TY - JOUR A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Opitz, Stephan A1 - Kalbe, Johannes A1 - Ginat, Hanan A1 - Al-Saqarat, Bety T1 - Palaeoenvironmental inferences from late Quaternary sediments of the Al Jafr Basin, Jordan JF - Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research N2 - Sedimentological, palaeontological and mineralogical analyses of sediments from the endorheic Al Jafr Basin were conducted to better understand the depositional and hydrological conditions on the southern Jordan Plateau in the late Quaternary. Surficially exposed carbonate-rich sediments in the western part of the basin contain ostracod (micro-crustacean) shells of Ilyocypris cf. bradyi, Candona neglecta, Heterocypris salina, Fabaeformiscandona fabaeformis, Pseudocandona sp. and Herpetocypris brevicaudata. The shells of these and other more rare species, and charophyte and mollusc remains indicate that the sediments were formed in a wetland setting of shallow freshwater to slightly oligohaline ponds, streams and swamps. The present more northern distribution of some of the recorded taxa implies that climate conditions were probably cooler during the wetland formation. Radiocarbon age data for biogenic carbonate from two locations suggest that the wetland setting existed during the second half of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 or possibly earlier. A significantly higher water table must have existed in the basin during wetland formation; and wetter climate conditions are inferred for the catchment or at least for its highest and most humid westernmost part. Deflation and local sediment accumulation by wind and occasional sheet-wash events apparently prevailed in the region since MIS 2. Our newly presented data and inferences do not support the reconstruction of a previously reported large and relatively deep Pleistocene lake in the Al Jafr Basin. However, more extensive studies are certainly required for a detailed assessment of the Quaternary hydrological conditions in southern Jordan. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. KW - Wetlands KW - Ostracoda KW - Marine Isotope Stage 3 KW - Late Pleistocene KW - Eastern Mediterranean KW - Southern Levant Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.12.041 SN - 1040-6182 SN - 1873-4553 VL - 382 SP - 154 EP - 167 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - INPR A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Madsen, David A1 - Zhang, Chengjun A1 - Lai, Zhongping T1 - Reply to comment by Zhang (2014): The Shell Bar in the Qaidam Basin: fluvial or lake deposit, and OSL versus C-14 age data T2 - Journal of paleolimnolog Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-014-9817-z SN - 0921-2728 SN - 1573-0417 VL - 53 IS - 3 SP - 335 EP - 344 PB - Springer CY - Dordrecht ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kalbe, Johannes A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Dulski, Peter A1 - Sharon, Gonen T1 - The Middle Palaeolithic Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet site, Israel: reconstructing the environment of Late Pleistocene wetlands in the eastern Mediterranean from ostracods JF - Journal of archaeological science N2 - We present ostracod data from the Middle Palaeolithic open air site of Nahal Mahanayeem Outlet (NMO) at the southern edge of the Hula Basin, northern Israel. Sediments of two Pleistocene water bodies are exposed at the site. The first one is an archaeologically sterile, light-colored limnic carbonate with an Early Pleistocene age. It contains an ostracod fauna assemblage dominated by Candona neglecta, Candonopsis kingsleii, and Pseudocandona sp., and, in minor abundances, Cypria ophtalmica, Cyprideis sp., Humphcypris sp., Fabaeformiscandona cf. fabaeformis and Ilyocypris sp. These sediments were deposited in a shallow, freshwater to oligohaline lake under stable conditions. Sediments of the second water body are silty and dark-colored with a depositional age of 65 ka, belonging to the Late Pleistocene Ashmura Formation. The unit covers a geologically complex topography of tectonically uplifted limnic deposits and a hill-like gravel bar at the site. The most important archaeological layer is situated at its base, containing a lithic assemblage ascribed primarily to the Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian tradition and very well preserved flora and fauna. In the sediments from the archaeological layers, the brackish water ostracod Cyprideis torosa and the foraminifer Ammonia tepida could be identified. In sediments of the Ashmura Formation taken near the site, C. neglecta, Candona angulata, Ilyogpris sp., C kingsleii, Pseudocandona sp., C ophtalmica, Darwinula stevensoni, Trajancypris sp. and Potamogpris smaragdina were found, indicating a freshwater to slightly oligohaline stagnant water body. The ostracod fauna of the NMO site, together with geochemical data, allow us to reconstruct a depositional environment of the margin at a shallow lake with brackish or saline springs nearby during the site's occupation by Middle Palaeolithic humans. Additionally, Candona weltneri, Candona cf. meerfeldiana, C kingsleii, Cyclocypris laevis, C ophtalmica, Cyprideis sp., Fabaeformiscandona cf. fabaeformis, P. smaragdina, Pseudocandona depressa, Trajancypris sp, Zonocypris cf. costata and A. tepida could be recorded for the first time for the Pleistocene limnic strata of the Hula Basin. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Middle Palaeolithic KW - Ostracoda KW - Foraminifera KW - Gadot Formation KW - Ashmura Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2014.04.018 SN - 0305-4403 SN - 1095-9238 VL - 54 SP - 385 EP - 395 PB - Elsevier CY - London ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Zhang, Chengjun A1 - Fan, Rong T1 - Early to mid-Holocene lake high-stand sediments at Lake Donggi Cona, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China - T2 - Quaternary research : an interdisciplinary journal KW - Microfossils KW - Ostracoda KW - Lake level KW - Wetlands KW - Depositional setting KW - Tibetan Plateau KW - Holocene Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2014.06.005 SN - 0033-5894 SN - 1096-0287 VL - 83 IS - 1 SP - 256 EP - 258 PB - Elsevier CY - San Diego ER -