Fluvio-lacustrine deposits reveal precipitation pattern in SE Arabia during early MIS 3

Hoffmann, Gösta; Rupprechter, M.; Rahn, Mirjam; Preusser, Frank

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.10.053

Cited by 28 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…With the exception of a few records dated to early MIS 3 (e.g. Parton et al, 2013;Hoffmann et al, 2015;Matter et al, 2015;, lake and wetland formation overwhelmingly coincides with eccentricitymodulated insolation maxima. However, few records display evidence of repeated interglacial lake formation within the same basin, while none provide records of markedly wetter conditions during both glacial and interglacial periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Middle-late Quaternary palaeoclimate variability from lake and wetland deposits in the Nefud Desert, Northern Arabia

Parton

Clark-Balzan

Parker

et al. 2018

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Records of former lake and wetland development in present day arid/hyper-arid environments provide an important source of information for palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental studies. In Arabia, such records are typically confined to eccentricity-modulated insolation maxima, and are often spatially and temporally discontinuous. Here we present records from a single locality in Northern Arabia of wetter interludes during both global interglacial and glacial conditions, providing a unique opportunity to examine the nature of these events in a common setting. At Jubbah, in the southern Nefud Desert, lake and wetland deposits reveal the repeated formation of a water body within a large endorheic basin over the past ca. 360 kyr. Lake/wetland formation occurred during MIS 11/9, 7, 5, 3 and the early Holocene, assisted by local topographic controls, and spring recharge. Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological data reveal the existence of a large still water body formed during either MIS 11 or 9 (ca. 363 ka), and basin wide alluviation followed by lake formation during MIS 7 (ca. 212 ka). During MIS 5e (ca. 130 ka) a large freshwater lake occupied the basin, while during MIS 5a (ca. 80 ka) the basin contained a shallow wetland and freshwater lake complex. Lake/wetland formation also occurred during early MIS 3 (ca. 60 ka), at the Terminal Pleistocene-Holocene transition (ca. 12.5 ka), and the early-middle Holocene (ca. 9-6.5 ka). Phases of lake and wetland development coincided with human occupation of the basin during the Middle Palaeolithic, Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic periods, highlighting the significance of the region for early demographic change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…55 ka (e.g. Krbetschek, 2008;Blechschmidt et al, 2009;Farrant et al, 2012;Parton et al, 2013;2015a;Hoffmann et al, 2015). While all of these records reflect a strengthening of the glacial-age IOSM, resolving the source of rainfall during MIS 3 within northwestern Arabia remains problematic.…”

Section: Jubbah and The Wider Arabian Palaeoclimate Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Middle-late Quaternary palaeoclimate variability from lake and wetland deposits in the Nefud Desert, Northern Arabia

Parton

Clark-Balzan

Parker

et al. 2018

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…Notwithstanding its geographical proximity, Arabia has largely been excluded from these discussions owing to a dearth of archaeological and palaeontological research in the region. However, new palaeoenvironmental (Rosenberg et al, 2013;Breeze et al, 2015;Farrant et al, 2015;Hoffmann et al, 2015;Jennings et al, 2015b;, archaeological (Armitage et al, 2011;Groucutt and Petraglia, 2012;Hilbert et al, 2014;Scerri et al, 2014;Shipton et al, 2014;Jennings et al, 2016) and palaeontological (Stimpson et al, 2015(Stimpson et al, , 2016 studies have begun to shed light on this region, highlighting its importance for a holistic understanding of faunal (including hominin) exchanges between Africa and Eurasia. The importance of Arabia has also been specifically stressed in the study of hominin dispersals (Groucutt et al, 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Middle and Late Pleistocene mammal fossils of Arabia and surrounding regions: Implications for biogeography and hominin dispersals

Stewart

Louys

Price

et al. 2019

Quaternary International

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Plio-Pleistocene faunal turnovers and their implications for hominin dispersals have recently received considerable attention. Exploration and palaeontological study of faunal exchanges has traditionally centred on East Africa, North Africa and the Levant in Southwest Asia. Despite this attention, considerable debate surrounding the timings, rates, and directions of hominin dispersals remain. Notwithstanding its close geographical proximity to these regions and a landmass of over 3 million km2, the Arabian Peninsula has largely been excluded from these discussions, mostly owing to the paucity of its Pleistocene vertebrate record. However, recent palaeoenvironmental studies have demonstrated that Arabia experienced periods of climatic amelioration during the Pleistocene, resulting in the establishment of large, perennial water sources and open-grasslands; conditions vastly different than today. This interpretation is further underpinned by archaeological and palaeontological data, and it is now clear this region is important for understanding faunal and hominin movements between Africa and Eurasia. Examination of the Arabian Middle to Late Pleistocene fossil record in a biogeographical context indicates the composite nature of the Arabian faunal record, with Eurasian and African intrusions present in addition to well-established endemics. Open grassland habitats and taxonomic similarities between Pleistocene Arabia on the one hand, and the Levant and Africa on the other, suggests that hominin dispersal into Arabia did not require significant behavioural and/or technological innovations, while subsequent climatic deterioration likely resulted in hominin retreat/extirpation

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“…In Oman and the UAE, the activation of drainage systems is recorded at ca. 55 ka, following the development of alluvial fan processes along the western Hajar Mountains (Krbetschek, 2008;Blechschmidt et al, 2009;Farrant et al, 2012;Parton et al, 2013Parton et al, , 2015Hoffmann et al, 2014). Drainage activation is also indicated by the deposition of gravels dated to ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human occupation of the northern Arabian interior during early Marine Isotope Stage 3

Jennings

Parton

Clark-Balzan

et al. 2016

J Quaternary Science

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The early part of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (c. 60-50 ka) is a crucial period for studying human demography and behaviour in Southwest Asia, and how these relate to climatic changes. However, the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records for MIS 3 in critical areas such as the Arabian Peninsula remain poorly developed. Here, we present findings from the Al Marrat basin in the Nefud desert, which provides the first clear evidence for both increased humidity and human occupation of the interior of northern Arabia during early MIS 3. A Middle Palaeolithic assemblage, dated by OSL to c. 55 ka, was found stratified within a sequence of relict palustrine deposits indicative of shallow water body formation in the Al Marrat basin. Hominin presence in northern Arabia at this time coincides with the intensification and northward displacement of monsoon rainfall systems during a period of maximum insolation. These findings add to a growing corpus of palaeoenvironmental evidence, which indicates that the Arabian interior was neither arid nor unpopulated during early MIS 3, and that hydrodynamic responses to enhanced moisture availability facilitated demographic expansions into the Arabian interior.

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Fluvio-lacustrine deposits reveal precipitation pattern in SE Arabia during early MIS 3

Cited by 28 publications

References 45 publications

Middle-late Quaternary palaeoclimate variability from lake and wetland deposits in the Nefud Desert, Northern Arabia

Middle-late Quaternary palaeoclimate variability from lake and wetland deposits in the Nefud Desert, Northern Arabia

Middle and Late Pleistocene mammal fossils of Arabia and surrounding regions: Implications for biogeography and hominin dispersals

Human occupation of the northern Arabian interior during early Marine Isotope Stage 3

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