0000000000925315
AUTHOR
Anne-véronique Walter-simonnet
Fossiliferous Holocene tufa of Mende (Lozère, southern France): implication for the Atlantic vegetation of the Causses Basin
International audience; Tufas bearing plant macroremains are uncommon in the Causses Basin (southern France). Here, we report anew fossiliferous tufa deposits at Mende, in Lozère. This palaeontological site is the first Quaternary tufa from thenorthern part of the Causses Basin that yields such an abundance of plant macroremains. The radiocarbon dating showsthat these Holocene deposits are related to the Atlantic period. Geomorphology and mineralogy show that theplant-bearing deposit is a calcareous tufa only composed by calcite, deposited near to an outlet of cool water, linked tothe karstic hydrological system of the Causse de Mende. The flora exposed in this article is dominated by angio…
Evidence of tephra reworking in loess based on 2D magnetic susceptibility mapping: A case study from Rocourt, Belgium
Abstract In this article, a new and original approach to characterize tephra layers based on high resolution magnetic susceptibility (MS) mapping is applied to the tephra deposits of Rocourt (Belgium). A series of MS maps of selected sections show the 3D morphology of tephra horizons, including local dip and reworked structures of the Rocourt and Eltville tephras, proven by chemical analyses of phenocrysts. At Rocourt, tephras are observed in loess which is an excellent material for testing the efficiency of the magnetic susceptibility mapping of tephra deposits. We also attempted to locate the volcanic source of the Eltville tephra based on the spatial analysis of the thickness of deposits…
Land use change, soil erosion and alluvial dynamic in the lower Doubs Valley over the 1st millenium AD (Neublans, Jura, France)
International audience; Geochemical and particle size analyses, surface scanning magnetic susceptibility, microscopic charcoal counting and pollen analysis, have been carried out on two cores from the lower Doubs valley in order to reconstruct the land use history. The interpretation of anthropogenic pollen indicators and micro-charcoal deposits is discussed in relation to the lithological variation of sedimentary accumulation and evolution of the settlement. The environmental changes which occurred during the 1st and the 6th century AD reflect the impact of human activities on the landscape in the immediate surroundings of the site. Multiproxy indicators indicate that soil erosion as a con…
Clay resources and technical choices for neolithic pottery (Chalain, Jura, France): chemical, mineralogical and grain-size analyses
Many authors have considered pottery manufacturing constraints and sociocultural elements as factors in change in past civilizations over time. The main issue of this research is to better understand the reasons for changes, or choices, in pottery raw materials. The very precise and detailed stratigraphy and cultural succession of occupations is based on dendrochronological data from the lake-dwelling sites of Chalain (Jura, France). Petrographic, palaeontological and chemical analyses were used to determine the nature and origins of the raw materials used by the Neolithic potters. Stratigraphy and dendrochronological data were used to reconstruct in detail the evolution dynamics of fabric …