Examination of Late Palaeolithic archaeological sites in northern Europe for the preservation of cryptotephra layers

Housley, R. A.; Gamble, Clive

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.012

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Tephra‐derived glass shards have been identified in marine, fluvial, glacial and terrestrial deposits and correlated to Icelandic sources using geochemical analyses. Letters denote which system produced the tephras identified at each location: O: Öræfajökull; T‐V: Torfajökull–Vatnaöldur; H: Hekla; A: Askja (Dugmore, ; Palais et al ., ; Bennett et al , ; Blackford et al ., ; Dugmore, ; Dugmore et al ., , 1996; Hall et al ., ; van den Bogaard et al ., , 2002a, b; Charman et al ., ; Grönvold et al , ; Pilcher et al ., , , ; Pilcher and Hall, ; Oldfield et al ., ; Wells et al ., ; Zielinski et al , ; Boygle, , ; Caseldine et al ., ; Dugmore and Newton, ; Eiríksson et al ., , ; Wastegård, 2001, ; Larsen et al ., ; Van Den Bogaard and Schmincke, ; Zillén et al ., ; Bergman et al ., ; Chambers et al ., ; Langdon and Barber, ; Plunkett et al ., ; Davies et al ., ; Kristjánsdóttir et al ., ; Swindles et al ., , , ; Wastegård et al ., ; Dörfler et al ., ; Lawson et al ., ; Wastegård and Boygle, ; Housley et al ., ; Roland et al ., ; Stivrins et al ., ; Watson et al ., ; Wulf et al ., ). [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A catalogue of major and trace element data for Icelandic Holocene silicic tephra layers

Meara

Thordarson²,

Pearce

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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Tephra layers with Icelandic provenance have been identified across the North Atlantic region in terrestrial, lacustrine, marine and glacial environments. These tephra layers are used as marker horizons in tephrochronology including climate studies, archaeology and environmental change. The major element chemistries of 19 proximally deposited Holocene Icelandic silicic tephra layers confirm that individual volcanic systems have unique geochemical signatures and that eruptions from the same system can often be distinguished. In addition, glass trace element chemistry highlights subtle geochemical variations between tephra layers which appear to have identical major element chemistry and thus allows for the identification of some, if not all, tephra layers previously considered identical in composition. This paper catalogues the compositional variation between the widespread Holocene Icelandic silicic tephra deposits.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A catalogue of major and trace element data for Icelandic Holocene silicic tephra layers

Meara

Thordarson²,

Pearce

et al. 2019

J Quaternary Science

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“…Systematic application of cryptotephra techniques by RESET project members at a wide range of sites throughout Europe has brought this dating technique to the forefront of archaeological studies (e.g. see Lane et al, 2014 and references therein;Housley and Gamble, 2015). Investigations by this research consortium demonstrated that discrete cryptotephras are preserved within cave deposits, rock-shelters as well as open-air archaeological sites (e.g.…”

Section: Human Impact Response and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Investigations by this research consortium demonstrated that discrete cryptotephras are preserved within cave deposits, rock‐shelters as well as open‐air archaeological sites (e.g. Borić et al , ; Lowe et al , ; Douka et al , ; Housley and Gamble, ). Optimal conditions for cryptotephra preservation are often difficult to foresee with several negative results reported, but the best return seems to be at sites with large cave openings, low‐energy environments where the bioturbation and erosion processes are low, and often within ‘off‐site’ contexts, typically lakes or peat bogs, that can be correlated to occupation sites (Lane et al , ; Housley and Gamble, ).…”

Section: Cryptotephra Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Borić et al , ; Lowe et al , ; Douka et al , ; Housley and Gamble, ). Optimal conditions for cryptotephra preservation are often difficult to foresee with several negative results reported, but the best return seems to be at sites with large cave openings, low‐energy environments where the bioturbation and erosion processes are low, and often within ‘off‐site’ contexts, typically lakes or peat bogs, that can be correlated to occupation sites (Lane et al , ; Housley and Gamble, ). Riede and Thastrup () strongly argued that future studies should adopt a transect strategy whereby archaeological sites as well as nearby lakes or peat bogs should be sampled to fully assess the continuity of cryptotephra deposits.…”

Section: Cryptotephra Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cryptotephras: the revolution in correlation and precision dating

Davies

2015

J Quaternary Science

134

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From its Icelandic origins in the study of visible tephra horizons, tephrochronology took a remarkable step in the late 1980 s with the discovery of a ca. 4300-year-old microscopic ash layer in a Scottish peat bog. Since then, the search for these cryptotephra deposits in distal areas has gone from strength to strength. Indeed, a recent discovery demonstrates how a few fine-grained glass shards from an Alaskan eruption have been dispersed more than 7000 km to northern Europe. Instantaneous deposition of geochemically distinct volcanic ash over such large geographical areas gives rise to a powerful correlation tool with considerable potential for addressing a range of scientific questions. A prerequisite of this work is the establishment of regional tephrochronological frameworks that include well-constrained age estimates and robust geochemical signatures for each deposit. With distal sites revealing a complex record of previously unknown volcanic events, frameworks are regularly revised, and it has become apparent that some closely timed eruptions have similar geochemical signatures. The search for unique and robust geochemical fingerprints thus hinges on rigorous analysis by electron microprobe and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Historical developments and significant breakthroughs are presented to chart the revolution in correlation and precision dating over the last 50 years using tephrochronology and cryptotephrochronology.

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“…A total of 34 Late Palaeolithic sites located on the European lowlands north of the Alps were investigated by RESET, but only around one fifth preserved cryptotephra layers. The contribution in this volume by Housley et al (2015) reviews this collective evidence and considers the multiple factors that limit the chances of volcanic glass remaining preserved in dry-surface sites e the main ones possibly being taphonomic disturbance and pedogenic alteration.…”

Section: Expansion Of Tephra 'Footprints'mentioning

confidence: 99%

The RESET project: constructing a European tephra lattice for refined synchronisation of environmental and archaeological events during the last c. 100 ka

Lowe

Ramsey

Housley

et al. 2015

Quaternary Science Reviews

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a b s t r a c tThis paper introduces the aims and scope of the RESET project (RESponse of humans to abrupt Environmental Transitions), a programme of research funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (UK) between 2008 and 2013; it also provides the context and rationale for papers included in a special volume of Quaternary Science Reviews that report some of the project's findings. RESET examined the chronological and correlation methods employed to establish causal links between the timing of abrupt environmental transitions (AETs) on the one hand, and of human dispersal and development on the other, with a focus on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic periods. The period of interest is the Last Glacial cycle and the early Holocene (c. 100e8 ka), during which time a number of pronounced AETs occurred. A long-running topic of debate is the degree to which human history in Europe and the Mediterranean region during the Palaeolithic was shaped by these AETs, but this has proved difficult to assess because of poor dating control. In an attempt to move the science forward, RESET examined the potential that tephra isochrons, and in particular non-visible ash layers (cryptotephras), might offer for synchronising palaeo-records with a greater degree of finesse. New tephrostratigraphical data generated by the project augment previously-established tephra frameworks for the region, and underpin a more evolved tephra 'lattice' that links palaeo-records between Greenland, the European mainland, sub-marine sequences in the Mediterranean and North Africa. The paper also outlines the significance of other contributions to this special volume: collectively, these illustrate how the lattice was constructed, how it links with cognate tephra research in Europe and elsewhere, and how the evidence of tephra isochrons is beginning to challenge long-held views about the impacts of environmental change on humans during the Palaeolithic.

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Examination of Late Palaeolithic archaeological sites in northern Europe for the preservation of cryptotephra layers

Cited by 9 publications

References 36 publications

A catalogue of major and trace element data for Icelandic Holocene silicic tephra layers

A catalogue of major and trace element data for Icelandic Holocene silicic tephra layers

Cryptotephras: the revolution in correlation and precision dating

The RESET project: constructing a European tephra lattice for refined synchronisation of environmental and archaeological events during the last c. 100 ka

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