Mammoth and musk ox ESR‐dated to the Early Midlandian at Aghnadarragh, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and the age of the Fermanagh Stadial

Abstract

The Aghnadarragh site presents the most complete known Midlandian (last cold stage) sequence in Ireland. Above a glacial till and below organic deposits of the Aghnadarragh Interstadial, a unit of poorly sorted gravel and diamicton yielded numerous fossils of woolly mammoth and rarer musk ox, the first record of that species in Ireland. The mammoth molars are of relatively small size and distinctive morphology that probably relate to local environmental conditions. Dating of three mammoth molars by Electron-Spin-Resonance indicates an age for the faunal horizon in the range 109 to 74 ka, corresponding to the later part of MIS 5, presumably MIS 5d or 5b in view of the cold-adapted flora and fauna, or possibly early MIS 4. This in turn suggests that the underlying glacigenic deposits, assigned to the Fermanagh Stadial, formed during a cold stage preceding the last interglacial, rather than being early Midlandian in age as generally assumed.

A reconsideration of the radiocarbon dating of the Marine Isotope Stage 3 fauna from southern Ireland

“…These may have been in a secondary position. As has been noted by Woodman (), Lister & Grun () had obtained ESR dates that suggested an age of approximately 80 000 years. The musk ox finds that came from the same levels would suggest a date associated with the previous cold stage i.e.…”

‘Semi‐dwarf’ woolly mammoths from the East Siberian Sea coast, continental Russia

“…The process of size reduction in woolly mammoths largely occurred in different territories and was a natural reaction to environmental changes. For example, slight reduction in the tooth crown size due to a reduction in the number of plates correlating with the cold MIS 4 was noted in the Late Pleistocene locality of Aghnadarragh, Northern Ireland (Lister & Grün ). In this case, the decrease in the size of mammoths was also explained by the change in environmental conditions.…”

“…; den Ouden, et al . ; Lister & Grün ) and these remains have been known for a long time (van Brandt ; Adams ; Zalensky ; Soergel ; Vangengeim ). However, there are no true dwarves amongst them.…”

“…Small (but not dwarfed) woolly mammoth teeth found on Wrangel Island (East Siberian/Chukchi Seas) and the Pribilof Islands (Alaska) date to the Holocene (Garutt et al 1993;Averianov et al 1995;Tikhonov et al 2003). Taimyr Peninsula, Yakutia, Great Britain, Ireland and the North Sea also yielded relatively small Late Pleistocene mammoths (Garutt 1964;van Essen 1986;Averianov et al 1995;Boeskorov & Mol 2004;Maschenko et al 2006;den Ouden, et al 2012;Lister & Gr€ un 2015) and these remains have been known for a long time (van Brandt 1832;Adams 1877Adams -1881Zalensky 1902;Soergel 1912;Vangengeim 1961). However, there are no true dwarves amongst them.…”

The Pleistocene on the hoof: a synopsis

“…Two of the most widely known members of the ice age megafauna were the mammoths and musk oxen; the latter are extant. The Aghnadarragh site in Northern Ireland has yielded remains of both these hairy behemoths and Lister and Grün () have dated both using electron spin resonance technology. Results suggest that this deposit is younger than previously interpreted, about 109 to 74 ka.…”