Amphibians and Squamates From Maastrichtian Cretaceous Iberia

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) amphibians and squamates from northeastern Iberia

Authors:

Blanco et al

Abstract:

Maastrichtian biodiversity of medium- and large-sized terrestrial vertebrates is well known in Europe and, specifically, in the Iberian Peninsula. Regarding small-sized herpetofaunas (lissamphibians and squamates), only a few European sites have yielded a significant amount of fossils, and they are still poorly known from the Iberian Peninsula. Recent fieldwork carried out at several sites exposing the Tremp Formation (Southern Pyrenees) has revealed four new localities yielding microvertebrates. Two of them (L'Espinau and Serrat del Rostiar-1) are relatively diverse in herpetofauna, containing albanerpetontids, four different anurans (two different alytids, a pelobatid or gobiatid and a palaeobatrachid), as well as six types of squamates (including scincomorphs, iguanids, anguids and probably gekkotans). Most of these groups are shared with other Campanian-Maastrichtian localities from eastern Iberia although, in some cases, morphological differences might suggest the presence of new lower-level taxa (i.e., genera or species). Also remarkable is the presence of alytines and likely gekkotans that would represent the oldest records of these taxa in Europe and in the Iberian Peninsula, respectively. Taxa of Laurasian origin are common at the Serrat del Rostiar-1 and L'Espinau localities, while Gondwanan taxa are lacking in all cases. Evidence for Asian immigrants (i.e., alytines) is found amongst anurans. Some differences regarding the faunal composition could be explained by environmental factors (i.e., coastal wetlands vs. fluvial settings), although the possibility of taphonomic biases cannot be ruled out.

Basques are Closely Related to FIrst European Farmers

An international team led by researchers at Uppsala University reports a surprising discovery from the genomes of eight Iberian Stone-Age farmer remains. The analyses revealed that early Iberian farmers are the closest ancestors to modern-day Basques, in contrast previous hypotheses that linked Basques to earlier pre-farming groups.

The team could also demonstrate that farming was brought to Iberia by the same/similar groups that migrated to northern and central Europe and that the incoming farmers admixed with local, Iberian hunter-gather groups, a process that continued for at least 2 millennia.

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Well Preserved Bows From Neolithic Iberia

Characterizing prehistoric archery: technical and functional analyses of the Neolithic bows from La Draga (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Authors:

Pique et al

Abstract:

The discovery in 2012 of a complete yew bow (Taxus baccata) in the lakeside Neolithic site of La Draga, together with two more fragmented bows from previous field seasons, are the oldest evidence of archery among farming communities in Europe. This group of bows has allowed different aspects of prehistoric archery to be considered. Firstly with regard to the manufacturing processes of these weapons, which show great uniformity in terms of the raw material used, but some variety in shapes and sizes. Secondly about the socioeconomic significance of weapons in societies which no longer based their economy on hunting and gathering.

Neandertal Rock Art Found in Gibraltar Caves

A rock engraving made by Neanderthals in Gibraltar

Authors:

Rodríguez-Vidal et al

Abstract:

The production of purposely made painted or engraved designs on cave walls—a means of recording and transmitting symbolic codes in a durable manner—is recognized as a major cognitive step in human evolution. Considered exclusive to modern humans, this behavior has been used to argue in favor of significant cognitive differences between our direct ancestors and contemporary archaic hominins, including the Neanderthals. Here we present the first known example of an abstract pattern engraved by Neanderthals, from Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar. It consists of a deeply impressed cross-hatching carved into the bedrock of the cave that has remained covered by an undisturbed archaeological level containing Mousterian artifacts made by Neanderthals and is older than 39 cal kyr BP. Geochemical analysis of the epigenetic coating over the engravings and experimental replication show that the engraving was made before accumulation of the archaeological layers, and that most of the lines composing the design were made by repeatedly and carefully passing a pointed lithic tool into the grooves, excluding the possibility of an unintentional or utilitarian origin (e.g., food or fur processing). This discovery demonstrates the capacity of the Neanderthals for abstract thought and expression through the use of geometric forms.

Reconstructing 2500 Years of Human Impact on the Environment in NW Iberia

Reconstructing the impact of human activities in a NW Iberian Roman mining landscape for the last 2500 years

Authors:

López-Merino et al

Abstract:

Little is known about the impact of human activities during Roman times on NW Iberian mining landscapes beyond the geomorphological transformations brought about by the use of hydraulic power for gold extraction. We present the high-resolution pollen record of La Molina mire, located in an area intensely used for gold mining (Asturias, NW Spain), combined with other proxy data from the same peat core to identify different human activities, evaluate the strategies followed for the management of the resources and describe the landscape response to human disturbances. We reconstructed the timing and synchronicity of landscape changes of varying intensity and form occurred before, during and after Roman times. An open landscape was prevalent during the local Late Iron Age, a period of relatively environmental stability. During the Early Roman Empire more significant vegetation shifts took place, reflected by changes in both forest (Corylus and Quercus) and heathland cover, as mining/metallurgy peaked and grazing and cultivation increased. In the Late Roman Empire, the influence of mining/metallurgy on landscape change started to disappear. This decoupling was further consolidated in the Germanic period (i.e., Visigothic and Sueve domination of the region), with a sharp decrease in mining/metallurgy but continued grazing. Although human impact was intense in some periods, mostly during the Early Roman Empire, forest regeneration occurred afterwards: clearances were local and short-lived. However, the Roman mining landscape turned into an agrarian one at the onset of the Middle Ages, characterized by a profound deforestation at a regional level due to a myriad of human activities that resulted in an irreversible openness of the landscape.

Evidence of Paleoclimate in Barremian Cretaceous Iberia

Early kaolinization of detrital Weald facies in the Galve Sub-basin (Central Iberian Chain, north-east Spain) and its relationship to palaeoclimate

Authors:

Bauluz et al

Abstract:

A set of samples from the Camarillas Formation (Barremian, Weald facies) in the Galve Sub-basin (Central Iberian Chain, north-east Spain) was studied to determine the origin of the abundant kaolinitic clays and their relationship to the sedimentary environment, palaeoclimate and diagenetic processes. The samples were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning and transmission electron microscopy, with special emphasis on clay-mineral characterization. The analysed materials are a mixture of detrital (quartz, micas, and K-feldspars) and authigenic phases (kaolinite, Fe-oxides, gibbsite, dickite, and calcite). Therefore, the mineralogy of the rocks reflects the source area, the sedimentary conditions, and the diagenetic evolution. The most abundant authigenic phases are kaolinites. The combination of XRD and electron microscopy shows that the kaolinites are well crystallized and have as high a degree of ordering as those formed by weathering in palaeosols; this clay formed the rock matrix, intergrowths with muscovite, and vermicular booklets that replaced detrital silicates as a consequence of intense dissolution processes. The diagenetic processes have recrystallized kaolinites in the sandstones, producing larger crystallinity indices and dickite. In contrast, kaolinites from the claystones and siltstones probably reflect formation by weathering. The kaolinitization process described, associated with the crystallization of gibbsite and iron oxides, is in agreement with the relatively warm and humid conditions described for the Iberian Range basin in the early Barremian.

An Anisian Triassic Procolophonid Found in Iberia

A potential record of a procolophonid parareptile from the Triassic of the Iberian Peninsula

Authors:

Fortuny et al

Abstract:

Cranial and postcranial remains from the Middle Triassic of the NorthEastern part of the Iberian Peninsula are reported and tentatively assigned to Procolophonidae. The finding is the first occurrence of a procolophonid parareptile in the Iberian Peninsula, representing the southernmost record of the group in Europe. The fossil bearing locality is dated as Anisian (Middle Triassic) and includes three tooth-bearing bones, two cranial bone fragments and one interclavicle. The mandible described herein includes nine teeth. No cusps or complete crowns are preserved, but sections of the teeth are available. The three anterior teeth progressively decrease in size from front to back, while the teeth from the fourth to the eighth position present the opposite trend. The last tooth (the ninth) is clearly reduced in comparison to the previous ones. A close relationship with Anomoiodon-Kapes is suggested, however, more material is required in order to assess the exact taxonomical determination of the Iberian remains. This finding is expected to shed some light on the geographical distribution of procolophonines.