High-resolution paleoclimatic proxy data from the MIS3/2 transition recorded in northeastern Hungarian loess

Abstract

The Bodrogkeresztúr loess-paleosol sequence in northeastern Hungary was investigated to improve our understanding of the paleoenvironmental conditions at the foothills of the Carpathians and their impact on the Gravettian population. The main part of the section is comprised of eolian deposits that enable the reconstruction of the paleoenvironmental conditions. This study comprises grain size, geochemical, color and rock magnetic analysis, as well as luminescence and radiocarbon dating. The chronological data place this section from later MIS 3 until present, but also suggest erosion of the sediment in the late MIS 2 and the (early) Holocene. Moreover, generally more humid conditions during late MIS3 and early MIS2 are observed, in comparison to other regions in the Carpathian Basin. Main dust source was most likely the Tisza floodplain, and the material was probably transported to the site from a northeastern wind direction. Increased weathering led to the formation of a well-developed MIS3 paleosol. The loess exhibits elevated values of frequency dependent magnetic susceptibility that highlight the relatively mild conditions during loess formation. Nevertheless, two loess layers with high sand abundance in the profile indicate colder and dryer conditions with increased eolian dynamics during short periods within MIS2. Finally, the Bodrogkeresztúr section highlights the unique microclimatic conditions at the foothill areas of the Carpathian Basin, which may have offered a favorable environment for the Gravettian population.

The Chronostratigraphy of the Aurignacian in the Northern Carpathian Basin Based on New Chronometric/Archeological Data from Seňa I (Eastern Slovakia)

“…The topographic position on a river terrace makes a major contribution of slope material unlikely because of both low slope angle and high water permeability of the underlying terrace and the eolian sediment. A smaller clay component was also present that is typical for pedogenetically overprinted loess in the region (e.g., Bodrogkeresztúr; 45 km south; Bösken et al 2017). In the lower levels 2 and 2/3, pebbles (5%) occur in the eolian sediment mixed in from the underlying Seňa I 2015/16: Selection of the following tools: 1, 2, 4, 6-endscrapers; 3-nosed endscraper; 5-notch; 7burin; 8-denticulate; 9-crested blade terrace gravels based on similar size, shape, and lithology.…”

State of the Art in Paleoenvironment Mapping for Modeling Applications in Archeology—Summary, Conclusions, and Future Directions from the PaleoMaps Workshop

“…Due to that, three case studies from the area of contemporary Poland (see Figure 3) which are based-however in a different manner-on the utilization of archeological and environmental/paleoenvironmental data with the support of GIS tools, were discussed. These case studies are connected with: comparison of archeological data and recently obtained pollen data in specific part of Polish Central Pomerania where numerous archeological sites are known (1); investigation of settlement transformations in the area of Polish Eastern Pomerania during the end of the Bronze Age and at the Early Iron Age. In this case archeological data was compared with chosen data sets of environmental data in order to verify statements present in current archeological literature and related with settlement conditions at that periods (2); archeological researches of the Białowieża Forest based on the analysis of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data of the whole woodland complex with additional use of environmental datasets (3).…”

“…In contrast, an implicit or tacit paleoenvironmental model would be a (textual) description of a paleoenvironment, not bound to an explicit model of space-time, i.e., coordinates on earth surface and in time, thus not given in a strictly defined data format. The latter kind of paleoenvironment data would be for example a description of a paleolandscape, for example, as a qualitative interpretation of geoscientific information from a sedimentological interpretation, of a geologic or gemorphologic land formation process, described in a traditional geoscientific study [1][2][3]. This kind of information is, of course, very valid, useful and important for the understanding of specific paleoenvironments, but it can not directly be used in spatially explicit archeological modeling applications.…”

Luminescence dating of eolian and fluvial archives in the middle and lower Danube catchment and the paleoenvironmental implications

“…The Bodrogkeresztúr LPS is located in the foothills of the Carpathians in the northern edge of the basin. Its sediments accumulated between 33.5 ± 2.5 and 28.0 ± 2.1 ka, and the site is characterized by a well-developed MIS 3 paleosol indicating humid paleoclimatic conditions (Bösken et al, 2019). Also during loess deposition, relatively mild paleoclimatic conditions prevailed.…”

“…Data availability. The research data of this dissertation are available within the appendix and the supplementary materials of Bösken et al (2017aBösken et al ( , 2018Bösken et al ( , 2019. Further data from the Ságvár LPS can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868360 (Bösken et al, 2016a), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868361 (Bösken et al, 2016b), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868362 (Bösken et al, 2016c), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868363 (Bösken et al, 2016d), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868364 (Bösken et al, 2016e), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868365 (Bösken et al, 2016f), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.868368 (Bösken et al, 2016g), https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.879801 (Bösken et al, 2017b), and https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.879802 (Bösken et al, 2017c).…”