TY - JOUR A1 - Proborukmi, Maria Sekar A1 - Urban, Brigitte A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Mienis, Henk K. A1 - Melamed, Yoel A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Jourdan, Fred A1 - Goren-Inbar, Naama T1 - Evidence for climatic changes around the Matuyama-Brunhes Boundary (MBB) inferred from a multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental study of the GBY#2 core, Jordan River Valley, Israel JF - Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences N2 - The Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov (GBY) in the Upper Jordan Valley revealed important data on environment and material culture, as well as evidence for hominin behavioural and cognitive patterns documented at the margins of the Hula Palaeo-lake. A 50 m long core (GBY#2) drilled at the archaeological site has provided a long Pleistocene geological, environmental and climatological record, which expands the existing knowledge of hominin-habitat relationships. Bracketed by two basalt flows dated by 40Ar/39Ar and based on the identification of the Matuyama-Brunhes Boundary (MBB) and correlation with the GBY excavation site, the sedimentary sequence provides the climatic history around the MBB. Multi-proxy data including pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs, macro-botanical remains, molluscs and ostracods provide evidence for lake and lake-margin environments during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 20 and 19. Semi-moist conditions were followed by a pronounced dry phase during MIS 20, and warm and moist conditions with Quercus-Pistacia woodlands prevailed during MIS 19. In contrast to the reconstructed climate change from relatively dry to moister conditions, the depositional environment developed from an open-water lake during MIS 20 to a lake margin environment in MIS 19. Generally shallower conditions at the core site in MIS 19 resulted from the progradation of the lake shore due to the filling of the basin. Micro-charcoal analysis suggests a likelihood of human-induced fire in some parts of the core, which can be correlated with artefact-containing layers of the GBY excavation site. The Hula Palaeo-lake region provided an ideal niche for hominins and other vertebrates during global glacial-interglacial climate fluctuations at the end of the Early Pleistocene. KW - Hula Basin KW - Levant KW - Hominins KW - Pollen record KW - Plant macro-remains Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.10.007 SN - 0031-0182 SN - 1872-616X VL - 489 SP - 166 EP - 185 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mischke, Steffen A1 - Ashkenazi, Shoshana A1 - Almogi-Labin, Ahuva A1 - Goren-Inbar, Naama T1 - Ostracod evidence for the Acheulian environment of the ancient Hula Lake (Levant) during the early-mid Pleistocene transition JF - Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences N2 - Ostracod shells from the archaeological site Gesher BenotYa'aqov (GBY) in the upper Jordan River Valley (Israel) were investigated to improve the understanding of the environmental conditions of the Acheulian occupation site during the early-mid Pleistocene transition (0.78 Ma). The diverse ostracod assemblage consists of 28 species. The distribution of most of the recorded species in the region today shows that the hydrological conditions at the early-mid Pleistocene transition were not fundamentally different from the modern ones. However, the predominance of Candona neglecta shells in the GBY sequence probably indicates cooler climatic conditions than today. Shells of Candona angulata in the artefact-richer upper half of the sequence suggest a slight salinity increase in the ancient Hula Lake from pure freshwater to slightly oligohaline conditions. This shift probably resulted from wetter conditions and a more stable lake environment with increased residence time of the lake water and stronger influence of evaporation. Shells of the brackish water ostracod Cyprideis torosa and the slightly halophilic Heterocypris sauna and Plesiocypridopsis newtoni were recorded only rarely suggesting that the lake maintained an outlet through the entire period represented by the GBY sequence. Shells of Gomphocythere ortali in GBY cycles 1 and 2 imply that a permanent freshwater stream existed close to the site. Humphcypris subterranea shells in cycles 3-5 provide further evidence that a tributary entered the lake from the south in contrast to the modern setting with the north-south flowing Jordan River at GBY. Statistical analysis of the quantitative ostracod data from GBY identified a group of samples from layers containing more abundant stone artefacts and another group of samples from layers with scarce artefacts. Samples from layers containing more abundant artefacts have relatively high abundances of C. angulata, Darwinula stevensoni and Physocypria kraepelini shells and include rare shells of Ilyocypris hartmanni, Ilyocypris salebrosa, Heterocypris incongniens and Pseudocandona sp. 2 which do not occur in the other samples. The presence of P. kraepelini and H. incongruens shells in artefact-richer sediments possibly indicates poor bottom water oxygenation in the ancient Hula lake sometimes during the periods of Acheulian occupation. However, more detailed studies are required to assess whether lower dissolved oxygen levels in the lake resulted from a slight lake level rise and possibly higher nutrient flux to the lake during wetter conditions or whether hominins already impacted lake's nutrient status by butchering at its shore or by burning of near-shore vegetation. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Levant KW - Israel KW - Acheulian KW - Lower Palaeolithic KW - Ostracods KW - Palaeoecology Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.07.036 SN - 0031-0182 SN - 1872-616X VL - 412 SP - 148 EP - 159 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -