0000000000034589
AUTHOR
J. E. Aura Tortosa
The far south: the Pleistocene–Holocene transition in Nerja Cave (Andalucı́a, Spain)
Abstract The archaeological site of Cueva de Nerja (Malaga, Spain) provides significant data about the bioclimatic conditions of one of the most southern European temperate regions. The bioclimatic and palaeogeographic changes that have occurred during the 20,000 years of human occupation of the site can be analysed by relating the geodynamic processes, the palaeobotany and the palaeofauna recovered from its archaeological deposits.
Nanodiamond-Rich Layer across Three Continents Consistent with Major Cosmic Impact at 12,800 Cal BP
© 2014 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. A major cosmic-impact event has been proposed at the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) cooling episode at ≈12,800 ± 150 years before present, forming the YD Boundary (YDB) layer, distributed over 150 million km2 on four continents. In 24 dated stratigraphic sections in 10 countries of the Northern Hemisphere, the YDB layer contains a clearly defined abundance peak in nanodiamonds (NDs), a major cosmic-impact proxy. Observed ND polytypes include cubic diamonds, lonsdaleite-like crystals, and diamond-like carbon nanoparticles, called n-diamond and i-carbon. The ND abundances in bulk YDB sediments ranged up to ≈500 ppb (mean: 200 ppb) and…
Mediterranean monk seal hunting in the regional Epipalaeolithic of Southern Iberia. A study of the Nerja Cave site (Málaga, Spain)
Abstract During the Late Glacial–Early Holocene transition Southern Iberia has an extensive record of Palaeolithic coastal sites, wich have been preserved due thanks to the morphology of the continental shelf. This is was a period with rapid palaeoclimatic oscillations and changes in sea level. However, the sites show an apparent continuity in technology and subsistence trends, although human groups made increasingly intense use of marine resources. In this paper we will focus on the study of Mediterranean seal remains from the Vestibulo hall of Cueva de Nerja (Malaga, Spain), unit NV4, dated 12,990–11,360 cal. BP. The presence of these bones at the site are interpreted as direct exploitati…