New evidence of prehistoric human activity on the central Tibetan plateau during the early to middle Holocene

Abstract

The cold and hypoxic environment of the Tibetan Plateau was a major challenge for its prehistoric human occupants. The earliest known hominin occupation (or visitation) of the Tibetan Plateau was at ~200 ka, in the middle Pleistocene, and these hominins must have had survival strategies for this harsh environment. We report the discovery of 5 handprints and 17 footprints on the travertine near the outlet of the Quesang hot spring, a well-documented archeological site with well-studied hominin hand and footprints on the Tibetan Plateau. Based on ichnological analysis and U-Th dating, we found that these intentional and unintentional traces were impressed during the early to middle Holocene. Combined with the 19 previously-dated hand and footprints from around the hot spring, we conclude that this site was attractive to ancient humans who made repeated visits over a long period. The strengthened monsoon in the early and middle Holocene may have promoted the expansion of prehistoric human activity onto the central Tibetan Plateau. The frequent human activities near the Quesang hot spring imply that the widespread hot springs on the Tibetan Plateau provided resources that facilitated human survival in this cold and dry plateau region.

青藏高原古人类手脚印印迹学研究及其指示意义

“…另外, 青藏高原降水的水化学研究表明, 由于空气中碱性粉尘的作用, 降水一般都是弱碱性 的 [34] , 理论上弱碱性的水是不会产生溶蚀性的. U-Th年龄是13~7 ka [15,16] . 结合野外溶蚀实验的结果, 估计邱桑手脚印的基本形态在全新世气候条件下可以 保存至少10 ka.…”

“…该区域泉华主要为热源成因的碳酸钙沉积, 从>500 ka开始伴随该区域不同地质时期的热泉活动间 歇性沉积, 并在雄曲河河谷邱桑村河段东岸形成了面 积约0.66 km 2 的古泉华扇. 这些钙华沉积上的古人类手 脚印若按不同高程、年代和分布范围分类则可分为十 几组, 其中第一组分布在泉华扇的顶部, 海拔4268 m, 年代为早中全新世时期 [15,16] ; 第四组分布于泉华扇的 底部, 海拔4060 m, 年代为中更新世…”

“…Figure1The location of Quesang hot spring and the hand and footprints group for ancient human. (a) The location of Quesang hot spring on the Tibetan Plateau; (b) alluvial fan and the location for group 1 to 4; (c) the relative positioning of hand and footprints within groups 1-3 on the ground surface[16] …”

Historical earthquake records in the Weihe Basin, central China and new insights for geothermal genesis

“…Throughout antiquity and the early stages of human civilization, human beings manifested a potential preference for settling in proximity to geothermal regions, primarily driven by the manifold applications offered by hot springs. Such geothermal resources were employed for various purposes including thermal bathing, culinary applications, the therapeutic treatment of wounds, and recreational activities (Erfurt, 2021;Wang et al, 2023). Modern societies have expanded upon the initial utilization of geothermal resources mentioned above by incorporating diverse applications such as agriculture, heating systems, power generation, etc.…”