middle to late epipaleolithic hunter gatherer encampments at the ashalim site on a linear dune like morphology along dunefield margin water bodies abstract this study presents distinct and small task specific sites associated with the middle to late epipalaeolithic period exposed during a salvage project at the site of ashalim at the fringe of the northwestern negev desert dunefield israel six areas spanning the geometric kebaran to harifian periods were systematically collected upon a unique 4 m high and 100 m wide linear dune like morphology this morphology was a vegetated linear dune that blocked the underlying drainage system and led to the development of standing bodies of water which together with the exposed wet bottom provided fauna and flora resources during the winter and spring the relatively large number of sickle blades and lunates uncovered during the excavations suggest cereal consumption combined with hunting activities ten optically stimulated luminescence osl measurements conducted for the dune like morphology indicate that the occupations of the site post date 15 5 3 1 ka bp while bodies of water were present intermittently until at least 11 ka bp possibly even after the harifian occupation two radiocarbon dates taken from ostrich eggshell fragments that were found upon the flat surface of the dune like morphology further support this time range the current study demonstrates how aeolian fluvial interactions and not necessarily a wetter climate are important for forming conditions conducive for occupation by prehistoric groups in arid zones

sand dunes as a major proximal dust source for late pleistocene loess in the negev desert israel grain size analyses of three hilltop primary eolian loess sequences in the negev desert southern israel show a bimodal grain size distribution at 50 60 m and 3 8 m using analyses of mineralogy and osl ages we demonstrate that the coarse mode is composed mostly of quartz grains and its relative magnitude increases regionally with time suggesting an enhancement of a time transgressive proximal dust source compared to a distal saharan fine grain dust the only proximal dust source for large amount of coarse silt quartz grains is the sands that advanced into sinai and the negev concurrently with the loess accretion during the late pleistocene as a result of the exposure of the mediterranean shelf we therefore propose that the coarse silt quartz grains were formed through eolian abrasion within the margins of an advancing sand sea this relationship between desert sand seas as a source for proximal coarse dust and desert margin loess deposits can be applicable to other worldwide deserts such as northern africa china and australia

enhanced saharan dust input to the levant during heinrich stadials abstract the history of dust transport to the levant during the last glacial period is reconstructed using the isotope ratios of pb sr nd and hf in sediments of lake lisan the last glacial dead sea exposed marginal sections of the lisan formation were sampled near masada the perazim valley and from a core drilled at the deep floor of the modern lake bulk samples and size fractions display unique isotopic fingerprints the finest detritus fraction 87 sr 86 sr and lower end values 0 710 0 713 and 7 0 to 9 8 respectively relative to the coarser fractions 5 20 m and 206 pb 204 pb 207 pb 204 pb and 208 pb 204 pb ratios 18 26 19 02 15 634 15 68 and 38 25 38 82 respectively are systematically higher in the finest detritus fraction relative to corresponding coarser fractions and bulk samples the 87 sr 86 sr and end values of the finest fraction correspond with those of atmospheric dust originating from the sahara desert while those of the coarse fractions are similar to loess deposits exposed in the sinai and negev deserts pronounced excursions in the sr nd pb isotope ratios toward more sahara like values coincide with the heinrich h stadials 6 5 and 1 reflecting significant increases in saharan dust fluxes during regionally arid intervals reflected by sharp lake level drops moreover during h6 the dust came from different saharan sources than during h1 and h5 while the relatively wet glacial climate in the levant suppressed the transport of dust to the lake watershed short term hyper arid spells during h stadial intervals were accompanied by enhanced supply of fine sahara dust to this region

a very large camel from the upper pleistocene of the negev desert abstract bones of an upper pleistocene camelus have been found in the northwestern negev they are of particular interest because they are larger than those of all the old world camel species since the plio pleistocene and they are very much larger than the few fossil camels already known from the middle east it is suggested that they represent the only c thomasi yet identified outside africa

source of fluorine and petrogenesis of the rio grande rift type barite fluorite galena deposits abundant fluorite in the rio grande rift barite fluorite galena deposits is anomalous in comparison to typical mississippi valley type mvt deposits the source of fluorine in these deposits is controversial we have tested two hypothesized sources for the origin of fluorine in these deposits including release of gaseous hf from magmas associated with rifting and the leaching of fluorine from proterozoic basement granites that underlie the deposits in this study chlorine isotopes were measured from fluorite fluid inclusions from eight rio grande rift deposits stable chlorine isotope ratios were used as a proxy for determining the possible source of the fluorine because chlorine unlike fluorine has more than one isotope and thus can be used as an isotopic tracer chlorine and fluorine exhibit chemically similar behavior and therefore are likely to be derived from the same source if chlorine is associated with rift related magmatism as a complement to the chlorine isotope measurements br cl ratios were measured from the fluorite fluid inclusions and applied as additional tracers in addition sr and nd isotopes were measured from fluorites regionally related granites carbonates and asthenospheric basalts to aid in understanding the petrogenesis of rio grande rift deposits sr and nd isotope ratios of the fluorites 87 sr 86 sr 0 71986 0 74078 143 nd 144 nd 0 51177 0 51234 are distinctly different from local basalts 87 sr 86 sr 0 70304 0 70465 143 nd 144 nd 0 51277 0 51297 and pennsylvanian limestones 87 sr 86 sr 0 70858 0 72926 143 nd 144 nd 0 51198 0 51245 but similar to the proterozoic bingham granite 87 sr 86 sr 0 73285 143 nd 144 nd 0 51208 the relatively radiogenic sr and unradiogenic nd signatures of the fluorites indicate that the sr and nd were derived largely from a granitic source with some influence from a carbonate and or asthenospheric source this is consistent with previously published pb isotope data on galena from hansonburg mining district 37 cl values from fluorite fluid inclusions range from 0 66 to 3 07 per mil relative to smoc and the br cl ratio by weight for all the fluorite samples ranges between 0 00008 and 0 00050 except for san diego mountain which has a relatively high br cl ratio of 0 00242 the positive correlation between fluorite 37 cl and br cl ratio is attributed to mixing of cl from asthenospheric magmatic and evaporite sources the calculated range of cl derived from an asthenospheric source is 40 to 49 percent for the mex tex mine sample and between 13 and 35 percent for the sunshine no 2 sample these ranges in the asthenospheric component of cl probably represent minimum possible values because f and cl closely follow one another during magma degassing and exhibit similar chemical behavior the presence of asthenospheric cl is consistent with an asthenospheric magmatic source of f in the rio grande rift deposits

timing and hydrological conditions of sapropel events in the eastern mediterranean as evident from speleothems soreq cave israel this paper explores the connection between the timing of sapropel events in the eastern mediterranean sea and the time of low 18o events in speleothems of the soreq cave israel a new well dated 18o and 13c profile of the soreq cave speleothems for the last 140 kyr reveals five prominent low 18o events dated at 124 to 119 kyr with the main peak at 122 kyr event v 108 to 100 kyr with peaks at 107 and 102 kyr event iv 85 to 79 kyr with peak at 80 kyr event iii 55 to 52 kyr with a peak at 54 kyr event ii and 8 5 to 7 kyr with peaks at 8 5 and 7 kyr event i these events are characteristic of period of enhanced rainfall in the eastern mediterranean area particularly so for events v and i where the marked decrease in 18o and the correspondingly marked increase in 13c indicate very wet conditions the chronology of the low 18o events v iv iii and i match the ages estimated for the formation of sapropels s5 s4 s3 and s1 which are also associated with high hydrological activity thus it is suggested that the low 18o events in the soreq cave speleothems constrain the maximum duration of the sapropel formation pollen data from the sapropel layers and the isotopic pattern of the speleothems indicate that sapropels s5 and s1 were deposited during very wet periods when there were major decrease in the sea surface salinity coupled with frost free winters and drought free summers sapropels s4 and s3 were formed during periods of increased precipitation but ones in which the general climate was mediterranean semi arid

the difference in chemical composition of the 1962 lava from miyakezima magma reservoir in japan many examples of mixed magmas in banded lavas have been studied another type of mixed magmas or inhomogeneity of magma reservoir found in the 1962 lava flows of miyake zima volcano erupted from fissures is reported

organization of lithic technology at ein qashish a late middle paleolithic open air site in israel abstract ein qashish eq is a late middle paleolithic 60 ka open air site located in the yizra el valley east of mt carmel at the geographic center between some of the major middle paleolithic cave sites in northern israel three seasons of excavation at the site revealed a small faunal collection and a diverse lithic assemblage in this paper we discuss the composition reduction technology and raw material curation strategies represented in the assemblage the assemblage is flake dominated with low frequencies of retouched artifacts and of cores several reduction sequences were identified products of levallois methods appear in low frequencies the modified artifacts include lightly retouched flakes and blades side scrapers truncations and burins the low frequencies of primary elements core trimming elements and cores suggest that only part of the reduction sequence took place on site side scrapers may have been imported into the locality in contrast short non levallois reduction sequences were applied on site the expedient nature of the retouch and of local reduction sequences suggests that the site represents an ephemeral occupation s on the banks of the qishon stream the nature of the lithic assemblage is not consistent with specific tasks such as butchery or hunting technological aspects of the assemblage and its composition bear similarities to those observed in habitation sites found in caves in the late middle paleolithic

three dimensional spherical models of convection in the earth s mantle three dimensional spherical models of mantle convection in the earth reveal that upwelling cylindrical plumes and downwelling planar sheets are the primary features of mantle circulation thus subduction zones and descending sheetlike slabs in the mantle are fundamental characteristics of thermal convection in a spherical shell and are not merely the consequences of the rigidity of the slabs which are cooler than the surrounding mantle cylindrical mantle plumes that cause hotspots such as hawaii are probably the only form of active upwelling and are therefore not just secondary convective currents separate from the large scale mantle circulation active sheetlike upwellings that could be associated with mid ocean ridges did not develop in the model simulations a result that is in agreement with evidence suggesting that ridges are passive phenomena resulting from the tearing of surface plates by the pull of descending slabs

transition from arid to hyper arid environment in the southern levant deserts as recorded by early pleistocene cummulic aridisols abstract the time at which deserts established their current arid or hyper arid conditions remains a fundamental question regarding the history of earth cosmogenic isotope exposure ages of desert pavement and welded calcic gypsic salic reg soils that developed on relatively flat alluvial surfaces 2 ma ago in the negev desert indicate long geomorphic stability under extremely dry conditions over a short interval during their initial stage of development between 1 2 ma these cumulative soils are characterized by calcic soils reaching maximum stage iii of carbonate morphology this interval is the only period when calcic soil horizons formed on stable abandoned alluvial surfaces in the southern negev desert since 1 ma pedogenesis changed toward more arid soil environment and the formation of gypsic salic soil horizons that were later followed by dust accumulation the dichotomy of only moderately developed calcic soil stages ii iii during a relatively long time interval 105 106 years indicates an arid environment that does not support continuous development but only occasional calcic soil formation the very low 18o and relatively high 13c values of these early pedogenic carbonates support soil formation under arid climatic conditions such an environment was probably characterized by rare and relatively longer duration rainstorms which occasionally allowed deeper infiltration of rainwater and longer retention of soil moisture this in turn enabled the growth of sparse vegetation that enhanced deposition of pedogenic carbonate at 1 ma these rare events of slightly wetter conditions ceased and less atmospheric moisture reached the southern negev desert leading to deposition of soluble salts and dust deposited in the soils the combination of long term hyperaridity scarcity of vegetation and lack of bioturbation salts cementation dust accumulation and tight desert pavement cover has protected the surfaces from erosion forming one of the most remarkably stable landscapes on earth a landscape that essentially has not eroded but accumulated salt and dust for more than 106 yr

sea land oxygen isotopic relationships from planktonic foraminifera and speleothems in the eastern mediterranean region and their implication for paleorainfall during interglacial intervals the oxygen and carbon stable isotope compositions of cave speleothems provide a powerful method for understanding continental climate change here we examine the question of the regionality of this isotopic record and its linkage with the marine isotopic record in the eastern mediterranean em region the study presents a new accurately dated 250 kyr 18o and 13c record determined from speleothems of the peqiin cave northern israel its comparison with the continuous 185 kyr isotopic record of the soreq cave speleothems from central israel reveals striking similarities thus a strong regional climatic signal brought about by variations in temperature and rainfall amount is reflected in both cave records low 18o minima in the peqiin profile for the last 250 to 185 kyr period interglacial marine isotopic stage 7 match the timing of sapropels 9 to 7 and are indicative of high rainfall in the em region at these times the combined soreq and peqiin 18o record for the last 250 kyr excellently matches the published globigerinoides ruber g ruber marine 18o record for the em sea with the isotopic compositional difference g ruber speleothems remaining relatively constant at 5 6 0 7 thus establishing for the first time a robust exploitable link between the land and the marine isotopic records the correspondence of low 18o speleothem values and high cave water stands with low g ruber 18o values during interglacial sapropel events indicates that these periods were characterized by enhanced rainfall in the em land and sea regions by use of sea surface temperatures derived from alkenone data as a proxy for land temperatures at the soreq cave we calculate the paleorainfall 18o values and its amounts maximum rainfall and lowest temperature conditions occurred at the beginning of the sapropel events and were followed by decrease in rainfall and increase in temperatures leading to arid conditions the record for the last 7000 yr shows a trend toward increasing aridity and agrees well with climatic and archeological data from north africa and the middle east

the middle to upper paleolithic transition in the southern levant new insights from the late middle paleolithic site of far ah ii israel abstract far ah ii is an open air site in the north western negev desert israel previous excavations in the 1970 s revealed a rich in situ middle paleolithic mp assemblage composed of flint and limestone artifacts animal bones and charcoal renewed excavation at the site were undertaken in 2017 to re date it and provide a more accurate constrain to the sites age as well as collect samples for paleoclimatic proxies our new optically stimulated luminescence and 14c ages together with the stable oxygen isotope signature of the loess sediments constrain the age of the upper archaeological horizon to

middle palaeolithic point technology with a focus on the site of tor faraj jordan mis 3 abstract the manufacture of small and standardised lithic points has been emphasised in debates on modern human origins points produced by striking specifically shaped core surfaces debitage and or by retouching flakes are iconic artefacts of the middle palaeolithic the study of point variation brings together many themes including debates on function on the technology of lithic reduction standardisation and even on putatively symbolic aspects this paper considers in detail the character of point morphology and production at the 60 50 ka site of tor faraj jordan it does so both to consider point technology at this well preserved and excavated southwest asian site which has been suggested to represent one of the most southern limits of neanderthal dispersal but also as a case study with which to consider wider themes of point variability in time and space much recent discussion has focussed on dichotomising precocious points made by modern humans perhaps leading to their global dispersal in contrast to purportedly inferior analogues made by archaic hominins this dichotomy is frequently seen in terms of a distinction between projectile and thrusting technology on the assumption that the normative function of points was as weapon tips and that there is a clear link between size and function many late middle palaeolithic assemblages in the levant which are exclusively associated with neanderthal fossils reflect an emphasis on the production of points by debitage methods here the standardised nature of point production at tor faraj is described further insights into point technology require the development of technological and quantitative rather than typological analyses and the transcendence of simplistic interpretative dichotomies

fluorine and chlorine contents in the lavas and ejecta of the 1986 eruption of izu oshima volcano abstract fluorine and chlorine in 61 rock samples effused by the 1986 eruption of izu oshima volcano were determined to make clear the behavior of volatiles in the magma their f cl variation patterns differ from each other according to the features of the eruption the rocks erupted from the central cone crater a group have very uniform f contents 82 90 g g while cl contents are variable 200 300 g g due to selective degassing of cl after effusion the lavas and ejecta of fissure eruptions on the caldera floor b group have distinctly higher f 92 136 g g and cl 290 400 g g contents than the a group rocks with larger variations strong correlations are seen among their f cl and sio 2 contents these facts can be explained by separation of volatile free and silica poor minerals from the magma forming the a group rocks the products of fissure eruptions on the outer slope of the somma c group have intermediate f 70 126 g g and cl 240 390 g g contents between those of the a and b group but their variations are as large as the b group rocks contrary to the b group samples no correlations are seen among f sio 2 or cl sio 2 only f cl correlation is significant this indicates that the loss of volatiles during magma migration is predominant andesitic to dacitic pumices ejected from the b craters generally have high f contents 148 179 g g but they can be subdivided into two classes according to the cl content the high cl samples 490 560 g g might be derived from the a magma by strong crystallization fractionation on the other hand the low cl samples 40 160 g g must have another origin e g the basement rocks

rethinking emireh cave the lithic technology perspectives abstract the emiran is the earliest technocomplex within the levantine upper palaeolithic sequence it was defined after biased lithic assemblages from el wad and emireh caves by dorothy garrod the term emiran was further adopted and was incorporated into a broader definition known as the initial upper palaeolithic iup that is commonly used as a proxy for identifying human migrations during the middle upper palaeolithic interphase more specifically it is conceived to represent the first arrival of modern humans to the levant from africa arabia as well as being the forbearers for post mousterian entities in south and central europe in this study we reanalyzed the same lithic assemblage from emireh cave that was published by garrod in 1955 as the typical emiran site our technological study shows the assemblage contains at least three distinctive knapping methods levallois broad base blades non levallois and narrow base blade lets in addition there is a substantial number of endscrapers that could not be technologically defined we suggest the assemblage indeed contains an emiran component including emireh points but it also bears mousterian ahmarian and aurignacian components thus the emireh cave lithic assemblage is assorted we propose that the scenario at emireh cave in which emiran and other industries are included in the same layer is likely to be the case in other southern levantine sites where emireh points were noted i e el wad kebara qafzeh it is suggested that the mixture is due to the ephemeral nature of the emiran occupation at these sites

tl dates for the neanderthal site of the amud cave israel abstract age estimates ranging from 50 to 70 ky were obtained for the mousterian deposits of amud cave in israel from thermoluminescence measurements performed on 19 burnt flints the late dates obtained for the stratigraphic layers bearing hominid remains confirm the evidence for the late presence of neanderthals in the levant the dates enable a more effective comparison of the lithic assemblages from amud cave with those of other contemporaneous sites and underline the variability within mousterian lithic industries at the end of the middle palaeolithic in the levant

the lithic tool arsenal of a mousterian hunter the lithic assemblage excavated from the mousterian site of nahal mahanayeem outlet nmo enables us to reconstruct a brief moment in the life of the middle palaeolithic hunter the site located on the eastern bank of the jordan river at its outflow south from the hula valley is a short term task specific hunting location at the shore of the paleo hula lake dated by osl to ca 65 000 years ago the site has yielded a small assemblage of flint artifacts alongside exceptionally well preserved animal bones and botanical remains while only some 1000 artifacts have been counted the lithic assemblage has the highest percentage of tools ever recorded in a levantine mousterian site the primary lithic groups represented are pointed elements over 10 of the entire assemblage and cutting tools over 5 other tool types typical of mousterian sites such as scrapers are either absent or represented in very small numbers the uniqueness of the assemblage is further highlighted by refitted sequences that when combined with technological observations suggest a non levallois blade core like reduction sequence the nmo assemblage represents the tool kit used for the hunting and butchering of large mammals by a group of levantine mousterian hunters it enables us to explore what tool types were selected for slaughtering and carcass processing which tools were brought to the site and which were produced on site what tools were left behind and much more the site was inhabited for a very short period providing an opportunity to study hunting practices and human life ways in a resolution rarely possible for late pleistocene sites

geomorphic changes leading to natural desertification versus anthropogenic land conservation in an arid environment the negev highlands israel the negev highlands in southern israel are currently under an erosive regime causing degradation of soil and vegetation a process which has often been attributed to land mismanagement and overgrazing caused by the local bedouin population to estimate the anthropogenic role in the erosional processes in the negev highlands two similar drainage basins were selected and studied one undisturbed with almost no human impact and the other with intensive human modification including the establishment of roman to early islamic agriculture field observations and luminescence dating indicate that during the late pleistocene glacial period ois 4 and 3 deposition of fluvio loess sediments with minor erosion cycles occurred in the negev highlands severe erosion started during ois 2 and continued into the holocene as the climate shifted during the termination of the pleistocene to the present interglacial phase higher rain intensity generated the incision of gullies and channels into the fine grained alluvial sediments of the previous phase causing extended soil erosion and reducing the natural biomass and the agricultural potential establishment of runoff harvesting farms in the 3rd century interrupted the holocene natural erosion and gully incision and led to the redeposition of up to 3 5 m of fine alluvial loess sediments originating from late pleistocene loess sections this accumulation is not related to any late holocene pluvial climatic phase and is solely the result of farming we conclude that since the end of the pleistocene a dynamic change in the soil rock ratio related to the long term process of adjustment of the geomorphologic system to the holocene climate has been taking place within the drainage basins in the negev highlands the fluvio loess sediments deposited in the region during ois 4 and 3 have been eroding since the latest pleistocene throughout the holocene this process causes degradation of the biomass and agricultural potential and leads onto natural desertification of the region the historical intervention by establishment of runoff harvesting agriculture which as a by product resulted in the accumulation of redeposited loess sediments counteracted the natural trend of soil erosion this was in fact a land conservation act applied by the ancient farmers in the semi arid regions of the middle east deserts this activity and its geomorphic consequences are in contrast to the well documented land degradation trend generated by recent anthropogenic impact on marginal lands elsewhere in any case the human impact either contributing to land degradation or to soil conservation is super imposed on the natural long term trend leading toward desertification

palaeohydrological corridors for hominin dispersals in the middle east 250 70 000 years ago abstract the timing and extent of palaeoenvironmental connections between northeast africa the levant and the arabian peninsula during the middle and late pleistocene are critical to debates surrounding dispersals of hominins including movements of homo sapiens out of africa although there is evidence that synchronous episodes of climatic amelioration during the late middle and late pleistocene may have allowed connections to form between northern africa and western asia a number of palaeoclimate models indicate the continued existence of an arid barrier between northern arabia and the levant here we evaluate the palaeoenvironmental setting for hominin dispersals between and within northeast africa and southwest asia during marine isotope stages mis 7 5 using reconstructions of surface freshwater availability as an environmental proxy we use remotely sensed data to map palaeohydrological features lakes wetlands and rivers across the presently hyper arid areas of northern arabia and surrounding regions integrating these results with palaeoclimate models palaeoenvironmental proxy data and absolute dating to determine when these features were active our analyses suggest limited potential for dispersals during mis 7 and 6 but indicate the formation of a palaeohydrological corridor the tabuk corridor between the levant and the arabian interior during the mis 6 5e glacial interglacial transition and during mis 5e a recurrence of this corridor following a slightly different route also occurred during mis 5a these palaeohydrological and terrestrial data can be used to establish when proposed routes for hominin dispersals became viable furthermore the distribution of arabian archaeological sites with affinities to levantine assemblages some of which are associated with homo sapiens fossils and the relative density of middle palaeolithic assemblages within the tabuk corridor are consistent with it being utilised for dispersals at various times

aggradation incision transition in arid environments at the end of the pleistocene an example from the negev highlands southern israel abstract one of the most significant environmental processes that occurred at the transition from the last glacial phase into the present inter glacial phase in arid regions was the shift from aggradation to incision in the drainage systems this is evident by the sharp transition from a fluvial regime depositing fine grained sediment within the wadis to intensive incision which formed gullies and narrow channels that dissected the late pleistocene sediments in order to investigate this transition we studied three small scale basins in the arid region of the negev highlands southern israel although the selected basins drain toward different base levels their geomorphological parameters particle size distribution of alluvial units and their osl ages are similar sediments from the penultimate glacial cycle are found in patches in the bigger catchments fluvial loess was widely deposited since at least 67 ka until after 28 ka covering valleys and slopes between 28 and 24 ka loess was washed from the slopes into the channels exposing the underlying colluvium at 24 ka erosion began with the transport of slope colluvium as gravels into the valleys that eroded the underlying loess sediments incision became dominant at 12 ka and is still ongoing and intensifying dust and reworked loess continued to be deposited during the main incision stages it is proposed that the transition from aggradation to incision was controlled by rates of loess supply and removal until 24 ka dust choked the drainage system and only after reduction in dust supply was erosion and incision possible it began first on the slopes and then in the channels our results show that an increase in precipitation is not a prerequisite for initiation of incision as is often assumed similar processes are described in other arid zones around the world

significance of primary hilltop loess in reconstructing dust chronology accretion rates and sources an example from the negev desert israel 1 although high latitude loess sequences have been studied extensively for reconstructing past climates loess in desert margins has been mostly overlooked moreover many low latitude loess studies have focused on secondary reworked sequences for which paleoclimatic inferences are complicated owing to postdepositional processes acting under local control in this respect the spatial distribution of the loess and its different types are crucial in this study we differentiate primary and secondary loess using remote sensing and field criteria we present remote sensing and geographic information system procedures for mapping loess distribution in general and for identifying pristine hilltop loess sequences in particular then we present the mineralogical and textural analyses combined with optically stimulated luminescence ages of one such primary hilltop loess sequence in the negev desert that show that the late pleistocene negev loess started accumulating at 95 ka much earlier than previously proposed 70 ka it was preceded by a previously unknown middle pleistocene period of loess formation at 180 130 ka the ages also suggest that the threshold of dust accretion rate needed for loess formation is 0 02 mm a 1 30 g m 2 a 1 a factor of 2 or more lower than previously thought 0 04 to 1 0 mm a 1 our results also provide insights into causes of late pleistocene loess accretion and its close association with regional dune field activity the methodology for mapping the loess distribution may potentially be generalized to help understanding loess formation in other more remote desert areas

new radiocarbon dating of the transition from the middle to the upper paleolithic in kebara cave israel the middle to upper paleolithic transition mp up transition is considered a major technological and cultural threshold at the time when modern humans spread out of africa expanded from the levant into europe and possibly into central and northern asia the dating of this techno cultural transition has proved to be extremely difficult because it occurred sometime before 40 000 radiocarbon years before present 14c years bp which is close to the end of the effective dating range of radiocarbon other dating methods such as thermoluminescence tl or electron spin resonance esr are not sufficiently precise to date the recorded archaeological mp up transition in the levant here we report a consistent set of stratified radiocarbon ages on freshly excavated charcoal from kebara cave mt carmel israel that span the late middle paleolithic mp and early upper paleolithic eup this study applied novel strategies to improve sample preparation techniques and data analysis to obtain high resolution radiocarbon models from this study it is proposed that the mp up transition for this site can be placed immediately after 45 200 700 14c years bp and before 43 600 600 14c years bp or from 49 48 to 47 46 radiocarbon calibrated years before present years cal bp

environmental changes recorded in the upper pleistocene along the desert boundary southern israel abstract most paleoclimatic studies in the middle east and africa suggest large changes in climate during the last 100 000 years a specific area of interest is the record of environmental changes along the desert boundary this study was conducted in such a boundary in the northern negev israel sedimentological evidence and the 18 o 16 o 13 c 12 c and 14 c content of carbonate nodules formed within the sediments were examined data obtained in two study areas 35 km apart suggest that while soil formation was occurring in the northwest only fluviatile and lake deposition occurred to the southeast the results of this study suggest that during the late pleistocene the boundary was much steeper than in the holocene the period before 35 000 yr b p periodically was wetter than at present with freshwater lakes and soil covered by c 3 plants a change to a more arid condition occurred during the last glacial maximum in europe 18 000 yr b p a second wet period not as wet as the earlier one occurred with the retreat of the glaciers in europe at this time decrease of loess supply and formation of the top soil occurred at both study locations in the southern area this wet period ended with highly evaporated sabkha deposits about 11 000 yr b p the holocene record suggests progressive aridity which was accompanied in the southeast location by covering the area with dunes

middle late quaternary paleoclimate of northern margins of the saharan arabian desert reconstruction from speleothems of negev desert israel abstract speleothems in arid and hyper arid areas of negev desert israel are used in paleoclimate reconstruction of northern margins of saharan arabian desert focused on the following objectives 1 precise u th dating of the timing of speleothem growth as an indicator of periods of humid climate i e positive effective precipitation 2 the origin of rainfall using the speleothem 18 o and changes in spatial pattern of speleothem deposition and speleothem thickness along a north south transect 3 changes of vegetation cover based on speleothem 13 c variations during the last 350 ka major humid periods referred to herein as negev humid periods nhp occurred in the central and southern negev desert at 350 310 ka nhp 4 310 290 ka nhp 3 220 190 ka nhp 2 and 142 109 ka nhp 1 nhp 4 nhp 2 and nhp 1 are interglacial events whereas nhp 3 is associated with a glacial period during nhp 1 2 and 3 the thickness and volume of the speleothems decrease from the north to the south and in the most southern part of the region only a very thin flowstone layer formed during nhp 1 with no speleothem deposition occurring during nhp 2 and 3 these data imply that the eastern mediterranean sea was the major source of the rainfall in northern and central negev more negative speleothem 18 o values relative to central parts of israel soreq cave are attributed to rayleigh distillation because of the increasing distance from the mediterranean sea speleothem deposition during the nhp 4 in the southern negev was more intensive than in most of the central negev suggesting the prominence of the tropical rain source decrease in speleothem 13 c during nhp events indicates growth of the vegetation cover nevertheless the ranges of 13 c values show that the vegetation remained semi desert c4 type throughout the nhps with an additional significant carbon fraction coming from the host rock and the atmosphere these observations together with small thickness of the speleothem layers favor that nhp events consisted of clusters of very short humid episodes interspersed with long droughts nhp events were contemporaneous with climate periods with monsoon index of 51 cal cm 2 day and with the formation of sapropel layers in the mediterranean sea such simultaneous intensification of the monsoon and atlantic mediterranean cyclones is probably related to the weakening of the high pressure cell above sub tropical atlantic ocean which enabled more rainfall to penetrate into the saharan arabian desert from the north and south the contemporaneous occurrence of the nhp events and the increased monsoon rainfall could have opened migration corridors creating climatic windows of opportunity for dispersals of hominids and animals out of the african continent

climatic variability during the last 90 ka of the southern and northern levantine basin as evident from marine records and speleothems abstract the influence of the northern atlantic and tropical monsoonal systems as recorded by the river nile on the climate variability of the southeastern mediterranean was studied in two cores taken by the r v marion dufresne one core taken se of cyprus representing the northern levantine basin core 9501 980 m water depth and the other located 380 km further south represents the southeastern levantine basin in an area influenced by the river nile plume core 9509 884 m water depth the study was performed at relatively high resolution using several proxies 18o of globigerinoides ruber sediment characteristics and index colour parameters in core sections representing the last 86 ka a low resolution alkenone sea surface temperature record was also measured the time frame in both cores was mostly constrained by wiggle matching with the nearby well dated 18o and 13c record of the soreq cave which is mainly influenced by the eastern mediterranean water vapor the sedimentary record of the southern core is strongly influenced by the river nile contribution throughout the last 86 ka as evidenced by the higher sedimentation rates compared with the northern core 20 cm ka vs 5 cm ka continuously darker sediment colour and higher toc values 0 6 0 9 vs 0 25 wt not including sapropels during sapropels s1 and s3 present in both cores the influence of the river nile became more widespread reaching as far as cyprus yet the influence of the river nile remained stronger in the south as evident by the higher toc values in the southern core throughout the entire 90 ka period and the longer duration of s1 in the southern core an anomalous low 18o interval that is not recorded in western mediterranean occurred between 58 and 49 ka in the levantine basin and is more developed in the northern core this period correlates with d o interstadial 14 and maximum northern hemisphere insolation during the lastglacial cycle suggesting that the warming mainly impacted the northern levant the eastern mediterranean sea and land area was considerably warmer than the western mediterranean throughout the lgm holocene transition and the 18og ruber drop of 4 5 is significantly greater than the 3 shift found for the western mediterranean 18og bulloides both differences reflecting an increased continental effect from the western to eastern mediterranean comparison between the marine and the land 18o records suggests that the origin of rain over the land is composed of mixed signal from the southern and northern levantine basin the study of 18osea land variations demonstrates that various factors have influenced the sea land relationship during the last 90 ka the amount effect has an important influence on rainfall 18o during interglacial periods particularly sapropel periods whereas during glacial periods increased land distances and elevation differences arising from decrease in sea level may have brought about decrease in 18o of rainfall due to rayleigh distillation processes these influences were superimposed on those of sea surface water 18o changes brought about by continental ice melting and the strong effects felt in the southern levantine basin of the high river nile input during periods of enhanced monsoonal activity

camelus from the upper pleistocene of mount carmel israel a camelus metapodial found among the animal bones excavated by garrod from the levalloiso mousterian of the tabun cave mount carmel israel adds to the relatively small number of camelus finds reported from the pleistocene of the near east the mammal faunas associated with these finds suggest relatively dry open conditions but not desert conditions the tabun specimen is of moderate size in contrast to the very large camelus from far ah ii two species of camel may thus have been present in the near east during the upper pleistocene

desert speleothems reveal climatic window for african exodus of early modern humans one of the fi rst movements of early modern humans out of africa occurred 130 100 thousand years ago ka when they migrated northward to the levant region the climatic conditions that accompanied this migration are still under debate using high precision multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry mc icp ms u th methods we dated carbonate cave deposits speleothems from the central and southern negev desert of israel located at the northeastern margin of the saharan arabian desert speleothems grow only when rainwater enters the unsaturated zone and this study reveals that a major cluster of wet episodes the last recorded in the area occurred between 140 and 110 ka this episodic wet period coincided with increased monsoonal precipitation in the southern parts of the saharanarabian desert the disappearance at this time of the desert barrier between central africa and the levant and particularly in the sinai negev land bridge between africa and asia would have created a climatic window for early modern human dispersion to the levant

last glacial warm events on mount hermon the southern extension of the alpine karst range of the east mediterranean abstract this study focuses on warm last glacial episodes in the southernmost extension of the alpine karst range of the eastern mediterranean levant region through the study speleothems in mizpe shelagim cave located in mt hermon the alpine karst range extends from turkey through syria and lebanon reaching its southern limit in mt hermon at an elevation of more than 2000 m under present day conditions southern mt hermon receives 1000 2000 mm precipitation mostly as snow that originates in the eastern mediterranean sea speleothems deposition in this high altitude region was continuous during interglacials but during the last glacial growth only occurred when average annual temperatures exceeded 3 c as inferred from the study of speleothem fluid inclusions warming episodes occurred at 65 ka 56 ka 54 5 ka 52 5 51 ka 49 ka 42 ka and 36 ka and are coincident with maximum insolation at 65 n the main depositional period from 56 ka to 51 ka coincides with dansgaard oeschger interstadial 15 and 14 and warming in the northeastern basin of the mediterranean sea warming in the southern alpine karst range of the eastern mediterranean was manifested by vegetation development together with significant snow melting that resulted in the drainage of large amount of water to the dead sea rift valley

a 3 million year index for north african humidity aridity and the implication of potential pan african humid periods abstract mediterranean sediments are valuable archives of both african monsoon variability and higher latitude climate processes and can also be used to provide an environmental context for early human migrations and settlements however the long history of mediterranean palaeoclimate studies largely pre dates the advent of widespread x ray fluorescence xrf core scanning so there are few continuous and high resolution geochemical records from this key region that extend beyond the last glacial cycle here we present xrf core scanning results for odp site 967 eastern mediterranean that have been fully calibrated into element concentrations spanning the last 3 million years my comparison with independent geochemical data from conventional xrf highlights disparities for certain element element ratios thus suggesting the need for caution when taking ratios of scanning xrf data principal component analysis of the calibrated xrf dataset reveals two dominant components detrital inputs pc1 and a sapropel monsoon run off signal pc2 which we use to establish a new orbitally tuned chronology we observe inverse covariation between pc2 and a previously published aeolian dust record from odp site 967 larrasoana et al 2003 and combine these records to produce a composite index of humidity and aridity for the wider north african region over the past 3 my we propose that by combining run off and dust signals in a single metric our index captures the effects of both strengthening northward migration increased run off and weakening southward retreat increased dust of the north african monsoon comparison of the index with published records of northwest and east african palaeohumidity suggests that it tracks the timing of green sahara periods throughout the plio pleistocene and that at least 30 of these intervals coincided with increased humidity across east africa we tentatively suggest that these specific episodes may be termed pan african humid periods as a means to highlight large scale climate trends and to provide an environmental framework for palaeo anthropological research

palaeosols and late pleistocene rainfall fluctuations in the negev desert the existence of a series of palaeosols in the present day desert region of southern israel the northern negev desert 1 2 indicates recurring periods of wetter climate in the past up to seven well developed palaeosols occur within a section and each has a horizon containing soft calcium carbonate nodules 3 15 mm in diameter the palaeosols are developed within loess or fluvially redeposited loess consisting of silty clay or clayey silt the 14c ages of the uppermost three calcic horizons average 13 000 yr bp calcic horizon ch i 28 000 yr bp ch ii and 37 000 yr bp ch iii drier phases occurred between these periods of pedogenesis especially during the last glacial maximum centred at 18 000 yr bp when extensive erosion occurred analysis of the 13c content of nodule carbonates points to the occurrence of strong north south rainfall gradients during each period of calcic horizon formation which excludes the possibility of monsoonal rains contributing to the increased rainfall during these periods the palaeosols correspond to global warm phases of the last glacial period

the modern human colonization of western eurasia when and where dating the timing of the replacement of local neandertal populations by modern humans in western eurasia at the dawn of the upper palaeolithic remains challenging due to the scarcity of the palaeontological evidence and to the complexity of the archaeological record furthermore key specimens have been discovered in the course of excavations that unfortunately did not meet today s archaeological standards the importance of site formation processes in the considered time period makes it sometimes difficult to precisely assign fragmentary remains a posteriori to distinct techno complexes the improvements in dating methods have however allowed for the clarification of many chronological issues in the past decade archaeological and palaeontological evidence strongly suggest that the initial modern colonization of eastern europe and central asia should be related to the spread of techno complexes assigned to the initial upper palaeolithic this first expansion may have started as early as 48 ka cal bp the earliest phases of the aurignacian complex protoaurignacian and early aurignacian seem to represent another modern wave of migrations starting in the levant area the expansion of this technocomplex throughout europe completed the modern colonization of the continent the interpretation of a third group of industries referred to as transitional assemblages in western and central europe is much debated at least in part these assemblages might have been produced by neandertal groups that may have survived until c 41 ka cal bp according to the directly dated neandertal specimens of saint c france and spy belgium 2014 the author published by elsevier ltd this is an open access article under the cc by nc nd license http creativecommons org licenses by nc nd 3 0