Late Quaternary speleogenesis and landscape evolution in a tropical carbonate island: Pango la Kuumbi (Kuumbi Cave), Zanzibar

Kourampas, Nikos; Shipton, Ceri; Mills, W. J.; Tibesasa, Ruth; Horton, Henrietta; Horton, Mark; Prendergast, Mary E.; Crowther, Alison; Douka, Katerina; Faulkner, Patrick; Picornell, Llorenç; Boivin, Nicole

doi:10.5038/1827-806x.44.3.7

Cited by 45 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(40 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We present our results by phase below. Specialist reports on the long-term cave and landscape evolution (Kourampas et al 2015), bone tools (Langley et al 2016) and fauna can be found elsewhere.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We propose that the mid-grey sediments that constitute the bulk of the sequence from Context 1015 upwards were reworked as colluvium from deposits originally located further upslope, perhaps around the entrance of the cave. The entire Trench 10 sequence is likely to form part of a talus cone emanating largely from the cave entrance (Kourampas et al 2015), so it is possible that some parts of this talus contain higher amounts of reworked sediment than others, perhaps corresponding to periods of lower vegetation and greater surface run-off. The mid-Holocene dates for this sediment could come from charcoal produced through natural burning, a phenomenon that appears to have occurred more commonly in the mid-Holocene drought phase of tropical Africa (Kiage and Liu 2006).…”

Section: Phase 2: Terminal Pleistocene Lsa Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kuumbi is one of several caves within a flight of multiple terraces of Pleistocene marine limestone (Kourampas et al 2015). The limestone bedrock of the cave walls consists of bivalve-gastropod packstone with extensive mouldic porosity.…”

Section: Geological and Environmental Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Likewise, the three 'Neolithic' ceramic sherds illustrated by Chami (2009: 73) are typologically ambiguous because some decorative features are shared between Neolithic and TT/TIW ceramic traditions. In light of these issues, the current study aimed to clarify the site's chronology and geoarchaeology (see also Kourampas et al 2015) and to shed further light on its possible significance for understanding eastern Africa's early coastal occupation and trans-oceanic trade connections through bioarchaeological and material cultural studies.…”

Section: Previous Excavations Of Kuumbi Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar, reveals Later Stone Age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and Iron Age reoccupation

Shipton

Crowther

Kourampas

et al. 2016

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phase 2: Terminal Pleistocene Lsa Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological and Environmental Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Previous Excavations Of Kuumbi Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar, reveals Later Stone Age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and Iron Age reoccupation

Shipton

Crowther

Kourampas

et al. 2016

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Over the past few decades a small number of geoarchaeologists and archaeological scientists have endeavoured to reconstruct archaeological site formation processes in humid tropical environments (e.g. Gillieson 1986;Mercader, 2002;Mercader et al, 2003;Gilbertson et al, 2005;Stephens et al, 2005;Lewis, 2007;Araujo et al, 2008;Kourampas et al, 2009Kourampas et al, , 2015Mijares and Lewis, 2009;Rabett et al, 2011Rabett et al, , 2016. Whilst this list is not exhaustive, by no means would a more comprehensive catalogue be significantly weightier.…”

Section: Introduction: Geoarchaeology In the Humid Tropicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geoarchaeological research in the humid tropics: A global perspective

Morley

Goldberg

2017

Journal of Archaeological Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Geoarchaeological research is now commonly undertaken as an integral component of archaeological investigations across much of the world. However, in humid tropical regions there is a relative shortfall of this Earth-Science approach to understanding archaeological records. In these regions, where hot and humid conditions prevail for significant parts of the year, sedimentological records are prone to high levels of diagenesis, bioturbation and weathering. This means that understanding and quantifying archaeological site formation processes can be very challenging because we may have not have sufficient existing data with which to decipher the stratigraphic (and microstratigraphic) features recorded in these sequences. In this paper we introduce a special issue of. Journal of Archaeological Science in which we showcase a selection of geoarchaeological research from across the equatorial regions of five continents, highlighting the types of stratigraphic sequences and sedimentological features that are likely to be encountered, and evaluating the tools that can be employed to maximise the geoarchaeological potential of these unique records. Additionally, we use this opportunity to review geoarchaeology in the humid tropics from a global perspective, outlining the main problems that geoarchaeologists face working in these environments and the techniques available to mitigate them.

show abstract

New evidence of sea‐level lowstands and paleoenvironment during MIS 6 and 4 in the Cantabrian coastal karst: the Cobiheru cave (North Iberia)

Ballesteros

Rodríguez‐Rodríguez

González-Lemos

et al. 2017

Earth Surf Processes Landf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The geomorphological evolution of the Cobiheru Cave shows the influence of the non‐carbonate coastal mountain ranges on coastal karst evolution, as well as the temporal distribution of the cold‐adapted fauna sites in the Cantabrian Coast. Geomorphological observation and uranium/thorium (U/Th) dating lead to the construction of an evolution model. The model comprises two episodes of cave deposition occurring at c. 60–70 and 130–150 ka, linked to cold climate conditions, global sea‐level lowstands and the erosion of alluvial fans that covered the karst. Moreover, the comparison between the Cobiheru record and some raised beaches identified in previous studies sets the beginning of the sea‐level lowering in the Cantabrian Sea during the marine isotope stages (MIS) 5–4 transition. Two palaeoenvironments are inferred based on finding Equus ferus and Elona quimperiana. A wet deciduous forest would have developed on the emerged marine terrace of the Cobiheru Cave since at least the Middle Pleistocene, and an open landscape with scarce vegetation would have been present at c. 65 ka. The erosional event identified in the Cobiheru Cave helps to understand the temporal distribution of cold‐adapted mammals located in the Asturias region. The probable sites of cold‐adapted fauna developed in caves and alluvial fans would have disappeared after 65 ka. Therefore, palaeontological and palaeoclimate research based on cold‐adapted mammals suggests the occurrence of an hiatus in the palaeontological record prior to 50 ka. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Late Quaternary speleogenesis and landscape evolution in a tropical carbonate island: Pango la Kuumbi (Kuumbi Cave), Zanzibar

Cited by 45 publications

References 24 publications

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar, reveals Later Stone Age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and Iron Age reoccupation

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar, reveals Later Stone Age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and Iron Age reoccupation

Geoarchaeological research in the humid tropics: A global perspective

New evidence of sea‐level lowstands and paleoenvironment during MIS 6 and 4 in the Cantabrian coastal karst: the Cobiheru cave (North Iberia)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About