Abstracts / Quaternary International 279-280 (2012) 121–232 181

(40Ar/39Ar) and the fourth at 983
17 ka (K-Ar) and 988
25 (40Ar/39Ar). They are also an excellent marker of socioeconomic response to environ-
40
Ar/39Ar ages and K-Ar ages are indistinguishable at 2s. The age of the mental stress. According to our findings the emergence of new settlement
upper boundary of the Jaramillo event calculated combining 40Ar/39Ar ages phases and the intensified foraging could have been correlated with
and K-Ar ages is 991
7 ka, in agreement with previous estimates. alteration in stream properties.

ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN ADAPTION DURING THE EARLY EXTENT AND CHRONOLOGY OF THE LAST GLACIATION IN LITHUANIA
NEOLITHIC OF THE CARPATHIAN BASIN: A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL
MODEL OF THE KÖRÖS-AVK TRANSITION Rimante Guobyte. Department of Geology and Mineralogy of Vilnius U,
Lithuania
Sándor Gulyás. University of Szeged, Department of Geology and Pa, Hungary E-mail address: rimante.guobyte@lgt.lt
E-mail address: gulyas-sandor@t-online.hu
After the revision of the Quaternary geological and geomorphological
Understanding the climatic and paleoenvironmental context within which maps at a scale of 1:200,000 in 1998 and 2002, a number of ice-marginal
major cultural transformations have occurred is one of the most critical moraine ridges from the Last Glaciation was removed from the map
aspects of interpreting human cultural development. One of the most because their presence was not confirmed by the interpretation of large-
significant cultural transformations in European prehistory occurred in the scale aerial photographs or by field investigations. Only geo-
middle of the 6th millennium BC in the heart of the Carpathian Basin. The morphologically and geologically well-established marginal ridges and
northward expansion of Mediterranean farming groups (Starlevo-Körös- other glacial features marking ice advance and its retreat margins are
Cri cultural complex) came to a halt and underwent a complete trans- interpreted as Last Glaciation stadial or phase limits. Over thirty sites with
formation giving rise to a new cultural group which spread the Neolithic the late glacial sediments dated using optically stimulated luminescence
package to the rest of Western Europe. This happened along a boundary, (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL), cosmogenium beryllium (10Be) and
north of which unfavorable ecological conditions prevented the long-term radiocarbon (14C) dating methods provide the chronology for the
engagement in a Mediterranean type of agriculture. This transformation is Weichselian deglaciation phases in Lithuania. The Late Nemunas (Weich-
observable in sites along the referred borderline alone. The culture selian) ice advance had reached its maximum limits in south-eastern
remained relatively unaltered in the southern parts of the basin. The Lithuania at c. 21-22 ka. The Late Nemunas ice advance comprises two
majority of Early Neolithic sites in eastern Hungary are found in an alluvial parts, i.e. the Grida Stadial (the older) and the Baltija Stadial. However, they
setting experiencing biannual floods. According to geoarcheological data, can only be distinguished using lithostratigraphical criteria. According to
there was a displacement of settlements onto flood-free natural highs 10Be age evidence, the retreat of the Grida ice margin began no later than
parallel with the evolution of the Körös culture. This may imply a possible 18.3
0.8 ka. The major part of the present topography of Lithuania was
shift in the quality of adjacent water bodies as a potential trigger in formed during the Baltija Stadial which is correlated with Pomeranian
adaptation. In order to test this a multiproxy paleoecological analysis of Stage. The retreat age of the Baltija moraine is 14.0
0.4 ka. Three ice-
mollusk remains from sites along the referred borderline has been marginal zones distinguished to the north-west of the Baltija Uplands
implemented. Since freshwater mollusks collected by humans in them- indicate South Lithuanian, Mid-Lithuanian and North-Lithuanian ice
selves characterize the quality of the water body from which they derive. retreat and re-advance phases of the Pomeranian ice sheet. The 10Be ages
On the other hand they also express the importance of second-line of these phases are: South-Lithuanian 13.1
0.5 ka, Middle Lithuanian 13.5
resources in subsistence, which is generally an excellent marker of socio-
0.6 ka, North Lithuanian 13.3
0.7 ka respectively. Most part of the
economic response to environmental stress. Based on our findings a clear recently acquired data shows that the Middle Lithuanian, Linkuva and
alteration in local stream properties was identified coevally with the Pajiris ice-push moraine ridges were probably produced by fast-moving,
referred cultural transformation which could have been correlated with local ice-lobe re-advances into areas of dead, almost melted ice.
climatic perturbations recorded in other paleoarchives.
DROWNED LANDSCAPES IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL: RECORDS OF
FARMING OR FORAGING? NEW ENVIRONMENTAL DATA TO THE LIFE CATASTROPHIC MEGAFLOODS AND MARINE PROCESSES
AND ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION OF LATE NEOLITHIC TELL
COMMUNITIES (TISZA CULTURE) IN SE HUNGARY Sanjeev Gupta. Imperial College, United Kingdom
E-mail address: s.gupta@imperial.ac.uk
Sándor Gulyás. University of Szeged, Department of Geology and Pa, Hungary
E-mail address: gulyas-sandor@t-online.hu Late Quaternary sea-level fluctuations exposed large expanses of the
continental shelf during glacial periods resulting in the formation and
The turn of the 6th and 5th millenia BC witnessed probably the largest preservation of distinctive relict subaerial and coastal geomorphic features.
economic and cultural transformation of SE Europe, giving rise to a new Shelf valley systems are particularly prominent features, and provide
technocomplex occupying the alluvial plains of the Tisza River and its a critical interface between fully marine and alluvial depositional realms.
tributaries in the southern parts of the Carpathian Basin. Representatives Their importance lies in their potential to record the interaction of base-
of the Tisza Culture were engaged in intensive farming complemented level fluctuations and climatically controlled variation in sediment input
with foraging creating a complex system of hierarchical multilayered from river catchments. Linkage of results from new technologies to explore
settlements (tells). The favorable natural endowments of the sites with the offshore realm with onshore findings are significantly enhancing our
a large variety of multiple ecotones ideal for multifocal subsistence, as well understand of the evolution of sediment routing systems during the late
as the introduction of new farming techniques ensured the establishment Quaternary. Here we examine drowned landscapes on the English Channel
of long-term sedentary lifeways. However, according to the archeology, continental shelf to reconstruct the morphology of shelf valley systems,
a major shift in subsistence happened towards the end of the Late Neolithic and show how this can be linked to the larger-scale evolution of sedi-
marking the terminal part of the evolution of the culture. Traditional crop mentary systems during glacial cycles. We use a suite of high-resolution
cultivation was gradually abandoned and hunting, animal husbandry bathymetry data derived from single-beam and multibeam sonar surveys
gained more importance. Probably other second-line sources like fish and of the English Channel to map the morphology, distribution and dimen-
shellfish displayed a similar pattern. Finally, tells were disintegrated and sions of relict landscape elements that record evidence for large-scale
a new cultural group emerged characterized by pastoralism. The exact subaerial flood erosion of the present-day bedrock seafloor of the Channel.
background of these transformations is still unknown. In order to see These data extend from the Dover Strait to the central English Channel
whether or not potential transformations in the local alluvial environment enabling a synoptic view of the system. These landforms are comparable to
had some role in shaping human behavior, a multiproxy paleoecological features associated with catastrophic flooding in the Channeled Scabland
analysis was implemented on mollusk material of one of the largest tell in the western USA, and other regions that have experienced catastrophic
sites of SE Hungary. Freshwater mollusks collected by humans in them- megaflooding. These observations support the megaflood model, in which
selves characterize the quality of the water body from which they derive. breaching of a rock dam at the Dover Strait instigated catastrophic drainage
182 Abstracts / Quaternary International 279-280 (2012) 121–232

of a large pro-glacial lake in the Southern North Sea basin. We discuss this (beetles) includes species that are valuable indicators for disturbances
interpretation in the light of more regional considerations of the late such as grazing, forest fires and inundations; forest structures such as
Quaternary palaeogeographic evolution of NW Europe. openness, and woodland components including leaf litter and dead wood.
However, taphonomic as well as ecological factors are extremely impor-
LARGE-SCALE RIVER CHANNEL SHIFTS ON THE WESTERN INDO- tant in governing whether these indicator species are found in palae-
GANGETIC PLAINS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BRONZE-AGE oarchives. These problems, as well as local landscape reconstructions,
HARAPPAN CIVILISATION SETTLEMENT PATTERNS were studied in an analysis of surface samples from a number of sites in
Southern Sweden situated within or adjacent to pastures or woodland. The
Sanjeev Gupta. Imperial College, United Kingdom presence of obligate dung beetles correlates strongly with relatively
E-mail address: s.gupta@imperial.ac.uk intense grazing. Obligate woodland and dead wood species were only
found at sites within wooded areas. These results provide us with
The distribution of settlements in ancient societies is commonly linked to a stronger empirical basis for the reconstruction of past disturbances and
the courses of large river systems. The Bronze Age Harappan civilisation changes in the structures of ancient landscapes. They are also valuable for
(4800-3500BP) is no exception with the major sites of Harappa and nature conservation strategies and help in discussions on whether
Mohenjo-Daro located along the Indus river system. However, the largest particular landscapes are “natural” or anthropogenic.
collection of Harappan archaeological sites are associated with the
postulated surface trace of a large palaeo-river channel in the drainage LATE GLACIAL AND DEGLACIAL HISTORY OF NORTHERNMOST UNGAVA
divide tract between the Ganges and Indus river systems, where no major AS REVEALED BY PINGUALUIT CRATER LAKE (NUNAVIK, CANADA)
river currently flows. It has been proposed that this palaeo-channel was SEDIMENTS: NEW INSIGHTS FROM A LATE PLEISTOCENE SUBGLACIAL
occupied by a major river sourced in the Himalaya, and that this river LAKE
provided water resources to sustain the extensive Harappan sites located
along its ancient course. The abrupt abandonment of urban centres here Herve Guyard. ISMER, Canada
at w3500 BP has been explained by explanations such as river diversions E-mail address: herve.guyard@UQAR.QC.CA
and abrupt monsoon weakening. These hypotheses have remained
untested because the stratigraphy and chronology of the postulated The Pingualuit crater was formed by a meteoritic impact ca. 1.4 million
palaeochannel has never been determined. Here we present an integrated years ago in the terrestrial Canadian Arctic. The Pingualuit Crater Lake
study of the Ghaggar-Hakra palaeochannel based on detailed analysis in (depth ¼ 270 m) promises to yield a unique continuous sedimentary
NW India. We use a combination of satellite image analysis, subsurface sequence covering several glacial/interglacial cycles due to its geographical
geophysical analysis and detailed sediment coring to analyse the large- position at the center of successive North American ice sheets and its basin
scale planform geometry, and detailed sedimentary and stratigraphic morphometry (shape and depth). Hydraulic potentials were computed
nature of the postulated palaeochannel in NW India. In particular we using LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) ice-surface elevation and bed derived
focus our analysis on a tract of the proposed channel adjacent to the from a digital elevation model. The modeling results indicate the existence
major Harappan urban centre of Kalibangan in Rajastan State. We will a subglacial lake at least during the LGM. Here, we discuss the radiocarbon-
consider how changes in the course of the palaeochannel may have based stratigraphy and facies of a 9 m-long core retrieved from the deep
influenced settlement patterns of the Harappan civilisation in present day basin of the lake and present a multiproxy reconstruction of the last glacial
NW India. and deglacial history in northernmost Nunavik (Québec, Canada).

THE POTENTIAL FOR OSL DATING USING SIGNALS FROM ZIRCON THE DATED CHRONOLOGY AND EURASIAN ICE SHEET RECONSTRUCTIONS
INCLUSIONS WITHIN QUARTZ
Richard Gyllencreutz. Stockholm University, Sweden
E-mail address: richard.gyllencreutz@geo.su.se
Benny Guralnik. ETH, Switzerland
E-mail address: benny.guralnik@gmail.com
DATED is the name of our database and GIS with dates and geo-
Quartz with immature sedimentary histories, as found within and around morphologic features that are relevant for the Eurasian ice sheets through
most young mountain ranges such as the Alps, the Andes and the Hima- the Last Glacial Maximum and the following deglaciation. All elements
layas, has what is considered at present to be poor or anomalous lumi- incorporated in the database are from published sources. Based on the
nescence properties that restrict it from being successfully used for dating DATED database, we made time-slice reconstructions of the Eurasian ice
(Preusser et al., 2009). At the same time, many developmental OSL appli- sheet configuration at thousand-year intervals between 25 and 10 thou-
cations, including OSL surface exposure dating (Habermann et al., 2000) or sand calendar years ago, with error estimates based on the data limita-
OSL-thermochronology (Herman et al., 2010), involve direct measure- tions. These include dating uncertainty, geographic and stratigraphic
ments of this poorly understood “bedrock” quartz. Here, we present and correlations, and lack of data, which all had to be translated into a pure ice
evaluate the results of a combined geochemical and luminescence study, margin location uncertainty at the fixed time slice age. In DATED
which ties the observed infrared stimulation signals (IRSL) from “bedrock”
quartz (commonly interpreted as “feldspar contamination”) to zircon - Data and reconstructions are stored in a digital format, easily
inclusions within the quartz grains. We explore the potential to decon- incorporated into models
volve and separate the signals of the two minerals using time-resolved - References are supplied for all data, facilitating validation,
pulsed OSL (e.g. Ankjaergaard et al., 2010). We envisage that both signals reinterpretation and development
(from zircon inclusions and the host quartz) may prove useful for OSL - The ice sheet reconstructions are supplied with error estimates
dating of sediments and low-temperature thermochronology in mountain
- The database and GIS can be searched using spatial queries, and
ranges and tectonically active areas.
the reconstructions can be used for calculations. As an
example, we calculated the total ice sheet volume for the
MODERN ANALOG STUDIES OF INDICATORS FOR GRAZING, OPENNESS
AND DEAD WOOD IN ANCIENT WOODLANDS OF SOUTHERN SWEDEN Eurasian ice sheets in each time slice, based on established
area-volume relationships in modern ice sheets and ice caps.
Gunnar Gustavsson. Linnaeus University, Sweden These were calculated separately for each ice sheet for the max,
E-mail address: gunnar.gustavsson@kommunen.varberg.se probable and min reconstructions, giving three sums of volume
in each time slice (max, prob, and min).
Palaeoecological interpretations mainly rely on information about the
present habitat requirements of plant and animal species, or species The first version of the DATED database, GIS, and reconstructions will be
assemblages associated with modern ecosystems. The order Coleoptera made available on the internet during 2011. This will significantly facilitate