Paleoenvironmental and climatic reconstructions are reported for latest Pleistocene (Paleolithic) contexts from the Swabian Jura of southwestern Germany. In particular, we focus on the late glacial ...interval, ~18,000 to 11,600 cal yr BP, using faunal remains from Langmahdhalde, a recently excavated Late Magdalenian site in the Lone Valley. We use two different proxies for reconstruction: (1) stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of bone collagen from reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and horse (Equus ferus) and (2) the application of a bioclimatic model to the micromammal assemblage from the site. We use these results to discuss the environmental context of Magdalenian hunter-gatherers in the Lone Valley and argue that, although they generally lived in tundra environments, their landscape was heterogeneous and likely had pockets of trees and/or denser vegetation. Our study documents warmer winter temperatures, increased precipitation, and longer vegetative activity periods than those of modern tundra environments.
•Latest Pleistocene paleoenvironments are reconstructed for Swabian Jura, Germany.•The environment was tundra but with areas of denser vegetation, including trees.•It had greater annual precipitation and longer periods of vegetative activity than modern tundra.•Habitats were likely more heterogeneous with higher species diversity than modern tundra.•Heterogeneous habitats likely made Magdalenian settlement of the region more successful.
The symbolic behavior of human beings usually is manifested in different ways such as figurative art, musical traditions, spoken language or complex funerary behavior. The Paleolithic sites of the ...Swabian Jura contain a rich archaeological record including the oldest evidence of musical instruments and figurative art which indicates complex cognitive abilities of the Paleolithic Homo sapiens that colonized Europe. Nevertheless, there is no evidence for burials in the Swabian caves during the Paleolithic. This raises questions regarding the kind of mortuary practices that existed in this region during the Paleolithic. In this paper, we address these questions from a taphonomic perspective by analyzing the hominin remains recovered in caves of the Swabian Jura. Whatever the funerary behavior was during the Early and Middle Upper Paleolithic, we have no evidence to document these practices. The Magdalenian hominin remains from Brillenhöhle, however, display anthropic modifications that have been hotly debated in the past. Our taphonomic analysis indicates that the assemblage displays traces of butchery similar to those recorded in the faunal remains. In addition to the cut marks, we have documented intentional breakage and human tooth marks, suggesting that the consumption of human corpses took place during the Magdalenian at Brillenhöhle. Similar anthropic modifications have also been documented in Magdalenian horizon at Hohle Fels. This suggests that the cannibalism practices during the Magdalenian were more common than previously expected during the Magdalenian in the Swabian Jura.
•The Swabian Jura contains several sites with a rich Paleolithic archaeological record.•This region is well known for containing early evidence of symbolic behavior.•There is no evidence for Paleolithic burials in the Swabian Jura.•In this work we study the hominin remains from a taphonomic perspective.•Cannibalism has been documented in the Magdalenian horizons.
The nature of the connection between the Eastern California shear zone (ECSZ) and the San Andreas fault (SAF) in southern California (western United States) is not well understood. Northwest of San ...Gorgonio Pass, strands of the ECSZ may be migrating south and west into the convergent zone of the San Bernardino Mountains (SBM) as it is advected to the southeast via the SAF. Using high-resolution topography and field mapping, this study aims to test whether diffuse faults within the SBM represent a nascent connection between the ECSZ and the SAF. Topographic resolution of ≤1 m was achieved using both lidar and unmanned aerial vehicle surveys along two Quaternary strike-slip faults. The Lone Valley fault enters the SBM from the north and may form an along-strike continuation of the Helendale fault. We find that its geomorphic expression is obscured where it crosses Quaternary alluvium, however, suggesting that it may have a low rate of yet-undetermined activity. The Lake Peak fault is located farther south and cuts through the high topography of the San Gorgonio massif and may merge with strands of the SAF system. We find that this fault clearly cuts Quaternary glacial deposits, although the magnitude of offset is difficult to assess. Based on our interpretation of geomorphic features, we propose that the Lake Peak fault has predominantly dextral or oblique-dextral motion, possibly with a slip rate that is comparable to the low rates observed along other strands of the ECSZ (i.e., ≤1 mm/yr). Comparing the geomorphic expressions of these faults is difficult, however, given that the erosive nature of the mountainous landscape in the SBM may obscure evidence of active faulting. Based on these observations, as well as the occurrence of other diffuse faults in the region, we suggest that dextral strain is overprinting the actively convergent zone of the SBM, thereby creating a throughgoing connection between the ECSZ and the SAF west of San Gorgonio Pass.
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