A high resolution and continuous isotopic speleothem record of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment from 90 to 53 ka from Pinnacle Point on the south coast of South Africa

Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa

“…The SADBS also marks the introduction of microlithic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 46 technology as well as a change in the frequency of raw materials; layers below are dominated by quartzite in the YBSR and LBSR and the SADBS and above have higher frequencies of silcrete and other fine grained raw materials that can be more efficiently used for making microlithic tools. A speleothem isotopic curve for this time span from Pinnacle Point shows a temporally concordant shift from stronger winter rain and shrubland flora below the ALBS to stronger summer rain and C4 grasses above the ALBS (Bar-Matthews et al, 2010). It has been hypothesized that this coastal plain supported a substantial grassland large ungulate community that likely migrated east and west (Marean, 2010), and during times when the plain was most exposed the ungulate populations would have been at their maximum.…”

“…This sediment change is roughly concordant with the transition from warmer conditions of MIS5 to cooler conditions in MIS4 (EPICA COMMUNITY MEMBERS, 2004;2006). A coastline model (Fisher et al, 2010) that projects the distance to the coast over time allows us to examine in a more quantitative manner the relation between the distance to coast and the sediment change. Table 3 provides minimum, maximum, and average coastline distances for each stratigraphic aggregate as calculated by this model.…”

“…We do not know if the sedimentary sequence continues below this encountered rock. The dune at the base of the Long Section is an aeolian event that has been recognized at several sites at Pinnacle Point and is tightly constrained by many OSL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 8 ages as well as uranium-thorium ages on overlying speleothem that date it to ~90 ka , Jacobs 2010, Bar-Matthews et al 2010. The top of the PP5-6 section is dated by OSL to ~50 ka (Brown et al 2012), providing a ~40,000 year sequence across ca.…”

Landscape variability in tool-use and edge damage formation in South African Middle Stone Age lithic assemblages

“…The largest aggregations of migratory mammals historically occurred in the succulent karoo, where there are accounts of 'trekbok' migrations of springbok in search of water and forage over long distances (Skead, 2011). Using data from Marean et al (2014) and Bar-Matthews et al (2010), a summary table is provided in Table 1 indicating the general characteristics of each vegetation community. …”

“…Specifically, this dissertation is focused on the south coast in part of the Cape Floral Region -an extremely ancient and speciose vegetation community with unique features for the populations of humans and animals that live in it. Emphasis will be placed on the Pinnacle Point isotopic curve developed by Bar-Matthews et al (2010) that provides a high-resolution record of rainfall and vegetation on the south coast of South Africa from 90-53 ka. This region sits at the edge of a shallow coastal platform that is sensitive to sea-level changes.…”