动物群化石的第598—630自然层的微相类型和稳定碳氧同位素进行分析,揭示了该时期的沉积环境及其变化。在该段地层中共识别出4种微相类型,分别是红色—灰色瘤状厚层含骨针—双壳类生屑泥晶灰岩、灰色含生屑泥质泥晶灰岩、青灰色纹层状泥质泥晶灰岩和浅灰色含泥质泥晶灰岩,反映当时沉积环境从早到晚由外缓坡脚—深海盆地边缘渐变为外缓坡环境。稳定碳氧同位素分析表明,该段地层中δ¹³C值与 δ¹⁸O 值普遍偏低。综合微相、沉积相及稳定碳氧同位素特征,推断巢湖龙动物群生活在安静的外缓坡环境中,伴生的生物种类及数量相对比较稀少,海水温度总体偏高。     

The Pleistocene reindeer of the North Sea—initial palaeontological data and archaeological remarks

The interdisciplinary North Sea Project aims at investigating the biotic history of the Pleistocene in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Humans were part of these biotopes too as Palaeolithic flint artefacts prove. Based on a large fossil record and radiocarbon dating, it becomes clear that reindeer was part of the Late Pleistocene Mammoth-fauna.Upper Palaeolithic hunters often are described as reindeer-hunters. Despite a large fossil reindeer record and collection of Palaeolithic flint artefacts, no evidence was found for co-existence of humans and reindeer or for reindeer-hunting.     

Yeosu dinosaur track sites of Korea: The youngest dinosaur track records in Asia

Eighty two dinosaur trackways were newly discovered in Upper Cretaceous lacustrine deposits on islands in the vicinity of Yeosu, Korea. Most dinosaur tracks occur in marginal lake deposits with polygonal desiccation cracks. The dinosaur tracks at the Yeosu site include 65 ornithopod trackways, 16 theropod trackways and one sauropod trackway. The prevalence of ornithopod tracks and the limited occurrence of sauropod tracks at the Yeosu site evidently reflect decreased sauropod diversity in the Upper Cretaceous. All ornithopod trackways represent bipeds, and most of the ornithopod tracks are similar to Caririchnium from other sites of the Korean peninsula. All fossil wood specimens collected in the study area represent conifers (three species of cupressaceous and two species of taxodiaceous conifers, and a new species) except for one, which is a discotyledon. It is thus inferred that the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula was primarily covered with mesic forests with taxodiaceous trees during the Late Cretaceous. The K–Ar age of the Yeosu tracksite is determined as 81–65 Ma (Camapnian to Maastrichtian). It indicates that the Yeosu track site contains the last records of dinosaurs living in Asia. Consequently, semi-arid palaeoclimatic conditions, together with a large lake as a persistent water source and rich vegetation of gymnosperm trees as food, resulted in the preservation of abundant dinosaur tracks in the Upper Cretaceous on the Korean Peninsula.     

New Jurassic Fossil True Bugs of the Pachymeridiidae(Hemiptera:Pentatomomorpha)from Northeast China

Four new fossil genera and species of true bugs from the family Pachymeridiidae, Beipiaocoris multifurcus, Bellicoris mirabilis, Nitoculus regiUus, and Viriosinervis stolidus, are described. New specimens were collected from the Middle and Upper Jurassic non-marine sedimentary strata from the Jiulongshan and Yixian Formations of northeast China. The species Karatavocoris asiatica Becker-Migdisova, 1963, which was considered to be a member of the family Coreidae is transferred to the Pachymeridiidae. A new map of all known and newly discovered fossil pachymeridiid localities is given. The diagnosis of the family is modified.     

吐哈盆地北缘中侏罗世植物化石稳定碳同位素的古环境意义

新疆吐哈盆地北缘三道岭煤田中侏罗统西山窑组的植物化石属于Coniopteris-Phoenicopsis植物群的典型组合。从该植物群中挑选出优势属种,分别为似银杏、拟刺葵、枝脉蕨以及斯堪尼狭轴穗,对其进行稳定碳同位素分析。前3种为叶片化石,它们的δ13C值分布在-21.66‰~-23.83‰,属于典型的C3植物。最后一种为繁殖器官化石,其δ13C值为-20.91‰,比叶片的值高。将δ13C值根据公式转换为大气CO₂的δ13C_a值,发现基于银杏类叶片获得的现代和中侏罗世的δ13C_a值与其他方法获得的值相似。这说明银杏类叶片是重建地质历史时期δ13C_a的一类可靠植物,为今后研究中生代-新生代δ13C_a变化提供了一个简便而可行的方法。C_i/C_a比值是一重要的植物生理生态特征值,因此进一步将银杏类化石叶片的δ13C值换算成C_i/C_a。化石似银杏的C_i/C_a值为0.6,而现生银杏的C_i/C_a为0.63,二者相似。虽然三道岭地区中侏罗世的CO₂浓度约为现在的4.5倍,但是化石和现生银杏类植物的C_i/C_a值仍然保持恒定,表明银杏植物的气孔参数对CO₂变化比较敏感,是重建古CO₂浓度的良好指示植物。这也为判断一种植物能否用来重建古CO₂浓度提供了一种简便而有效的检测方法。     

秦岭东部李官桥盆地玉皇顶组生物地层划分

长期以来,李官桥盆地始新统玉皇顶组的时代一直被认为是属早始新世。笔者通过野外追索,使盆地中原来分散的化石地点有了层位归属,并于玉皇顶组上部发现了新的哺乳动物化石群。本文将玉皇顶组分为上、中、下三段,并根据各层位哺乳动物化石性质,提出玉皇顶组的时代范围应为早始新世至中始新世早期。     

黄陵穹隆东、西两翼上三叠统的精细对比

报道了采自于鄂西巴东县上三叠统沙镇溪组新层型剖面3种楔羽叶植物化石，即Sphenozamites marioni Counillon，Sph．fenshuilingensis Meng和Sph．cf．changi Sze。在分析秭归盆地上／中三叠系接触界面特征和化石组合带的基础上，指出盆地西缘上三叠统与下伏中三叠统为连续沉积，而东缘则呈假整合接触。依据黄陵穹隆东、西翼上三叠统的岩性特征、动植物化石和与下伏地层的接触关系，提出荆门—当阳盆地上三叠统王龙滩组和九里岗组可分别与秭归盆地沙镇溪组上部和中下部进行精细对比。     

Chrono‐stratigraphy of the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological sequence in Cova Gran (south‐eastern Pre‐Pyrenees,Iberian Peninsula)

The Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Lleida, Spain) is a recently discovered site, with a broad chrono‐cultural sequence that contains archaeological levels dating to the Middle Palaeolithic, Early Upper Palaeolithic, Late Upper Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. We present the chronometric and stratigraphic context of these occupations, which were dated using ¹⁴C accelerator mass spectrometry and thermoluminescence. The sequence provides important indicators that aid in the reconstruction of the history of human occupation on the southern slopes of the Spanish Pyrenees over the past 50,000 years. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中华原始软骨硬鳞鱼之再描述及其地质时代

鲟形鱼类是一类脊椎骨尚未完全骨化、鳞片极度退化的原始辐鳍鱼类。本文重新系统描述了该类别中时代最古老的中华原始软骨硬鳞鱼(Eochondrosteus sinensis Lu,Li et Yang, 2005),补充并修订了其古生物学特征。该鱼类具有扇形的下鳃盖骨、多块条形鳃条骨、较大的喉板骨、具齿的上、下颌,且全身仅在尾鳍上叶具有鳞片等特征,可以区别于鲟形鱼类其他属种。初步的支序系统发育分析表明,Eochondrosteus可能是鲟形鱼类中最原始的类群,与所有其他鲟形鱼类的祖先类群构成一个姐妹群;同时其具有一些古鳕类才普遍拥有的特征,如相对较大的喉板骨和眶下骨等,有可能是原始辐鳍鱼类向鲟形鱼类进化过程中的过渡类型。这一鲟形鱼类化石产于甘肃省肃北县马鬃山镇西北约50 km的方山口组深灰色粉砂质页岩中。根据野外实地调查和岩石地层学、生物地层学对比,该鱼类的时代有可能是早三叠世,而非命名时认为的晚二叠世,但仍是迄今已发现的时代最古老之鲟形鱼类。     

Palaeoenvironmental forcing during the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in central-western Portugal

Geoarchaeological analysis of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic record preserved in cave, rock-shelter and open-air sites in the northern sector of the Meso-Cenozoic of the Western Iberian Peninsula margin (Portugal) reveals several disconformities (erosive unconformities), hiatuses and surface stabilization phases. A recurrent disconformity, dated to ca. 29,500-32,000 cal yr BP, in the time range of Heinrich event 3, must correspond to a main erosive event related to the impacts of climate change on the landscape, including a reduction in vegetation cover and altered precipitation patterns, with the consequent accelerated down-cutting by stream systems, slope reactivation and endokarstic reorganisation, causing the erosion of sediments and soils accumulated in cave, rock-shelter and open-air sites. These processes create a preservation bias that may explain why Early Upper Palaeolithic finds in primary deposition context remains exceptional in the carbonate areas of central-western Portugal, and possibly elsewhere in the other places of Iberia. The impact of such site formation processes must therefore be duly considered in interpretations of the current patchy and scarce archaeological record of the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in south-western Iberia.     

西藏南羌塘盆地中三叠世座倾错组放射虫动物群及其地层学意义

前人研究表明西藏南羌塘盆地存在中三叠世地层,然而一直以来缺乏确凿的古生物化石证据.在西藏改则县古姆乡座倾错地区原被划为晚三叠世日干配错组的地层中测制了两条剖面,在硅质岩样品中分析和鉴定出18属33种（含未定种）放射虫化石,主要分子包括Cryptostephanidium longispinosum（Sashida）、Eptingium manfredi Dumitrica、Falcispongus falciformis Dumitrica、Hindeosphaera spinulosa（Nakaseko et Nishimura）、Muelleritortis firmum（Gorican）、Oertlispongus inaequispinosus Dumitrica,Kozur et Mostler、Paroertlispongus chinensis（Feng）、Paroertlispongus hermi（Lahm）、Paroertlispongus weddigei Lahm、Paurinella aequispinosa Kozur et Mostler、Pseudostylosphaera coccostyla（Rüst）、Pseudostylosphaera compacta（Nakaseko et Nishimura）、Pseudostylosphaera gracilis Kozur et Mostler、Pseudostylosphaera japonica（Nakaseko et Nishimura）、Pseudostylosphaera nazarovi（Kozur et Mostler）、Pseudostylosphaera tenue（Nakaseko et Nishimura）、Triassocampe imitata Bragin、Triassospongosphaera triassica（Kozur et Mostler）.座倾错放射虫化石组合指示这段地层时代为中三叠世安尼期晚期-拉丁期早期.结合之前的工作积累,将南羌塘盆地三叠系划分为表示稳定型浅海相碳酸盐岩沉积的下三叠统孜狮桑组、表示半深海-深海相碎屑岩-硅质岩沉积的中三叠统座倾错组、上三叠统日干配错组以及上三叠统-下侏罗统萨门熊组.该发现为了解中三叠世南羌塘地区的真实面貌提供了地层学和古生物学证据,也进一步证明中三叠世南羌塘盆地不是陆地剥蚀区或隆起区,而是一种半深海-深海相沉积区.      

A new Lyrodiscus (Mollusca, Gastropoda) assemblage from Saint-Acheul (Somme Valley): a reappraisal of MIS 11 malacofaunas from northern France

Recent studies undertaken at Saint-Acheul in the Somme Valley (France) have provided an opportunity to recover malacological assemblages from a tufa deposit located at the top of a Middle Pleistocene fluvial sequence. Molluscan communities are rich and, although dominated by open grassland species, contain up to 23 forest taxa. This high diversity of thermophilous molluscs allows the recognition of fully temperate climatic conditions. Moreover, the occurrence of an extinct zonitid belonging to the genus Retinella (Lyrodiscus), along with several species beyond their modern range (Platyla polita, Ena montana, Ruthenica filograna Clausilia pumila, Clausilia dubia, Macrogastra ventricosa, Perforatella bidentata, Monachoides incarnatus, Belgrandia marginata, Hygromia limbata) allows correlation of the Saint-Acheul assemblage with malacofaunas recovered in other MIS 11 tufa deposits from the Somme and Seine valleys. This age attribution is reinforced at Saint-Acheul by stratigraphy and an ESR date on quartz of 403±73 kyr from the underlying fluvial deposits. In addition, old collections containing R. (Lyrodiscus) specimens have been rediscovered, allowing taxonomic reassessment of the species. This shows that Retinella (Lyrodiscus) skertchlyi Kerney, 1976 is a junior synonym of Retinella (Lyrodiscus) elephantium (Bourguignat, 1869) and that at least two extinct species of R. (Lyrodiscus) occurred in western Europe during the Quaternary. Finally, reappraisal of these French molluscan assemblages shows that they are similar to British malacofaunas of Hoxnian age. These new results strengthen the uniqueness and biostratigraphical value of the 'Lyrodiscus assemblage'.     

新疆乌鲁木齐郝家沟晚三叠世似管状叶属(Solenites)植物新发现

笔者在新疆乌鲁木齐晚三叠世郝家沟组首次发现了茨康类似管状叶属一新种—郝家沟似管状叶(Solenites haojiagouensis sp.nov.)。该种以普通表皮细胞细长,不发育毛基乳突,气孔器纵向松散排列或呈单列等特征区别于似管状叶属已知种。由于似管状叶属以往仅在侏罗纪—白垩纪地层发现,当前新种的发现是中国晚三叠世似管状叶属的首次记录。新种的研究将为了解似管状叶属的分类以及恢复新疆地区晚三叠世古地理、古气候、古环境提供新的数据。     

Allometry in the pliocene bivalveAstarte omalii: A new look at an old data set

The relationships between ontogeny and phylogeny have been studied for the bivalve Astarte omaliifrom the Lower, Middle, and Upper Pliocene of Belgium using canonical variates analysis, principal components in the form of multivariate allometry, and bivariate power functions or allometric equations. The results indicate that the three samples represent segments of a single evolutionary lineage which is characterized mainly by paedomorphosis where adult descendants are similar to juvenile ancestors. Recapitulation or peramorphosis is only observed for a single parameter. The Lower and Middle Pliocene samples are considered as Astarte omalii omalii,whereas the Upper Pliocene specimens are placed in A. omalii basteroti.The evolutionary trends most likely reflect changes in the living positions of the bivalves.     

Allometry in the pliocene bivalveAstarte omalii: A new look at an old data set

The relationships between ontogeny and phylogeny have been studied for the bivalve Astarte omaliifrom the Lower, Middle, and Upper Pliocene of Belgium using canonical variates analysis, principal components in the form of multivariate allometry, and bivariate power functions or allometric equations. The results indicate that the three samples represent segments of a single evolutionary lineage which is characterized mainly by paedomorphosis where adult descendants are similar to juvenile ancestors. Recapitulation or peramorphosis is only observed for a single parameter. The Lower and Middle Pliocene samples are considered as Astarte omalii omalii,whereas the Upper Pliocene specimens are placed in A. omalii basteroti.The evolutionary trends most likely reflect changes in the living positions of the bivalves.