Hydrosedimentary records and Holocene environmental dynamics in the Yamé Valley (Mali, Sudano-Sahelian West Africa)

Fluvial system dynamics of Sudano-Sahelian zone during the Late Holocene. The Yamé River (Dogon Country, Mali)

“…Moreover, palaeobiological data, e.g. phytoliths, pollen and charcoal analyses, yielded additional information about the Holocene environmental changes for the Ounjougou's site (Neumann et al, 2009;Le Drézen et al, 2010Eichhorn et al, 2010;Eichhorn and Neumann, 2013;Garnier et al, 2013).…”

“…Its catchment area, covering 4400 km², provided a diversity range of landscape units, geomorphological settings, fluvial styles and land use patterns (Garnier et al, 2014). Moreover, because of the exceptional preservation of the fluvial deposits including archaeological remains, the Ounjougou's reach, located in the upper Yamé valley, has already been subject to several palaeoenvironmental and archaeological studies (Huysecom, 2002;Huysecom et al, 2004Mayor et al, 2005;Rasse et al, 2006;Lespez et al, 2008Lespez et al, , 2011Ozainne et al, 2009;Le Drézen et al, 2010;Garnier et al, 2013Garnier et al, , 2015Eichhorn and Neumann, 2013). A publication by Lespez et al (2011) proposed a synthesis of fluvial changes during the Holocene of the Ounjougou's reach and discussed the role of climatic and anthropogenic controls.…”

Coring Lake Fati and Settlement Archaeology of the Middle Niger Lakes Region

“…Palaeoclimate studies of palynology (Lézine 1988), limnology (Bellouche and Neumann 1995;Francus et al 2013;Petit-Maire 1988;Talbot and Delibrias 1980), hydrology (Drézen et al 2010;Lespez et al 2011), offshore cores (Bouimetarhan et al 2009;Casteñeda et al 2009;deMenocal et al 2000;Lézine and Hooghiemstra 1990;Shanahan et al 2009), geomorphology (Mauz and Felix-Henningsen 2005;Talbot 1981) and anthracology (Bellouche and Neumann 1995;Neumann 1989) show that since the last glaciation the West African Sahel has seen no fewer than four major climate inversions. Humid phases would have delivered the region with up to 100 % more precipitation that it has today, turning the great, lowlying basins into inland seas supporting scores of aquatic and terrestrial species (Grove 1978;Petit-Maire et al 1983).…”

Phytolith taphonomy in the middle- to late-Holocene fluvial sediments of Ounjougou (Mali, West Africa)

“…For the middle and the beginning of the late Holocene (7790–4000 cal. BP), anthracological data and hydrosedimentary dynamics have been described in recent publications (Eichhorn and Neumann, 2012; Le Drézen et al, 2010; Lespez et al, 2011). During this period significant climatic changes took place in the Sahara and West Africa with the establishment of drier conditions between 7500 and 2500 cal.…”

“…This study is based on the analysis of 14 modern and 29 fossil samples from the site complex Ounjougou. With a long and rich sedimentary record (Le Drézen et al, 2010; Lespez et al, 2011; Rasse et al, 2006) and archaeological remains giving evidence of ancient occupation and land use (Huysecom et al, 2004; Mayor et al, 2005; Ozainne et al, 2009), the Ounjougou reach is exceptional for West Africa. Palaeoenvironmental research at Ounjougou has so far mainly focused on the early- and late-Holocene periods (Le Drézen et al, 2010; Neumann et al, 2009; Ozainne et al, 2009).…”