Lateglacial

A complete sequence of glacial deposits and moraines within the same valley system in the Maritime Alps, spanning from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the Little Ice Age is presented. The sequence is geomorphologically and morphostratigraphically coherent and most stadi-als have been chronologically constrained by their cosmogenic exposure ages, lichenometry and by correlation with radiocarbon-dated moraines in neighbouring valleys. The shape, extent and thickness of the palaeoglaciers at each stadial have also been reconstructed and their equilibrium line altitude calculated. The LGM moraine of the Gesso Basin bears a similar equilibrium line altitude and age to that of other LGM moraines across the Alps. The recognized Late-glacial stadials show strong similarities with the corresponding stadials of the central–eastern Alpine valleys, such as Gschnitz, Bühl, Daun and Egesen. The recalculation of the exposure ages of moraine boulders with a new production rate better defines the LGM (24.0 ka) and the Egesen Stadial (13.0 ka), while the Bühl Stadial (18.5 ka) is dated for the first time in the Alps. Three early Holocene glacial advances are defined and correlated to the Kartell, Kromer and Göschenen I stadials, widely recognized in other Alpine sectors. Lichenometric dates indicate a threefold oscillation during the Little Ice Age (thirteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth centuries).

Under the Magdatis project a new evolutionary model has been proposed for the Middle and Upper
Magdalenian based on a review of several lithic assemblages from southwest France. The Lower
Magdalenian is not addressed in this article. Single lithic assemblages and stratigraphic sequences have
been compared according to several parameters: the origin of the siliceous raw materials, the interconnection
between domestic tool production and hunting armatures, and the typo-technology of the
microliths. Alongside the new techno-economic data, the geographical distribution of certain practices
and particular artefacts in southwest France has led to a discussion of the cultural geography of the
different phases of the Magdalenian between 19,000 and 14,000 cal BP. The Early Middle Magdalenian
covers an extensive European cultural territory, demonstrating social interactions over vast distances
both in the circulation of raw materials and in the distribution of certain morphotypes of lithic armament.
The Late Middle Magdalenian appears to correspond to a phase of population contraction in which
cultural emulation is observed among lithic tool kits in the socio-economic value placed on large blades.
The Early Upper Magdalenian coincides with the renewed settlement of the north Aquitaine plains.
Among the technological innovations observed is the development of lithic points on small blades,
leading to a first geographical division of the southwest (Aquitaine Basin versus Pyrenees). Finally, the
Late Upper Magdalenian confirms this evolution of lithic equipment with new developments in lithic
armaments in parallel with some easing off of the technical constraints associated with blade production.
This period thus coincides with the progressive dilution of Magdalenian norms. With these four phases
of the Middle and Upper Magdalenian, it is possible to gain a clearer understanding of the sequence of
technical and economic changes observed in an environment in recomposition. At the same time,
population fluctuations over these five millennia can be associated with developing phenomena of
regionalism, particularly in the southwest of France.

This study presents the first cosmogenic 36 Cl surface exposure data from a moraine in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Five limestone boulders from an end moraine in the Galicica Mountains (40.94 N, 20.83 E, 2050 m a.s.l.) were used for cosmogenic 36 Cl surface exposure dating. The 36 Cl concentrations from the five boulders are identical within their measurement uncertainties ruling out major effects of inheritance, erosion, or snow cover. The calculated ages are very consistent ranging from 11.3 ± 1.3 to 12.8 ± 1.4 ka (mean 12 ± 0.6 ka) after applying a Ca-spallation production rate of 56 at g À1 a À1 (LSD scaling) and correction for 5 mm ka À1 carbonate weathering and 2% snow shielding. The applied corrections for weathering and snow shielding cause a shift to older ages in the order of magnitude of ca. 5% on average, making the production rate the main impact on exposure ages. The ages point to a moraine formation during the Younger Dryas period, consistent with the timing of the last deglaciation in the Galicica Mountains derived from previous geomorphological studies in the area. The formation of a glacier was likely favoured by several topoclimatic factors, accounting for additional snow input. This interpretation is in line with regional studies on glaciation chronologies from Sara Range (FYROM/Republic of Kosovo), Retezat Mountains (Romania), Mt. Chelmos (Greece), Mount Orjen (Montenegro) and Durmitor (Montenegro). Lake sediment analyses of Prespa (Republic of Albania/ FYROM/Greece), Maliq (Republic of Albania) and Dojran lakes (FYROM/Greece) indicate that cold conditions promoted the formation of a local cirque glacier. However, studies of sediment records of the adjacent lakes Ohrid (Republic of Albania/FYROM) and Prespa do not indicate the presence of a proximal glaciation. An explanation might be a combination of the small size of the cirque glacier, generating only small amounts of debris, and the karstic bedrock, which hampers fluvial transport and acts by its aquifer system as a natural sediment trap, as the fluvial transport of the sediments to the lakes is absorbed by the karst system.

Le gisement de Peyrazet est localisé dans le Sud-Ouest de la France, au sein du Haut-Quercy, région de contact du Bassin aquitain avec le Massif Central. Plus précisément, la grotte est située dans la vallée de la Dordogne, entre les causses de Martel au nord et Gramat au sud . Elle s'ouvre à 350 mètres du lit actuel de la Dordogne et surplombe d'une vingtaine de mètres la plaine alluviale

Il settore più settentrionale del Mare Adriatico, data la bassa pendenza del suo fondale, è un'area particolarmente sensibile alle variazioni del livello marino che, durante il Quaternario recente, hanno causato importanti cambiamenti paleoambientali. Questa zona, situata tra l'Istria, il Carso e la Pianura Veneto-Friulana, è suddivisa tra le acque territoriali italiane, slovene e croate e, nel passato, tale frammentazione amministrativa ha fortemente limitato gli studi. Nel maggio 2012 un team di ricercatori italiani e sloveni ha effettuato il rilevamento della piattaforma slovena e italiana a bordo della nave oceanografica "Urania". Durante la crociera, denominata NAD2012, sono state acquisite circa 400 NM di profili sismo acustici CHIRP-sonar e, nelle acque italiane, sono stati effettuati 10 carotaggi a gravità. I nuovi dati hanno consentito di osservare in continuità la transizione stratigrafica tra la pianura alluvionale friulana e la costa rocciosa dell'Istria. L'assetto generale del Nord Adriatico era stato recentemente ricostruito grazie ai dati geofisici, batimetrici e stratigrafici raccolti durante altre crociere effettuate per la realizzazione della Carta Geologica dei Mari Italiani [Trincardi et al., 2011].

Grotta di Pozzo is a small cave at 720 m asl and 42◦ N in the Apennine range of Abruzzo (Central Italy), formerly
opening on the edge of a now drained large lake, the Lake Fucino. The archaeological sequence starts on the top
of a fluvial-lacustrine deposit at 23,000 cal. BP, with layers including lithic industry of the Early Epigravettian.
Later on, from 15,500 cal. BP and up to 14,000 cal. BP, the lithics belong to the Final Epigravettian. Previous
zooarchaeological analysis provided evidence of the seasonal hunting of chamois, followed by ibex and red deer,
as well as marmot and black grouse, while trout eventually became another important food resource. Here we
analyse the lithic industry in order to identify the projectile points using analysis under the microscope coupled
with access to a reference collection and with experimental training. We conclude that microlithic backed tools
were definitely projectile points, as widely assumed in the case of the Epigravettian but rarely confirmed by
focused investigation. Furthermore, use-wears due to hafting suggest that after the Last Glacial Maximum the
hunting gear possibly included complex weapons in the mountain environment of the Central Apennine.

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We provide a geomorphological analysis of a glacial valley on Mount Pelister, in Macedonia. Three boulders from a frontal moraine were dated with the cosmogenic nuclide isotope 10 Be. The results demonstrate that the boulders have been exposed since 15.24 ± 0.85 ka. This age constrains the formation of the frontal moraine to the Oldest Dryas cold event. This age fits with that of other glacier deposits dated to the Older Dryas in the Alps, Balkans, Carpathians and Turkish mountains. The Pelister palaeoglacier has been reconstructed and its equilibrium line altitude extracted, returning a value of 2250 m a.s.l. This is in good agreement with the equilibrium line altitudes of most other reconstructed glaciers of the same age in the circum-Mediterranean mountains, demonstrating a comparable response to the Oldest Dryas event. Other palaeoenvironmental records near the Pelister mountain indicate that the Older Dryas was here characterized by a cold and remarkably dry event. The temporal relationship between Older Dryas glacier advances in the Balkan region and recorded changes in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the Laurentide Ice Sheet massive ice discharge (H1 event) confirms the strong climatic link between the pan-Mediterranean regions and the North Atlantic Ocean.

A 19 cal ka BP pollen and charcoal record from Lake Shaman (44°S; 71°W, Chile) was analyzed to establish vegetation, fire and climate dynamics of the forest-steppe ecotone in Central Chilean Patagonia. Lake Shaman record indicates that the upper Río Cisnes valley was free of ice at around 19 cal ka BP. From this date and until 14.8 cal ka BP, a grass steppe with high proportions of shrubs associated to colder and drier conditions than present developed in this area. A continuous increase of Nothofagus accompanied by a decline in the steppe shrubs and sudden dominance of paludal over aquatic plants from 11 cal ka BP was associated to effective moisture increase but still under modern values. The replacement of the cold-dry grass-shrub steppe by a similar-than-present forest-steppe ecotone suggests an increase in temperature indicating the onset of the Holocene. At the same time, moderate fire activity suggested by the charcoal record could be related to major fuel availability as consequence of Nothofagus forest expansion. Between 8 and 3 cal ka BP, the record indicates the easternmost position of the forest-steppe ecotone suggesting the highest effective moisture with the establishment of seasonality between 5 and 3 cal ka BP. From 3 cal ka BP, the record indicates a retraction of the forest-steppe ecotone accompanied by a high pollen record variability and an increased fire activity. These late changes suggest decreased effective moisture associated with a high climatic variability. At regional and extra-regional scale, climatic changes at Lake Shaman's record are mostly associated to changes (latitudinal shifts and/or strengthening/weakening) of past Southern Westerlies that were previously recorded along Patagonia from the Lateglacial to the mid-Holocene. During the Late Holocene, a regional pattern characterized by high record variability emerges throughout Central Chilean Patagonia. This variability would be related to (1) low magnitude Southern Westerlies changes probably associated to ENSO and/or SAM or (2) the complex relationships between vegetation, fire and human occupations during the last 3 cal ka.► A 19 ka BP forest-steppe ecotone record at Central Chilean Patagonia is presented. ► The forest-steppe ecotone reached its easternmost location during the Mid-Holocene. ► Maximum precipitation values were recorded between 8 and 3 ka BP. ► Vegetation changes at Lake Shaman reflect Southern Westerlies dynamics. ► High climate variability characterized the Late-Holocene at Central Chilean Patagonia.

The presence of rock and portable art on Sicily has been recognized since World War II. This record has been unanimously attributed to the Upper Palaeolithic in the published literature, based almost uniquely on stylistic reasoning. Here we present the first absolute dates in direct association with the Sicilian art record. These data provide new insights into the life of Southern European hunter-gatherers and their relationships with coeval groups from Western Europe, contributing a fresh perspective on the ongoing discussion about the development and coexistence of different art traditions in Europe during the final phases of the Pleistocene and at the beginning of the Holocene.

Abstract-dies carried out at the open air site of Casera Staulanza (Val di Zoldo, Belluno). The main occupation more than 11.000 lithic artefacts-refers to the Late Epigravettian (around 13.000-11.500 years ago). Dolomite settlement that we know so far.