Two sites of the Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic of Iberia, dated to as early as approximately 50,000 years ago, yielded perforated and pigment-stained marine shells. At Cueva de los Aviones, three umbo-perforated valves of Acanthocardia and Glycymeris were found alongside lumps of yellow and red colorants, and residues preserved inside a Spondylus shell consist of a red lepidocrocite base mixed with ground, dark red-to-black fragments of hematite and pyrite. A perforated Pecten shell, painted on its external, white side with an orange mix of goethite and hematite, was abandoned after breakage at Cueva Antón, 60 km inland. Comparable early modern human-associated material from Africa and the Near East is widely accepted as evidence for body ornamentation, implying behavioral modernity. The Iberian finds show that European Neandertals were no different from coeval Africans in this regard, countering genetic/cognitive explanations for the emergence of symbolism and strengthening demographic/social ones.

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A study on metal mobilisation (Zn, Pb and As) from contaminated sediments in Portman Bay (SE Spain) was carried out. This area has suffered a major impact from mining activity, as millions of tons of mine tailings have been dumped into the bay over a long period, gradually filling the bay. A three-step sequential extraction procedure, modified from the BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) method, as well as selective extractions (H 2 O, 0.1 N HNO 3 , citrate-dithionite and 1 M NH 4 OAc after H 2 O 2 attack) were applied to selected samples in order to evaluate the potential mobility of fixed metals. Acid volatile sulfides (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) were also determined. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled to with an energy-dispersion spectrometry (SEM-EDS) were applied to the characterization of both raw samples and the residues remaining after each extraction, providing additional information about the sediment phases carrying the metals studied. Metals associated with sediments showed different behaviour depending on the mineralogical phase they were bound to. Zn was the most labile metal, while Pb and As showed a lower mobility. The fraction of metals associated with jarosites presented a high stability under different physicochemical conditions, while metals associated with mineralogical phases that are undergoing supergenic alteration processes presented a high mobility. The results obtained may be useful to assess both the short and the long-term environmental impact of such disposal activities as well as supporting decisions for a future remediation of the zone.

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a b s t r a c tThe distribution of trace elements throughout mining areas is an important issue because abandoned tailings can be a major source of environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to identify the trace element content, hydric dispersion ways and its reception areas in selected zones of the abandoned mining district of Sierra Minera Cartagena-La Unión. The results obtained allowed to establish points affected by primary, secondary and tertiary contamination, according to their proximity to contamination sources, as a function of its chemical and mineralogical composition. Applied GIS methodology allowed visualisation and confirmation of established conceptual model.

Trace element contamination has been a serious problem in the vicinity of abandoned mine sites. In the studied area, mining activities have produced great amounts of wastes, characterized by high trace elements content, acidic pH and minerals from supergene alteration. Trace elements have been dispersed, both downstream and downslope from the mine mainly due, mainly, to surface runoff. Trace elements hydric mobilization usually takes place during the rainy season, an important pollution route in the studied area. A wide range of techniques have been proposed to remediate soils polluted by trace elements. Among them, phytoremediation-based technologies could provide a long-lasting solution. The aim of this work was to determine trace element concentration in roots and leaves of five plant species (Limonium carthaginens, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Dittrichia viscosa, Glaucium flavum and Zygophyllum fabago) growing in soils polluted by mining activities in order to determine which part of the plants accumulate heavy metals to the greatest extent. The metal concentrations in plants varied with plant species. Plant accumulation results showed that Z. fabago could act as an accumulator for Fe, and A. macrostachyum could accumulate in Fe, As and Mn. The other plant species collected from the mining sites were tolerant to trace element contamination.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of three bioassays representing multiple trophic levels, for the preliminary ecotoxicological screening of sediments from sites contaminated by mining activities. Of the bioassays used in this study, the ostracod test was the most responsive. Vibrio fischeri luminescence inhibition assay was less sensitive to the toxicants in the sediments than the phytotoxicity assays. The general trend observed was an increase in toxicity values measured by the bioassays with increasing metal mobilization in sediment samples. Therefore, the test battery can be used as a rapid and sensitive tool to evaluate the heavy metal contamination in sediments.