The quaternary volcanic rocks of the Geghama highland, Lesser Caucasus, Armenia: Geochronology, isotopic Sr-Nd characteristics, and origin

Lebedev, V. A.; Чернышев, И. В.; Шатагин, К. Н.; Bubnov, S. N.; Yakushev, A. I.

doi:10.1134/s0742046313030044

Cited by 31 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The earliest volcanic deposits comprise intermediate and felsic lavas of the Upper Miocene Kaputan Formation (Arutyunyan et al, 2007), which are exposed in the western part of the Hrazdan valley between the villages of Nurnus and Arzni (Karapetian et al, 2001) and thick Vokhchaberd volcanoclastic suite with pyroclastic and lava units of same age exposed in the upstream of Azat river (Baghdasaryan and Ghuaksyan, 1985). Late Pliocene lava, and 'pyroclastic basaltic and basaltic andesite' formations have also been described E of Hatis and Yerevan (Lebedev et al, 2013). Finally, multiple K-Ar and FT dates from the Gegham area suggest several eruptive phases spanning the Middle Pleistocene (0.8-0.2 ma BP [Badalian et al, 2001, Arutyunyan et al, 2007, Lebedev et al, 2013).…”

Section: Quaternary Volcanism In the Hrazdan Valleymentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Late Pliocene lava, and 'pyroclastic basaltic and basaltic andesite' formations have also been described E of Hatis and Yerevan (Lebedev et al, 2013). Finally, multiple K-Ar and FT dates from the Gegham area suggest several eruptive phases spanning the Middle Pleistocene (0.8-0.2 ma BP [Badalian et al, 2001, Arutyunyan et al, 2007, Lebedev et al, 2013). It is, however, important to note ambiguities associated with some K-Ar and FT dates due to the lack of a) technical detail included in papers published in the early 1990s and 2000s, and b) the precise context and geological material used for dating (Mitchell and Westaway, 1999).…”

Section: Quaternary Volcanism In the Hrazdan Valleymentioning

confidence: 92%

“…These volcanic features have been mapped and sampled by S. Karapetian and colleagues since the 1960s (e.g. Karapetian 1968Karapetian , 1987Karapetian et al, 2001;Lebedev et al, 2013), and therefore the nature and distribution of rhyolitic volcanic deposits are known, while a gross chronology for the entire Gegham Range is also in place. Nevertheless, Karapetian et al (2001) do not differentiate mafic lavas within the Hrazdan valley, categorising all as 'Quaternary andesite-basaltic and basaltic lavas'.…”

Section: Quaternary Volcanism In the Hrazdan Valleymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Hrazdan river basin, central Armenia, has the potential to offer such insights given that its fluvial and Palaeolithic archaeological records are associated with volcanism that occurred during several intervals in the Pleistocene (Badalian et al, 2001;Arutyunyan et al, 2007;Lebedev et al, 2011Lebedev et al, , 2013. Over the last few decades the Hrazdan basin has been intensively studied by geologists, geomorphologists, and archaeologists (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pleistocene volcanism and the geomorphological record of the Hrazdan valley, central Armenia: linking landscape dynamics and the Palaeolithic record

Sherriff

Wilkinson

Adler

et al. 2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

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The Southern Caucasus lies at the intersection of Africa, the Levant and Eurasia, and is thus a region of considerable interest in the study of Pleistocene hominin population dynamics and behaviour. While Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the region such as Dmanisi and Nor Geghi 1 attest to such palaeogeographic significance, a greater understanding of the chronology and nature of climatic and geomorphic changes in the region is needed to fully understand hominin settlement dynamics. The Hrazdan river valley, central Armenia, has the potential to offer such insights given its rich Palaeolithic record and complex history of Pleistocene infill as a result of alluvial, lacustrine, aeolian, and volcanic processes. We therefore present a stratigraphic framework for basin infill and hominin activity during the Pleistocene, based on extensive geomorphological and geological mapping, published chronometric results (40 Ar/ 39 Ar and K-Ar), and archaeological survey. We demonstrate that the onset of Pleistocene volcanism in the Gegham Range to the immediate east of the Hrazdan valley occurred around 700 ka BP, after which there were several phases of effusive eruption lasting until 200 ka. Interbedded with lava emplaced by these eruptions are alluvial and lacustrine sequences, some with evidence of pedogenesis and several of which have yielded Palaeolithic artefacts. Taken together these sequences suggest a cyclical model of infill whereby lava flow along the valley resulted in the blockage of the palaeo-Hrazdan river and lake formation in the lea of the lava dams. Breaching of these dams resulted in a shift to predominately fluvial deposition, and the consequent development of floodplain soils. Hominin populations exploited the floodplains at times when the last of these phases coincided with interglacial and interstadial climates, but they also occupied the surrounding valley sides during the same warm, humid phases.

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Section: Quaternary Volcanism In the Hrazdan Valleymentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Quaternary Volcanism In the Hrazdan Valleymentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Quaternary Volcanism In the Hrazdan Valleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Pleistocene volcanism and the geomorphological record of the Hrazdan valley, central Armenia: linking landscape dynamics and the Palaeolithic record

Sherriff

Wilkinson

Adler

et al. 2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…For example, the elemental composition of obsidian from the eastern portions of the GVC cannot be discerned from obsidian from its western portions. In addition, obsidian throughout the GVC appears to have formed contemporaneously, although, due to inconsistencies between fission track (FT) and radiometric (i.e., 40 K/ 40 Ar, 40 Ar/ 39 Ar) methods, the precise date remains unclear (e.g., Karapetyan, 1972;Komarov et al, 1972;Badalian et al, 2001;Arutynunyan et al, 2007;Lebedev et al, 2013;Adler et al, 2014). We provisionally interpret the findings from previous studies as evidence that GVC obsidian formed at some point between ~750 and ~550 ka.…”

Section: Lusakert Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

Middle Palaeolithic toolstone procurement behaviors at Lusakert Cave 1, Hrazdan valley, Armenia

Frahm

Feinberg

Schmidt-Magee

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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Strategies employed by Middle Palaeolithic hominins to acquire lithic raw materials often play key roles in assessing their movements through the landscape, relationships with neighboring groups, and cognitive abilities. It has been argued that a dependence on local resources is a widespread characteristic of the Middle Palaeolithic, but how such behaviors were manifested on the landscape remains unclear. Does an abundance of local toolstone reflect frequent encounters with different outcrops while foraging, or was a particular outcrop favored and preferentially quarried? This study examines such behaviors at a finer geospatial scale than is usually possible, allowing us to investigate hominin movements through the landscape surrounding Lusakert Cave 1 in Armenia. Using our newly developed approach to obsidian magnetic characterization, we test a series of hypotheses regarding the locations where hominins procured toolstone from a volcanic complex adjacent to the site. Our goal is to establish whether the cave's occupants procured local obsidian from preferred outcrops or quarries, secondary deposits of obsidian nodules along a river, or a variety of exposures as encountered while moving through the river valley or across the wider volcanic landscape during the course of foraging activities. As we demonstrate here, it is not the case that one particular outcrop or deposit attracted the cave occupants during the studied time intervals. Nor did they acquire obsidian at random across the landscape. Instead, our analyses support the hypothesis that these hominins collected obsidian from outcrops and exposures throughout the adjacent river valley, reflecting the spatial scale of their day-to-day foraging activities. The coincidence of such behaviors within the resource-rich river valley suggests efficient exploitation of a diverse biome during a time interval immediately preceding the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic "transition," the nature and timing of which has yet to be determined for the region.

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Middle Pleistocene environments, landscapes and tephrostratigraphy of the Armenian Highlands: evidence from Bird Farm 1, Hrazdan Valley

Sherriff

Wilkinson

Harding

et al. 2021

J Quaternary Science

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The significance of the southern Caucasus in understanding Pleistocene hominin expansions is well established. However, the palaeoenvironments in which Palaeolithic occupation of the region took place are presently poorly defined. The Hrazdan river valley, Armenian Highlands, contains a rich Palaeolithic record alongside Middle Pleistocene volcanic, fluvial and lacustrine strata, and thus offer exciting potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. We present the first results of sedimentological, geochemical, tephrostratigraphical and biological (diatoms) study of the sequence of Bird Farm 1, located in the central part of the valley. These data show six phases of landscape development during the interval 440-200 ka. The sequence represents the first quantitative Pleistocene diatom record from the Armenian Highlands and the southern Caucasus, and indicates the persistence of a deep, stratified lacustrine system, with evidence for changing lake productivity that is tentatively linked to climate. Furthermore, major element chemical characterization of visible and crypto-tephra horizons in the sequence enables the first stages of the development of a regional tephrostratigraphy. Together, the evidence from Bird Farm 1 demonstrates the importance of lacustrine archives in the region for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and highlights the potential for linkages between archives on both a local and regional scale.

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The quaternary volcanic rocks of the Geghama highland, Lesser Caucasus, Armenia: Geochronology, isotopic Sr-Nd characteristics, and origin

Cited by 31 publications

References 11 publications

Pleistocene volcanism and the geomorphological record of the Hrazdan valley, central Armenia: linking landscape dynamics and the Palaeolithic record

Pleistocene volcanism and the geomorphological record of the Hrazdan valley, central Armenia: linking landscape dynamics and the Palaeolithic record

Middle Palaeolithic toolstone procurement behaviors at Lusakert Cave 1, Hrazdan valley, Armenia

Middle Pleistocene environments, landscapes and tephrostratigraphy of the Armenian Highlands: evidence from Bird Farm 1, Hrazdan Valley

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