Erratum (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Journal of Quaternary Science 21: 155–179.

Characteristics and OSL minimum ages of relict fluvial deposits near Sossus Vlei, Tsauchab River, Namibia, and a regional climate record for the last 30 ka - George A. Brook; Pradeep Srivastava; Eugene Marais (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The present end‐point of the Tsauchab River is at Sossus Vlei, 30 km into the Namib Sand Sea. Interdune deposits in three depressions west and southwest of the vlei include channel and interdune lithofacies associations but no deposits typical of river end‐points or of groundwater seepage into interdune areas. The two lithofacies associations show that the Tsauchab River extended further into the sand sea in the past. It had a well‐developed channel and a higher flow than today that caused flooding of adjacent interdune areas. OSL 4‐mm aliquot minimum ages indicate that the Tsauchab River reached 2–3 km beyond its present end‐point at ca. 25 ka and ca. 9–7 ka, and that the river was more active from 0.9–0.3 ka. The eastward migration of the river end‐point since ca. 7 ka suggests a reduction in flood magnitude accompanied by the gradual invasion of the Sossus Vlei area by dunes. The regional data indicate an additional wet interval at ca. 15 ka that is so far not recorded in the Sossus area. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ribbed moraine stratigraphy and formation in southern Finnish Lapland - Pertti Sarala (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Characteristics of ribbed moraines, the dominating moraine type in southern Finnish Lapland, have been studied in detail. The ridges are composed of several till units, of which the bottommost units consist of mature basal tills and the surficial parts are enriched with local, short‐transport rock fragments and boulders in till and at the surface of ridges. As a result of this re‐examination a two‐step model of the formation process of ribbed moraines is presented. In the first stage, while cold‐based conditions prevailed, both the bottommost part of the ice sheet and the frozen, substrate fractured under compressive ice flow. Following glacial transport of fractured blocks and formation of the transverse ridge morphology, erosion between the ridges continued owing to freeze–thaw process under variable pressure conditions. In the areas with a low pre‐existing till sheet, the process caused quarrying of the bedrock surface and subsequent deposition of rock fragments and boulders under high pressure on the next ridge. The most suitable conditions for ribbed moraine formation existed during Late Weichselian deglaciation, after the Younger Dryas when the climate warmed very quickly, leading to an imbalance between a warm glacier surface and a cold base. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of the Kuroshio Current on the South China Sea based on a 115 000 year diatom record - Hui Jiang; Svante Björck; Lihua Ran; Yue Huang; Jiayin Li (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We used the tropical oceanic planktonic diatom species Nitzschia marina , Rhizosolenia bergonii and Azpeitia africana/Azpeitia neocrenulata , most commonly found in the surface sediments of the northeasternmost South China Sea (SCS) where the Kuroshio Current enters the SCS through the Bashi Strait north of Luzon, to analyse the influence of the the Kuroshio Current on the SCS. The impact of the Kuroshio Current seems to be relatively strong during major warm periods and, to a lesser degree, in minor warm periods during the last 115 000 years. The strongest influence took place during the main part of the Holocene and during the very late phase of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e. It is possible to distinguish two magnitudes of change in the impact of the Kuroshio Current on the SCS: large changes occurred at shifts between glacial and interglacial conditions, while smaller changes seem to have recurred in both glacial and interglacial episodes as well as during the Holocene. Climatic/oceanographic changes and sea‐level variations were possibly the two most important mechanisms for the varying influences of the Kuroshio Current on the SCS. The interaction between the Kuroshio Current and monsoon‐related processes may also have played a role. However, because of restricted knowledge of the present‐day Kuroshio Current and the absence of a modern analogue to the ancient SCS due to the marked changes in palaeogeography, this relationship is difficult to establish. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Subglacial bedform evidence for a major palaeo‐ice stream and its retreat phases in Amundsen Gulf, Canadian Arctic Archipelago - C. R. Stokes; C. D. Clark; M. C. M. Winsborrow (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Ascertaining the location of palaeo‐ice streams is crucial in order to produce accurate reconstructions of palaeo‐ice sheets and examine interactions with the ocean–climate system. This paper reports evidence for a major ice stream in Amundsen Gulf, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Mapping from satellite imagery (Landsat ETM+) and digital elevation models, including bathymetric data, is used to reconstruct flow‐patterns on southwestern Victoria Island and the adjacent mainland (Nunavut and Northwest Territories). Several flow‐sets indicative of ice streaming are found feeding into the marine trough and cross‐cutting relationships between these flow‐sets (and utilising previously published radiocarbon dates) reveal several phases of ice stream activity centred in Amundsen Gulf and Dolphin and Union Strait. A large erosional footprint on the continental shelf indicates that the ice stream (ca. 1000 km long and ca. 150 km wide) filled Amundsen Gulf, probably at the Last Glacial Maximum. Subsequent to this, the ice stream reorganised as the margin retreated back along the marine trough, eventually splitting into two separate low‐gradient lobes in Prince Albert Sound and Dolphin and Union Strait. The location of this major ice stream holds important implications for ice sheet–ocean interactions and specifically, the development of Arctic Ocean ice shelves and the delivery of icebergs into the western Arctic Ocean during the late Pleistocene. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exposure dating and glacial reconstruction at Mt. Field, Tasmania, Australia, identifies MIS 3 and MIS 2 glacial advances and climatic variability - A. N. Mackintosh; T. T. Barrows; E. A. Colhoun; L. K. Fifield (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Tasmania is important for understanding Quaternary climatic change because it is one of only three areas that experienced extensive mid‐latitude Southern Hemisphere glaciation and it lies in a dominantly oceanic environment at a great distance from Northern Hemisphere ice sheet feedbacks. We applied exposure dating using 36 Cl to an extensive sequence of moraines from the last glacial at Mt. Field, Tasmania. Glaciers advanced at 41–44 ka during Marine oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and at 18 ka during MIS 2. Both advances occurred in response to an ELA lowering greater than 1100 m below the present‐day mean summer freezing level, and a possible temperature reduction of 7–8°C. Deglaciation was rapid and complete by ca. 16 ka. The overall story emerging from studies of former Tasmanian glaciers is that the MIS 2 glaciation was of limited extent and that some glaciers were more extensive during earlier parts of the last glacial cycle. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Constraining the age of Lateglacial and early Holocene pollen zones and tephra horizons in southern Sweden with Bayesian probability methods - B. Wohlfarth; M. Blaauw; S. M. Davies; M. Andersson; S. Wastegård; A. Hormes; G. Possnert (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The sediment sequence from Hässeldala port in southeastern Sweden provides a unique Lateglacial/early Holocene record that contains five different tephra layers. Three of these have been geochemically identified as the Borrobol Tephra, the Hässeldalen Tephra and the 10‐ka Askja Tephra. Twenty‐eight high‐resolution 14 C measurements have been obtained and three different age models based on Bayesian statistics are employed to provide age estimates for the five different tephra layers. The chrono‐ and pollen stratigraphic framework supports the stratigraphic position of the Borrobol Tephra as found in Sweden at the very end of the Older Dryas pollen zone and provides the first age estimates for the Askja and Hässeldalen tephras. Our results, however, highlight the limitations that arise in attempting to establish a robust, chronologically independent lacustrine sequence that can be correlated in great detail to ice core or marine records. Radiocarbon samples are prone to error and sedimentation rates in lake basins may vary considerably due to a number of factors. Any type of valid and ‘realistic’ age model, therefore, has to take these limitations into account and needs to include this information in its prior assumptions. As a result, the age ranges for the specific horizons at Hässeldala port are large and calendar year estimates differ according to the assumptions of the age‐model. Not only do these results provide a cautionary note for over‐dependence on one age‐model for the derivation of age estimates for specific horizons, but they also demonstrate that precise correlations to other palaeoarchives to detect leads or lags is problematic. Given the uncertainties associated with establishing age–depth models for sedimentary sequences spanning the Lateglacial period, however, this exercise employing Bayesian probability methods represents the best possible approach and provides the most statistically significant age estimates for the pollen zone boundaries and tephra horizons. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply: on the importance of scale in biochronological analysis: a reply to Cuenca‐Bescós - M. Hernández Fernández; B. Azanza; M. A. Álvarez Sierra (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Climatic oscillations in central Italy during the Last Glacial–Holocene transition: the record from Lake Accesa - Michel Magny; Jacques‐Louis de Beaulieu; Ruth Drescher‐Schneider; Boris Vannière; Anne‐Véronique Walter‐Simonnet; Laurent Millet; Gilles Bossuet; Odile Peyron (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper presents an event stratigraphy based on data documenting the history of vegetation cover, lake‐level changes and fire frequency, as well as volcanic eruptions, over the Last Glacial–early Holocene transition from a terrestrial sediment sequence recovered at Lake Accesa in Tuscany (north‐central Italy). On the basis of an age–depth model inferred from 13 radiocarbon dates and six tephra horizons, the Oldest Dryas–Bølling warming event was dated to ca. 14 560 cal. yr BP and the Younger Dryas event to ca. 12 700–11 650 cal. yr BP. Four sub‐millennial scale cooling phases were recognised from pollen data at ca. 14 300–14 200, 13 900–13 700, 13 400–13 100 and 11 350–11 150 cal. yr BP. The last three may be Mediterranean equivalents to the Older Dryas (GI‐1d), Intra‐Allerød (GI‐1b) and Preboreal Oscillation (PBO) cooling events defined from the GRIP ice‐core and indicate strong climatic linkages between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean areas during the last Termination. The first may correspond to Intra‐Bølling cold oscillations registered by various palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic region. The lake‐level record shows that the sub‐millennial scale climatic oscillations which punctuated the last deglaciation were associated in central Italy with different successive patterns of hydrological changes from the Bølling warming to the 8.2 ka cold reversal. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

North European last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT; 15–9 ka) tephrochronology: extended limits and new events - C. S. M. Turney; K. Van Den Burg; S. Wastegård; S. M. Davies; N. J. Whitehouse; J. R. Pilcher; C. Callaghan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
High‐precision correlation of palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental records is crucial for testing hypotheses of synchronous change. Although radiocarbon is the traditional method for dating late Quaternary sedimentary sequences, particularly during the last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT; 15–9 ka), there are inherent problems with the method, particularly during periods of climate change which are often accompanied by major perturbations in atmospheric radiocarbon content. An alternative method is the use of tephras that act as time‐parallel marker horizons. Within Europe, numerous volcanic centres are known to have erupted during the LGIT, providing considerable potential for high‐precision correlation independent of past radiocarbon fluctuations. Here we report the first identification of the Vedde Ash and Askja Tephra in Ireland, significantly extending the known provenance of these events. We have also identified two new horizons (the Roddans Port Tephras A and B) and tentatively recognise an additional horizon from Vallensgård Mose (Denmark) that provide crucial additional chronological control for the LGIT. Two phases of the Laacher See Tephra (LST) are reported, the lower Laacher See Tephra (LLST) and probably the C2 phase of the Middle Laacher See Tephra (MLST‐C2) indicating a more northeasterly distribution of this fan than reported previously. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comment: Iberian Plio‐Pleistocene biochronology: micromammalian evidence for MNs and ELMAs calibration in southwestern Europe. M. Hernández Fernández, B. Azanza and M. Á. Álvarez Sierra (2004). Journal of Quaternary Science 19 : 605–616 - Gloria Cuenca‐Bescós (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Microfossils (2nd edition). H. A. Armstrong and M. D. Brasier. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2005 (304 pp.). ISBN: 0 362 05279 1 - Simon K. Haslett (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Submarine prehistoric archaeology of the North Sea. Research priorities and collaboration with industry. CBA Research Report 141. N. C. Fleming (ed.). Council for British Archaeology, York, 2004 (150 pp.). ISBN: 1 902771 46 X - Ken Thomson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Late Quaternary upwelling off tropical NW Africa: new micropalaeontological evidence from ODP Hole 658C - Simon K. Haslett; Christopher W. Smart (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Planktonic foraminifera and radiolaria have been analysed in a Late Quaternary (40–0 ka) sediment sequence from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 658C located under a coastal upwelling system near Cap Blanc, offshore northwest Africa, in order to document the palaeoceanographic history of the area. Temporal variations in species abundance and faunal assemblage analysis reveal a tripartite phased sequence of palaeoceanographic change through the Late Quaternary. Phase 1 spans 40–14.5 ka and is characterised by moderate upwelling, but Heinrich event 2 is distinguished as a brief episode of strengthened upwelling. Phase 2 begins with a change in a number of variables at ca. 14.5 ka and extends to ca. 5.5 ka. This phase is characterised by a general strengthening of upwelling, but may be subdivided into three minor phases including (a) the recognition of the Younger Dryas, marked by a temporary reduction in upwelling strength, followed by (b) an intensification of upwelling, and (c) upwelling and high productivity between 8 and 5.5 ka. This phase of upwelling corresponds with maximum Holocene cooling, possibly triggered by the collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet. Phase 3 extends from 5.5 to 0 ka and is characterised by weak upwelling and significant calcite dissolution. These phases are related to climatic events, particularly the African Humid Period (AHP), which is coincident with Phase 2. The AHP is characterised by increased precipitation, linked to an intensification of the African monsoon that enhances North East Trade Wind‐driven coastal upwelling and is associated with the expansion of continental vegetation across North Africa. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Early Pleistocene Praetiglian and Ludhamian pollen stages in the North Sea Basin and their relationship to the marine isotope record - T. Meijer; P. Cleveringa; D. K. Munsterman; R. M. C. H. Verreussel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
In this paper, the currently accepted correlation of the Early Pleistocene Ludhamian stage of England with the Tiglian‐A sub‐stage of the Netherlands is challenged. Recent investigations of Early Pleistocene marine North Sea deposits from a borehole near Noordwijk (the Netherlands) yielded evidence from molluscs, dinoflagellate cysts and sporomorphs for an alternation of warm‐temperate and arctic intervals within the Praetiglian and Tiglian stages. Marine equivalents of the terrestrial‐based pollen sub‐stages Tiglian A and B have been recognised in the upper part of the sequence. A Praetiglian age can be assigned to the lower part of the sequence on the basis of mollusc analysis. Within the Praetiglian, an alternation of warm and cold phases has been recognised from both the dinoflagellate cyst and molluscan records. Three cold phases within the Praetiglian are tentatively correlated with marine isotope stages (MIS) 96–100. The molluscan assemblages provide evidence for climate forcing of the sea level: highest sea levels are reached in the warm‐temperate intervals. Within the Praetiglian, an interval with an acme zone of the dinoflagellate cyst Impagidinium multiplexum , is correlated with the Ludhamian and tentatively linked to MIS 97 and/or MIS 96. The cold molluscan assemblages from the Noordwijk borehole include an acme zone of Megayoldia thraciaeformis , the first and only occurrence of this North Pacific bivalve in the North Sea Basin. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary glacial and deglacial history of eastern Vestfirdir, Iceland using cosmogenic isotope ( 36 Cl) exposure ages and marine cores - Sarah M. Principato; Áslaug Geirsdóttir; Gudrún Eva Jóhannsdóttir; John T. Andrews (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The late glacial and deglacial history of Vestfirdir, NW Iceland is interpreted from terrestrial field‐based evidence and compared with marine cores and seismic studies. Understanding the timing of deglaciation is complicated by a lack of dateable organic material on land, uncertainties associated with interpretation of diamictons, and ambiguities in radiocarbon dating. New 36 Cl exposure ages of boulders and bedrock surfaces suggest that at least part of the coastal uplands were ice‐free by approximately 20 ka. Deglaciation of the valleys followed. Boulders from the crest of an end‐moraine in the Selá river valley have a mean 36 Cl age of 14.6 ka ± 0.8 ka ( n = 4), and the outermost moraine in the valley adjacent to Kaldalónjökull has a mean 36 Cl age of 11.7 ka ± 0.9 ka ( n = 2). Tephrochronology provides a link between the terrestrial and marine sequences around Vestfirdir. The Vedde Ash (ca. 12 k cal. yr BP) is present in some offshore cores, but it is absent from terrestrial sites, suggesting that its distribution provides a constraint on ice extent during the Younger Dryas. The Saksunarvatn Ash (10.2 ± 0.6 k cal. yr BP), confirmed by geochemical analyses and radiocarbon dating, is present in at least three terrestrial locations on eastern Vestfirdir and in many cores from the fjords and shelf, which constrains early Holocene ice extent. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene vegetation and land‐use changes in response to climatic changes in the forelands of the southwestern Alps, Italy - Walter Finsinger; Willy Tinner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The Holocene sediment of Lago Piccolo di Avigliana (Piedmont, Italy, 356 m a.s.l.) was dated by 14 C and analysed for pollen to reconstruct the vegetation history of the area. The early‐ and mid‐Holocene pollen record shows environmental responses to centennial‐scale climatic changes as evidenced by independent palaeoclimatic proxies. When human impact was low or negligible, continental mixed‐oak forests decreased at ca. 9300 BC in response to the early‐Holocene Preboreal climatic oscillation. Abies alba expanded in two phases, probably in response to higher moisture availability at ca. 6000 and ca. 4000 BC , while Fagus expanded later, possibly in response to a climatic change at 3300 BC . During and after the Bronze Age five distinct phases of intensified land use were detected. The near synchroneity with the land‐use phases detected in wetter regions in northern and southern Switzerland points to a common forcing factor in spite of cultural differences. Increasing minerogenic input to the lake since 1000 BC coincided with Late Bronze—Iron Age technical innovations and probably indicate soil erosion as a consequence of deforestation in the lake catchment. The highest values for cultural indicators occurred at 700–450 and at 300–50 BC , coinciding with periods of high solar activity (inferred from Δ 14 C). This suggests that Iron Age land use was enhanced by high solar activity, while re‐occupation of partly abandoned areas after crises in earlier periods match better with the GRIP stable isotope record. On the basis of our data and comparison with independent palaeoclimatic proxies we suggest that precipitation variation was much more important than temperature oscillations in driving vegetation and societal changes throughout the Holocene. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climatic cycles inferred from the aminostratigraphy and aminochronology of Quaternary dunes and palaeosols from the eastern islands of the Canary Archipelago - J. E. Ortiz; T. Torres; Y. Yanes; C. Castillo; J. De La Nuez; M. Ibáñez; M. R. Alonso (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Aminochronological and aminostratigraphical methods have been used to study the Quaternary aeolian deposits from the islands located east of the Canary Archipelago (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote islands and La Graciosa, Montaña Clara and Alegranza islets). The extent of racemisation/epimerisation of four amino acids (isoleucine, aspartic acid, phenylalanine and glutamic acid) was measured in land snail shells of the genus Theba . The age calculation algorithms of these amino acids have been determined to permit the numerical dating of these deposits. Eight Aminozones, each defining dune/palaeosol‐formation episodes, have been distinguished and dated at 48.6 ± 6.4, 42.5 ± 6.0, 37.8 ± 4.6, 29.4 ± 4.8, 22.4 ± 4.5, 14.9 ± 3.6, 11.0 ± 4.0 and 5.4 ± 1.1 ka BP, the first five of them defining cycles of 5–7 ka. The alternation of palaeosols and aeolian deposits, which are related to abrupt transitions from humid to arid conditions, are the reflection of globally induced changes in North Africa palaeoenvironmental conditions linked to the effect of African palaeomonsoons on the trade winds and the Saharan Air Layer. Probably these aeolian cycles, with a recurrence period of 5–7 ka, are the expression of multiples of the ∼2.4 ka solar‐cycle. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Paraglacial response of steep, sediment‐mantled slopes to post‐‘Little Ice Age’ glacier recession in the central Swiss Alps - A. M. Curry; V. Cleasby; P. Zukowskyj (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This research assesses the morphological consequences of recent (post‐‘Little Ice Age’) paraglacial reworking of valley‐side sediment mantles in the European Alps. It aims to identify the extent and conditioning factors of slope adjustment at sites in the Swiss Alps, model the temporal pattern, and assess the rates of sediment reworking involved. Gully systems have cut into steep, high‐level lateral moraines, and debris cones have accumulated downslope. Debris flow is the dominant agent of sediment transfer. Factors controlling the extent of this activity include moraine slope gradient, relief and moisture availability. Gullies appear to have reached their maximum dimensions within ca. 50 yr of deglaciation, after which gully relief is reduced by removal of inter‐gully slopes and gully infilling (within 80–140 yr). On the most recently deglaciated terrain, minimum erosion rates average ca. 95 mm yr −1 since gully initiation, greatly exceeding ‘normal’ erosion rates in other environments. Mean annual accumulation of a single debris cone since ice retreat was calculated to be ca. 30 mm yr −1 . Implications of these findings are applied to patterns of paraglacial sediment‐mantled slope adjustment, conceptualising paraglacial landscape response in terms of a sediment release exhaustion model, and paraglacial landform succession. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeoenvironmental evolution and sea‐level fluctuations along the southeastern Pampa grasslands coast of Argentina during the Holocene - Isabel Vilanova; Aldo R. Prieto; Marcela Espinosa (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Holocene pollen and diatom analyses and complementary data from δ 18 O and δ 13 C, malacology and sedimentology have provided a detailed record of vegetation history and palaeoenvironmental change at arroyo Las Brusquitas, on the southeastern coast of the pampas of Argentina especially in relation to past sea levels. Holocene palaeosalinity trends were estimated by Detrended Correspondence Analysis and by salinity indexes based on pollen and diatom data. As a consequence of sea‐level rise from the postglacial an extensive wave‐cut platform formed over which Holocene infilling sequences were deposited unconformably. In these sequences, variation in pollen and diatom assemblages occurred in agreement with changes in mollusc diversity and abundance, isotope values, and sediment deposits. Between ca. 6700 and 6190 14 C yr BP (6279–6998 cal. yr BP) saline conditions predominated in an environment highly influenced by tides and salt water during the Holocene sea‐level highstand. Between ca. 6200 and 3900 14 C yr BP (4235–4608 cal. yr BP) shallow brackish water bodies formed surrounded by saltmarsh vegetation that became more widespread from 5180 14 C yr BP (5830–6173 cal. yr BP) to 3900 14 C yr BP in relation to a sea‐level stabilisation period within the regression phase. Less saline conditions marked by frequent variations in salinity predominated between ca. 3900 and 2040 yr 14 C BP (1830–2160 cal. yr BP). The intertidal saltmarsh environment changed into a brackish marsh dominated by freshwater conditions and sporadic tidal influence. Halophytic vegetation increased towards ca. 2000 14 C yr BP indicating that saline conditions may be due to either desiccation or an unusually high tide range with rare frequency. After ca. 2000 14 C yr BP the sedimentary sequences were buried by aeolian sand dunes. Changes in Holocene vegetation and environments in Las Brusquitas area are in agreement with data obtained from various southeastern coastal sites of the Pampa grasslands. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Monitoring the earth. Physical geology in action. C. Vita‐Finzi. Publisher Terra, Harpenden, 2003. 189 pp. ISBN 1‐903544‐12‐2 - T. C. Atkinson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

The Last Glacial Maximum in the North Sea Basin: micromorphological evidence of extensive glaciation - S. J. Carr; R. Holmes; J. J. M. van der Meer; J. Rose (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Despite a long history of investigation, critical issues regarding the last glacial cycle in northwest Europe remain unresolved. One of these refers to the extent, timing and dynamics of Late Devensian/Weichselian glaciation of the North Sea Basin, and whether the British and Scandinavian ice sheets were confluent at any time during this period. This has been the result of the lack of the detailed sedimentological data required to reconstruct processes and environment of sediments recovered through coring. This study presents the results of seismic, sedimentological and micromorphological evidence used to reconstruct the depositional processes of regionally extensive seismic units across the North Sea Basin. Thin section micromorphology is used here to provide an effective means of discriminating between subglacial and glacimarine sediments from cored samples and deriving process‐based interpretations from sediment cores. On the basis of micromorphology, critical formations from the basin have been reinterpreted, with consequent stratigraphic implications. Within the current stratigraphic understanding of the North Sea Basin, a complex reconstruction is suggested, with a minimum of three major glacial episodes inferred. On at least two occasions during the Weichselian/Devensian, the British and Scandinavian ice sheets were confluent in the central North Sea. Whilst micromorphology can provide much greater confidence in the interpretation of Late Quaternary offshore stratigraphic sequences, it is noted that a much better geochronology is required to resolve key stratigraphic issues between the onshore and offshore stratigraphic records. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neanderthals and modern humans. An ecological and evolutionary perspective. C. Finlayson. Publisher Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004 (265 pp.). ISBN: 0 521 82087 1 - John R. Stewart (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Vertebrate palaeontology (3rd edition). M. J. Benton. Publisher Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2004 (455 pp.). ISBN: 0 632 05637 1. History of life (4th edition). R. Cowen. Publisher Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2004 (324 pp.). ISBN: 1 4051 1756 7 - Hannah O'regan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Sea‐level changes, river activity, soil development and glaciation around the western margins of the southern North Sea Basin during the Early and early Middle Pleistocene: evidence from Pakefield, Suffolk, UK - Jonathan R. Lee; James Rose; Ian Candy; Rene W. Barendregt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper outlines evidence from Pakefield (northern Suffolk), eastern England, for sea‐level changes, river activity, soil development and glaciation during the late Early and early Middle Pleistocene (MIS 20–12) within the western margins of the southern North Sea Basin. During this time period, the area consisted of a low‐lying coastal plain and a shallow offshore shelf. The area was drained by major river systems including the Thames and Bytham. Changes in sea‐level caused several major transgressive–regressive cycles across this low‐relief region, and these changes are identified by the stratigraphic relationship between shallow marine (Wroxham Crag Formation), fluvial (Cromer Forest‐bed and Bytham formations) and glacial (Happisburgh and Lowestoft formations) sediments. Two separate glaciations are recognised—the Happisburgh (MIS 16) and Anglian (MIS 12) glaciations, and these are separated by a high sea level represented by a new member of the Wroxham Crag Formation, and several phases of river aggradation and incision. The principal driving mechanism behind sea‐level changes and river terrace development within the region during this time period is solar insolation operating over 100‐kyr eccentricity cycles. This effect is achieved by the impact of cold climate processes upon coastal, river and glacial systems and these climatically forced processes obscure the neotectonic drivers that operated over this period of time. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2005. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glacier response in the European Alps to Heinrich Event 1 cooling: the Gschnitz stadial - Susan Ivy‐Ochs; Hanns Kerschner; Peter W. Kubik; Christian Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The Gschnitz stadial was a period of regionally extensive glacier advance in the European Alps that lies temporally between the breakdown of the Last Glacial Maximum piedmont lobes and the beginning of the Bølling warm interval. Moraines of the Gschnitz stadial are found in medium to small catchments, are steep‐walled and blocky, and reflect a snowline lowering of 650–700 m in comparison to the Little Ice Age reference snowline. 10 Be surface exposure dating of boulders from the moraine at the type locality at Trins (Gschnitz valley, Tyrol, Austria) shows that it stabilised no later than 15 400 ± 1400 yr ago. The overall morphological situation and the long reaction time of the glacier suggest that the climatic downturn lasted about 500 ± 300 yr, indicating that the Gschnitz cold period began approximately 15 900 ± 1400 yr ago, if not somewhat earlier. This is consistent with published radiocarbon dates that imply that the stadial occurred sometime between 15 400 14 C yr BP (18 020–19 100 cal. yr) and 13 250 14 C yr BP (15 360–16 015 cal. yr). A palaeoclimatic interpretation of the Gschnitz glacier based on a simple glacier flow model and statistical glacier‐climate models shows that precipitation was about one‐third of modern‐day precipitation and summer temperatures were about 10 K lower than today. In comparison, during the Younger Dryas, precipitation in this area was only about 10% less and T s (summer temperature) was only 3.5–4 K lower than modern values. Based on the age of the moraine and the cold and dry climate at that time, we suggest that the Gschnitz stadial was the response of Alpine glaciers to cooling of the North Atlantic Ocean associated with Heinrich Event 1. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A comparative study of peat proxies from two eastern central Swedish bogs and their relation to meteorological data - Anders Borgmark; Kristian Schoning (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Analyses of peat humification, testate amoebae, carbon and nitrogen content have been carried out on a peat sequence from Ältabergsmossen. At Gullbergbymossen testate amoebae and peat humification were analysed. Both bogs are located in eastern central Sweden. The longest sequence, Ältabergsmossen, covers the last 150 yr and the data from Gullbergbymossen covers the last 60 yr, both with a time resolution of ca. 2–4 yr cm −1 . The different proxies were compared to each other and were also compared to instrumental meteorological data. Correlation between peat humification and C/N ratios is high whereas the correlation is low between these physical/chemical parameters and reconstructed water tables inferred from the testate amoebae assemblages. High peat humification values and C/N ratios greater than 50 indicate aerobic decay and are thought to reflect the thickness of the acrotelm. High humification values and low C/N ratios are recorded in peat deposited between 1965 and 1980, whereas the dry period starts in the early 1970s according to instrumental meteorological data and inferred water‐table depth. The difference in the timing of the onset of a dry‐shift between the physical/chemical proxies and meteorological data and testate amoebae derived water table changes is interpreted as renewed decay of already deposited peat. The term secondary decomposition is used for this process. The secondary decomposition process has implications for interpreting physical/chemical and biological parameters in peat as they may be out of phase during the beginning of a dry‐shift. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene fluvial sediments, palaeontology and archaeology of the upper River Thames at Latton, Wiltshire, England - S. G. Lewis; D. Maddy; C. Buckingham; G. R. Coope; M. H. Field; D. H. Keen; A. W. G. Pike; D. A. Roe; R. G. Scaife; K. Scott (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Pleistocene fluvial sediments of the Northmoor Member of the Upper Thames Formation exposed at Latton, Wiltshire, record episodic deposition close to the Churn–Thames confluence possibly spanning the interval from Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7 to 2. The sequence is dominated by gravel facies, indicating deposition by a high‐energy, gravel‐bed river. A number of fine‐grained organic sediment bodies within the sequence have yielded palaeoenvironmental and biostratigraphical data from Mollusca, Coleoptera, vertebrates, pollen and plant macrofossils. The basal deposit (Facies Association A) contains faunal material indicating temperate conditions. Most of the palaeontological evidence including a distinctive small form of mammoth ( Mammuthus cf. trogontherii ), together with the U‐series age estimate of >147.4 ± 20 kyr suggest correlation with MIS 7. The overlying deposits (Facies Associations B and C) represent deposition under a range of climatic conditions. Two fine‐grained organic deposits occurred within Association B; one (Association Ba) in the northern part of the pit as a channel fill and the other (Association Bb) in its southern part as a scour‐fill deposit. The coleopteran assemblages from Ba, indicate that it accumulated under temperate oceanic conditions, while Bb, which also yielded a radiocarbon age estimate of 39 560 ± 780 14 C yr BP, was formed under much colder and more continental climatic conditions. The sequence is considered to represent deposition within an alluvial fan formed at the Churn–Thames confluence; a depositional scenario which may account for the juxtaposition of sediments and fossils of widely differing age within the same altitudinal range. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative sea‐level changes since 15 000 cal. yr BP in the Nanortalik area, southern Greenland - C. J. Sparrenbom; O. Bennike; S. Björck; K. Lambeck (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We present new results for relative sea‐level change for southern Greenland for the interval from 9000 cal. yr BP to the present. Together with earlier work from the same region this yields a nearly complete record from the time of deglaciation to the present. Isolation and/or transgression sequences in one lake and five tidal basins have been identified using lithostratigraphic analyses, sedimentary characteristics, magnetic susceptibility, saturated induced remanent magnetisation (SIRM), organic and carbonate content, and macrofossil analyses. AMS radiocarbon dating of macrofossils and bulk sediment samples provides the timescale. Relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present‐day level at ∼9300 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 9000 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP sea level reached its lowest level of around ∼10 m below highest astronomical tide. At around 5000 cal. yr BP, sea level had reached above 7.8 m below highest astronomical tide and slowly continued to rise, not reaching present‐day sea level until today. The isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of the basins that are seen as distinct isolation contacts in the sediments. In contrast, the late Holocene transgressions are less well defined and occurred over longer time intervals. The late Holocene sea‐level rise may be a consequence of isostatic reloading by advancing glaciers and/or an effect of the delayed response to isostatic rebound of the Laurentide ice sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo‐Eskimo cultures may be missing in southern Greenland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sea surface temperature record off central Japan since the Last Glacial Maximum using planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca thermometry - Takuya Sagawa; Kazuhiro Toyoda; Tadamichi Oba (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We conducted paired measurements of the Mg/Ca ratio and δ 18 O of planktonic foraminifera, Globigerina bulloides , from a sediment core (MD01‐2420) off central Japan in the northwest Pacific, to reconstruct current movements since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These methods make it possible to determine the magnitude and timing of the sea surface temperature (SST) changes and to reconstruct the variations of the past seawater δ 18 O (δ 18 Ow) off central Japan. The amplitude of Mg/Ca‐based SST changes between the Holocene and the LGM was about 10°C. The strong resemblance of the SSTs estimated from both methods, Mg/Ca‐based and δ 18 O‐based, suggests that the SST changes were caused primarily by latitudinal displacement of the Kuroshio–Oyashio currents and no distinct change in the carbonate dissolution of the core. The southward migration of the water mass was 5–6° in latitude at the LGM. The values for regional δ 18 Ow changes, which were obtained by subtracting the ice volume contribution from the calculated δ 18 Ow, describe the millennial‐scale water mass migration over the last 30 kyr. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

La Cordillera Central Colombiana transecto Parque Los Nevados. ECOANDES Volume 5. Studies on tropical Andean ecosystems. T. van der Hammen and Alice G. Santos (eds). Publisher Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin, 2003 (545 pp., 3 maps, 1 CD‐Rom). ISBN: 3 443 65004 X - William D. Gosling; Dunia H. Urrego (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Ice‐cored drumlins at the surge‐type glacier Brúarjökull, Iceland: a transitional‐state landform - Anders Schomacker; Johannes Krüger; Kurt H. Kjær (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper presents data on a glacial landform that, to our knowledge, has not previously been described in the literature: the ice‐cored drumlin. The study area is the forefield of the surge‐type glacier Brúarjökull at the northeastern margin of the Vatnajökull ice cap, East Iceland. Based on sedimentological field investigations and aerial photograph interpretation, a qualitative model for the formation of ice‐cored drumlins is proposed. The drumlin core consists of stagnant glacier ice from a previous advance and bubbly ice formed by snowdrifts, which were incorporated during the most recent advance—the 1963–64 surge. This advance deposited a mantle of basal till and streamlined the ice‐cored moraines. Till deformation and deposition on the drumlin ice‐core is facilitated by a substratum of low‐permeability ice‐cored moraines. In the present climate, the ice‐core is subject to melting and the drumlin landform will degrade. The ongoing melting of the core and re‐sedimentation of the till cover cause the originally streamlined subglacial landform to develop into a patch of hummocky moraine surrounded by a basal till sheet. Thus, ice‐cored drumlins are a transitional‐state landform in the surging glacier landsystem at Brúarjökull rather than a ‘final’ landform. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mesolithic Scotland and its neighbours. A. Saville (ed.). Publisher Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2004 (480 pp) ISBN 0 903903 28 8 - Chantal Conneller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Holocene evolution of the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon area (Argentina) indicated by pollen analysis - Silvina Stutz; Aldo R. Prieto; Federico I. Isla (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Palynologycal information was integrated with the aim to study vegetation history and environmental changes in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon area (in the southeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina) related to sea‐level fluctuations during the Holocene. Prior to 5000 yr BP a mosaic of psammophytic and halophytic communities developed on extensive sandy flats. Between 4000 and 2500 yr BP, during a period of sea‐level stabilisation, similar halophytic communities developed in the south and in the middle part of the present lagoon. Between 4500 and 3500 yr BP hydrophytic and halophytic communities developed in Laguna Hinojales. Beginning 2500 yr BP, when sea level was nearing its present position, modern plant communities became established. Pollen records suggest that littoral evolution of the area was much more complex than previous models have described, introducing new evidence of the geomorphological evolution of Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon. The estuarine environment was delimited by a system of barrier islands instead of a linear prograding barrier, as has been proposed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Leitfaden der Pollenbestimmung fur Mitteleuropa und angrenzende Gebiete. H.‐J. Beug. Publisher Verlag Friedrich Pfeil, Munich, 2004 (542 pp. 120 plates, 12 tables) ISBN 3 89937 043 0 - Henry Hooghiemstra (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Dimensions and deglacial chronology of the Outer Hebrides Ice Cap, northwest Scotland: implications of cosmic ray exposure dating - John O. Stone; Colin K. Ballantyne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Cosmic ray exposure ages of frost‐weathered bedrock from mountain summits in the Outer Hebrides exceed the age of Late Devensian glaciation. Exposure ages of most glacially‐abraded bedrock surfaces at low and intermediate elevations are younger than the age of maximum Late Devensian glaciation. These results confirm that previously mapped periglacial trimlines in the Outer Hebrides define the upper limit of bedrock erosion by Late Devensian ice. They are consistent with the interpretation, based on geomorphological evidence, that the trimlines mark the approximate upper limit of a Late Devensian Outer Hebrides Ice Cap. A postglacial exposure age from the summit of Oreval (662 m) suggests that this mountain was overrun during the last glaciation, indicating thicker ice cover and a lower surface gradient west of the ice‐cap divide than previously inferred. Although bedrock surfaces below the trimlines are strongly ice‐moulded, some show evidence of prior cosmic ray exposure, which we attribute to limited erosion during Late Devensian glaciation. If this interpretation is correct, the youngest apparent ages from these surfaces give the most reliable dates for deglaciation, at ca. 14.5–14 ka. This implies that ice persisted at favourable sites through the warm opening phase of the Windermere Interstade. Comparison with radiocarbon‐dated evidence from offshore cores suggests net ice margin retreat of ∼74 km eastwards across the adjacent shelf in > 2.3 ± 1.0 ka. The dating evidence is consistent with relatively rapid retreat of calving margins to the coast, then slower withdrawal of ice margins to high ground. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Glacial and Holocene vegetation history in the southern part of Transylvania (Romania): pollen analysis of two sequences from Avrig - Ioan Tantau; Maurice Reille; Jacques‐Louis de Beaulieu; Sorina Farcas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We present here the results of pollen analysis of two sequences of about 8.06 m and 11.90 m length, originating from two adjacent peat bogs in the southern part of Transylvania province, Romania (155 and 122 pollen spectra). The vegetation record, which is supported by 17 14 C dates, begins in the Late Glacial interstadial when forest recolonisation began with the development of Pinus , without a pioneer Betula phase. Picea began to expand from regional refuges. After a well‐defined Younger Dryas, the Holocene opens with the expansion of Betula , Ulmus and Picea , followed, at about 10 400 cal. yr BP, by Fraxinus , Quercus and Tilia . The Corylus optimum is correlated with the Atlantic chronozone (after 8600 cal. yr BP). The local establishment of Carpinus occurred at about 6500 cal. yr BP, with a maximum at about 5700 cal. yr BP. Fagus pollen is regularly recorded after 8200 cal. yr BP. This taxon became dominant at about 3700 cal. yr BP. The first indications of human activities appear at around 7200 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tephra‐linked peat humification records from Irish ombrotrophic bogs question nature of solar forcing at 850 cal. yr BC - G. Plunkett (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper investigates evidence for palaeoclimatic changes during the period ca. 1500–500 cal. yr BC through peat humification studies on seven Irish ombrotrophic bogs. The sites are well‐correlated by the identification of three mid‐first millennium BC tephras, which enable the humification records at specific points in time to be directly compared. Phases of temporarily increased wetness are suggested at ca. 1300–1250 cal. yr BC , ca. 1150–1050 cal. yr BC , ca. 940 cal. yr BC and ca. 740 cal. yr BC . The last of these is confirmed to be synchronous at five sites, suggesting external forcing on a regional scale. The timing of this wet‐shift is constrained by two closely dated tephras and is demonstrated to be distinct from the widely reported changes to cooler/wetter conditions associated with a solar minimum at 850–760 cal. yr BC , at which time the Irish sites appear instead to experience drier conditions. The results suggest the possibility of either non‐uniform responses to solar forcing in northwest Europe at this time, or the existence of unrelated climate events in the early first millennium BC . The findings caution against the correlation of loosely dated palaeoclimate data if the effects of forcing mechanisms are to be understood. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - Chris Caseldine (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

The deglaciation of eastern Scotland: cosmogenic 10 Be evidence for a Lateglacial stillstand - Jeremy Everest; Peter Kubik (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Cosmogenic nuclide analysis, using 10 Be, has been used to date a Lateglacial stillstand in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland at 16.6–13.6 kyr BP. The dates constrain the extent of the local Cairngorm Ice Cap and the larger Scottish Ice Sheet at a particular stage during deglaciation. The geomorphological and sedimentological evidence suggests that the glacial stillstand persisted for around 1 kyr. Independent 14 C dating from Loch Etteridge within Strathspey shows that deglaciation proceeded rapidly after ca. 15 kyr BP. Critically this study demonstrates that glaciers last occupied the valleys of the Cairngorms immediately prior to the Lateglacial Interstadial (Bølling/Alleröd), contrary to previous assumptions that the last large‐scale glaciation of the massif took place in the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas). This later event in the Cairngorms was therefore confined to the high corries. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New evidence for the occurrence of Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) in medieval Britain - David A. Hetherington; Tom C. Lord; Roger M. Jacobi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The presence of Eurasian lynx as a former native species in Britain during the Holocene is known from bones recovered from several sites. AMS radiocarbon dating of lynx bone recovered from two sites in the Craven area of northern England gave 1842 ± 35 14 C yr BP and 1550 ± 24 14 C yr BP, together representing the youngest dates for lynx from England, and in the case of the latter, the youngest for Britain as a whole. These dates support the view that the game animal whose occurrence in the nearby Lake District is described in the early 7th century Cumbric text Pais Dinogad , and whose translation to date has been problematic, is a lynx. The occurrence of lynx in early medieval Britain shows that earlier periods of climate change, previously blamed for the species' extinction in Britain, were not responsible. Instead, anthropogenic factors such as severe deforestation, declining deer populations, and persecution, are likely to have caused the extirpation of lynx in Britain. Consequently, the lynx qualifies as a candidate for reintroduction. Large‐scale reafforestation, the growth of deer populations, and more positive attitudes towards carnivores in modern society, could permit the restoration of lynx to Britain, particularly in Scotland. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary palaeolakes, rivers, and wetlands on the Bolivian Altiplano and their palaeoclimatic implications - Catherine A. Rigsby; J. Platt Bradbury; Paul A. Baker; Stephanie M. Rollins; Michelle R. Warren (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Drill cores of sediments from the Rio Desaguadero valley, Bolivia, provide new information about the climate of tropical South America over the past 50 000 years. The modern Rio Desaguadero is fed by Lake Titicaca overflow (and by local tributaries) in the wetter northern Altiplano and discharges into Lake Poopo in the more arid central Altiplano. During the late Quaternary the Rio Desaguadero valley was the site of several generations of palaeolakes and wetlands that formed during periods of increased precipitation and local runoff, augmented by increased overflow from Lake Titicaca. Sediments recovered by drilling in eight localities along the 390‐km long valley of the Rio Desaguadero yield a regional history of lacustrine sedimentation and effective precipitation. Lacustrine strata in the drill cores record 12 distinct wet periods in the past 50 000 years. Four of these wet periods resulted in the formation of major palaeolakes in the Rio Desaguadero valley: during the last glacial maximum from before 20 000 to 16 000 cal. yr BP, during the late glacial from about 14 000 to 12 000 cal. yr BP, in the early Holocene from about 10 000 to 7900 cal. yr BP, and in the late Holocene from 4500 cal. yr BP to present. The period that appears to have been most arid was between 7900 and 4500 cal. yr BP. The Altiplano wet periods were generally synchronous with North Atlantic cold events (respectively, the last glacial maximum, the Younger Dryas, the 8200 cal. yr BP event, and the Neoglacial) implying a relationship between past precipitation variability in tropical South America and North Atlantic sea‐surface temperature. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile - Martin Grosjean; Lautaro Núñez; Isabel Cartajena (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has been found between 12 600 and 10 200 cal. yr BP. The new site at Salar Punta Negra (24°28′S/60°53′W/2976 m) includes about 1000 classifiable, mostly unifacial artefacts and, uniquely, three different diagnostic types of early projectile points. Two of the Lateglacial/early Holocene projectile types have wide distribution and are known from different geographical areas in South America: the Palaeoindian ‘Fell’ fish‐tail point mainly from the southern cone of South America, and the triangular ‘Tuina’ points typical of the Puna of the south‐central Andes in northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. In addition, we found a third type, a stemmed point typical for the Salar Punta Negra. Filling a large geographical gap of ‘Fell’ occupation, the site at Salar Punta Negra provides evidence for generally much higher mobility and diversity of early cultures, and supports an Andean‐Pacific route for early human exploration of South America to the south through the desert at intermediate altitudes. Contemporaneous high‐amplitude climatic changes were fundamental preconditions to provide adequate environments and habitats, and to make Palaeoindian hunting‐gathering occupation possible in the Atacama Desert. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Equilibrium‐line altitudes during the Last Glacial Maximum across the Brooks Range, Alaska - Nicholas L. Balascio; Darrell S. Kaufman; William F. Manley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Equilibrium‐line altitudes (ELAs) were estimated for 383 reconstructed glaciers across the Brooks Range, northern Alaska, to investigate their regional pattern during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Glacier outlines were delimited based on published field mapping and the original interpretations of aerial photographs. Glacier margins were digitised from 1:63 360‐scale maps into a geographic information system (GIS) with a digital elevation model on a 60‐m grid. ELAs were calculated for each reconstructed glacier using the accumulation area ratio method (AAR = 0.58). The analysis was restricted to relatively simple cirque and valley glaciers that deposited clearly identifiable LGM moraines, and that did not merge with the complex transection glacier ice that filled most troughs of the range. The glaciers used in this analysis had areas ranging from 0.14 to 120 km 2 . Their ELAs rose from 470 m a.s.l. in the western Brooks Range to 1860 m a.s.l. in the east, over a distance of 1000 km. The ELAs were fitted with a third‐order polynomial trend surface to model their distribution across the range, and to investigate the source of local‐scale variations. The trend surface lowers toward the west and south, similar to previously derived trends based on glaciation thresholds. In addition, ELAs in the northeastern part of the range lower northward toward the Beaufort Sea, which has not been reported as strongly in other studies. Modern glacier ELAs also lower toward the southwest. The depression of LGM ELAs from modern glacier ELAs is greatest in the central Brooks Range (a maximum of 700 m), and decreases to the east (200 m). The regional pattern of LGM ELAs points to the primary source of moisture from the North Pacific, as it is today. The unexpected trend of LGM ELAs in the northeast part of the range is supported by recent field mapping, where anomalous ice distribution and ELAs reflect complicated LGM climate patterns and possibly late Quaternary tectonism. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tropical ice core records: evidence for asynchronous glaciation on Milankovitch timescales - Lonnie G. Thompson; Mary E. Davis; Ellen Mosley‐Thompson; Ping‐Nan Lin; Keith A. Henderson; Tracy A. Mashiotta (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Over the last 28 years ice core records have been systematically recovered from ten high‐elevation ice fields, nine of which are located in the low latitudes. Each core has provided new information about the regional climate and environmental change, and together their records challenge existing paradigms about the Earth's climate system. When viewed collectively, these ice core histories provide compelling evidence that the growth (glaciation) and decay (deglaciation) of large ice fields in the lower latitudes are often asynchronous, both between the hemispheres and with high latitude glaciation that occurs on Milankovitch timescales. Although stable isotopic records suggest that global‐scale cooling occurred during the Last Glacial Stage (LGS), we contend that precipitation is the primary driver of glaciation in the low latitudes. This is consistent with the time‐transgressive nature of precession‐driven changes in insolation (and hence precipitation) such that glaciers advance/retreat in the tropics north of the equator while glaciers retreat/advance in the tropics south of the equator. Thus, the coeval inter‐hemispheric retreat of glaciers in the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century is atypical. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary deglacial history of the Mérida Andes, Venezuela - Nathan D. Stansell; Mark B. Abbott; Pratigya J. Polissar; Alexander P. Wolfe; Maximiliano Bezada; Valentí Rull (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Radiocarbon‐dated sediment cores from seven lakes and two bogs spanning the Cordillera de Mérida in the Venezuelan Andes were used to identify and date the regional history of late Pleistocene and Holocene glacial activity. Coring sites were selected at different elevations across a pronounced rain shadow from southeast (wet) to northwest (dry). Sediment lithostratigraphy and magnetic susceptibility, in conjunction with AMS radiocarbon dates on macrofossils and charcoal, were used to constrain deglaciation. The local expression of the Last Glacial Maximum occurred between 22 750 and 19 960 cal. yr BP. On the wetter southeastern side of the Cordillera de Mérida, glaciers had significantly retreated by 15 700 cal. yr BP, followed by several minor glacial advances and retreats between 14 850 and 13 830 cal. yr BP. At least one major glacial readvance occurred between 13 830 and 10 000 cal. yr BP in the wetter southeastern sector of the region. The drier northwest side of the Cordillera de Mérida records initial glacial retreat by 14 240 cal. yr BP. Multiple sites on both sides of the Mérida Andes record a further phase of extensive deglaciation approximately 10 000 cal. yr BP. However, the north‐northwest facing Mucubají catchment remained partially glaciated until ca. 6000 cal. yr BP. Deglacial ages from the Venezuelan Andes are consistently younger than those reported from the Southern Hemisphere Andes, suggesting an inter‐hemispheric deglacial lag in the northern tropics of the order of two thousand years. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reconstruction of glacier equilibrium‐line altitudes for the Last Glacial Maximum on the High Plain of Bogotá, Eastern Cordillera, Colombia: climatic and topographic implications - Bryan G. Mark; Karin F. Helmens (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The High Plain of Bogotá in the Andes of Colombia provides an exceptionally detailed record of glaciation. A two‐stage Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is noted in Bogotá; the older stage (max) presents an opportunity to reconstruct individual valley glaciers and explore spatial patterns. Well‐mapped geomorphic features on topographic base maps permit the reconstruction of 23 palaeoglacier surfaces. Glacier extent varies across the region, with lower altitudes reached farther to the east. Equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) are reconstructed using the area–altitude balance ratio (AABR) method, with BRs in three groups reflecting the W–E gradient in glacier extent and selected by minimising variation from group means. Average LGM ELA for all palaeoglaciers is 3488 m with a standard deviation of 182 m. The average lowering in ELA from LGM to modern of ca. 1300 m is best explained by a considerable drop in temperature. Significant intra‐regional variance in LGM ELA can be ascribed to topography and its influence on precipitation and/or glacier form, with lower headwall elevations being correlated to larger accumulation areas. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The age and extent of tropical alpine glaciation in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru - Daniel L. Farber; Gregory S. Hancock; Robert C. Finkel; Donald T. Rodbell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Based on new 10 Be data for moraines in the Cordillera Blanca of central Peru, we have calculated model ages of three sets of Pleistocene glacial moraines. In order of decreasing age, these are the Cojup, Rurec and Laguna Baja moraines. The oldest moraines occur at the lowest elevations and yield dates of >400 ka pre‐dating the last interglacial and demonstrating that maximum ice volumes occurred during previous glacial periods, and not at the end of the last glacial. Our new data from the younger moraines indicate that the end of the last glacial cycle comprised two separate advances at ca. 29 ka and ca. 16.5 ka, each reflecting significant (>4°C) tropical of cooling at 10° S. These data combined with published records from the Laurentide ice sheet, indicate that climate instabilities associated with the close of the last glacial were likely global and synchronous in nature. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Introduction: Geoffrey Owen Seltzer, 1959–2005 - Donald T. Rodbell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Moraine preservation and boulder erosion in the tropical Andes: interpreting old surface exposure ages in glaciated valleys - Jacqueline A. Smith; Robert C. Finkel; Daniel L. Farber; Donald T. Rodbell; Geoffrey O. Seltzer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Cosmogenic dating provides a long‐awaited means of directly dating glacial deposits that pre‐date the last glacial cycle. Although the potential benefits of longer chronologies are obvious, the greater uncertainty associated with older cosmogenic ages may be less readily apparent. We illustrate the challenges of developing and interpreting a long chronology using our data from the Peruvian Andes. We used surface exposure dating with cosmogenic radionuclides (CRNs; 10 Be and 26 Al) to date 140 boulders on moraines in valleys bordering the Junin Plain (11° S, 76° W) in central Peru. Our chronology spans multiple glacial cycles and includes exposure ages greater than 1 million years, which indicate that long‐term rates of boulder erosion have been very low. Interpreting the chronology of moraines for glaciations that predate the last glacial cycle is complicated by the need to consider boulder erosion and exhumation, surface uplift, and inheritance of CRNs from previous exposure intervals. As an example, we recalculate exposure ages using our boulder erosion rates (0.3–0.5 metres per million years) and estimated surface uplift rates to emphasise both the challenges involved in interpreting old surface exposure ages and the value of chronological data, even with large uncertainties, when reconstructing the palaeoclimate of a region. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contrasting pollen histories of MIS 5e and the Holocene from Lake Titicaca (Bolivia/Peru) - Jennifer A. Hanselman; William D. Gosling; Gina M. Paduano; Mark B. Bush (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Two long sediment records (cores LTO1‐2B and LT01‐3B) from Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru, are compared with a previously analysed Holocene record from this lake (core NE98‐1PC). The Holocene records of LT01‐2B and NE98‐1PC are similar. There are striking differences, however, between the MIS 5e sections of the long cores and the Holocene records. In these records, temperature is probably the dominant parameter that determines the total fossil pollen concentration and is used to time the onset and termination of deglaciation. In contrast, the relative and absolute abundance of specific taxa (e.g. Polylepis/Acaena, Chenopodiaceae) are indicators of relative moisture availability. Although the Holocene contains a period of aridity between ca. 8000 cal. yr BP and 4300 cal. yr BP, it is a minor event compared with the more extreme aridity of MIS 5e. Core LT01‐3B showed similar trends during MIS 5e when compared to LT01‐2B, as did NE98‐1PC when comparing Holocene records. MIS 5e and the Holocene are markedly different interglacials, depicted by shifts in pollen concentration and taxa representation over time. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 17 000‐year history of Andean climate and vegetation change from Laguna de Chochos, Peru - Mark B. Bush; Barbara C. S. Hansen; Donald T. Rodbell; Geoffrey O. Seltzer; Kenneth R. Young; Blanca León; Mark B. Abbott; Miles R. Silman; William D. Gosling (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The manifestation of major climatic events such as the timing of deglaciation and whether, or not, the Younger Dryas affected Andean systems has garnered considerable recent attention. Even the Holocene is rapidly emerging as a time of considerable interest in Neotropical palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology. The Holocene of the Neotropics is now revealed as a time of some temperature change with precipitation:evaporation ratios fluctuating markedly. Major changes in lake level, ice‐accumulation, and vegetation are indicative of changes both in precipitation and temperature regimes. Although global‐scale forcing mechanisms may underlie some of these changes, e.g. the precessional rhythm, other variability appears to be localised. In a record from near the upper forest limit of the eastern Peruvian Andes, pollen, charcoal, and sedimentary data suggest that the deglaciational period from ca. 17 000 to ca. 11 500 cal. yr BP was a period of rapid climatic oscillations, set against an overall trend of warming. A warm‐dry event is evident between ca. 9500 and ca. 7300 cal. yr BP, and comparisons with other regional archives suggest that it was regional in scale. A ca. 1500‐yr periodicity in the magnetic susceptibility data is evident between 12 000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, reaching a peak intensity during the dry event. A weaker oscillation with a 500–600‐yr periodicity is present throughout much of the Holocene. The uppermost sample of the pollen analysis reveals deforestation as modern human land use simplified the landscape. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeohydrology of Laguna de Tagua Tagua (34° 30′ S) and moisture fluctuations in Central Chile for the last 46 000 yr - Blas L. Valero‐Garcés; Bettina Jenny; Mauricio Rondanelli; Antonio Delgado‐Huertas; Stephen J. Burns; Heinz Veit; Ana Moreno (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Central Chile (32–35° S) lies at the northern border of the strong influence of the westerly circulation belt and thus exhibits a steep rainfall gradient. A new core from Laguna de Tagua Tagua (34° 30′ S) provides a sedimentologic, geochemical and palynological record of regional hydrologic balance for the last 46 000 cal. yr BP. According to our age model, relatively humid conditions occurred during glacial times before 43 500 cal. yr BP and from 40 000 to 21 500 cal. yr BP. Reduced moisture conditions and likely lower temperatures occurred from 42 400–40 100 cal. yr BP. Higher lake levels, and pollen assemblages with Valdivian rainforest taxa, imply much higher precipitation during glacial times (40 100–21 000 cal. yr BP) compared to today and, therefore, enhanced westerly activity in northern Central Chile. Afterwards, the general decrease in moisture was punctuated by two abrupt arid periods at 21 000–19 500 cal. yr BP and 17 000–15 000 cal. yr BP, and two more humid intervals: 19 500–17 000 (almost coincident with the global Last Glacial Maximum, LGM) and 13 500–11 500 cal. yr BP. The early and mid‐Holocene were the most arid periods in Central Chile for the studied time interval. Millennial‐scale palaeohydrological reconstructions from Tagua Tagua are consistent with regional climatic records. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contrasts in the Quaternary of mid‐North America and mid‐Eurasia: notes on Quaternary landscapes of western Siberia - H. E. Wright (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The West Siberian Plain was formed by marine deposits that extended from the Mediterranean basin to the arctic. Tectonic action later produced a striking series of long straight NE–SW grabens in the southern part of the plain. Pleistocene advance of the Kara ice sheet onto the continent resulted in blockage of the Ob and Yenisey rivers to form huge proglacial lakes that drained through these grabens south via the Turgay Pass and the Aral, Caspian, Black and Mediterranean seas to the North Atlantic Ocean, but during the Last Glacial Maximum (late Weichselian, isotope stage 2), the Kara ice sheet did not advance onto the continent in northwestern Siberia. The Altai Mountains, which bound the West Siberian Plain on the south, contained large deep intermontane ice‐dammed lakes, which drained catastrophically when the ice dams broke, forming giant ripples on the basin floors. Pollen studies of glacial lakes indicate that the Lateglacial steppe vegetation and dry climatic conditions continued into the early Holocene as summer insolation maintained high levels. Permafrost development on a drained lake floor in the western Altai Mountains resulted in the formation of groups of small pingos. In North America the growth and wastage of the huge Laurentide ice sheet had an indirect role in the climatic history of western Siberia during the Glacial and Lateglacial periods, after which the climate was more affected directly by insolation changes, whereas in North America in the early Holocene the insolation factor was coupled with the climatic effects of the slow wastage of the ice sheet, and the time of maximum dryness was postponed until the mid‐Holocene. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene hydrologic variation at Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru, and its relationship to North Atlantic climate variation - P. A. Baker; S. C. Fritz; J. Garland; E. Ekdahl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
A growing number of sites in the Northern Hemisphere show centennial‐ to millennial‐scale climate variation that has been correlated with change in solar variability or with change in North Atlantic circulation. However, it is unclear how (or whether) these oscillations in the climate system are manifest in the Southern Hemisphere because of a lack of sites with suitably high sampling resolution. In this paper, we reconstruct the lake‐level history of Lake Titicaca, using the carbon isotopic content of sedimentary organic matter, to evaluate centennial‐ to millennial‐scale precipitation variation and its phasing relative to sites in the Northern Hemisphere. The pattern and timing of lake‐level change in Lake Titicaca is similar to the ice‐rafted debris record of Holocene Bond events, demonstrating a possible coupling between precipitation variation on the Altiplano and North Atlantic sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs). The cold periods of the Holocene Bond events correspond with periods of increased precipitation on the Altiplano. Holocene precipitation variability on the Altiplano is anti‐phased with respect to precipitation in the Northern Hemisphere monsoon region. More generally, the tropical Andes underwent large changes in precipitation on centennial‐to‐millennial timescales during the Holocene. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparing reconstructed Pleistocene equilibrium‐line altitudes in the tropical Andes of central Peru - Joan M. Ramage; Jacqueline A. Smith; Donald T. Rodbell; Geoffrey O. Seltzer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Glacier equilibrium‐line altitude (ELA), and the difference between modern and palaeo‐ELA can be interpreted as a proxy for climate change. One issue in ELA reconstruction is that different methods of ΔELA reconstruction may produce a range of results for the same palaeoglacier. When a range of methods is used to reconstruct ELAs across a region, resulting variations may be related to the method rather than the past climate. Palaeoclimatic interpretation of ELAs that were reconstructed by different methods may prompt spurious inferences if the ELA range is the result of methodological differences rather than climatic variation. We address the relationship and degree of variation between methods by comparing terminus‐to‐headwall‐altitude ratio (THAR), accumulation–area ratio (AAR), and accumulation‐area balance ratio (AABR) methods for palaeoglaciers in four valleys in the tropical Andes. Valleys in the eastern cordillera of the Peruvian Andes bordering the Junin Plain (11° S, 76° W, ca. 4100 m a.s.l.) are presently ice‐free but were glaciated repeatedly during the Pleistocene. We use a combination of 90‐m shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM) data, 15‐m Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data, and 1:25 000 topographic maps to reconstruct ELAs. Within each of three groups of moraines, map‐based THAR and AABR estimates of ELA tend to be highest, followed by DEM‐derived THAR ELAs, with AAR‐reconstructed ELAs somewhat lower in this region. ELA estimates for the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM) range from ca. 4250 to 4570 m a.s.l., with ΔELAs of ca. −220 to −550 m (depending on valley and method used). Within individual valleys, ΔELAs for the same palaeoglaciers calculated by different methods vary by ± 100 m. ELAs of the LLGM glaciers and those of the largest glaciers to occupy the Junin valleys (> 65 ka) are not markedly different from each other, regardless of the method used in their calculation, which is largely a reflection of the valley hypsometry in the region. Our analysis suggests relatively low decreases in temperature during glacial periods in the region (ca. 2.5± 1°C). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Delta progradation and Neoglaciation, Laguna Parón, Cordillera Blanca, Peru - Geoffrey O. Seltzer; Donald T. Rodbell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The history of Holocene glaciation serves as an important record of glacier mass balance and, therefore, of climatic change. The moraine record of Holocene glaciation in the tropical Andes, however, is fragmentary and poorly dated. In contrast, increases in the rate of accumulation of inorganic sediment in glacier‐fed lakes have been linked to periods of Neoglaciation in many mountain regions. The interpretation of such a record of Neoglaciation from sediment cores in glacier‐fed lakes in the tropical Andes can provide the continuity and chronologic control that is lacking in the existing moraine record. Unusual exposures of glacial lacustrine sediment in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, provide a rare opportunity to assess the link between climatic change, glaciation, and lacustrine sedimentation. Intentional lowering of water levels in Laguna Parón (9°S, 77°44′ W, 4200 m a.s.l.) in 1985 resulted in the incision and exposure of at least 20 m of deltaic deposits at the eastern end of the lake. Three deltaic units can be identified: horizontal topset beds, steeply dipping and deformed foreset beds, and horizontally laminated fine‐grained sediment. Six radiocarbon ages ranging from 1800 ± 210 to 465 ± 95 14 C yr BP on wood indicate that the average rate of delta progradation in the late Holocene has been approximately 290 m per 1000 yr. The lake formed during deglaciation at least 10 000 yr ago and if such a rate of progradation of the delta had prevailed over the entire Holocene, then the delta would be at least three times as extensive as it is today. Thus the rate of delta progradation has varied significantly over the Holocene. We suggest that the rate of delta progradation was at least three times greater when glaciers were in advanced positions. These positions are clearly delimited by Neoglacial moraines, which are within 1–2 km of the exposures studied and within 1 km of modern ice limits. The most recent increase in the rate of delta progradation is evidenced by an increase in sedimentation rate ca. 575 ± 90 14 C yr BP, coincident with the onset of the Little Ice Age. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Last Glacial Maximum: stability and change in a western Amazonian cloud forest - Dunia H. Urrego; Miles R. Silman; Mark B. Bush (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The climatic and vegetation history of a western Amazonian cloud forest is documented in a continuous pollen record spanning the full last glacial period between 43.5 and 22k cal. yr BP. The chronology for this record is based on eight radiocarbon dates yielding a low‐resolution pollen analysis for the region. A bioclimatic envelope model was generated on the basis of modern altitudinal distributions and the pollen data, which produced a glacial palaeotemperature estimate of ca. −5°C relative to present. Palaeoecological evidence of continuous moist cloud forest cover in the basin indicates that western Amazonian forests were not fragmented during the LGM. This evidence supports wet conditions in western Amazonia at the LGM and further refutes hypotheses of Amazonian aridity during the last ca. 44k cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeoclimatic reconstruction from Loch Lomond Readvance glaciers in the West Drumochter Hills, Scotland - Douglas I. Benn; Colin K. Ballantyne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Geomorphological mapping in the West Drumochter Hills provides evidence of a readvance of locally nourished glaciers during the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stade, in the form of an icefield 67.7 km 2 in area drained by outlet glaciers. The icefield limits accord broadly with those proposed by Sissons (1980) but all geomorphic, stratigraphic and sedimentological evidence conflicts with a recent proposal that the landforms in the area reflect southwestwards retreat of the last ice sheet. Up‐valley continuity of recessional moraines indicates that the ice remained active and close to climatic equilibrium during the earlier stages of glacier retreat, consistent with slow warming following the coldest part of the stade. The pattern of equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) across the icefield is consistent with transfer of snow by westerly and southerly winds. The ELA of the reconstructed icefield as a whole is 622–629 m, although this figure is likely to be lower than the regional (climatic) ELA because the icefield probably received additional snow blown from adjacent plateau surfaces and slopes. Inclusion of potential snow‐blow areas in the ELA calculation yields a value of 648–656 m; the climatic ELA is therefore likely to have lain between 622 and 656 m. Mean June to August temperature at the ELA, based on chironomid assemblages at two sites, falls within the range 4.0 ± 0.7°C. Empirical relationships between temperature and precipitation at modern glacier ELAs indicate that mean annual precipitation (MAP) at the ELA was 1977 ± 464 mm, statistically indistinguishable from modern values. Comparison with precipitation values calculated for the Isle of Mull on the west coast suggest that the precipitation gradient across the Central Highlands of Scotland was steeper during the Loch Lomond Stade than at present, probably as the result of efficient scavenging of precipitation from westerly airflows by the West Highland Icefield. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary glaciation of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia - Henry A. Osmaston; Wishart A. Mitchell; J. A. Nigel Osmaston (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Central Ethiopia comprises a high plateau at 2000–3000 m, formed from Tertiary lava flows and bisected by the Eastern African Rift. Ten volcanic mountains rise to altitudes of just over 4000 m, but on only three has Quaternary glaciation been substantiated by published field observations. On the Bale Mountains (4400 m), a previous report based on limited evidence proposed an ice‐cap extending to 600 km 2 . Based on aerial photographs and ground surveys, this paper reports evidence of a more complex situation. A wide spread of large erratic boulders on the plateau records a central ice cap of 30 km 2 , though ice probably extended for a further 40 km 2 . Further north two groups of deeply incised and clearly glaciated valleys contain moraines and roches moutonnées (60 km 2 ). On interfluves between them and on the open north slopes are moraines from an earlier stage of the same glaciation or from a distinct older event. Altogether about 180 km 2 may have been glaciated. Cores dated by 14 C from inside and outside the glaciated area suggest that at least the northern valley glaciers may date from the Last Glacial Maximum. Estimated equilibrium line altitudes for these glaciers and the ice‐cap are 3750–4230 m. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The climate of Scotland over the last 5000 years inferred from multiproxy peatland records: inter‐site correlations and regional variability - Peter G. Langdon; Keith E. Barber (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The mid to late‐Holocene climates of most of Scotland have been reconstructed from seven peat bogs located across north–south and east–west geographical and climatological gradients. The main techniques used for palaeoclimatic reconstruction were plant macrofossil, colorimetric humification, and testate amoebae analyses, which were supported by a radiocarbon‐based chronology, aided by markers such as tephra isochrons and recent rises in pine pollen and in spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs). Field stratigraphy was undertaken at each site in order to show that the changes detected within the peat profiles were replicable. Proxy climate records were reconstructed using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of the plant macrofossil data and a mean water table depth transfer function on the testate amoebae data. These reconstructions, coupled with the humification data, were standardised for each site and used to produce a composite record of bog surface wetness (BSW) from each site. The results show coherent wet and dry phases over the last 5000 years and suggest regional differences in climate across Scotland, specifically between northern and southern Scotland. Distinct climatic cycles are identified, all of which record a millennial‐scale periodicity which can be correlated with previously identified marine and ice core Holocene cycles. The key role of the macrofossil remains of Sphagnum imbricatum , a taxon now extinct on many sites, is discussed in relation to the identified climatic shifts. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Holocene shore displacement of Gästrikland, eastern Sweden: a contribution to the knowledge of Scandinavian glacio‐isostatic uplift - Mikael Berglund (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The shore displacement in Gästrikland, east‐central Sweden, has been investigated by means of AMS radiocarbon dating of sediment cores from isolated basins. Twenty dates from 11 sites are presented. Pollen and diatom analyses, and archive material from the Geological Survey of Sweden, have been used to identify isolation intervals in the cores and as chronological support to the 14 C dates. An important pollen stratigraphical time‐marker is a distinct mid‐Holocene increase in Tilia . For the mid‐Holocene, pollen stratigraphy is used rather than the 14 C dates for the age determination. The deglaciation of Gästrikland, according to the new 14 C dates, took place ca. 11 000 cal. yr BP (ca. 9500 14 C yr BP). Through the Holocene the shore displacement is regressive. The regression was initially rapid (on average ca. 3.5 m per 100 yr 11 000–7500 cal. yr BP, probably much more rapid at the earliest stage), then slowed down considerably and was from ca. 5000 cal. yr BP (probably already from 7000 cal. yr BP) relatively constant, ca. 0.8–0.9 m per 100 yr. There are important differences between the shore level curve from Gästrikland and curves from other areas, indicating some irregularities in the regional glacio‐isostatic rebound. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Re‐interpretation of the Meikirch pollen record, Swiss Alpine Foreland, and implications for Middle Pleistocene chronostratigraphy - Frank Preusser; Ruth Drescher‐Schneider; Markus Fiebig; Christian Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The Meikirch drilling site in the Swiss Midlands north of Bern is re‐interpreted using a combination of sedimentological logging, pollen analyses and luminescence dating. The sedimentary sequence comprises about 70 m of lacustrine deposits, overlain by about 39 m of coarse glacial outwash interpreted to represent at least two independent ice advances. Pollen analyses of the apparently complete limnic sequence reveal a basal late glacial period followed by three warm phases that are interrupted by two stadial periods (Meikirch complex). The warm periods were previously correlated with the Holsteinian and Eemian Interglacials. According to luminescence dating, and with consideration of evidence for Middle Pleistocene climate patterns at other central European sites, a correlation of the Meikirch complex with marine isotope stage (MIS) 7 is now proposed. If this correlation is correct, it implies the presence of three intervals with interglacial character during MIS 7. However, the late Middle Pleistocene vegetational features of the Meikirch complex show significant differences when compared with the pollen record from the Velay region, central France. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are distinct Middle Pleistocene patterns of atmospheric circulation over central Europe and a different distribution of vegetation refugia compared to the Eemian Interglacial and the Holocene. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Testing solar forcing of pervasive Holocene climate cycles - Chris Turney; Mike Baillie; Steve Clemens; David Brown; Jonathan Palmer; Jonathan Pilcher; Paula Reimer; Hanns Hubert Leuschner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The temporal and spatial extent of Holocene climate change is an area of considerable uncertainty, with solar forcing recently proposed to be the origin of cycles identified in the North Atlantic region. To address these issues we have developed an annually resolved record of changes in Irish bog tree populations over the last 7468 years which, together with radiocarbon‐dated bog and lake‐edge populations, extend the dataset back to ∼9000 yr ago. The Irish trees underpin the internationally accepted radiocarbon calibration curve, used to derive a proxy of solar activity, and allow us to test solar forcing of Holocene climate change. Tree populations and age structures provide unambiguous evidence of major shifts in Holocene surface moisture, with a dominant cyclicity of 800 yr, similar to marine cycles in the North Atlantic, indicating significant changes in the latitude and intensity of zonal atmospheric circulation across the region. The cycles, however, are not coherent with changes in solar activity (both being on the same absolute timescale), indicating that Holocene North Atlantic climate variability at the millennial and centennial scale is not driven by a linear response to changes in solar activity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mid‐ and late Holocene tree population density changes in northern Fennoscandia derived by a new method using megafossil pines and their tree‐ring series - S. Helama; M. Lindholm; M. Timonen; M. Eronen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Changes in tree density are estimated for the northern forest‐limit region of Finnish Lapland over the past seven and a half millennia. This is done using dendrochronologically dated Scots pine megafossils and their tree‐ring series. Direct and indirect estimates of past tree density are derived from chronology sample size (CSS) and growth trend modelling (GTM) respectively. The latter is a new method, where the past levels of growth competition (the influence of nearby trees) are extracted from the behaviour of growth trends in cross‐dated tree‐ring series, trends that are expected to be driven by tree‐density control. Two records constructed from the same original data set but by different means (independently) correlate significantly. Both records show a tree‐density maximum around 3000–1750 BC , indicating relative warmth during that time. Another positive tree‐density anomaly occurred in accordance with the ‘Medieval Warm Period’, preceding the thinning at the forest‐limit due to the ‘Little Ice Age’. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene solifluction, climate variation and fire in a subarctic landscape at Pippokangas, Finnish Lapland, based on radiocarbon‐dated buried charcoal - John A. Matthews; Matti Seppälä; P. Quentin Dresser (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
A large number of radiocarbon dates from charcoal layers buried beneath stacked solifluction lobes at Pippokangas, in the northern boreal zone of Finnish Lapland, are used to reconstruct a Holocene history of solifluction. Although the site is surrounded by Scots pine forest, the solifluction lobes occur on the lower slopes of a kettle hole, the microclimate of which prevents the growth of trees. Samples from the upslope end of charcoal layers have enabled the recognition of four synchronous phases of solifluction lobe initiation: 7400–6700, 4200–3400, 2600–2100 and 1500–500 cal. yr BP. Rates of lobe advance are shown to be lobe‐dependent and age‐dependent: initially, average rates were commonly 0.14–0.19 cm yr −1 , later falling to 0.02–0.07 cm yr −1 or less as the lobes approached the bottom of the slope. The absence of charcoal prior to 8000 cal. yr BP, together with single IRSL and TL dates, indicate a relatively stable early Holocene landscape. The onset of solifluction around 7400 cal. yr BP. appears to have followed the immigration of pine around the site, which increased the frequency of forest fires. Phases of solifluction activity seem to have been triggered by millennial‐scale variations in effective moisture (the climatic hypothesis), rather than episodic burning of the surface vegetation cover (the geoecological hypothesis), although climate may also have affected fire frequency and severity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Annual trace element cycles in calcite–aragonite speleothems: evidence of drought in the western Mediterranean 1200–1100 yr BP - Emily A. McMillan; Ian J. Fairchild; Silvia Frisia; Andrea Borsato; Frank McDermott (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Each of two calcitic stalagmites from Grotte de Clamouse, Herault, southern France, displays a discrete aragonite layer dated at around 1100 yr BP. The layer of fanning aragonite ray crystals is immediately preceded by calcite with Mg and Sr compositions that are uniquely high for the past 3 kyr. Trace element compositions close to the boundary between original aragonite and calcite are consistent with quasi‐equilibrium partitioning of trace elements between the phases. Study of modern dripwaters demonstrates that pronounced covariation of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in dripwater occurs owing to large amounts of calcite precipitation upflow of the drips that fed the stalagmites. Trace element to Ca ratios are enhanced during seasonally dry periods. Ion microprobe data demonstrate a pronounced covariation of trace elements, including Mg and Sr in calcite, and Sr, U and Ba in aragonite. The mean peak spacing is close to the long‐term mean of annual growth rates determined by differences in U‐series ages and so the trace element peaks are interpreted as annual. The trace element chemistry of the stalagmites on annual to inter‐annual scales thus directly reflects the amounts of prior calcite precipitation, interpreted as an index of aridity. The longer‐term context is a multi‐decadal period of aridity (1200–1100 yr BP) possibly correlated with an analogous episode in Central America. The arid period culminated in the nucleation of aragonite, but within a decade was followed by a return to precursor conditions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Amplitude of ENSO cycles in the Santa Barbara Basin, off California, during the past 15 000 years - Alexandra J. Nederbragt; Jürgen Thurow (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Varve thickness time series from ODP Site 893 in the Santa Barbara Basin (off California) were analysed to determine variation in the strength of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles during the past 15 000 yr. Mean varve thickness and variance changed over time, with thicker varves before ∼8000 yr BP indicative of wetter than modern climates. A 100‐yr running standardisation was applied to correct for non‐stationarity. The contribution of ENSO‐scale variability was then estimated as the amplitude of 3–8 year bandpassed data. Results show multidecadal‐ to centennial‐scale modulation of the amplitude. On average, however, the amplitude of ENSO scale variability remained constant throughout the past 15 000 yr. We therefore conclude that, although the expression of ENSO cycles may have changed during the Holocene, there is no indication for a significant change in amplitude of interannual variability. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rock glaciers in the northern Japanese Alps: palaeoenvironmental implications since the Late Glacial - Masafumi Aoyama (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
In order to determine the palaeoclimatic and palaeo‐permafrost conditions in the northern Japanese Alps in central Japan, the ages of rock glaciers were investigated by relative age dating techniques such as weathering‐rind thickness and Schmidt hammer measurements. The results of the relative age dating suggest that the formation of the investigated rock glaciers may have started during the early phase of the Late Glacial or around the onset of the Holocene. The lower limit of current discontinuous permafrost in the northern Japanese Alps, which is indicated by the terminus of the lowest active/inactive rock glacier, lies at 2530 m a.s.l., while that of discontinuous permafrost during the Late Glacial or early phase of the Holocene, which is indicated by the terminus of the lowest relict rock glacier, lies at 2220 m a.s.l. Therefore, the lower limit of discontinuous permafrost during these periods would have been at least about 300 m lower than that of the current discontinuous permafrost. Climatic and geomorphological conditions during the Late Glacial led to a change in the environment from a glacial environment to a periglacial (permafrost) environment in the current alpine zone of the northern Japanese Alps. A large number of cirques were deglaciated and several of them were occupied by active rock glaciers around the onset of the Holocene. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary climate change record from two long sediment cores from Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California - Heather Cheshire; Jürgen Thurow; Alexandra J. Nederbragt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Modern Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico) is a region of high diatom productivity where exceptional preservation factors maintain biannually alternating sediment deposition as annual varves. New sediment cores from Guaymas Basin (MD02‐2512 and MD02‐2515) present the opportunity to construct climate records from below the last glacial period. A low‐resolution age model has been constructed from oxygen isotope analysis, correlation with other dated short piston cores from Guaymas Basin and an estimate of sedimentation rate. MD02‐2512 from eastern Guaymas Basin has an age range from the Holocene to late marine isotope stage 6 (MIS 6); MD02‐2515 from western Guaymas Basin has an age range from ∼8000 to 40 000 yr. Shipboard analyses of colour reflectance, magnetic susceptibility and sediment density are combined with continuous X‐ray fluorescence scans to reconstruct a picture of glacial climate in the Gulf of California. Eastern Guaymas Basin is affected by glacial sea level fall, which results in a drastic change in productivity rates and sediment type. The laminated record of MIS 5 allows comparison with the Holocene, showing a similarity of sedimentation patterns during deglaciation and a series of very rapid variations just prior to the last glaciation. In western Guaymas Basin there are a series of Younger Dryas‐like events during the glacial, typified by low productivity and high terrigenous input. Long‐term climate and productivity changes appear to be caused by the southward displacement of the Subtropical High pressure zone. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 20‐ka climate record from Central Himalayan loess deposits - R. K. Pant; N. Basavaiah; N. Juyal; N. K. Saini; M. G. Yadava; E. Appel; A. K. Singhvi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The southwest monsoon that dominated Central Himalaya has preserved loessic silt deposits preserved in patches that are proximal to periglacial areas. The occurrence of such silts suggests contemporary prevalence of cold and dry northwesterly winds. Field stratigraphy, geochemistry, mineral magnetism, infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and radiocarbon dating has enabled reconstruction of an event chronology during the past 20 ka. Three events of loess accretion could be identified. The first two events of loess deposition occurred betweem 20 and 9 ka and were separated by a phase of moderate weathering. Pedogenesis at the end of this event gave rise to a well‐developed soil that was bracketed around 9 to > 4 ka. This was followed by the third phase of loess accretion that occurred around 4 to > 1 ka. Episodes of loess deposition and soil formation are interpreted in terms of changes in the strength of the Indian southwest monsoon. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Encyclopedia of caves D. C. Culver and W. B. White (eds) Publisher Elsevier Academic Press, 2004 (654 pp) ISBN 0 12 198651 9 (hardback) - Andy Baker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Seasonal records of climatic change in annually laminated tufas: short review and future prospects - J. E. Andrews; A. T. Brasier (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Many Recent and fossil freshwater tufa stromatolites contain millimetre‐scale, alternating laminae of dense micrite and more porous or sparry crystalline calcites. These alternating laminae have been interpreted to represent seasonally controlled differences in the biotic activity of microbes, and/or seasonally controlled changes in the rate of calcification. Either way, couplets of these microbially mediated alternating calcified laminae are generally agreed to represent annual seasonality. Combined stable isotope (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) and trace element (Mg, Sr, Ba) geochemistry from Recent tufa stromatolites show that seasonal climatic information is available from these calcites. Variability in δ 18 O (and in one case Mg concentration) has been shown to be controlled primarily by stream temperature change, usually driven by solar insolation. In arid climates, seasonal evaporation can also cause δ 18 O enrichment by at least 1‰. Variability in δ 13 C results potentially from: (1) seasonal change in plant uptake of 12 C‐enriched CO 2 ; (2) seasonal change in degassing of 12 C‐enriched CO 2 in the aquifer system; and (3) precipitation of calcite along the aquifer or river flow path, a process that increases δ 13 C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the remaining water. Mechanisms 2 and 3 are linked because calcite precipitates in aquifers where degassing occurs, e.g. air pockets. The latter mechanism for δ 13 C enrichment has also been shown to cause sympathetic variation between trace element/Ca ratios and δ 13 C because trace elements with partition coefficients much greater than 1 (e.g. Sr, Ba) remain preferentially in solution. Since degassing in air pockets will be enhanced during decreased recharge when water saturation of the aquifer is lowest, sympathetic variation in trace element/Ca ratios and δ 13 C is a possible index of recharge and therefore precipitation intensity. High‐resolution geochemical data from well‐dated tufa stromatolites have great potential for Quaternary palaeoclimate reconstructions, possibly allowing recovery of annual seasonal climatic information including water temperature variation and change in rainfall intensity. However, careful consideration of diagenetic effects, particularly aggrading neomorphism, needs to be the next step. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pollen analyses from a 50 000‐yr rodent midden series in the southern Atacama Desert (25° 30′ S) - Antonio Maldonado; Julio L. Betancourt; Claudio Latorre; Carolina Villagran (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Precipitation in northern Chile is controlled by two great wind belts—the southern westerlies over the southern Atacama and points south (> 24° S) and the tropical easterlies over the northern and central Atacama Desert (16–24° S). At the intersection of these summer and winter rainfall regimes, respectively, is a Mars‐like landscape consisting of expansive surfaces devoid of vegetation (i.e. absolute desert) except in canyons that originate high enough to experience runoff once every few years. Pollen assemblages from 39 fossil rodent middens in one of these canyons, Quebrada del Chaco (25° 30′ S), were used to infer the history of vegetation and precipitation at three elevations (2670–2800 m; 3100–3200 m; 3450–3500 m) over the past 50 000 years. When compared to modern conditions and fossil records to the north and south, the pollen evidence indicates more winter precipitation at > 52, 40–33, 24–17 k cal. yr BP, more precipitation in both seasons at 17–14 k cal. yr BP, and more summer precipitation from 14–11 k cal. yr BP. Younger middens are scarce at Quebrada del Chaco, and the few Holocene samples indicate hyperarid conditions comparable to today. The only exception is a pollen assemblage that indicates a brief but significant interlude of increased winter precipitation in the last millennium. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deglacial seasonal and sub‐seasonal diatom record from Palmer Deep, Antarctica - Eleanor J. Maddison; Jennifer Pike; Amy Leventer; Eugene W. Domack (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most sensitive regions of Antarctica to climate change. Here, ecological and cryospheric systems respond rapidly to climate fluctuations. A 4.4 m thick laminated diatom ooze deposited during the last deglaciation is examined from a marine sediment core (ODP Site 1098) recovered from Basin I, Palmer Deep, western Antarctic Peninsula. This deglacial laminated interval was deposited directly over a glaciomarine diamict, hence during a globally recognised period of rapid climate change. The ultra‐high‐resolution deglacial record is analysed using SEM backscattered electron imagery and secondary electron imagery. Laminated to thinly bedded orange‐brown diatom ooze (near monogeneric Hyalochaete Chaetoceros spp. resting spores) alternates with blue‐grey terrigenous sediments (open water diatom species). These discrete laminae are interpreted as austral spring and summer signals respectively, with negligible winter deposition. Sub‐seasonal sub‐laminae are observed repeatedly through the summer laminae, suggesting variations in shelf waters throughout the summer. Tidal cycles, high storm intensities and/or intrusion of Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf introduced conditions which enhanced specific species productivity through the season. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - James Scourse; Leon Clarke; Fabienne Marret (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Editorial - Chris Caseldine; Don Rodbell; Pete Coxon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Bulk organic δ 13 C and C/N ratios as palaeosalinity indicators within a Scottish isolation basin - Elizabeth A. V. Mackie; Melanie J. Leng; Jeremy M. Lloyd; Carol Arrowsmith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Microfossils in isolation basin sediments are frequently used to reconstruct sea‐level change, but preservation problems and non‐analogue situations can limit their usefulness. Here we investigate the potential of stable carbon isotopes (δ 13 C) and C/N ratios from bulk organic matter, as an alternative proxy of salinity within isolation basin sediments from a basin in northwest Scotland. Within the Holocene sediment δ 13 C and C/N are determined largely by the mean weighted values of the predominant source of the organic material. Analysis of modern materials and comparison with the diatom record shows that the marine parts of the sequence are dominated by high δ 13 C and variable C/N. In the fresh water sequences the organic material is a mixture of both freshwater aquatic and terrestrial plant input that have relatively low δ 13 C and high C/N. The application of δ 13 C and C/N ratios in the studied basin in general follow the environmental change recorded by the diatoms and shows the potential of bulk organic matter in the investigation of salinity change in isolation basins. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climate change in lowland Central America during the late deglacial and early Holocene - Michael B. Hillesheim; David A. Hodell; Barbara W. Leyden; Mark Brenner; Jason H. Curtis; Flavio S. Anselmetti; Daniel Ariztegui; David G. Buck; Thomas P. Guilderson; Michael F. Rosenmeier; Douglas W. Schnurrenberger (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The transition from arid glacial to moist early Holocene conditions represented a profound change in northern lowland Neotropical climate. Here we report a detailed record of changes in moisture availability during the latter part of this transition (∼11 250 to 7500 cal. yr BP) inferred from sediment cores retrieved in Lake Petén Itzá, northern Guatemala. Pollen assemblages demonstrate that a mesic forest had been largely established by ∼11 250 cal. yr BP, but sediment properties indicate that lake level was more than 35 m below modern stage. From 11 250 to 10 350 cal. yr BP, during the Preboreal period, lithologic changes in sediments from deep‐water cores (>50 m below modern water level) indicate several wet–dry cycles that suggest distinct changes in effective moisture. Four dry events (designated PBE1‐4) occurred centred at 11 200, 10 900, 10 700 and 10 400 cal. yr BP and correlate with similar variability observed in the Cariaco Basin titanium record and glacial meltwater pulses into the Gulf of Mexico. After 10 350 cal. yr BP, multiple sediment proxies suggest a shift to a more persistently moist early Holocene climate. Comparison of results from Lake Petén Itzá with other records from the circum‐Caribbean demonstrates a coherent climate response during the entire span of our record. Furthermore, lowland Neotropical climate during the late deglacial and early Holocene period appears to be tightly linked to climate change in the high‐latitude North Atlantic. We speculate that the observed changes in lowland Neotropical precipitation were related to the intensity of the annual cycle and associated displacements in the mean latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and Azores–Bermuda high‐pressure system. This mechanism operated on millennial‐to‐submillennial timescales and may have responded to changes in solar radiation, glacial meltwater, North Atlantic sea ice, and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rhizocarpon calibration curve for the Aoraki/Mount Cook area of New Zealand - Thomas V. Lowell; Katherine Schoenenberger; James A. Deddens; George H. Denton; Colby Smith; Jessica Black; Chris H. Hendy (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Development of Rhizocarpon growth curve from the Aoraki/Mount Cook area of New Zealand provides a means to assess Little Ice Age glacier behaviour and suggests approaches that have wider application. Employing a sampling strategy based on large populations affords the opportunity to assess which of various metrics (e.g. single largest, average of five largest, mean of an entire population) best characterise Rhizocarpon growth patterns. The 98% quantile from each population fitted with a quadric curve forms a reliable representation of the growth pattern. Since this metric does not depend on the original sample size, comparisons are valid where sample strategy must be adapted to local situations or where the original sample size differs. For the Aoraki/Mount Cook area a surface 100 years old will have a 98% quantile lichen diameter of 34.3 mm, whereas a 200‐year‐old surface will have a lichen diameter of 73.7 mm. In the Southern Alps, constraints from the age range of calibration points, the flattening of the quadric calibration curve and ecological factors limit the useful age range to approximately 250 years. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Glacial fluvial response of the Niers‐Rhine (western Germany) to climate and vegetation change - C. Kasse; W. Z. Hoek; S. J. P. Bohncke; M. Konert; J. W. H. Weijers; M. L. Cassee; R. M. Van Der Zee (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The Niers valley was part of the Rhine system that came into existence during the maximum Saalian glaciation and was abandoned at the end of the Weichselian. The aim of the study was to explain the Late Pleniglacial and Late Glacial fluvial dynamics and to explore the external forcing factors: climate change, tectonics and sea level. The sedimentary units have been investigated by large‐scale coring transects and detailed cross‐sections over abandoned channels. The temporal fluvial development has been reconstructed by means of geomorphological relationships, pollen analysis and 14 C dating. The Niers‐Rhine experienced a channel pattern change from braided, via a transformational phase, to meandering in the early Late Glacial. This change in fluvial style is explained by climate amelioration at the Late Pleniglacial to Late Glacial transition (at ca. 12.5 k 14 C yr BP) and climate‐related hydrological, lithological and vegetation changes. A delayed fluvial response of ca. 400 14 C yr (transitional phase) was established. The channel transformations are not related to tectonic effects and sea‐level changes. Successive river systems have similar gradients of ca. 35–40 cm km −1 . A meandering river system dominated the Allerød and Younger Dryas periods. The threshold towards braiding was not crossed during the Younger Dryas, but increased aeolian activity has been observed on the Younger Dryas point bars. The final abandonment of the Niers‐Rhine was dated shortly after the Younger Dryas to Holocene transition. Traces of Laacher See pumice have been found in the Niers valley, indicating that the Niers‐Rhine was still in use during the Younger Dryas. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene millennial/centennial‐scale multiproxy cyclicity in temperate eastern Australian estuary sediments - C. Gregory Skilbeck; Timothy C. Rolph; Natalie Hill; Jonathan Woods; Roy H. Wilkens (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
We have undertaken a comparative study of down‐core variation in multiproxy palaeoclimate data (magnetic susceptibility, calcium carbonate content and total organic carbon) from two coastal water bodies (Myall and Tuggerah Lakes) in temperate eastern Australia to identify local, regional and global‐forcing factors within Holocene estuarine sediments. The two lakes lie within the same temperate climate zone adjacent to the Tasman Sea, but are not part of the same catchment and drain different geological provinces. One is essentially a freshwater coastal lake whereas the other is a brackish back‐barrier lagoon. Despite these differences, data from two sites in each of the two lakes have allowed us to investigate and compare cyclicity in otherwise uniform, single facies sediments within the frequency range of 200–2000 years, limited by the sedimentation rate within the lakes and our sample requirements. We have auto‐ and cross‐correlated strong periodicities at ∼360 years, ∼500–530 years, ∼270–290 years, 420–450 years and ∼210 years, and subordinate periods of ∼650 years, 1200–1400 years and ∼1800 years. Our thesis is that climate is the only regionally available mechanism available to control common millennial and centennial scale cyclicity in these sediments, given the geographical and other differences. However, regional climate may not be the dominant effect at any single time and either location. Within the range of frequency spectral peaks we have identified, several fall within known long‐term periodical fluctuations of sun spot activity; however, feedback loops associated with short‐term orbital variation, such as Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles, and the relationship between these and palaeo‐ENSO variation, are also possible contributors. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cainozoic geology and landscape evolution of north‐east Scotland. Memoir of the British Geological Survey, Sheets 66E, 67, 76E, 77, 86E, 87W, 87E, 95, 96W, 96E and 97 Scotland) - Wishart A. Mitchell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Late Quaternary history of the coastal Wahiba Sands, Sultanate of Oman - Frank Preusser; Dirk Radies; Frauke Driehorst; Albert Matter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Continental sediments and geomorphological features of the coastal Wahiba Sands, Sultanate of Oman, reflect environmental variability in southeastern Arabia during the late Quaternary. Weakly cemented dune sands, interdune deposits and coastal sediments were dated by luminescence methods to establish an absolute chronology of changes in sedimentary dynamics. The dating results confirm previous assumptions that during times of low global sea level sand was transported by southerly winds from the exposed shelf onto the Arabian Peninsula. Two prominent phases of sand accumulation in the coastal area took place just before and after the last glacial maximum (LGM). A final significant period of dune consolidation is recognised during the early Holocene. However, no major consolidation of dunes appears to have occurred during the LGM and the Younger Dryas. In the northern part of the Wahiba Sands, these two periods are characterised by substantial sand deposition. This discrepancy is explained by the lack of conservation potential for dunes in the coastal area, probably caused by a low groundwater table due to low sea level and decreased precipitation. While the times of aeolian activity reflect arid to hyper‐arid conditions, lacustrine and pedogenically altered interdune deposits indicate wetter conditions than today caused by increased monsoonal circulation during the Holocene climatic optimum. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abrupt climatic changes and an unstable transition into a late Holocene Thermal Decline: a multiproxy lacustrine record from southern Sweden - Catherine A. Jessen; Mats Rundgren; Svante Björck; Dan Hammarlund (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The transition from a middle Holocene relatively warm and stable climate to a cooler and unstable late Holocene climate is reconstructed using sediments from Lake Igelsjön, south‐ central Sweden. This multiproxy study illustrates local, regional and global scale responses to climatic change by focusing on a previously identified abrupt hydrological shift to cooler and/or wetter conditions around 4000 cal. yr BP. The results suggest that between ca. 4600 and ca. 3400 cal. yr BP, the environment around and within the lake responded in two major, well‐defined steps: the first between 4450 and 4350 cal. yr BP and the second between 4000 and 3800 cal. yr BP. A series of rapid fluctuations of short duration were superimposed on the general cooling trend, with the most severe aquatic response peaking at ca. 3800 cal. yr BP. Pollen percentage and influx values show forest composition and pollen productivity changes and a distinct decline in total and Corylus pollen influx in the period of 4000–3500 cal. yr BP. Stomatal‐based reconstruction of atmospheric CO 2 concentration produced a tenuous decrease with a minimum between 3650 and 3500 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Volcanic ash layers from the Last Glacial Termination in the NGRIP ice core - Anette K. Mortensen; Matthias Bigler; Karl Grönvold; Jørgen P. Steffensen; Sigfús J. Johnsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The tephrochronological record of the 1400–1640 m depth (∼10 000–16 000 calendar ice core years before present) of the NGRIP ice core has been established by particle screening of selected samples. Ash was identified in 20 samples. Correlation with ice, marine and terrestrial records from volcanic source regions in the northern hemisphere positively identifies the Saksunarvatn Ash and the Vedde Ash (Ash Zone 1). Major element chemistry of the remaining identified ash layers mainly points towards an Icelandic origin. This tephrochronological record provides new important marker horizons for correlating the timing of the climatic changes associated with the Last Glacial Termination within the North Atlantic region, as well as outlining more details concerning the frequency and composition of volcanic eruptions occurring at this deglaciation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An earth systems approach to understanding the tectonic and cultural landscapes of linked marine embayments: Avon‐Heathcote Estuary (Ihutai) and Lake Ellesmere (Waihora), New Zealand - Bruce G. McFadgen; James R. Goff (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
An earth systems study of the Avon‐Heathcote Estuary (Ihutai), New Zealand, shows that tectonic activity has a marked direct and indirect control upon its geomorphology and human settlement in the area. We discuss the Late Holocene history of the embayment in relation to large earthquakes and their after‐effects. Of particular note is the rapid fluvial transfer of sand to the coast causing dune formation and a more delayed pulse of coarser sediment causing channel avulsion of the Waimakariri River. While dune system development seems to occur soon after tectonic activity, river channel avulsion, spit/barrier formation and ongoing geomorphological changes may well relate to periods of tectonic activity that occurred 100–200 years previously. The interaction between these two sediment delivery systems causes significant, and often rapid, changes to coastal geomorphology and ecosystems that have serious implications for human populations living at or near the coast. We show a more region‐wide picture of the direct and indirect effects of tectonic activity, by comparing two embayments that represent coastal points of entry at opposite ends of the Waimakariri River floodplain: the Avon‐Heathcote Estuary (Ihutai) and Lake Ellesmere (Waihora). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new early Holocene cryptotephra from northwest Scotland - Patricia H. Ranner; Judy R. M. Allen; Brian Huntley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Clarification of the temporal relationships amongst records of environmental change is dependent on accurate timescales. Event markers such as tephra layers are extremely important for constraining chronologies and providing tie points. In this report we present evidence of a previously unknown early Holocene Icelandic cryptotephra from a lake in northern Scotland—the ‘An Druim Tephra’. The calibrated radiocarbon age of 9560 cal. yr BP for this new cryptotephra makes it an important addition to the suite of cryptotephras now recorded from the last glacial termination and early Holocene in northwest Europe. In addition we report evidence in support of a ‘Younger Borrobol Tephra’ from Lateglacial sediments of Allerød age. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeoclimate, global change and the future. K. D. Alverson, R. S. Bradley and T. F. Pederson (eds). Springer, Berlin, 2003 (221 pp) ISBN 3 540 42402 4 - William F. Ruddiman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Pleistocene geochronologies for fluvial sedimentary sequences: an archaeologist's perspective - R. T. Hosfield; J. C. Chambers (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Current models of Pleistocene fluvial system development and dynamics are assessed from the perspective of European Lower and Middle Palaeolithic stone tool assemblages recovered from fluvial secondary contexts. Fluvial activity is reviewed both in terms of Milankovitch‐scale processes across the glacial/interglacial cycles of the Middle and Late Pleistocene, and in response to sub‐Milankovitch scale, high‐frequency, low‐magnitude climatic oscillations. The chronological magnitude of individual phases of fluvial activity is explored in terms of radiocarbon‐dated sequences from the Late Glacial and early Holocene periods. It is apparent that fluvial activity is associated with periods of climatic transition, both high and low magnitude, although system response is far more universal in the case of the high magnitude glacial/interglacial transitions. Current geochronological tools do not permit the development of high‐resolution sequences for Middle Pleistocene sediments, while localised erosion and variable system responses do not facilitate direct comparison with the ice core records. However, Late Glacial and early Holocene sequences indicate that individual fluvial activity phases are relatively brief in duration (e.g. 10 2 and 10 3 yr). From an archaeological perspective, secondary context assemblages can only be interpreted in terms of a floating geochronology, although the data also permit a reinvestigation of the problems of artefact reworking. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring the landscape of Assynt. A walker's guide and map showing the rocks and landscape of Assynt and Inverpolly. British Geological Survey. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2004 (55 pp & folded map) ISBN 0 85272 471 3 - Colin K. Ballantyne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Interactions between the Greenland Ice Sheet and the Liverpool Land coastal ice cap during the last two glaciation cycles - Lena Adrielsson; Helena Alexanderson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The sedimentary record from the Ugleelv Valley on central Jameson Land, East Greenland, adds new information about terrestrial palaeoenvironments and glaciations to the glacial history of the Scoresby Sund fjord area. A western extension of a coastal ice cap on Liverpool Land reached eastern Jameson Land during the early Scoresby Sund glaciation (≈the Saalian). During the following glacial maximum the Greenland Ice Sheet inundated the Jameson Land plateau from the west. The Weichselian also starts with an early phase of glacial advance from the Liverpool Land ice cap, while polar desert and ice‐free conditions characterised the subsequent part of the Weichselian on the Jameson Land plateau. The two glaciation cycles show a repeated pattern of interaction between the Greenland Ice Sheet in the west and an ice cap on Liverpool Land in the east. Each cycle starts with extensive glacier growth in the coastal mountains followed by a decline of the coastal glaciation, a change to cold and arid climate and a late stage of maximum extent of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hydrologic variability and the onset of modern El Niño–Southern Oscillation: a 19 250‐year record from Lake Elsinore, southern California - Matthew E. Kirby; Steve P. Lund; Christopher J. Poulsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
There are very few terrestrial palaeoclimate archives spanning the Last Glacial Maximum through the Holocene from coastal southern California. Yet, knowledge of past climate dynamics is critical for assessing present and future constraints on the region's dwindling freshwater resources. We present initial results from two drill cores extracted from the present‐day edge of Lake Elsinore, southern California's largest natural lake. Using a multiproxy approach including lithologic description, mass magnetic susceptibility, LOI 550°C (total organic matter), and LOI 950°C (total carbonate), we infer first‐order, long‐term climate change over the past 19 250 calendar years. Furthermore, we suggest possible first‐order forcing mechanisms that drive this change, which include presence/absence of continental ice sheets, insolation, and complex ocean–atmosphere interactions. Our results indicate four distinct millennial‐scale climate modes over the past 19 250 calendar years. These modes include a wet Last Glacial Maximum (19 250–17 120 cal. yr BP), a relatively dry late‐Glacial/Holocene transition (17 120–9450 cal. yr BP), a wet early Holocene (9450–7670 cal. yr BP), and a highly variable mid‐to‐late Holocene climate (i.e., alternating wet/dry cycles; 7670 cal. yr BP–present). We attribute the mid‐to‐late Holocene climate interval to the onset of El Niño–Southern Oscillation ca. 7000 cal. yr BP and a more vigorous hydrologic system. These results are supported by a variety of regional terrestrial and marine palaeoclimate archives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ice age Southern Andes. A chronicle of palaeoecological events. C. J. Heusser. Developments in Quaternary Science, No. 3. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2004 (250 pp) ISBN 0 444 51478 3 (hardback) - William D. Gosling (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Impacts of rapid sea‐level rise on mangrove deposit erosion: application of taraxerol and Rhizophora records - Jung‐Hyun Kim; Lydie Dupont; Hermann Behling; Gerard J. M. Versteegh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
We investigated a well‐dated marine sediment core from the tropical SE Atlantic covering the last 25 kyr, applying taraxerol and Rhizophora pollen as organic geochemical and palynological proxies for mangrove, respectively. Taraxerol records are positively correlated with Rhizophora pollen records, showing an enhanced supply of mangrove materials into deep‐sea environments during the last deglaciation (Termination I). Sedimentation rates peaked during Meltwater Pulses 1A and 1B, which were associated with the maxima of taraxerol and Rhizophora pollen. This study supports the view that mangrove input was dominantly controlled by erosion of mangrove‐rich shelf sediments during the transgressions. Whether reworked materials were penecontemporaneous or from much older deposits formed during previous sea‐level cycles is discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Pleistocene Palaeoenvironments of the Southern Lake Agassiz Basin, USA - Catherine H. Yansa; Allan C. Ashworth (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Macroscopic plant remains, pollen, insect and mollusc fossils recovered from a cut bank on the Red River in North Dakota, USA, provide evidence that an extensive wetland occupied the southern basin of Lake Agassiz from 10 230 to 9900 14 C yr BP. Marsh‐dwelling plants and invertebrates had colonised the surface of a prograding delta during the low‐water Moorhead Phase of Lake Agassiz. A species of Salix (willow) was abundant along distributary channels, and stands of Populus tremuloides (aspen), Ulmus sp. (elm), Betula sp. (birch), and Picea sp. (spruce) grew on the better‐drained sand bars and beach ridges. Most of the species of plants, insects, and molluscs represented as fossils are within their existing geographic ranges. Based on a few species with more northerly distributions, mean summer temperature may have been about 1–2°C lower than the present day. No change in species composition occurred in the transition from the Younger Dryas to Preboreal. At the time that the wetland existed, Lake Agassiz was draining either eastward to the North Atlantic Ocean or northwestward to the Arctic Ocean. The wetland was drowned during the Emerson Phase transgression that resulted in meltwater draining southward to the Gulf of Mexico after 9900 14 C yr BP. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mesolithic on the move. Papers presented at the Sixth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, Stockholm 2000 - Penny Spikins (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Late Holocene great earthquakes and relative sea‐level change at Kenai, southern Alaska - Sarah Hamilton; Ian Shennan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Kenai, located on the west coast of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, subsided during the great earthquake of AD 1964. Regional land subsidence is recorded within the estuarine stratigraphy as peat overlain by tidal silt and clay. Reconstructions using quantitative diatom transfer functions estimate co‐seismic subsidence (relative sea‐level rise) between 0.28±0.28 m and 0.70±0.28 m followed by rapid post‐seismic recovery. Stratigraphy records an earlier co‐seismic event as a second peat‐silt couplet, dated to ∼1500–1400 cal. yr BP with 1.14±0.28 m subsidence. Two decimetre‐scale relative sea‐level rises are more likely the result of glacio‐isostatic responses to late Holocene and Little Ice Age glacier expansions rather than to co‐seismic subsidence during great earthquakes. Comparison with other sites around Cook Inlet, at Girdwood and Ocean View, helps in constructing regional patterns of land‐level change associated with three great earthquakes, AD 1964, ∼950–850 cal. yr BP and ∼1500–1400 cal. yr BP. Each earthquake has a different spatial pattern of co‐seismic subsidence which indicates that assessment of seismic hazard in southern Alaska requires an understanding of multiple great earthquakes, not only the most recent. All three earthquakes show a pre‐seismic phase of gradual land subsidence that marked the end of relative land uplift caused by inter‐seismic strain accumulation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lateglacial and early Holocene palaeoclimatic reconstruction based on glacier fluctuations and equilibrium‐line altitudes at northern Folgefonna, Hardanger, western Norway - Jostein Bakke; Svein Olaf Dahl; Atle Nesje (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Northern Folgefonna (c. 23 km 2 ), is a nearly circular maritime ice cap located on the Folgefonna Peninsula in Hardanger, western Norway. By combining the position of marginal moraines with AMS radiocarbon dated glacier‐meltwater induced sediments in proglacial lakes draining northern Folgefonna, a continuous high‐resolution record of variations in glacier size and equilibrium‐line altitudes (ELAs) during the Lateglacial and early Holocene has been obtained. After the termination of the Younger Dryas (c. 11 500 cal. yr BP), a short‐lived (100–150 years) climatically induced glacier readvance termed the ‘Jondal Event 1’ occurred within the ‘Preboreal Oscillation’ (PBO) c. 11 100 cal. yr BP. Bracketed to 10 550–10 450 cal. yr BP, a second glacier readvance is named the ‘Jondal Event 2’. A third readvance occurred about 10 000 cal. yr BP and corresponds with the ‘Erdalen Event 1’ recorded at Jostedalsbreen. An exponential relationship between mean solid winter precipitation and ablation‐season temperature at the ELA of Norwegian glaciers is used to reconstruct former variations in winter precipitation based on the corresponding ELA and an independent proxy for summer temperature. Compared to the present, the Younger Dryas was much colder and drier, the ‘Jondal Event 1’/PBO was colder and somewhat drier, and the ‘Jondal Event 2’ was much wetter. The ‘Erdalen Event 1’ started as rather dry and terminated as somewhat wetter. Variations in glacier magnitude/ELAs and corresponding palaeoclimatic reconstructions at northern Folgefonna suggest that low‐altitude cirque glaciers (lowest altitude of marginal moraines 290 m) in the area existed for the last time during the Younger Dryas. These low‐altitude cirque glaciers of suggested Younger Dryas age do not fit into the previous reconstructions of the Younger Dryas ice sheet in Hardanger. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeovegetational and palaeoenvironmental trends in the summit of the Guaiquinima massif (Venezuelan Guayana) during the Holocene - Valentí Rull (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The summits of the table mountains ( tepuis ) from the Neotropical Guayana region are remote environments suitable for palaeoecological studies with evolutionary, biogeographical and palaeoclimatic implications. Here, using palynological analyses of two radiocarbon‐dated peat bogs from a tepui summit, the Holocene palaeovegetational trends are reconstructed, and related to possible forcing factors. Because of the pristine character of the Guaiquinima summit, the recorded palaeoenvironmental changes are probably due to natural causes, which makes them valuable archives of the natural component of climatic change at a millennial time scale. The sequence begins with pioneer communities or meadows similar to present‐day ones, between about 8.4 and 4.5 ky BP. After this date, and until about 2 kyr BP the expansion of gallery forests suggests an increase in precipitation, documented also at regional (Neotropical) level. Between ca. 2 kyr BP and the last century, gallery forests are replaced by forests characteristic of the upper Guaiquinima altitudes, coinciding with a regional phase of reduced moisture. The present‐day meadows, established relatively quickly during the last century, substituted the former upland forests. In the locality studied, the main controlling factor of the vegetation during the Holocene seems to have been the moisture balance. In contrast to other tepui summits, there is no clear evidence for changes linked to temperature oscillations. This could be due to the elevation of the site, far from any characteristic ecological boundary, that makes it insensitive to this parameter. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A multi‐proxy study of Holocene lake development, lake settlement and vegetation history in central Ireland - K. A. Selby; C. E. O'Brien; A. G. Brown; I. Stuijts (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Stratigraphical investigations, geomorphological mapping, and diatom, plant macrofossil and pollen analyses were undertaken in and around two lakes in central Ireland to establish correlations between changes in lake conditions and catchment vegetation throughout the Holocene. Similar investigations of an adjacent mire reveal early Holocene changes in lake level and area. The palaeoecological data show high correlations related to variations in lake depth and area, catchment vegetation type, organic inputs and trophic status. Catchment‐scale deforestation is gradual and occurs through the Bronze and the Iron Ages, and the construction of a crannog in the early Medieval period (seventh century AD ) appears to be associated with a widespread increase in deforestation and mixed agriculture in the catchment. Both pollen and plant macrofossils suggest that one of the crannogs was used for crop storage in addition to domestic and any other activities. In the early to middle Holocene similarities in the proxy‐data appear to be climatically driven through changing lake levels and areal extent whereas the later Holocene record is clearly dominated by anthropogenic changes within the catchment and the construction of crannogs in the lakes. The advantages of combining multi‐proxy indicators of lake hydroecology with the vegetation record are illustrated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evidence for an extreme climatic event on Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Ireland around 5200–5100 cal. yr BP - C. Caseldine; G. Thompson; C. Langdon; D. Hendon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
A range of detailed palaeoenvironmental analyses carried out on a series of three peat profiles from Achill Island, Co. Mayo, western Ireland, reveal evidence for an extreme climatic event, probably a storm or series of storms, around 5200–5100 cal. yr BP that caused the deposition of an extensive layer of silt across blanket peat. This event followed a period of relatively dry climate during which Neolithic communities expanded in the region. There was a subsequent period of continuing dry conditions allowing extensive colonisation of the peat by Pinus before a shift to wetter conditions characteristic of the later Holocene. The extreme climatic event is possibly linked to human abandonment of the area comparable to that observed from the work on the internationally significant Céide Fields in the same region. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Marginal formation of De Geer moraines and their implications to the dynamics of grounding‐line recession - Mattias Lindén; Per Möller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
De Geer moraine ridges occur in abundance in the coastal zone of northern Sweden, preferentially in areas with proglacial water depths in excess of 150 m at deglaciation. From detailed sedimentological and structural investigations in machine‐dug trenches across De Geer ridges it is concluded that the moraines formed due to subglacial sediment advection to the ice margin during temporary halts in grounding‐line retreat, forming gradually thickening sediment wedges. The proximal part of the moraines were built up in submarginal position as stacked sequences of deforming bed diamictons, intercalated with glaciofluvial canal‐infill sediments, whereas the distal parts were built up from the grounding line by prograding sediment gravity‐flow deposits, distally interfingering with glaciolacustrine sediments. The rapid grounding‐line retreat (ca. 400 m yr −1 ) was driven by rapid calving, in turn enhanced by fast iceflow and marginal thinning of ice due to deforming bed conditions. The spatial distribution of the moraine ridges indicates stepwise retreat of the grounding line. It is suggested that this is due to slab and flake calving of the ice cliff above the waterline, forming a gradually widening subaqueous ice ledge which eventually breaks off to a new grounding line, followed by regained sediment delivery and ridge build‐up. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Magnetic carriers and remanence mechanisms in magnetite‐poor sediments of Pleistocene age, southern North Sea margin - B. A. Maher; D. F. Hallam (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Pleistocene sedimentary sequences in the East Anglian region of Britain record both major and minor climatic oscillations, and the impact of isostatic and eustatic variations. Intensively studied in terms of their lithology and biostratigraphy, the sequences have been difficult to place in an absolute timeframe. Dating and correlation by magnetostratigraphy has been attempted over a number of years. However, these sediments are difficult to date by palaeomagnetic means because they are poor in detrital magnetite, are subject to post‐depositional deformation and diagenesis, and have unknown rates of sedimentation. Determining whether their natural remanence magnetisation (NRM) directions are reliable thus requires information on the mode and timing of remanence acquisition. Here, we apply palaeomagnetic, rock magnetic and mineralogical analyses to identify the NRM carriers in these sediments and hence their palaeomagnetic reliability. Within oxidised fluvial sediments (the Kesgrave Formation), the magnetic carriers appear to be relict magnetic minerals (ferrian ilmenites, chromites, haematite and goethite), which sometimes carry a reliable primary depositional remanence (DRM) but often an overprinting viscous (time‐varying) remanence (VRM). Within some reduced marine and intertidal sediments (within the Crag basin), the iron sulphide, greigite, has been found to carry a reliable, ‘syn’‐depositional chemical remanence (CRM). In all the sediments, magnetic inclusions within silicates are abundant, are significant for the mineral magnetic signal but contribute little to any recoverable palaeomagnetic information. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reconstruction of Late Glacial summer temperatures from chironomid assemblages in Lac Lautrey (Jura, France) - Oliver Heiri; Laurent Millet (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
A chironomid–July air temperature inference model based on chironomid assemblages in the surface sediments of 81 Swiss lakes was used to reconstruct Late Glacial July air temperatures at Lac Lautrey (Jura, Eastern France). The transfer‐function was based on weighted averaging–partial least squares (WA‐PLS) regression and featured a leave‐one‐out cross‐validated coefficient of determination ( r 2 ) of 0.80, a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.53 ° C, and was applied to a chironomid record consisting of 154 samples covering the Late Glacial period back to the Oldest Dryas. The model reconstructed July air temperatures of 11–12 ° C during the Oldest Dryas, increasing temperatures between 14 and 16.5 ° C during the Bølling, temperatures around 16.5–17.0 ° C for most of the Allerød, temperatures of 14–15 ° C during the Younger Dryas and temperatures of ca. 16.5 ° C during the Preboreal. The Lac Lautrey record features a two‐step July air temperature increase after the Oldest Dryas, with an abrupt temperature increase of ca. 3–3.5 ° C at the Oldest Dryas/Bølling transition followed by a more gradual warming between ca. 14 200 and 13 700 BP. The transfer‐function reconstructs a less rapid cooling at the Allerød/Younger Dryas transition than other published records, possibly an artefact caused by the poor analogue situation during the earliest Younger Dryas, and an abrupt warming at the Younger Dryas/Holocene transition. During the Allerød, two centennial‐scale 1.5–2.0 ° C coolings are apparent in the record. Although chronologically not well constrained, the first of these cold events may be synchronous with the beginning of the Gerzensee Oscillation. The second is inferred just before deposition of the Laachersee tephra at Lac Lautrey and is therefore coeval with the end of the Gerzensee Oscillation. In contrast to the Greenland oxygen isotope records, the Lac Lautrey palaeotemperature reconstruction lacks a clearly defined Greenland Interstadial (GI) event 1d and the decreasing temperature trend during the Bølling/Allerød Interstadial. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Shoreline tufa and tufaglomerate from Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, Utah, USA: stable isotopic and mineralogical records of lake conditions, processes, and climate - Stephen T. Nelson; M. Jay Wood; Alan L. Mayo; David G. Tingey; Dennis Eggett (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
Shoreline carbonate deposits of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville record the conditions and processes within the lake, including the evaporative balance as well as vertical and lateral chemical and isotopic gradients. Tufas (swash‐zone) and tufaglomerates (cemented, subaqueous colluvium or beachrock) on multiple, well‐developed shorelines near the Silver Island Range, Utah, also present an opportunity to examine physicochemical lake processes through time. Three shorelines are represented by carbonate deposits, including the 23–20 ka Stansbury stage, 15–14.5 ka Bonneville stage, and 14.5–14 ka Provo stage. Mean δ 18 O VSMOW values of all three shorelines are statistically indistinguishable ( ∼ 27 ± 1‰), when a few Bonneville samples of unusual composition are neglected. However, differences in primary carbonate mineralogy indicate that the correspondence is an artefact of the different fractionation factors between calcite or aragonite and water. Second, in order to sustain a much smaller, shallower lake during the colder Stansbury stage, the climate must have also been relatively dry. Third, δ 18 O values in tufa are higher than tufaglomerate by ∼ 0.5‰, consistent with greater evaporative enrichment of lake water in the swash zone. Fourth, mean δ 13 C values for the Provo, Stansbury and Bonneville shorelines (4.4, 5.0 and 5.2‰, respectively) show that carbon species were dominated by atmospheric exchange, with the variations produced by differences in the oxidation of organic matter. Comparisons of shoreline carbonates with deep‐lake marls of the same approximate age indicate that shoreline carbonate was much higher in δ 13 C and δ 18 O values (both ∼ 2.5‰) during Bonneville time, whereas isotopic differences were minor (both ∼ 1‰) in Stansbury time. In particular, the Bonneville stage may have sustained large vertical or lateral isotopic gradients due to evaporative enrichment effects on δ 18 O values. In contrast, the lake during the much shallower Stansbury stage may have been well mixed. Differences in the primary mineralogy (Stansbury and Bonneville, aragonite > calcite; Provo, calcite > aragonite) reflect profound differences in lake chemistry in terms of open versus closed‐basin lakes. The establishment of a continuous outlet during Provo time probably reduced the Mg 2+ /Ca 2+ ratio of lake water. Curiously, regardless of primary mineralogy, tufaglomerate cements are enriched in Na + and Cl − and depleted in Mg 2+ relative to capping tufa of the same age. This probably reflects vital or kinetic effects in the swash zone (tufa). We suspect that ‘abiotic’ effects may have been important in the dark pore space of developing tufaglomerate, where the absence of light suppressed photosynthesis. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

U‐series dating of the Late Pleistocene mammalian fauna from Wood Quarry (Steetley), Nottinghamshire, UK - A. W. G. Pike; S. Eggins; R. Grün; R. E. M. Hedges; R. M. Jacobi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
We present the U‐series dating of bones from Wood Quarry (‘Steetley Quarry Cave’) using the diffusion–adsorption model to account for uranium uptake. The results give a weighted mean date of 66.8 ± 3.0 kyr, placing this assemblage within or just before Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 4. The fauna is thought to correlate with the Banwell Bone Cave mammal assemblage‐zone of the Early Devensian in Britain. Our results support the idea that this assemblage‐zone immediately precedes the assemblage represented nearby at Pin Hole in Creswell Crags which is contemporary with the Mid‐Devensian and correlates with MIS 3. Our dates, and dates for the Banwell Bone Cave mammal assemblage‐zone from Stump Cross Cavern and evidence from other sites may indicate a longevity for this fauna. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - Chris Caseldine (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)

Palaeomagnetic correlation and dating of Plio/Pleistocene sediments at the southern margins of the North Sea Basin - B. A. Maher; D. F. Hallam (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
A series of discontinuous sediment sequences, of Plio/Pleistocene age, occur onshore around the southern North Sea margins, notably in the East Anglian region of Britain. Intensive lithological and palaeontological analyses of these sediments have shown that they record both major and minor oscillations in climate, sea level and environmental conditions. However, significant uncertainties exist regarding the absolute and relative chronostratigraphies of many of these sequences, hindering understanding of the relative impacts of climatic, eustatic and tectonic changes on the palaeogeographic development of the southern North Sea basin. Here, a number of key East Anglian Plio/Pleistocene sites are subjected to robust palaeomagnetic and mineralogical examination, in order to determine those sediments which display reliable, syn‐depositional magnetic polarities, which are thus of use in ascribing a palaeomagnetically determined age from comparison with the Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale (GPTS). Based on a range of palaeomagnetic and complementary mineralogical methods, reliable palaeomagnetic directions were obtained from eight sites, with reversed polarities displayed by sediments from three sites. These polarity determinations can be used to infer absolute ages and test published, between‐site correlations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene sedimentation in the Skagerrak interpreted from chirp sonar and core data - Richard Gyllencreutz; Martin Jakobsson; Jan Backman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
High‐resolution chirp sonar profiling in the northeastern Skagerrak shows acoustically stratified sediments draping a rough‐surfaced substratum. A 32 metre long sediment core retrieved from the survey area encompasses the entire Holocene and latest Pleistocene. The uppermost seismo‐acoustic units in the chirp profiles represent Holocene marine sediments. The lowermost unit is interpreted as ice‐proximal glacial‐marine sediments rapidly deposited during the last deglaciation. The end of ice‐proximal sedimentation is marked by a strong reflector, interpreted to have been formed during latest Pleistocene time as a consequence of rapid ice retreat and drastically lowered sedimentation rate. The subsequent distal glacial‐marine sediments were deposited with initially high sedimentation rates caused by an isostatic rebound‐associated sea‐level fall. Based on correlation between the core and the chirp sonar profiles using measured sediment physical properties and AMS 14 C dating, we propose a revised position for the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in the seismo‐acoustic stratigraphy of the investigated area. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards a comprehensive distal andesitic tephrostratigraphic framework for New Zealand based on eruptions from Egmont volcano - Phil Shane (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2005)
The chronology and glass composition of 43 andesitic tephra layers in palaeolake sediments in northern New Zealand provide the basis for a fine‐resolution tephrostratigraphy of the interval 10–70 cal. ka. Their ages are constrained by 14 interbedded, (mostly) well‐dated rhyolitic tephra layers. The andesitic tephra have the potential to subdivide time intervals (1–5 kyr) bracketed by well known rhyolitic layers, including periods of rapid climate change such as the last glacial–interglacial transition and the Younger Dryas. The source of the distal andesitic tephra is identified as Egmont volcano (some 270 km S‐SW) on the basis of glass shard composition. The tephra contain high‐K 2 O (3–6 wt%) andesitic‐dacitic (SiO 2 = 60–73 wt%) glass, with commonly heterogeneous shard populations (2–10 wt% SiO 2 ). Within stratigraphic intervals of 2 and K 2 O contents, and variability in these contents can also be a distinguishing characteristic. The tephra record greatly extends the dated pyroclastic and geochemical record of Egmont volcano, and demonstrates that the volcano has frequently produced widely dispersed tephra over the last 70 kyr at a generally constant rate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards automation of palynology 3: pollen pattern recognition using Gabor transforms and digital moments - Y. Zhang; D. W. Fountain; R. M. Hodgson; J. R. Flenley; S. Gunetileke (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The classification of pollen grains using texture information in combination with shape features is presented in this paper. The surface texture of pollen is characterised by using Gabor transforms, the geometric shape is described by using moment invariants, and the pollen grains are classified by an artificial neural network. In an experiment with five types of pollen grains, more than 97% of samples are correctly classified. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Global Change in the Holocene, A. Mackay, R. Battarbee, J. Birks and F. Oldfield (eds). Arnold, London 2003 (528 pp) £95.00 ISBN 0‐340‐76223‐3 - Frank Chambers (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Holocene climate changes in southern Greenland: evidence from lake sediments - Camilla S. Andresen; Svante Björck; Ole Bennike; Gerard Bond (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A Holocene lake sediment record is presented from Lake N14 situated on Angissoq Island 15 km off the main coast of southern Greenland. The palaeoclimatic development has been interpreted on the basis of flux and percentage content of biogenic silica, clastic material, organic material and sulphur as well as sedimentation rate, moss content and magnetic susceptibility. A total of 43 radiocarbon dates has ensured a reliable chronology. It is argued that varying sediment composition mainly reflects changing precipitation. By analogy with the present meteorological conditions in southern Greenland, Holocene climate development is inferred. Between 11 550 and 9300 cal. yr BP temperature and precipitation increase markedly, but this period is climatically unstable. From 9300 yr BP conditions become more stable and a Holocene climatic optimum, characterised by warm and humid conditions, is observed from 8000 to 5000 cal. yr BP. From 4700 cal. yr BP the first signs of a climatic deterioration are observed, and from 3700 cal. yr BP the climate has become more dry and cold. Superimposed on the climatic long‐term trend is climate variability on a centennial time‐scale that increases in amplitude after 3700 cal. yr BP. A climatic scenario related to the strength and position of the Greenland high‐pressure cell and the Iceland low‐pressure cell is proposed to explain the Holocene centennial climate variability. A comparison of the Lake N14 record with a terrestrial as well as a marine record from the eastern North Atlantic Ocean suggests that the centennial climate variability was uniform over large areas at certain times. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Classic Landforms of the East Riding of Yorkshire by A. W. Pringle. Geographical Association, Sheffield, 2003 (64 pp) £9.99 ISBN 1‐84377‐071‐7 - Colin Whiteman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Late Neolithic vegetation history at the pile‐dwelling site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy - Roberta Pini (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The Late Neolithic pile‐dwelling of Palù di Livenza yielded archaeological remains typical of the Square Mouth Pottery and Lagozza Cultures. A palynological investigation reveals important changes in the vegetation due to anthropogenic pressure. Between ca. 6590 and 5960 cal. yr BP, dense oak wood forests with deciduous Quercus , Fagus and Corylus extended around the mire, with no signs of human impact. The establishment of the pile‐dwelling, dated to ca. 5960 cal. yr BP, led to a strong reduction of forests, reclamation of wetlands, and expansion of herbaceous communities, with cultivated species, infestant weeds, nitrophilous and ruderal herbs, pastures and meadows. According to AMS dates and previous archaeological chronologies, the pile‐dwelling persisted for about 700 years (from ca. 5960 to 5260 cal. yr BP). The history of the pile‐dwelling after ca. 5260 cal. yr BP cannot be reconstructed because of recent contamination of the top part of the section. Rarefaction analysis was applied to estimate changes of palynological richness through time: the highest E ( T n ) (between 56 and 69 taxa) are contemporaneous with the local development of the pile‐dwelling. The comparison of pollen data with archaeobotanical evidence indicates that Fragaria vesca , Malus sylvestris , Papaver somniferum and Physalis alkekengi were gathered at some distance from the site and that Linum usitatissimum is strongly under‐represented in pollen samples. Crop cultivation can be estimated for a radius of several hundred metres around the mire. Palù di Livenza is significant in the context of Neolithic archaeobotany of northern Italy and neighbouring countries. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Paleobase Macrofossils Part 2.0. Ammonoids, Bivalves, Coleoids, Gastropods and other Mollusca, N. Macleod (ed.). Blackwell Publishing and the Natural History Museum, 2003, £27.50 (single user) £130 (site licence). ISBN 0‐63205891‐9 (CD‐ROM) - Pierre Lozouet (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Classic Landforms of the Loch Lomond Area by D.J.A. Evans and J. Rose. Geographical Association, Sheffield, 2003 (56 pp) £9.99 ISBN 1‐84377‐072‐5 - Murray Gray (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans, B. Stonehouse (ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Chichester, 2002 (391 pp) £245.00/US$375.00/€367.50. ISBN 0‐471‐98665‐8 - Jaap J. M. van der Meer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Towards automation of palynology 2: the use of texture measures and neural network analysis for automated identification of optical images of pollen grains - P. LI; W. J. Treloar; J. R. Flenley; L. Empson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The automation of palynology (the identification and counting of pollen grains and spores) will be a small step for image recognition, but a giant stride for palynology. Here we show the first successful automated identification, with 100% accuracy, of a realistic number of taxa. The technique used involves a neural network classifier applied to surface texture data from light microscope images. A further significance of the technique is that it could be adapted for the identification of a wide range of biological objects, both microscopic and macroscopic. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geodiversity. Valuing and Conserving Abiotic Nature by J. M. Gray. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, 2003 (448 pp) £27.50 ISBN 0‐470‐84896‐0 - Kevin Kiernan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

High‐resolution record of environmental changes and tephrochronological markers of the Last Glacial–Holocene transition at Lake Lautrey (Jura, France) - Boris Vannière; Gilles Bossuet; Anne‐Véronique Walter‐Simonnet; Pascale Ruffaldi; Thierry Adatte; Michel Rossy; Michel Magny (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
This paper presents the results of a multiproxy investigation including volume magnetic susceptibility (κ), mineral and pollen analyses of Late Glacial sediments from Lake Lautrey (Jura, France). Small‐scale lithological variations have been identified with high stratigraphic resolution in order to establish lithostratigraphic correlations between cores. κ measurements, combined with mineralogical analyses, provide information on past sedimentary processes. This combined approach reflects major changes in terrestrial habitats and soil processes which may relate to the climatic events characterising the Late Glacial climatic warming and cooling phases. During warm intervals, the record indicates increased lake productivity via carbonate precipitation and decreased input of detrital material. In contrast, cooler intervals show reduced lake productivity, catchment area instability and increased detrital inputs. Several short interruptions in reforestation and in soil stabilisation can be identified and linked with abrupt colder events occurring through the Bølling. A general trend of warming is recorded from the coldest part of the Younger Dryas. Three tephra layers were also detected. The mineral composition analyses show that the upper tephra layer corresponds to the Laacher See eruption (Eifel, Germany) while the lower ones may relate to the volcanic activity of the Chaîne des Puys (Massif Central, France) around 13 000 cal. yr BP. These two events, recognised for the first time outside the Massif Central region, may provide additional chronostratigraphic markers for the Late Glacial sedimentary records of the Jura mountains and northern Alps. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fossil hyrax dung and evidence of Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation types in the Namib Desert - Louis Scott; Eugene Marais; George A. Brook (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Pollen was derived from fossil dung of herbivorous hyraxes, deposited in a rock shelter on the highest mountain in Namibia, Dâures or Brandberg, situated on the Namib Desert margin. Radiocarbon dating ranging in age between modern times and 30 000 yr BP showed it represents the first empirical pollen evidence of continental palaeovegetation during the Late Pleistocene along the western escarpment of southern Africa. The initial results indicate Last Glacial Maximum vegetation differed totally from the current pattern as vegetation types were dominated by small Asteraceae shrubs, in contrast to those of the Holocene and modern times which show more succulents, grass and woody elements (arboreal pollen). The results suggest that Cape floral communities did not reach into the tropics along the western escarpment of Africa, despite such pollen types occurring in marine cores. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards automation of palynology 1: analysis of pollen shape and ornamentation using simple geometric measures, derived from scanning electron microscope images - W. J. Treloar; G. E. Taylor; J. R. Flenley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
This is the first of a series of papers on the theme of automated pollen analysis. The automation of pollen analysis could result in numerous advantages for the reconstruction of past environments, with larger data sets made practical, objectivity and fine resolution sampling. There are also applications in apiculture and medicine. Previous work on the classification of pollen using texture measures has been successful with small numbers of pollen taxa. However, as the number of pollen taxa to be identified increases, more features may be required to achieve a successful classification. This paper describes the use of simple geometric measures to augment the texture measures. The feasibility of this new approach is tested using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of 12 taxa of fresh pollen taken from reference material collected on Henderson Island, Polynesia. Pollen images were captured directly from a SEM connected to a PC. A threshold grey‐level was set and binary images were then generated. Pollen edges were then located and the boundaries were traced using a chain coding system. A number of simple geometric variables were calculated directly from the chain code of the pollen and a variable selection procedure was used to choose the optimal subset to be used for classification. The efficiency of these variables was tested using a leave‐one‐out classification procedure. The system successfully split the original 12 taxa sample into five sub‐samples containing no more than six pollen taxa each. The further subdivision of echinate pollen types was then attempted with a subset of four pollen taxa. A set of difference codes was constructed for a range of displacements along the chain code. From these difference codes probability variables were calculated. A variable selection procedure was again used to choose the optimal subset of probabilities that may be used for classification. The efficiency of these variables was again tested using a leave‐one‐out classification procedure. The proportion of correctly classified pollen ranged from 81% to 100% depending on the subset of variables used. The best set of variables had an overall classification rate averaging at about 95%. This is comparable with the classification rates from the earlier texture analysis work for other types of pollen. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological reconstruction in the Gutaiului Mountains, northwest Romania - Angelica Feurdean; Ole Bennike (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Macrofossil, pollen, lithostratigraphy, mineral magnetic measurements (SIRM and magnetic susceptibility), loss‐on‐ignition, and AMS radiocarbon dating on sediments from two former crater lakes, situated at moderate altitudes in the Gutaiului Mountains of northwest Romania, allow reconstruction of Late Quaternary climate and environment. Shrubs and herbs with steppe and montane affinities along with stands of Betula and Pinus , colonised the surroundings of the sites prior to 14 700 cal. yr BP and the inferred climatic conditions were cold and dry. The gradual transition to open Pinus – Betula forests, slightly higher lake water temperatures, and higher lake productivity, indicate more stable environmental conditions between 14 700 and 14 100 cal. yr BP. This development was interrupted by cooler and drier climatic conditions between 14 100 and 13 800 cal. yr BP, as inferred from a reduction of open forests to patches, or stands, of Pinus, Betula, Larix, Salix and Populus . The expansion of a denser boreal forest, dominated by Picea , but including Pinus , Larix , Betula , Salix , and Ulmus started at 13 800 cal. yr BP, although the forest density seems to have been reduced between 13 400 and 13 200 cal. yr BP. Air temperature and moisture availability gradually increased, but a change towards drier conditions is seen at 13 400 cal. yr BP. A distinct decrease in temperature and humidity between 12 900 and 11 500 cal. yr BP led to a return of open vegetation, with patches of Betula, Larix, Salix , Pinus and Alnus and individuals of Picea . Macrofossils and pollen of aquatic plants indicate rising lake water temperatures and increased aquatic productivity already by ca. 11 800 cal. yr BP, 300 years earlier than documented by the terrestrial plant communities. At the onset of the Holocene, 11 500 cal. yr BP, forests dominated by Betula, Pinus and Larix expanded and were followed by dense Ulmus forests with Picea, Betula and Pinus at 11 250 cal. yr BP. Larix pollen was not found, but macrofossil evidence indicates that Larix was an important forest constituent at the onset of the Holocene. Moister conditions were followed by a dry period starting about 10 600 cal. yr BP, which was more pronounced between 8600 and 8200 cal. yr BP, as inferred from aquatic macrofossils. The maximum expansion of Tilia , Quercus, Fraxinus and Acer between 10 700 and 8600 cal. yr BP may reflect a more continental climate. A drier and/or cooler climate could have been responsible for the late expansion (10 300 cal. yr BP) and late maximum (9300 cal. yr BP) of Corylus . Increased water stress, and possibly cooler conditions around 8600 cal. yr BP, may have caused a reduction of Ulmus , Tilia , Quercus and Fraxinus . After 8200 cal. yr BP moisture increased and the forests included Picea , Tilia , Quercus and Fraxinus . Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tropical forest structure: a missing dimension to Pleistocene landscapes - Sharon A. Cowling (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
By focusing on the horizontal distribution of Pleistocene vegetation types within tropical landscapes, we may be overlooking an equally important feature of palaeovegetation, namely their vertical structure. Tropical forest structure is a critical factor contributing to canopy microclimatology and thus plays a role in defining canopy habitats and species population dynamics. Because of this tight relationship between forest structure and canopy microclimate, flora and fauna with narrow canopy niches may have responded to glacial reductions in forest canopy density in the same manner as if the tropical forest were completely replaced by grassland. This alternative interpretation of palaeo‐forest response to past climate change holds significance for the application of the Pleistocene refugia hypothesis in explaining various biogeographical trends. The role of forest structure in influencing hydrological cycling and the exchange of carbon between the biosphere and atmosphere are highlighted to illustrate how palaeoprecipitation and palaeoproductivity proxy data may be misinterpreted when forest structure is not explicitly considered. This is accomplished through theoretical scenarios using hydrological mass balance equations and simulations using a soil–plant–atmosphere landscape model. Available methodologies to reconstruct tropical palaeovegetation structure are identified, including the use of fully coupled earth system models. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental change and peatland forest dynamics in the Lake Sentarum area, West Kalimantan, Indonesia - Gusti Anshari; A. Peter Kershaw; Sander Van Der Kaars; Geraldine Jacobsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Four short pollen and charcoal records from sites within and around Lake Pemerak on the margins of the Danau (Lake) Sentarum National Park in inland West Kalimantan, supported by modern surface samples from the Reserve, provide a partial picture of lowland equatorial vegetation and environments over at least the last 40 000 years. They demonstrate general stability in the distribution of wetland and ombrotrophic (or raised) peatlands through the recorded period with dominance throughout of peatland and swamp forest. However, there was marked variation in sediment accumulation rates and in the floristic composition of the vegetation. The period prior to the last glacial maximum appears to have been the time of most active peatland growth and contrasts with the perception, from previous studies on largely coastal and subcoastal peatlands in Indonesia, that the Holocene was the time of major tropical peat accumulation. A general increase in charcoal, just prior to about 30 000 years ago, suggests that burning became more frequent, and is attributed to initial human impact rather than climate change. The subsequent latest Pleistocene period, embracing the Last Glacial Maximum, is marked by a peak in montane–submontane rainforest taxa, strongly indicating a substantial lowering of temperature. It appears that much of the Holocene is not recorded but recommencement of peat accumulation is evident within the last few thousand years. At the time of fieldwork access to the central part of the Lake Sentarum system was inhibited by strong El Niño drought conditions, but this area has the potential to provide a longer and more continuous history of environmental change for the region. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Colombian vegetation at the Last Glacial Maximum: a comparison of model‐ and pollen‐based biome reconstructions - Robert Marchant; Arnoud Boom; Hermann Behling; Henry Hooghiemstra; Bert Melief; Bas Van Geel; Thomas Van der Hammen; Michael Wille (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Colombian vegetation, at the ecological level of the biome, is reconstructed at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using two methods. A reconstruction of modern biomes shows that, for the majority of the sites, the pollen data accurately reflect the potential vegetation, even though much of the original vegetation has been transformed by agricultural practices. At 18 000 14 C yr BP a generally cool and dry environment is reflected in biome assignments of cold mixed forests, cool evergreen forests and cool grassland/shrub, the latter extending to lower altitudes than presently recorded. Differential responses of the vegetation to climatic shifts are related to changes in moisture sources and the importance of edaphic control on the vegetation. Secondly, biomes at the LGM are also investigated by applying a vegetation model (BIOME‐3) set to operate at CO 2 levels of 200 ppmV and with climatic data from 12 meteorological stations that encompass a range of environments within Colombia. At lower altitudes it is apparent that moisture is the dominant control on driving vegetation change whereas temperature becomes more important at higher altitudes. The combined reconstruction of biome‐scale vegetation dynamics in Colombia allows an understanding of the environmental controls on these to be developed that demonstrates the need to invoke different factors to explain the vegetation change rather than a uniform reduction in temperature or moisture. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Observations on Late Pleistocene cooling and precipitation in the lowland Neotropics - Mark B. Bush; Miles R. Silman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Although accurate reconstructions of Amazonian palaeoclimates are central to understanding the distribution and history of Neotropical biodiversity, current reconstructions based on proxy data are discordant and subject to intense debate. We review some current thinking in Amazonian climatology and incorporate some new ideas in an attempt to explain the apparently contradictory records of palaeoprecipitation from across the Amazon Basin. We suggest that palaeoecologists need to recognise that organised convective radiation, the process that induces most wet season rainfall in Amazonia, should be treated as a phenomenon related to, but separate from, the passage of the inter‐tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Decoupling ITCZ migration from larger convective activity provides a mechanism to account for observed palaeoclimatic heterogeneity. Patterns of observed precipitation change are consistent with the long‐term persistence of closed forest across much of Amazonia, indicating that the greatest changes in precipitation during the last glacial maximum came during the wet season, which would have little negative impact on forest extent. Neotropical cooling at the last glacial maximum (LGM) is widely accepted, although the estimates of that cooling range between 1°C and > 5°C. In answering the basic question ‘What is meant by cooling?’ we observe that interhemispheric ice mass asymmetry may have caused cooling to be manifested differently according to location. A terrestrial cooling of ca. 5°C, as well as radiative cooling and event‐based cooling combined to induce vegetation change. Probably, both absolute temperature and mean monthly minima were reduced by polar air incursions in the northern Neotropics. However, in the southern Neotropics, mean monthly minima were reduced by more frequent incursions of Patagonian air masses, but absolute minima may have been largely unchanged. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene vegetation dynamics in the northeastern Rub' al‐Khali desert, Arabian Peninsula: a phytolith, pollen and carbon isotope study - A. G. Parker; L. Eckersley; M. M. Smith; A. S. Goudie; S. Stokes; S. Ward; K. White; M. J. Hodson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The Holocene vegetation history of the Arabian Peninsula is poorly understood, with few palaeobotanical studies to date. At Awafi, Ras al‐Khaimah, UAE, a 3.3 m lake sediment sequence records the vegetation development for the period 8500 cal. yr BP to ∼3000 cal. yr BP. δ 13 C isotope, pollen and phytolith analyses indicate that C3 Pooid grassland with a strong woody element existed during the early Holocene (between 8500 and 6000 cal. yr BP) and became replaced by mixed C3 and C4 grasses with a strong C4 Panicoid tall grass element between 5900 and 5400 cal. yr BP. An intense, arid event occurred at 4100 cal. yr BP when the lake desiccated and was infilled by Aeolian sand. From 4100 cal. yr BP the vegetation was dominated by C4 Chloridoid types and Cyperaceae, suggesting an incomplete vegetation cover and Aeolian dune reactivation owing to increased regional aridity. These data outline the ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycling in response to palaeomonsoon and north‐westerly variability during the Holocene. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The dating of dipterocarp tree rings: establishing a record of carbon cycling and climatic change in the tropics - I. Robertson; C. A. Froyd; R. P. D. Walsh; D. M. Newbery; S. Woodborne; R. C. Ong (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
In a first step to obtain a proxy record of past climatic events (including the El Niño–Southern Oscillation) in the normally aseasonal tropical environment of Sabah, a radial segment from a recently fallen dipterocarp ( Shorea superba ) was radiocarbon dated and subjected to carbon isotope analysis. The high‐precision radiocarbon results fell into the ambiguous modern plateau where several calibrated dates can exist for each sample. Dating was achieved by wiggle matching using a Bayesian approach to calibration. Using the defined growth characteristics of Shorea superba , probability density distributions were calculated and improbable dates rejected. It was found that the tree most likely started growing around AD 1660–1685. A total of 173 apparent growth increments were measured and, therefore, it could be determined that the tree formed one ring approximately every two years. Stable carbon isotope values were obtained from resin‐extracted wholewood from each ring. Carbon cycling is evident in the ‘juvenile effect’, resulting from the assimilation of respired carbon dioxide and lower light levels below the canopy, and in the ‘anthropogenic effect’ caused by increased industrial activity in the late‐nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This study demonstrates that palaeoenvironmental information can be obtained from trees growing in aseasonal environments, where climatic conditions prevent the formation of well‐defined annual rings. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A record of Late Pleistocene and Holocene carbon accumulation and climate change from an equatorial peat bog (Kalimantan, Indonesia): implications for past, present and future carbon dynamics - S. E. Page; R. A. J. Wűst; D. Weiss; J. O. Rieley; W. Shotyk; S. H. Limin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A 9.5 m core from an inland peatland in Kalimantan, Indonesia, reveals organic matter accumulation started around 26 000 cal. yr BP, providing the oldest reported initiation date for lowland ombrotrophic peat formation in SE Asia. The core shows clear evidence for differential rates of peat formation and carbon storage. A short period of initial accumulation is followed by a slow rate during the LGM, with fastest accumulation during the Holocene. Between ∼13 000 and 8000 cal. yr BP, > 450 cm of peat were deposited, with highest rates of peat (> 2 mm yr −1 ) and carbon (> 90 g C m −2 yr −1 ) accumulation between 9530 and 8590 cal. yr BP. These data suggest that Kalimantan peatlands acted as a large sink of atmospheric CO 2 at this time. Slower rates of peat (0.15–0.38 mm yr −1 ) and carbon (7.4–24.0 g C m −2 yr −1 ) accumulation between ∼8000 and 500 cal. yr BP coincide with rapid peat formation in coastal locations elsewhere in SE Asia. The average LORCA (long‐term apparent carbon accumulation rate) for the 9.5 m core is 56 g C m −2 yr −1 . These data suggest that studies of global carbon sources, sinks and their dynamics need to include information on the past and present sizeable peat deposits of the tropics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene changes of Andean alder ( Alnus acuminata ) in highland Ecuador and Peru - Chengyu Weng; Mark B. Bush; Alex J. Chepstow‐Lusty (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Fossil pollen records from the high Andes of Ecuador and northern Peru show that Alnus increased in abundance at most sites following warming associated with the onset of the Holocene. The peak of Alnus pollen abundance occurred between ∼9000 and 5000 yr BP. However, between 6500 and 4500 yr BP, the abundance of Alnus pollen declined markedly in all of the available records, including sites both within and above its modern distribution range. Even though the beginning of this decline may have been time‐transgressive, the greatest reduction of Alnus abundance is consistent between sites, occurring at ca. 4500 yr BP. This synchrony suggests that one or more factors affected Alnus populations across the whole region. A cooler climate, droughts and anthropogenic activity are discussed as possible causes on such a large spatial scale. A scenario is suggested in which the early–mid Holocene increase in Alnus populations was curtailed by droughts, and then further impacted by major regional cooling from ca. 5000 yr BP onwards. Human agricultural activities in this wetter interval may also have delayed Alnus recovery. A resurgence of Alnus populations at 2000–1000 yr BP may have been a response to regional warming coupled with human land management practices. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary ecological and geomorphic changes associated with rainfall events in presently semi‐arid northeastern Brazil - Augusto S. Auler; Xianfeng Wang; R. Lawrence Edwards; Hai Cheng; Patrícia S. Cristalli; Peter L. Smart; David A. Richards (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Several geomorphic features and palaeobiotic remains in now semi‐arid northeastern Brazil indicate major palaeoenvironmental changes during past periods of increased rainfall. 230 Th mass spectrometric ages of speleothems and travertines have allowed the determination of the timing and duration of wetter than present conditions. The data demonstrate that wet events have occurred throughout much of the Pleistocene, present dry conditions having been established at the end of the Younger Dryas. A markedly different fauna comprising megafaunal elements not adapted to the present low arboreal scrubland caatinga vegetation existed in the area. Palaeobotanical remains embedded in travertine indicate forested vegetation at these wetter intervals, suggesting that the caatinga was then replaced or mixed with a semi‐deciduous forest. Due to the abundance of travertine sites containing fossil botanical remains in northeastern Brazil, it is believed that forest expansion occurred over large areas of the now semi‐arid zone, showing that the long hypothesised forested links between biodiversity‐rich Amazon and Atlantic rainforests may indeed have existed during these moister phases. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mangrove ecosystem dynamics and elemental cycling at Twin Cays, Belize, during the Holocene - Matthew J. Wooller; Hermann Behling; Barbara J. Smallwood; Marilyn Fogel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Existing at the transition between the terrestrial environment and hydrosphere, mangroves are sensitive to environmental change (e.g. sea‐level rise). We present pollen and stable isotope data from a core (TCC1) of continuous (10 m) mangrove peat from Twin Cays, ∼12 km off of the coast of Belize, Central America. Radiocarbon dates on fragments of mangrove leaves preserved in TCC1 show that the core provides an 8600 14 C year record of mangrove ecosystem changes. Variation in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (δ 13 C = ∼−30 to −25‰; δ 15 N = ∼−6 to 2‰) of mangrove leaves imply that the stand structure and nutrient status of the mangroves at the site have changed during the Holocene. Pollen data from the same core show that the floral composition of the site has changed at points during the Holocene, most notably a brief (∼240 years) switch at ∼3860 14 C yr BP to dominance by a species of Myrsine (not currently present at the site). Our results are consistent with significant environmental changes (either marked disturbance from hurricanes or fluctuations in sea‐level) through the Holocene. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Introduction: Late Quaternary ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycling in the tropics - Francis E. Mayle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Assessment of the Neotropical dry forest refugia hypothesis in the light of palaeoecological data and vegetation model simulations - Francis E. Mayle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Seasonally dry tropical forests exhibit a markedly discontinuous, disjunct distribution pattern across South America. Previous botanical inventories have revealed that these dry forest areas exhibit close floristic links with one another, which has led to the hypothesis that they constitute modern‐day refugia, resulting from vicariance (i.e. fragmentation) of a formerly more widespread, continuous distribution during more arid climatic conditions associated with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This paper examines the validity of this ‘dry forest refugia’ hypothesis in the light of previously published fossil pollen data and vegetation model simulations. The model simulations suggest that major dry forest areas, such as the Bolivian Chiquitano Dry Forest, are not Pleistocene refugia, but instead developed during the Holocene by population expansions from parts of southern Amazonia presently covered by evergreen rainforest. The limited pollen data available indicate that glacial‐age seasonally dry tropical forests, irrespective of their distribution, were floristically quite different from those of today, with key dry forest species, such as Anadenanthera , only appearing in the Holocene. I suggest that a more parsimonious explanation for the current biogeographic pattern of these South American dry forests is population migration (perhaps by long‐distance dispersal) since the LGM, rather than vicariance. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pedosedimentary development of part of a Late Quaternary loess‐palaeosol sequence in northwest Argentina - Rob A. Kemp; Matthew King; Philip Toms; Edward Derbyshire; José Manuel Sayago; Miriam M. Collantes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The field properties, magnetic susceptibility, particle size, calcium carbonate content, soil micromorphology and optical luminescence ages of the upper 6.1 m and lowermost 4.7 m of the 45 m loess–palaeosol sequence at El Lambedero in the Tafí del Valle region of Tucumán Province (Sierras Pampeanas, northwest Argentina) have been used to set up a partial stratigraphy and chronology, as well as a basic pedosedimentary model of loess accumulation, palaeosol development, reworking and erosion for the site. The minimum ages derived from the basal part of the section suggest that loess began to accumulate some time before 165 ka. A thick and well‐developed pedocomplex in the upper profile is correlated with at least the latter part of marine isotope stage (MIS) 5, whereas the overlying palaeosol may be attributable to pedogenic activity during MIS 3. The absence of material younger than 33 ka close to the surface of this rounded spur landform is probably the result of either non‐deposition or erosional stripping in response to climatic change, or episodic uplift in this seismically active region. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Volcano–ice interaction on Earth and Mars. J.L. SMELLIE and M.G. CHAPMAN (eds). Special Publication 202, Geological Society Publishing House, Bath 2002 (431pp) ?90.00/US$150.00 ISBN 1 86239 121 1 - Peter G. Knight (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Iberian Plio‐Pleistocene biochronology: micromammalian evidence for MNs and ELMAs calibration in southwestern Europe - Manuel Hernández Fernández; Beatriz Azanza; María Ángeles Álvarez Sierra (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A multivariate biochronological analysis of the Plio‐Pleistocene Iberian rodent fossil record is presented. Among more than 300 fossil sites, 49 sites have been selected. The ordination of the fossil sites selected from the Iberian Peninsula has been achieved by the appearance event ordination method. After calibration of this ordination with geochronological dates at some of the localities, numerical dates are proposed for all the localities studied. Hence, mammal fossil sites non‐datable by other means (palaeomagnetism, radiometric dating, etc.) have been dated with a relatively high degree of confidence. Final results allow dating of boundaries between the Plio‐Pleistocene European Land Mammal Ages (ELMAS) or the Mammal Neogene (MN) units. These boundaries agree with previous studies using magnetostratigraphical calibration of these scales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Depositional and post‐depositional history of warm stage deposits at Knocknacran, Co. Monaghan, Ireland: implications for preservation of Irish last interglacial deposits - A. P. M. Vaughan; L. A. Dowling; F. J. G. Mitchell; S.‐E. Lauritzen; A. M. McCabe; P. Coxon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Organic‐rich deposits, uncovered during overburden removal from mantled gypsum karst at Knocknacran opencast gypsum mine, Co. Monaghan, are the best candidate to date for a last interglacial record in Ireland. The two till and organic‐rich deposits (preserved at different quarry elevations) were emplaced on to a Tertiary dolerite surface during high‐energy flood events and subsequently folded and faulted by movement towards sinkholes in underlying gypsum. Uranium–thorium disequilibrium dating suggests that the organic‐rich deposits in the upper section were hydrologically isolated at ca. 41 ka and those in the lower section at ca. 86 ka. Interpretation of the pollen content, although tentative because of the depositional and post‐depositional history of the material, suggests that the organic material originated in a warm stage possibly warmer than the post‐Eemian interstadials. The unusual setting of preservation may indicate that in situ , last interglacial deposits have generally been removed by erosion in Ireland. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Pleistocene Cape Kidnappers section in New Zealand: orbitally forced controls on active margin sedimentation? - Jean‐Noël Proust; Frank Chanier (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
High sedimentation rates in Pleistocene active margin basins can provide a very detailed record of tectonic and climatic controls on sediment preservation. A 500 m thick, Pleistocene rock section exposed in northeastern North Island of New Zealand (Kidnappers Group), provides the opportunity to discuss these controls. The section is composed of conglomerate, sandstones, siltstones and minor shales, interbedded with tephra layers. The sediments were deposited in alluvial to shallow marine environments and preserved in stacks of depositional units decimetres to hundreds of metres thick as a result of base‐level changes through time. The correlation of base‐level changes in the section with the deep sea oxygen isotope stratigraphy shows that the sequences at 10 m and 80 m scales can correlate, respectively, to the 20 and 100 kyr changes in eustatic sea‐level, but that the 80‐m‐thick sequences correlate also to changes in tectonic uplift rates. A major change in the stratigraphical architecture occurs at the Mid‐Pleistocene Transition (MPT) when the 40 kyr ice volume variations shifted to a dominant 100 kyr variation. This change includes an increase in the amplitude of the shifts in depositional environments and an overall simplification of the stacking pattern of the depositional units through the MPT. This study illustrates that active margin basins can record orbitally forced sedimentary cycles and points to a possible leading influence of eustasy on the pattern of sediment preservation in tectonically active areas. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental change and cultural response between 8000 and 4000 cal. yr BP in the western Loess Plateau, northwest China - ChengBang An; Zhaodong Feng; Lingyu Tang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Two ancient swamps in the western Loess Plateau, northwest China record the climate history between 8000 and 4000 cal. yr BP. Grain size, CaCO 3 , organic matter, mollusc fauna and pollen assemblages show that climate was wet between 8300 and 7400 cal. yr BP, distinctly humid and warm between 7400 and 6700 cal. yr BP, semi‐humid from 6700 to 6300 cal. yr BP, and semi‐arid between 6300 and 4000 cal. yr BP. The temporal and spatial distribution of archaeological sites shows that the prosperity of the neolithic cultures in the western part of the Chinese Loess Plateau did not appear until the climate changed to semi‐arid, implying that the semi‐arid climate was more favourable than wet and humid climate to neolithic peoples, whose subsistence was based on cereals adapted to arid environments. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Landscape archaeology in southern Epirus, Greece 1. The Nikopolis project J. WISEMAN and K. ZACHOS (eds). Hesperia Supplement 32, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Athens 2003 (310pp) ?27.50 ISBN 0 87661 532 9 - Nellie Phoca‐Cosmetatou (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

The Upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediments on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa (Italy) - C. Giraudi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The island of Lampedusa lies on the northern edge of the African continental shelf, but during some Quaternary marine lowstands it was joined to the African continent. The study and dating of the aeolian, alluvial, detrital sediments, calcareous crusts and speleothems have established that the climatic–environmental variations recorded on the island can be related chronologically to those known for northern Libya, Tunisia and the Italian peninsula. During the Last Glacial Maximum, phases of Saharan dust accumulation on Lampedusa occurred, and were coeval with dust accumulation in crater lakes and on high mountains in central‐southern Italy, and with phases of glacial advance in the Apennines and in the Alps. During the late Holocene, accumulation of Saharan dust on Lampedusa occurred but there was little accumulation of dust on the northern side of the Mediterranean Sea. With the new data from Lampedusa, it is possible to envisage two different scenarios of atmospheric circulation relating to the Last Glacial Maximum and to the late Holocene. During the Last Glacial Maximum, southerly atmospheric circulation brought rainfall to the southern slopes of the Alps and to the Apennines. During the late Holocene, a prevalent westerly atmospheric circulation became established in the northern Mediterranean. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rivers and floodplains: forms, processes, and sedimentary record J.S. BRIDGE. Blackwell Science, Oxford 2003 (491pp) ?34.99 ISBN 0 632 06489 7 (paperback) - Irina Overeem (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Glacial imprints of the Okanogan Lobe, southern margin of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet - Dori J. Kovanen; Olav Slaymaker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The glacial geomorphology of the Waterville Plateau (ca. 55 km 2 ) provides information on the dynamics of the Okanogan Lobe, southern sector of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet in north‐central Washington. The Okanogan Lobe had a profound influence on the landscape. It diverted meltwater and floodwater along the ice front contributing to the Channeled Scabland features during the late Wisconsin (Fraser Glaciation). The glacial imprint may record surge behaviour of the former Okanogan Lobe based on a comparison with other glacial landsystems. Conditions that may have promoted instability include regional topographic constraints, ice marginal lakes and dynamics of the subglacial hydrological system, which probably included a subglacial reservoir. The ice‐surface morphology and estimated driving stresses (17–26 kPa) implied from ice thickness and surface slope reconstructed in the terminal area also suggest fast basal flow characteristics. This work identifies the location of a fast flowing ice corridor and this probably affected the stability and mass balance of the south‐central portion of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. Evidence for fast ice flow is lacking in the main Okanogan River Valley, probably because it was destroyed during deglaciation by various glacial and fluvial processes. The only signature of fast ice flow left is the imprint on the Waterville Plateau. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental magnetism. Principles and applications of enviromagnetics M.E. EVANS and F. HELLER. Academic Press, San Diego 2003 (311pp) ?45.00/US$69.95 ISBN 0 12 243851 5 - Ian F. Snowball (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Glacier‐influenced sedimentation on high‐latitude continental margins. J.A.DOWDESWELL and C. COFAIGH (eds). Special Publication 203, Geological Society Publishing House, Bath 2002 (373pp) ?90.00/US$150.00 ISBN 1 86239 120 3 - Jasper Knight (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Elm bark beetle in Holocene peat deposits and the northwest European elm decline - Sarah H. E. Clark; Kevin J. Edwards (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The elm decline of 5000 14 C yr ago has been the most widely discussed phenomenon in post‐glacial vegetation history. This pan‐European reduction of elm populations, echoed in the decimation of elmwoods in Europe during the twentieth century, has attracted a series of interrelated hypotheses involving climate change, human activity, disease and soil deterioration. The elm bark beetle ( Scolytus scolytus L.) is an essential component of disease explanations. We present evidence for the presence of the beetle over a prolonged period (ca. 7950–4910 yr BP [8800–5660 cal. yr BP]) from a lowland raised mire deposit in northeast Scotland, with its final appearance at this site, and the first and only appearance in another mire of a single scolytid find, around the time of the elm decline. The subfossil S. scolytus finds are not only the first from Scotland, but they also represent the most comprehensive sequence of finds anywhere. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A major widespread climatic change around 5300 cal. yr BP at the time of the Alpine Iceman - Michel Magny; Jean Nicolas Haas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data from Arbon Bleiche, Lake Constance (Switzerland) give evidence of a rapid rise in lake‐level dated by tree‐ring and radiocarbon to 5320 cal. yr BP. This rise event was the latest in a series of three successive episodes of higher lake‐level between 5550 and 5300 cal. yr BP coinciding with glacier advance and tree‐limit decline in the Alps. This west‐central European climate change may have favoured the quick burial and the preservation of the Alpine Iceman recently found in the Tyrolean Alps. It has possible equivalents in many records from various regions in both hemispheres dating to 5600–5000 cal. yr BP and corresponds to global cooling and contrasting patterns of hydrological changes. This major mid‐Holocene climate event marks the Hypsithermal/Neoglaciation transition possibly resulting from a combination of different factors including orbital forcing, changes in ocean circulation and variations in solar activity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fluvial system response to Late Devensian (Weichselian) aridity, Baston, Lincolnshire, England - Rebecca M. Briant; G. Russell Coope; Richard C. Preece; David H. Keen; Steve Boreham; Huw I. Griffiths; Mary B. Seddon; Philip L. Gibbard (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Little is known about the impact of Late Devensian (Weichselian) aridity on lowland British landscapes, largely because they lack the widespread coversand deposits of the adjacent continent. The concentration of large interformational ice‐wedge casts in the upper part of many Devensian fluvial sequences suggests that fluvial activity may have decreased considerably during this time. The development of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating enables this period of ice‐wedge cast formation to be constrained for the first time in eastern England, where a marked horizon of ice‐wedge casts is found between two distinctive dateable facies associations. Contrasts between this horizon and adjacent sediments show clear changes in environment and fluvial system behaviour in response to changing water supply, in line with palaeontological evidence. In addition to providing chronological control on the period of ice‐wedge formation, the study shows good agreement of the radiocarbon and OSL dating techniques during the Middle and Late Devensian, with direct comparison of these techniques beyond 15 000 yr for the first time in Britain. It is suggested that aridity during the Late Devensian forced a significant decrease in fluvial activity compared with preceding and following periods, initiating a system with low peak flows and widespread permafrost development. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Luminescence chronology of non‐glacial sediments in Changeable Lake, Russian High Arctic, and implications for limited Eurasian ice‐sheet extent during the LGM - Glenn W. Berger; Martin Melles; Debabrata Banerjee; Andrew S. Murray; Alexandra Raab (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A 10.5 m core from Changeable Lake in the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago just north of the Taymyr Peninsula intersects ca. 30 cm of diamicton at its base, interpreted as a basal till. Because the upper 10.13 m of this core consists of non‐glacial sediments, a maximum numeric age for these non‐glacial sediments would provide a clear lower limit to the timing of the last glaciation in the area of Changeable Lake. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of several materials from this core yielded widely scattered results. Consequently we applied photonic dating to sediments above the diamicton. The experimental single‐aliquot‐regenerative (SAR) dose fine‐grain method was applied to two samples, using the ‘double SAR’ approach. With one exception, these fine‐grain SAR results and the results of application of the SAR method to sand‐sized quartz grains from two samples, at ca. 9.95 m and ca. 10.05 m depth, are discrepant with age estimates from the multi‐aliquot infrared‐photon‐stimulated luminescence (IR‐PSL) method applied to fine grains. Multi‐aliquot IR‐PSL dating of 10 samples produces ages increasing monotonically from ca. 4 ka at 2 m to 53 ± 4 ka at 9.97 m. These self‐consistent multi‐aliquot IR‐PSL ages, along with limiting 14 C ages of >47 ka at ca. 10 m, provide direct evidence that glacial ice did not advance over this lake basin during the Last Glacial Maximum, and thus delimit the northeastern margin of the Barents–Kara Sea ice‐sheet to somewhere west of this archipelago. The last regional glaciation probably occurred during marine isotope stage (MIS) 4 or earlier. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Surface exposure dating of the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine system, western Swiss Alps, using the cosmogenic nuclide 10 Be - Meredith A. Kelly; Peter W. Kubik; Friedhelm Von Blanckenburg; Christian SchlÜchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Egesen moraines throughout the Alps mark a glacial advance that has been correlated with the Younger Dryas cold period. Using the surface exposure dating method, in particular the measurement of the cosmogenic nuclide 10 Be in rock surfaces, we attained four ages for boulders on a prominent Egesen moraine of Great Aletsch Glacier, in the western Swiss Alps. The 10 Be dates range from 10 460±1100 to 9040±1020 yr ago. Three 10 Be dates between 9630±810 and 9040±1020 yr ago are based upon samples from the surfaces of granite boulders. Two 10 Be dates, 10 460±1100 and 9910±970 yr ago, are based upon a sample from a quartz vein at the surface of a schist boulder. In consideration of the numerous factors that can influence apparently young 10 Be dates and the scatter within the data, we interpret the weighted mean of four boulder ages, 9640±430 yr (including the weighted mean of two 10 Be dates of the quartz vein), as a minimum age of deposition of the moraine. All 10 Be dates from the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine are consistent with radiocarbon dates of nearby bog‐bottom organic sediments, which provide minimum ages of deglaciation from the moraine. The 10 Be dates from boulders on the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine also are similar to 10 Be dates from Egesen moraines of Vadret Lagrev Glacier on Julier Pass, in the eastern Swiss Alps. Both the morphology of the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine and the comparison with 10 Be dates from the inner Vadret Lagrev Egesen moraine support the hypothesis that the climatic cooling that occurred during the Younger Dryas cold episode influenced the glacial advance that deposited the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine. Because of the large size and slow response time of Great Aletsch Glacier, we suggest that the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine was formed during the last glacial advance of the multiphased Egesen cold period, the Kromer stage, during the Preboreal chron. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reinvestigation of the classic late‐glacial Bølling Sø sequence, Denmark: chronology, macrofossils, Cladocera and chydorid ephippia - Ole Bennike; Kaarina Sarmaja‐Korjonen; Anna SeppÄnen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The late‐glacial Bølling period was first identified by Johs. Iversen on the basis of pollen results from Lake Bølling Sø in Denmark. Because there were no radiocarbon dates from the sequence the Bølling Chronozone (12 000–13 000 14 C yr BP) was later established on the basis of dates from other sites. A new project is reinvestigating the sediments from the Bølling Sø sequence with AMS radiocarbon dating and multiproxy analyses. Here we present results of AMS radiocarbon dating, macrofossil analyses, cladoceran analyses (Cladocera concentrations and chydorid ephippia) and Pediastrum analyses (concentrations). The AMS dates on land plant remains show that the lower part of the sequence is around 12 500 14 C yr BP, and thus clearly pre‐dates the Allerød chronozone. However, construction of a chronology for the sequence was problematic, partly because of reworking of macroscopic plant remains. The climate ameliorated after glacial conditions to such an extent that growth of plants could begin at ca. 12 500 14 C yr BP, but the results of multiproxy analyses show little evidence for a further warming period during the pre‐Allerød part of the sequence. Lake productivity was low, and tree birch rare or maybe absent. This may reflect widespread occurrence of dead ice, unstable soils, heavy in‐wash of minerogenic matter to the lake, resulting in turbid water and rapid sedimentation. The early pioneer vegetation was characterised by Salix polaris and Dryas octopetala , and by herbs. The Allerød Chronozone, and especially its initial part, appears to have been relatively warm but reduced cladoceran concentrations and increased proportion of chydorid ephippia suggest that climate cooled in the middle Allerød and that the late Allerød was colder than the early part. The early Younger Dryas was probably colder than the late Younger Dryas. Clear warming is apparent at the beginning of the Holocene, where the first macrofossil evidence of trees ( Betula pubescens , Populus tremula ) is found. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Calendar year age estimates of Allerød–Younger Dryas sea‐level oscillations at Os, western Norway - Øystein S. Lohne; Stein Bondevik; Jan Mangerud; Hans Schrader (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A detailed shoreline displacement curve documents the Younger Dryas transgression in western Norway. The relative sea‐level rise was more than 9 m in an area which subsequently experienced an emergence of almost 60 m. The sea‐level curve is based on the stratigraphy of six isolation basins with bedrock thresholds. Effort has been made to establish an accurate chronology using a calendar year time‐scale by 14 C wiggle matching and the use of time synchronic markers (the Vedde Ash Bed and the post‐glacial rise in Betula (birch) pollen). The sea‐level curve demonstrates that the Younger Dryas transgression started close to the Allerød–Younger Dryas transition and that the high stand was reached only 200 yr before the Younger Dryas–Holocene boundary. The sea level remained at the high stand for about 300 yr and 100 yr into Holocene it started to fall rapidly. The peak of the Younger Dryas transgression occurred simultaneously with the maximum extent of the ice‐sheet readvance in the area. Our results support earlier geophysical modelling concluding a causal relationship between the Younger Dryas glacier advance and Younger Dryas transgression in western Norway. We argue that the sea‐level curve indicates that the Younger Dryas glacial advance started in the late Allerød or close to the Allerød–Younger Dryas transition. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Architecture and evolution of a fjord‐head delta, western Vancouver Island, British Columbia - Jeffrey E. Gutsell; John J. Clague; Melvyn E. Best; Peter T. Bobrowsky; Ian Hutchinson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The architectural framework and Holocene evolution of the Zeballos fjord‐head delta on west‐central Vancouver Island was established through a multidisciplinary field‐based study. The Zeballos delta is a composite feature, consisting of an elevated, incised, late Pleistocene delta and an inset Holocene delta graded to present sea level. Both deltas have a classic Gilbert‐type tripartite architecture, with nearly flat topset and bottomset units and an inclined foreset unit. Time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) and ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, borehole data, and gravel pit exposures provided information on the internal form, lithologies and substrate of both deltas. Both sets of deltaic deposits coarsen upward from silt in the bottomset unit to gravel in the topset unit. The TDEM survey revealed a highly irregular, buried bedrock surface, ranging from 20 m to 190 m in depth, and it delineated saltwater intrusion into the deltaic sediments. Late Quaternary sea‐level change at Zeballos was inferred from delta morphology and the GPR survey. The elevated, late Pleistocene delta was constructed when the sea was about 21 m higher relative to the land than it is today. It was dissected when sea‐level fell rapidly as a result of glacio‐isostatic rebound. Relative sea‐level reached a position about 20 m below the present datum during the early Holocene. Foreset beds that overlap and progressively climb in a seaward direction and topset beds that thicken to 26 m landward imply that the delta aggraded and prograded into Zeballos Inlet during the middle and late Holocene transgression. Sea‐level may have risen above the present datum during the middle Holocene, creating a delta plain at about 4 m a.s.l. Remnants of this surface are preserved along the valley margins. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary submarine bedforms and ice‐sheet flow in Gerlache Strait and on the adjacent continental shelf, Antarctic Peninsula - Jeffrey Evans; Julian A. Dowdeswell; Colm Ó Cofaigh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Geophysical data from Gerlache Strait, Croker Passage, Bismarck Strait and the adjacent continental shelf reveal streamlined subglacial bedforms that were produced at the bed of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) during the last glaciation. The spatial arrangement and orientation of these bedforms record the former drainage pattern and flow dynamics of an APIS outlet up‐flow, and feeding into, a palaeo‐ice stream in the Western Bransfield Basin. Evidence suggests that together, they represent a single ice‐flow system that drained the APIS during the last glaciation. The ice‐sheet outlet flowed north/northeastwards through Gerlache Strait and Croker Passage and converged with a second, more easterly ice‐flow tributary on the middle shelf to form the main palaeo‐ice stream. The dominance of drumlins with low elongation ratios suggests that ice‐sheet outlet draining through Gerlache Strait was comparatively slower than the main palaeo‐ice stream in the Western Bransfield Basin, although the low elongation ratios may also partly reflect the lack of sediment. Progressive elongation of drumlins further down‐flow indicates that the ice sheet accelerated through Croker Passage and the western tributary trough, and fed into the main zone of streaming flow in the Western Bransfield Basin. Topography would have exerted a strong control on the development of the palaeo‐ice stream system but subglacial geology may also have been significant given the transition from crystalline bedrock to sedimentary strata on the inner–mid‐shelf. In the broader context, the APIS was drained by a number of major fast‐flowing outlets through cross‐shelf troughs to the outer continental shelf during the last glaciation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary deglaciation and climate history of the Larsemann Hills (East Antarctica) - Elie Verleyen; Dominic A. Hodgson; Koen Sabbe; Wim Vyverman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The Late Quaternary climate history of the Larsemann Hills has been reconstructed using siliceous microfossils (diatoms, chrysophytes and silicoflagellates) in sediment cores extracted from three isolation lakes. Results show that the western peninsula, Stornes, and offshore islands were ice‐covered between 30 000 yr BP and 13 500 cal. yr BP. From 13 500 cal. yr BP (shortly after the Antarctic Cold Reversal) the coastal lakes of the Larsemann Hills were deglaciated and biogenic sedimentation commenced. Between 13 500 and 11 500 cal. yr BP conditions were warmer and wetter than during the preceding glacial period, but still colder than today. From 11 500 to 9500 cal. yr BP there is evidence for wet and warm conditions, which probably is related to the early Holocene climate optimum, recorded in Antarctic ice cores. Between 9500 and 7400 cal. yr BP dry and cold conditions are inferred from high lake‐water salinities, and low water levels and an extended duration of nearshore sea‐ice. A second climate optimum occurred between 7400 and 5230 cal. yr BP when stratified, open water conditions during spring and summer characterised the marine coast of Prydz Bay. From 5230 until 2750 cal. yr BP sea‐ice duration in Prydz Bay increased, with conditions similar to the present day. A short return to stratified, open water conditions and a reduction in nearshore winter sea‐ice extent is evident between 2750 and 2200 cal. yr BP. Simultaneously, reconstructions of lake water depth and salinity suggests relatively humid and warm conditions on land between 3000 and 2000 cal. yr BP, which corresponds to a Holocene Hypsithermal reported elsewhere in Antarctica. Finally, dry conditions are recorded around 2000, between 760 and 690, and between 280 and 140 cal. yr BP. These data are consistent with ice‐core records from Antarctica and support the hypothesis that lacustrine and marine sediments on land can be used to evaluate the effect of long‐term climate change on the terrestrial environment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Changing marine productivity off northern Chile during the past 19 000 years: a multivariable approach - M. Mohtadi; O. E. Romero; D. Hebbeln (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A multivariable approach utilising bulk sediment, planktonic Foraminifera and siliceous phytoplankton has been used to reconstruct rapid variations in palaeoproductivity in the Peru–Chile Current System off northern Chile for the past 19 000 cal. yr. During the early deglaciation (19 000–16 000 cal. yr BP), our data point to strongest upwelling intensity and highest productivity of the past 19 000 cal. yr. The late deglaciation (16 000–13 000 cal. yr BP) is characterised by a major change in the oceanographic setting, warmer water masses and weaker upwelling at the study site. Lowest productivity and weakest upwelling intensity are observed from the early to the middle Holocene (13 000–4000 cal. yr BP), and the beginning of the late Holocene (

A new Holocene relative sea‐level curve for Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica - Carlo Baroni; Brenda L. Hall (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
More than 100 radiocarbon dates of penguin guano and remains, shells and seal skin afford ages for raised beaches adjacent to Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. These dates permit construction of a new relative sea‐level curve that bears on the timing of deglaciation. Recession of the Ross Sea ice‐sheet grounding line from Terra Nova Bay occurred no earlier than 7200 14 C yr (8000 cal. yr) BP. Retreat along the Victoria Land coast may have been rapid, possibly contributing to eustatic sea‐level rise centred at ca. 7600 cal. yr BP. The presence of a significant amount of ice remaining in the Ross Sea Embayment in Holocene time lessens the chance that Antarctica contributed significantly to meltwater pulse 1A several thousand years earlier. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Temporal changes in Holocene δ 18 O records from the northwest and central North Iceland Shelf - Isla S. Castañeda; L. Micaela Smith; Gréta Björk Kristjánsdóttir; John T. Andrews (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The region of north Iceland is highly sensitive climatically owing to its location with respect to atmospheric and oceanographic fronts. In this study we present total carbonate and δ 18 O records of benthic and planktic Foraminifera from nine sediment cores from the North Iceland Shelf. The results of this work indicate that the deglaciation of the Vestfirdir Peninsula was completed by 10 200 cal. yr BP. The 8200 cal. yr BP cold event is present only as a minor isotopic event, and seems not to have had much of a cooling effect on the bottom waters of the northwest Iceland shelf. The Holocene maximum warmth, attributed to a stronger North Icelandic Irminger Current, occurred between ca. 7800 and 6200 cal. yr BP. Over the past 4500 cal. yr BP a general cooling trend has occurred on the North Iceland Shelf, and superimposed on this overall cooling trend are a number of oscillations between periods when relatively warmer and cooler waters occupied the shelf. Relatively cooler waters were present at 4200–4000 cal. yr BP, 3200–2900 cal. yr BP, 2500–2350 cal. yr BP and 600–200 cal. yr BP, whereas relatively warmer waters were present on the shelf at 3750–3450 cal. yr BP, 2800–2600 cal. yr BP and 1700–1000 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Neogene–Quaternary evolution of the intermontane Clusone Basin (Southern Alps, Italy): integration of seismic and geological data - R. de Franco; F. Berra; G. Biella; G. Boniolo; G. Caielli; A. Corsi; F. Forcella; F. Lazzati; A. Lozej; A. Morrone; R. Tondi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
In the Clusone Basin (a large intermontane basin filled by thick late Neogene–Quaternary sediments in the Middle Val Seriana, Southern Alps), two high‐resolution seismic profiles have been acquired in order to reconstruct the geometries of the sediments that fill the depression, with a maximum thickness of more than 200 m as documented by available well data, and to define their relationships with the bedrock, consisting of Late Triassic carbonates. In addition to standard seismic reflection processing, a seismic refraction inversion technique has been applied. The integration of geological (both surface and well data) and seismic data indicates a complex history of the drainage patterns of the Clusone Basin, documenting a shift of the Serio River from a palaeodrainage toward the southeast (Val Borlezza) to the present situation, toward the south (Val Seriana): between the older and the present‐day drainages an important depositional stage occurred, as documented by the thick sediments that fill the Clusone Basin, controlling the capture of the Serio River along the Val Seriana. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sea‐surface temperature and salinity changes in the northwest Pacific since the Last Glacial Maximum - Tadamichi Oba; Masafumi Murayama (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The oxygen isotope records of both benthic and planktonic Foraminifera in five piston cores, collected from the region between the Oyashio and Kuroshio Currents near Japan, clearly show the marked latitudinal shifts of these two currents during the past 25 kyr. Under the present hydrographic condition, a clear relationship between the sea‐surface temperature (SST) and oxygen isotope differences from benthic to planktonic Foraminifera is observed in this region. Using this relationship, we find decreased SSTs of 12–13°C (maximum 15°C) in the southernmost core site at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), indicating the Oyashio Current shifted southward. The SSTs at the southern two core sites abruptly increased more than 10°C at 10–11 ka, suggesting the Kuroshio Current shifted northward over these sites at 10–11 ka. In contrast, the northern two core sites have remained under the influence of the cold Oyashio Current for the past 25 kyr. With the reasonable estimate of bottom‐water temperature decrease of 2.5°C at the LGM, the SSTs estimated by this new method give exactly the same SST values calculated from Mg/Ca ratio of planktonic Foraminifera, allowing palaeosea‐surface salinities to be reconstructed. The result suggests that the ice volume effect was 1.0 ± 0.1‰ at the LGM. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late‐glacial and Holocene river development in the Teleorman Valley on the southern Romanian Plain - A. J. Howard; M. G. Macklin; D. W. Bailey; S. Mills; R. Andreescu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
This paper reports on a radiocarbon‐dated sequence of alluvial terraces from the Teleorman Valley in the southern Romanian Plain and represents the first Late‐glacial and well‐constrained Holocene alluvial sequence from the lower Danube Valley of southeast Europe. The two earliest and most extensive terraces (T1 and T2) are dissected by large, high‐amplitude palaeochannels, which are dated to ca. 12 800 yr BP and are comparable to large meandering palaeochannels identified from other Late glacial contexts across northern and central Europe. The remaining sequence of alluvial deposits show changes in river activity and accelerated sedimentation around 4900–4800 yr BP, 4000–3800 yr BP, 3300–2800 yr BP, 1000 yr BP and within the past 200 yr. A phase of tributary stream alluvial fan deposition is dated to ca. 2400 yr BP. All these periods of alluvial sedimentation correlate well with episodes of climatic cooling, higher rainfall and enhanced river activity, both in terms of incision and greater lateral mobility as well as increased flood frequency and magnitude identified elsewhere in central, western and northern Europe. Human activity appears to have had little effect on this river environment and significant fine‐grained sedimentation is not noted until ca. 2400 yr BP, approximately 5000 yr after the first neolithic farmers settled the area. Whether this record of river activity truly reflects the impact of prehistoric societies on this catchment will only be elucidated through further, ongoing detailed archaeological research. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeowaters in coastal Europe: evolution of groundwater since the late Pleistocene. W. M. Edmunds and C. J. Milne (eds). Special Publication 189, Geological Society Publishing House: Bath 2001. (344pp) 70.00/US$117.00 ISBN 1 86239 086 X. Groundwater in the Celtic regions: studies in hard rock and Quaternary hydrogeology. N. S. Robbins and B. D. R. Misstear (eds). Special Publication 182, Geological Society Publishing House: Bath 2001. (273pp) 70.00/US$117.00 ISBN 1 86239 077 0 - T.C. Atkinson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Glacial landsystems. D. J. A. Evans (ed.). Arnold: London 2003. (532pp) 95.00 (hardback) ISBN 0 340 80665 6 - Jaap J.M. van der Meer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

A Late‐glacial chironomid record from Hawes Water, northwest England - Alan Bedford; Richard. T. Jones; Barbara Lang; Stephen Brooks; Jim D. Marshall (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
This paper presents the results of a high‐resolution Late‐glacial chironomid stratigraphy from Hawes Water, a small carbonate lake in northern Lancashire. The samples were from a core taken from the terrestrialised margin of the present lake, which represents an intermediate depth between the true littoral and the profundal. The chironomid assemblage showed a high degree of sensitivity to both broad‐scale and short‐term temperature changes. Comparison with an existing proxy temperature record (δ 18 O) for the site confirmed the presence of four temperature inversions within the Late‐glacial Interstadial. A mean July air temperature inference model, derived from acid, soft‐water lakes in Norway and Svalbard, was applied to the data. Despite the absence of carbonate lakes within the Norwegian training set, there was a close similarity between trends in estimated July air temperature and the δ 18 O trace, with a particularly strong correspondence in the periods of clay deposition. This suggests that this model is highly robust. The inferred maximum Interstadial temperature was 13.4°C, dropping initially to 7.5°C in the Loch Lomond Stadial. Temperatures reach a maximum of nearly 10°C in this period, cool for a short period before rising rapidly to 13.2°C at the start of the Holocene. These temperatures are similar to but slightly higher than those estimated for Whitrig Bog, southeast Scotland, and lower than those inferred from coleopteran‐based models for sites in South Wales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene tephra horizons at Klocka Bog, west‐central Sweden: aspects of reproducibility in subarctic peat deposits - Jonas Bergman; Stefan Wastegård; Dan Hammarlund; Barbara Wohlfarth; Stephen J. Roberts (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
This paper presents one of the most extensive Holocene tephra records found to date in Scandinavia. Microtephra horizons originating from Icelandic eruptions were recorded in two ca. 2 m thick peat profiles at Klocka Bog in west‐central Sweden. Five of the microtephra horizons were geochemically correlated to the Askja‐1875, Hekla‐3, Kebister, Hekla‐4 and Lairg A tephras respectively. Radiocarbon‐based dating of these tephras broadly agree with previously published ages from Iceland, Sweden, Germany and the British Isles. The identification of the Lairg A tephra demonstrates a more widespread distribution than previously thought, extending the usefulness of Icelandic Holocene tephrochronology further north into west‐central Scandinavia. Long‐lasting snow cover and seasonal wind distribution in the lower stratosphere are suggested as factors that may be responsible for fragmentary tephra deposition patterns in peat deposits of subarctic Scandinavia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Small‐scale faulting, topographic steps and seismic ruptures in the Alhambra (Granada, southeast Spain - J. M. Azañón; A. Azor; G. Booth‐Rea; F. Torcal (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The Alhambra (14th century AD ) in Granada (southeast Spain) is built at the summit of a Pliocene to Lower Pleistocene conglomeratic formation. Tens of small‐scale normal faults crop out along the northern hillslope of the Alhambra, which have a N130–N150°E strike, dipping 65–75° mostly to the southwest. These are closely spaced faults (approximately 5–30 m) with centimetre to several metre displacements. Several topographic steps in this area coincide with hectometre‐ to kilometre‐scale faults with the same kinematics as the small‐scale ones. Some of these faults appear to be active and related to the present seismicity detected in this region, and associated with the cracks and other damage observed in the Alhambra. Several focal mechanisms calculated in this study are in accordance with the dominant NW–SE orientated normal faults. We interpret that the topographic steps of these faults are a consequence of repeated earthquakes during the past 800 ka. The last large earthquake of approximately 5.1 magnitude in this area occurred in 1431, destroying the Alixares Palace, the Arabian fence and part of the Alhambra wall. We consider the seismic risk associated with these faults to be moderate, as the displacement is partitioned into several hectometre‐ to kilometre‐scale faults. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climatic change recorded by stable isotopes and trace elements in a British Holocene tufa - E. R. Garnett; J. E. Andrews; R. C. Preece; P. F. Dennis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Combined stable isotope (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) and trace element (Mg, Sr) geochemistry from bulk tufa calcite and ostracod shell calcite from an early Holocene British tufa reveal clear records of Holocene palaeoclimatic change. Variation in δ 18 O is caused principally by change in the isotopic composition of Holocene rainfall (recharge), itself caused mainly by change in air temperature. The δ 13 C variability through much of the deposit reflects increasing influence of soil‐zone CO 2 , owing to progressive woodland soil development. Bulk tufa Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by their concentrations in the spring water. Importantly, Mg/Ca ratios are not related to δ 18 O values and thus show no temperature dependence. First‐order sympathetic relationships between δ 13 C values and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by aquifer processes (residence times, CO 2 degassing and calcite dissolution/reprecipitation) and probably record intensity of palaeorainfall (recharge) effects. Stable isotope records from ostracod shells show evidence of vital effects relative to bulk tufa data. The ostracod isotopic records are markedly ‘spiky’ because the ostracods record ‘snapshots’ of relatively short duration (years), whereas the bulk tufa samples record averages of longer time periods, probably decades. The δ 18 O record appears to show early Holocene warming, a thermal maximum at ca. 8900 cal. yr BP and the global 8200 yr BP cold event. Combined δ 13 C, Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca data suggest that early Holocene warming was accompanied by decreasing rainfall intensity. The Mg/Ca data suggest that the 8200 yr BP cold event was also dry. Warmer and wetter conditions were re‐established after the 8200 yr BP cold event until the top of the preserved tufa sequence at ca. 7100 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Anthropogenic changes in the landscape of west Java (Indonesia) during historic times, inferred from a sediment and pollen record from Teluk Banten - Sander van der Kaars; Gert D. van den Bergh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Palynological and charcoal analyses of shallow marine core 98‐28 from the northern coastal area of West Java provide a regional vegetation history during the last few centuries. Reliable chronostratigraphical control is provided by 210 Pb analyses and the occurrence of the 1883 Krakatau ash/tsunami layer as a time marker. The results permit the distinction of four successive stages, reflecting increased disturbance and land clearance, with some evidence for the presence of deciduous lowland forests in the Banten area during the early Holocene. The establishment of coconut and pine plantations and the severe loss of biodiversity in the last few decennia are also echoed in the pollen record. The effect of the Krakatau eruption was insignificant compared with human impact on vegetation in the Banten area. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A terrestrial record of Last Interglacial climate preserved by voluminous debris avalanche inundation in Taranaki, New Zealand - Rewi Newnham; Brent Alloway (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
At Airedale Reef, western North Island, New Zealand, a ca. 4 m thick volcanogenic debris avalanche deposit has facilitated the preservation of an enveloping sequence of peats with interbedded andesitic tephras spanning marine isotope (MIS) 5. The sequence closely overlies a wave‐cut terrace correlated to MIS 5e and, in turn, is overlain by andic beds with tephra interbeds including the Rotoehu and Kawakawa tephras deposited during early MIS 3 and mid‐MIS 2, respectively. Pollen analysis of the organic sequence shows a coherent pattern of fluctuating climate for the Last Interglacial–Last Glacial transition that corresponds with marine isotope stratigraphy and supports the contention that orbital variations were a primary factor in late Quaternary southern mid‐latitude climate change. A five‐stage subdivision of MIS 5 is clearly recognised, with marine isotope substage (MISS) 5b drier than MISS 5d, and the cooling transition from 5a to MIS 4 also may have been comparatively dry and characterised by natural fire, perhaps associated with volcanism. Several other examples of volcanic impact on vegetation and the landscape are evident. The Airedale Reef sequence exhibits strong similarities with fragmentary MIS 5 pollen records preserved elsewhere in New Zealand and enables the proxy record of southern mid‐latitude climatic variability during the Last Interglacial–Glacial cycle to be extended. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary of northern England. D. Huddart and N. F. Glasser (eds). Geological Conservation Review Series no 25, Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Peterborough 2002. (745pp) 70.00 ISBN 1 86107 490 5 - David R. Bridgland (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

The Preboreal climate reversal and a subsequent solar‐forced climate shift - J. van der Plicht; B. van Geel; S. J. P. Bohncke; J. A. A. Bos; M. Blaauw; A. O. M. Speranza; R. Muscheler; S. Björck (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Accurate chronologies are essential for linking palaeoclimate archives. Carbon‐14 wiggle‐match dating was used to produce an accurate chronology for part of an early Holocene peat sequence from the Borchert (The Netherlands). Following the Younger Dryas–Preboreal transition, two climatic shifts could be inferred. Around 11 400 cal. yr BP the expansion of birch ( Betula ) forest was interrupted by a dry continental phase with dominantly open grassland vegetation, coeval with the PBO (Preboreal Oscillation), as observed in the GRIP ice core. At 11 250 cal. yr BP a sudden shift to a humid climate occurred. This second change appears to be contemporaneous with: (i) a sharp increase of atmospheric 14 C; (ii) a temporary decline of atmospheric CO 2 ; and (iii) an increase in the GRIP 10 Be flux. The close correspondence with excursions of cosmogenic nuclides points to a decline in solar activity, which may have forced the changes in climate and vegetation at around 11 250 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Younger Dryas and Holocene climate record of a stalagmite from Hölloch Cave (Bavarian Alps, Germany - Georg Wurth; Stefan Niggemann; Detlev K. Richter; Augusto Mangini (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Stable isotope analyses and seven U/Th dates of a stalagmite from the alpine Hölloch Cave (Germany) have yielded a palaeoclimate record for the past 14 300 yr. The δ 18 O record is positively correlated with relative temperature variations. The late glacial part of this record, including the Younger Dryas, exhibits a striking correlation with records from ice cores, lake sediments and marine sediments. In addition, this record suggests relatively high temperatures and distinct temperature fluctuations from 9000–4200 yr BP, if compared with the 4200–0 yr BP period, matching the regional soil formation–erosion and timberline patterns. The δ 13 C record appears to have been controlled mainly by soil formation (14 300–9000 yr BP) and by humidity variations (9000–0 yr BP). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modern and past glacial environments. J Menzies (ed.). Butterworth Heinemann: Oxford 2002. (543pp) 47.50 ISBN 0 7506 4226 2 - John F. Hiemstra (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and OSL dating of terrestrial Eemian deposits in the southeastern Netherlands - Jeroen Schokker; Piet Cleveringa; Andrew S. Murray (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The Roer Valley Graben in the southeastern Netherlands is a subsiding area situated just south of the maximum extent of the Pleistocene glaciations. In this area, Eemian (marine isotope stage 5e) clastic and organic deposits have been preserved in a terrestrial sedimentary environment. Deposition took place in the early Eemian (regional pollen zones E2–E3) and late Eemian (E5–E6A–E6B). The sedimentary sequence contains a hiatus during the E4A–E4B–E5 regional pollen zones. Sedimentary and palynological data reveal that both the presence and extent of the Eemian deposits are intimately linked to the local groundwater‐level history and clastic sediment flux. Changes in these environmental factors are likely to be related to changes in the global climate. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating has been applied to provide an absolute time frame for the Late Quaternary deposits in the area. This study is thereby the first to present a reliable quartz OSL dating (114±12 ka) for terrestrial Eemian deposits in The Netherlands. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon chronologies: examples from the European Late‐glacial - S. P. E. Blockley; J. J. Lowe; M. J. C. Walker; A. Asioli; F. Trincardi; G. R. Coope; R. E. Donahue (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Although there are many Late‐glacial (ca. 15 000–11 000 cal. yr BP) proxy climate records from northwest Europe, some analysed at a very high temporal resolution (decadal to century scale), attempts to establish time‐stratigraphical correlations between sequences are constrained by problems of radiocarbon dating. In an attempt to overcome some of these difficulties, we have used a Bayesian approach to the analysis of radiocarbon chronologies for two Late‐glacial sites in the British Isles and one in the Adriatic Sea. The palaeoclimatic records from the three sites were then compared with that from the GRIP Greenland ice‐core. Although there are some apparent differences in the timing of climatic events during the early part of the Late‐glacial (pre‐14 000 cal. yr BP), the results suggest that regional climatic changes appear to have been broadly comparable between Greenland, the British Isles and the Adriatic during the major part of the Late‐glacial (i.e. between 14 000 and 11 000 cal. yr BP). The advantage of using the Bayesian approach is that it provides a means of testing the reliability of Late‐glacial radiocarbon chronologies that is independent of regional chronostratigraphical (climatostratigraphical) frameworks. It also uses the full radiocarbon inventory available for each sequence and makes explicit any data selection applied. Potentially, therefore, it offers a more ‘objective’ basis for comparing regional radiocarbon chronologies than the conventional approaches that have been used hitherto. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tephrostratigraphical evidence for the timing of pleistocene explosive volcanism at Jan Mayen - John B. Hunt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Wavelength dispersive (WDS) electron microprobe analysis of glass shards recovered from Pleistocene sediments at Ocean Drilling Program Hole 907A (Leg 151) has been used to define key Pleistocene tephrochronostratigraphical markers for the Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian (GIN) seas. Two tephras have particularly distinctive geochemistry, making them useful as marker horizons in cores from the Iceland Plateau, and potentially further afield. These tephras enable the construction of a sedimentation rate history that indicates reduced sediment deposition in the mid‐Brunhes magnetochron, possibly through reduced carbonate preservation. No significant geochemical weathering of the Iceland Plateau tephra sequence has occurred. The geochemical signature of a key tephra, dated to 577–640 ka, can be attributed to the Jan Mayen rock suite, demonstrating unambiguously the explosive potential of Jan Mayen and its potential to contribute to the North Atlantic tephra record. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tephrochronology of last termination sequences in Europe: a protocol for improved analytical precision and robust correlation procedures (a joint SCOTAV–INTIMATE proposal) - Chris S. M. Turney; J. John Lowe; Siwan M. Davies; Valerie Hall; David J. Lowe; Stefan Wastegård; Wim Z. Hoek; Brent Alloway (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The precise sequence of events during the Last Termination (18 000–9000 ka 14 C yr BP), and the extent to which major environmental changes were synchronous, are difficult to establish using the radiocarbon method alone because of serious distortions of the radiocarbon time‐scale, as well as the influences of site‐specific errors that can affect the materials dated. Attention has therefore turned to other methods that can provide independent tests of the chronology and correlation of events during the Last Termination. With emphasis on European sequences, we summarise here the potential of tephrostratigraphy and tephrochronology to fulfil this role. Recent advances in the detection and analysis of ‘hidden’ tephra layers (cryptotephra) indicate that some tephras of Last Termination age are much more widespread in Europe than appreciated hitherto, and a number of new tephra deposits have also been identified. There is much potential for developing an integrated tephrochronological framework for Europe, which can help to underpin the overall chronology of events during the Last Termination. For that potential to be realised, however, there needs to be a more systematic and robust analysis of tephra layers than has been the practice in the past. We propose a protocol for improving analytical and reporting procedures, as well as the establishment of a centralised data base of the results, which will provide an important geochronological tool to support a diverse range of stratigraphical studies, including opportunities to reassess volcanic hazards. Although aimed primarily at Europe, the protocol proposed here is of equal relevance to other regions and periods of interest. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards a Holocene tephrochronology for Sweden: geochemistry and correlation with the North Atlantic tephra stratigraphy - Jane Boygle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Northern Europe has been affected by fallout of tephra from volcanic eruptions in Iceland throughout at least the Late‐glacial and Holocene. Microscopic volcanic ash horizons found in the British Isles, northern Germany and Scandinavia (e.g. Hekla 4) now provide important regional isochrons. Over recent years analytical techniques such as electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) have helped identify these distal tephra layers by glass geochemistry. Early tephra work in Sweden used refractive indices and bracketing radiocarbon dates for identification, resulting in tentative correlation. This paper presents geochemical data for Icelandic Holocene tephra in Sweden. Several sites in central Sweden have four distinct mid‐Holocene tephra layers. Correlation with the Icelandic record indicates that the following tephra layers are present: Hekla 4 (ca. 3830 yr BP), Kebister tephra (ca. 3600 yr BP), Hekla 3 (ca. 2880 yr BP) and Askja ad 1875. Preliminary analyses suggest that more, previously unidentified, tephra layers are present in low concentrations in the region, indicating potential for expanding the Swedish tephrochronology for palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental work in northern Europe. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

River terrace sequences: templates for Quaternary geochronology and marine–terrestrial correlation - David Bridgland; Darrel Maddy; Martin Bates (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Fluvial sequences, particularly terrace staircases, represent archives of Quaternary palaeoclimatic fluctuation and can serve as stratigraphical frameworks for geochronology and for correlation with other depositional environments, in particular, the global marine oxygen isotope record. Fluvial lithostratigraphical frameworks also provide contexts for records, from fossils and artefacts, of faunal evolution and human occupation; conversely, both records can be means of relative dating of riverine sequences. Three fluvial sequences are examined as case studies. First is the Severn–Avon system in the English Midlands, which has biostratgraphical evidence and an amino acid geochronology, together with marker inputs from three different glaciations. The Somme sequence of northern France, famous for its Palaeolithic artefact assemblages, again has biostratigraphy and an amino acid geochronology and has also been dated with reference to overlying loess/palaeosols sequences. The fluvial terraces of the River Arun, the final case study, lack dating evidence but are interspersed within the Sussex raised beach staircase. Although various lines of evidence suggest that the rivers discussed have formed terraces in response to climatic fluctuation, an intriguing difference is that interglacial sediments occur at the bases of terrace formations in the Severn–Avon, whereas in the Somme they occur at the tops of sequences, beneath loessic overburden. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Introduction: constructing Quaternary chronologies - Robert Hedges; Ed Rhodes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

The age and chronostratigraphical significance of North Atlantic Ash zone II - William E. N. Austin; Lindsay J. Wilson; John B. Hunt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Rhyolitic tephra with the geochemical characteristics of North Atlantic Ash Zone (NAAZ) II are described from the giant piston core MD95‐2006 from the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Shard size distribution indicates that the tephra represent a wind‐sorted, primary air‐fall deposit, but with a mode close to 200 μm they are too coarse to be air‐fall deposits at the core site, which lies ca. 1000 km from the possible tephra source. Randomly sampled shards reveal a single geochemical population belonging to the Icelandic transitional alkali magma series, suggesting that they are unlikely to represent ice rafted debris derived from Icelandic icebergs. The tephra probably represent air‐fall deposits, transported to the core site by sea ice within the northeast Atlantic gyre. The NAAZ II peak coincides with the rapid climate transition (cooling) at the end of interstadial 15, which can be assigned an age of 53 260±2660 yr BP from direct correlation with the Greenland ice‐core (GISP2) record. A comparison of the MD95‐2006 Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) relative abundance and GISP2 δ 18 O records, relative to the NAAZ II isochron, suggests that this climatic event was synchronous across the North Atlantic. By direct correlation of interstadial maxima between the two records, the GISP2 time‐scale is transferred to MD95‐2006. Comparison of corrected and calibrated radiocarbon ages derived from monospecific foraminifers with the GISP2 ages at the same stratigraphical horizon suggest major age differences. These probably result from large variations in atmospheric 14 C concentration and highlight the significant uncertainties associated with radiocarbon calibration during marine isotope stage 3. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Luminescence dating of quaternary sediments: recent advances - G. A. T. Duller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Luminescence dating is unique amongst geochronological methods in dating the deposition of sediments based upon the properties of the constituent minerals. For Quaternary sediments the event being dated is the last exposure of the grains to daylight, and an implicit assumption is that this exposure was sufficient to remove any pre‐existing signal. Until recently it has been difficult to test this assumption, other than by dating samples from a given depositional context with an age that is known from independent methods. There have been a series of technological and methodological developments in the past 5–10 yr that make it possible to undertake many replicate measurements of the luminescence from a single sample and hence to explicitly test whether for a specific sample all the grains had their luminescence signal reset at deposition. This allows the reliability of the luminescence age to be assessed. Where all the grains in a sample were not exposed to sufficient daylight to reset their luminescence signal, the apparent age will be an average value of the luminescence from all the grains measured at one time. Where many grains are measured simultaneously, this will overestimate the depositional age. The distribution of apparent age can be made clear by reducing the number of grains being measured in a given experiment, ultimately to the point of measuring individual sand‐sized mineral grains. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Carbon‐14 wiggle‐match dating of peat deposits: advantages and limitations - Maarten Blaauw; Bas Van Geel; Dmitri Mauquoy; Johannes Van Der Plicht (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Carbon‐14 wiggle‐match dating (WMD) of peat deposits uses the non‐linear relationship between 14 C age and calendar age to match the shape of a series of closely spaced peat 14 C dates with the 14 C calibration curve. The method of WMD is discussed, and its advantages and limitations are compared with calibration of individual dates. A numerical approach to WMD is introduced that makes it possible to assess the precision of WMD chronologies. During several intervals of the Holocene, the 14 C calibration curve shows less pronounced fluctuations. We assess whether wiggle‐matching is also a feasible strategy for these parts of the 14 C calibration curve. High‐precision chronologies, such as obtainable with WMD, are needed for studies of rapid climate changes and their possible causes during the Holocene. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A coherent high‐precision radiocarbon chronology for the Late‐glacial sequence at Sluggan Bog, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland - J. J. Lowe; M. J. C. Walker; E. M. Scott; D. D. Harkness; C. L. Bryant; S. M. Davies (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Seventy‐five radiocarbon dates are presented from Sluggan Bog in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. The Holocene peats are underlain by Late‐glacial sediments, which also appear to have accumulated largely in a mire environment. The radiocarbon dates, from the Late‐glacial and early Holocene part of the profile, were obtained from the humic and humin fractions of the sedimentary matrix, and from plant macrofossils. The last‐named were dated by AMS and the sediment samples by radiometric (beta counting) methods. Age–depth models for the three dating series show a very high level of agreement between the two fractions and the macrofossils. No statistically significant difference is found between the beta counting and AMS results. Three tephras were located in the profile, the uppermost of which is in a stratigraphical position suggestive of the Vedde Ash, but the geochemical and radiocarbon evidence do not support this interpretation. The lower ashes are in the correct stratigraphical position for the Laacher See and Borrobol tephras, attributions substantiated by the radiocarbon evidence, but not by the geochemical data. The Sluggan sequence has generated one of the most internally consistent radiocarbon chronologies for any Late‐glacial site in the British Isles, and it is suggested that in future more effort should be devoted to the search for, and analysis of, Late‐glacial mire sequences, rather than the limnic records that have formed the principal focus of Late‐glacial investigations hitherto. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quartz microtextures and microstructures owing to deformation of glaciolacustrine sediments in the northern Venezuelan Andes - W. C. Mahaney; R. W. Dirszowsky; M. W. Milner; J. Menzies; A. Stewart; V. Kalm; M. Bezada (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Glaciolacustrine sediments, ranging in age from Early to Late Mérida (Wisconsinan) in sections in the northern Venezuelan Andes near Pedregal, were studied to assess the effect of small‐scale folding and faulting on the surface microtextures of individual grains. At site PED5, faulting of sediments beneath 35 m of Middle to Late Mérida glaciolacustrine, glaciofluvial and probable till deposits, has resulted in a maximum displacement of 1 m and many crushed sand grains are found along the shear zone. These dominantly quartz particles are typically smoothed and/or faceted with surface skins split from parent grains to produce adhering blade or wafer‐shaped coarse silts. Faulting with displacement of

Millennial‐scale climate variability in northwest Patagonia over the last 15 000 yr - Patricio I. Moreno (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A pollen record from Lago Condorito (41°45'S, 73°07'W) shows prominent vegetation and climate changes at millennial time‐scales, superimposed on multimillennial trends in temperature and westerly activity in northwest Patagonia during the past 15 000 yr. The record shows that evergreen temperate rainforests have dominated the landscape over this interval, with floristic changes ranging from cold‐resistant North Patagonian forests with podocarp conifers to Valdivian forests with thermophilous, summer‐drought resistant species. The long‐term trend shows that cool‐temperate and humid conditions prevailed between 15 000 and 11 000 cal. yr BP, followed by an extreme warm and dry phase between 11 000 and 7600 cal. yr BP, and subsequent cooling events and increase in precipitation that peaked at ca. 5000 cal. yr BP, when Southern Hemisphere alpine glaciers achieved their first Neoglacial maximum. Modern conditions were established at ca. 1800 cal. yr BP, following a warm and dry phase between ca. 2900 and 1800 cal. yr BP. These results suggest that millennial‐scale climate variability during deglacial and post‐glacial times also affected the mid‐latitude region of the South Pacific, supporting the idea that changes in the tropical Pacific might be a key factor in the initiation and/or propagation of millennial‐scale climate variability at regional, hemispheric and global scales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Drift exploration in glaciated terrain, M.B. McClenaghan, P.T. Bobrowsky, G.E.M. Hall and S.J.Cook (eds). Special Publication no. 185, Geological Society: London 2001. 350pp ?70.00/$117.00. ISBN 1 86239 082 7 - Jaap J. M. Van Der Meer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Molluscan successions from the Holocene tufa of St Germain‐le‐Vasson, Normandy (France) and their biogeographical significance - Nicole Limondin‐Lozouet; Richard C. Preece (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A detailed molluscan succession from a 10 m thick deposit of Holocene tufa at St Germain‐le‐Vasson, Normandy, provides the most complete record from northern France and has shed new light on the historical biogeography of several species of land snail. The succession has been reconstructed from four profiles and a chronology provided by accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of charcoal, wood and shell. The onset of tufa formation occurred after 9700±90 yr BP and persisted until 4213±77 yr BP. The tufa appears to have accumulated at a remarkably constant rate (14.4–16.5 cm 100 yr −1 ), except for the upper levels, where the rate increases fourfold. The succession has been divided into six local molluscan zones. An early assemblage consisting of ecologically tolerant species and those indicative of marshy grassland is replaced by a sequence of shade‐demanding taxa, reflecting the encroachment of woodland. Shaded conditions persist until the end of the sequence but the most hygrophilous elements decline after 5422±60 yr BP (zone 5), a change also reflected in the tufa lithology by the development of silty grey horizons. Notable species recovered from the tufa include Acicula fusca, Vertigo substriata, V. alpestris, V. moulinsiana (all rare or unknown living in northern France). Hygromia limbata , a twentieth century introduction to Britain, was previously thought to be a relatively recent arrival in northern France, but its record at St Germain shows that it has been present in Normandy since 6500 yr BP. Azeca goodalli , another shade‐demanding species, appeared at St Germain much later, just after 4420±65 yr BP. Several other species present in the tufa, such as Pomatias elegans , no longer live on the site, adding to the evidence for a distributional decline in Normandy and elsewhere. Perhaps the most noteworthy record is that of Leiostyla anglica , between about 8500 yr BP and 5000 yr BP, because this constitutes its only Holocene occurrence from mainland Europe. Following this discovery it seems likely that further Holocene sites with L. anglica may be found along the western seaboard of Europe connecting populations in Iberia with those of the British Isles. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - James Scourse (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

Tree rings and climate by H.C. Fritts. Blackburn Press: Caldwell 2001. 567pp $62.95. ISBN 1 930665 39 3 - Martin Bridge (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)

A precisely‐dated lake‐level rise marked by diatomite formation in northeastern Ireland - G. M. Plunkett; N. J. Whitehouse; V. A. Hall; D. M. Brown; M. G. L. Baillie (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
The intercorrelation of palaeoclimate events from various studies is often hindered by a lack of precise chronological control. Tephra isochrons can overcome this problem by providing direct site linkages. This paper outlines a study of Holocene peat and diatomite deposits that accumulated within the floodplain of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. The Icelandic Hekla 4 tephra has been identified at the base of diatomite deposits at a number of sites and provides firm dating evidence for a widespread flooding event in the area at ca. 2300 BC . The evidence is consistent with other studies in Ireland and elsewhere for increased wetness at this time. The results demonstrate that the terrestrial deposits around Lough Neagh contain an important record of Holocene lake‐level change. Dendrochronological evidence from the Lough Neagh area provides additional information about lake‐level fluctuations over the past two millennia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring the method of optical dating and comparison of optical and 14 C ages of Late Weichselian coversands in the southern Netherlands - D. Vandenberghe; C. Kasse; S. M. Hossain; F. De Corte; P. Van Den Haute; M. Fuchs; A. S. Murray (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A study was made of the applicability of three different techniques for equivalent dose ( D e ) determination in the optical dating of quartz: the single‐aliquot regenerative‐dose technique (SAR), the single‐aliquot additive‐dose technique (SAAD) and the multiple‐aliquot additive‐dose technique (MAAD). For this purpose, quartz grains were extracted from a sequence of Upper Pleniglacial to Late‐glacial coversands exposed at the locality of Ossendrecht in the southwestern Netherlands, a site for which both radiocarbon and earlier luminescence dates are available, providing independent age control. Upon testing the different assumptions underlying each of the three OSL techniques investigated, the SAR protocol was found to be the technique of choice. The optical ages obtained with this protocol were in good agreement with the chronostratigraphical position of the sediments investigated and with the available chronostratigraphical information on the same and equivalent deposits. This confirms the suitability of the SAR technique for dating coversands. Furthermore, a small laboratory intercomparison of SAR‐based D e determinations yielded results that were in fair overall agreement. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Periglacial trimlines and nunataks of the Last Glacial Maximum: the Gap of Dunloe, southwest Ireland - Alaric C. Rae; Stephan Harrison; Timothy Mighall; Alastair G. Dawson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
During the last main phase of glaciation (26–13 ka) an ice‐cap developed in southwest Ireland and ice, from a dispersal centre in the vicinity of Kenmare, flowed north through the Gap of Dunloe in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks. On surrounding hillsides a weathering limit separates ice‐moulded bedrock, on low ground, from frost‐weathered terrain above. Assessment of bedrock dilation joint characteristics, Schmidt hammer R ‐value data and clay‐sized mineral contents of basal soil samples, demonstrate significant contrasts in the degree of weathering above and below this limit. The weathering limit declines in altitude along former ice flow‐lines and is confluent with morainic deposits on the eastern side of the Gap. This supports the assertion that the high‐level weathering limit is a periglacial trimline that marks the former maximum upper limit of the body of ice which occupied the Gap of Dunloe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Reconstruction of the former ice‐surface profile from periglacial trimline limits on the eastern side of the Gap yields a mean estimate for basal shear stress of 106.5 kPa. This value suggests that the ice mass which occupied the Gap of Dunloe at the LGM was warm based and flowed on a bedrock substrate. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A multiproxy study of a basal till: a time‐transgressive accretion and deformation hypothesis - Nicolaj K. Larsen; Jan A. Piotrowski; Christian Kronborg (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
A two‐part basal till at Knud Strand, Denmark reveals a uniform fabric pattern and strength, petrographical composition and clay mineralogy. The nature of the contact with the underlying sediments, ductile deformation structures, partly intact soft sediment clasts, small meltwater channels and thin horizontal outwash stringers dispersed in the till indicate both bed deformation and basal decoupling by pressurised subglacial water. A time‐transgressive model is suggested to explain the lack of vertical gradation in till properties in which debris released from the active ice sole is sheared in a thin zone moving upward as till accretion proceeds. It is suggested that, although strain indicators occur throughout the entire till thickness, the deformation at any point of time encompassed the uppermost part of the till only, allowing preservation of fragile clasts below. The substantial thickness of the till (up to 6 m) coupled with a much smaller (by more than one order of magnitude) inferred thickness of the deforming bed suggests that the bulk of till material was transported englacially prior to deposition. The lack of petrographical gradation in the till is attributed to effective mixing and homogenisation of material along the ice flow path. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aeolian activity in northern Amazonia: optical dating of Late Pleistocene and Holocene palaeodunes - Richard M. Teeuw; Edward J. Rhodes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2004)
Palaeodunes were examined on the eastern margin of the Rio Branco–Rupununi savanna, northeast Amazonia. Optical dating suggests that the onset of aeolian activity was between 17 000 and 15 000 yr ago, just after the Last Glacial Maximum. Both the palaeodune axes and modern dominant wind directions have northeast to east‐northeast directions, implying no significant shift in atmospheric circulation patterns over northeast Amazonia during the Late Pleistocene to Holocene. Major regional climate change events, such as the Younger Dryas, do not appear to have had any effect on the rates of aeolian deposition at the study site. Aeolian activity appears to have continued to the present day, showing a remarkably constant deposition rate of around 0.13 m kyr −1 initially, increasing smoothly to the present. Until more palaeodunes in northern Amazonia are dated, it is impossible to determine if this record of gradual aeolian deposition is a reliable regional palaeoclimate indicator, rather than being the result of local bioclimatic and geomorphological effects. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geomorphological markers of faulting and neotectonic activity along the western Andean margin, northern Chile - Laurence Audin; Gérard Herail; Rodrigo Riquelme; José Darrozes; Joseph Martinod; Eric Font (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2003)
In the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, some ephemeral channels are developed in the Plio‐Quaternary alluvial sequence that caps the Neogene Atacama Gravels Formation. Geomorphological studies and high‐resolution digital elevation data (GPS) along a structural transect in the Central Depression are used to document modern growth history of subtle folding and faulting in the fore‐arc region. Outcrop data of the most recent deposits are combined with observations of warped and faulted late Quaternary pediments, alluvial fans and terrace surfaces to propose unsuspected neotectonic processes on the western flank of the Domeyko Cordillera. Neotectonic process recognition is here based largely upon the interpretation of alluvial landforms, drainage organisation and evolution as the intermittent river network shows systematic patterns of course deflections, successive incisions or deposition processes as it encounters the fault scarps or folds in the superficial deposits. This area presents both N–S‐trending active vertical faults in the topographically higher pampas, and N–S‐trending active folding in the lower pampas. These faults seem to accommodate E–W extension and compression that could be related to uplift of the western Andean margin within a compressive context. Uplift may have taken place unevenly over the past few million years after the deposition of the superficial alluvial surfaces that cap the Neogene Atacama Gravels. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.