Climate variability in the Salawusu River valley of the Ordos Plateau (Inner Mongolia, China) during Marine Isotope Stage 3 - Xiaohao Wen; Baosheng Li; Yanming Zheng; David Dian Zhang; Jianping Ye (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
Fluctuations in climatic proxies of the Milanggouwan section in the Salawusu River valley of the Ordos Plateau (Inner Mongolia, China) during Marine Isotope stage 3 (MIS 3) coincide well with sedimentary cycles for palaeo‐mobile dune sands alternating with fluvial–lacustrine facies and palaeosols. We compared the palaeo‐mobile dune sands with modern mobile dune sands (products of a cold and dry climate dominated by the East Asian winter monsoon), whereas the fluvial–lacustrine facies and palaeosols were controlled by a wet–warm climate similar to that of the East Asian summer monsoon. The MIS 3 climate of the Salawusu River valley appears to have experienced at least nine wet–warm and ten cold–dry fluctuations, divided into five stages: MIS 3e (58 900–49500 yr BP), MIS 3d (49 500–40 700 yr BP), MIS 3c (40 700–36 900 yr BP), MIS 3b (36 900–27 000 yr BP) and MIS 3a (27 000–22 300 yr BP). The 19 cold–warm climatic fluctuations corresponded roughly to the GRIP and Guliyan records, and with fluctuations in the North Atlantic climate. Notable peaks in the spectral analysis occurred at 19 500 yr, 1020 yr, 640 yr and 500 yr. Our results show that the millennial–centennial climate was closely related to the relative strengths of East Asian monsoons, which are controlled by the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation, and which is also closely linked to the Sun's precession period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeoenvironment and biogeography of a late MIS 3 fossil beetle fauna from South Taranaki, New Zealand - M. J. Marra; M. Crozier; J. Goff (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
Fossil beetles from a last glacial landslide‐generated lake‐forest sequence aged 33 480–34 410 cal. yr BP (late Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3)) are identified from the Waitotara Valley in South Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand. The stratigraphy indicates that the landslide caused changes to local hydrology, resulting in the formation of a lake‐swamp environment and subsequent transition to forest. Fossil leaves suggest a forest dominated by Nothofagus menziesii , and radiocarbon ages indicate the site was forested for around 4000 yr. A fossil beetle‐based temperature estimate using the maximum likelihood envelope method indicates the climate was cooler than present day. The distributions of the fossil beetle taxa are examined and compared with the modern ecological patterns. The fossil fauna is very typical of a modern‐day Nelson (northern South Island) fauna. None of the beetle species is present in the modern South Taranaki fauna and many taxa such as Platypus caviceps, Alema paradoxa, Rhyzobius consors, Syrphetodes ater, Cyclaxyra impressa and species of Grynoma and Pycnomerus are now absent from part or all of the lower North Island. This is important because the lower North Island is currently an area of low diversity and endemism and these results suggest this biogeographical pattern stems from the last glaciation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dust supply from river floodplains: the case of the lower Huang He (Yellow River) recorded in a loess–palaeosol sequence from the Mangshan Plateau - Maarten A. Prins; Hongbo Zheng; Kay Beets; Simon Troelstra; Patrick Bacon; Ilse Kamerling; Wouter Wester; Martin Konert; Xiangtong Huang; Wang Ke; Jef Vandenberghe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
The Mangshan Plateau is located on the south bank of the Huang He (Yellow River) just west of the city of Zhengzhou, well outside the Loess Plateau in central China. Mixing models of the grain‐size data indicate that the loess deposits are mixtures of three loess components. Comparison of the mixing model with existing models established for a series of loess–palaeosol sequences from the Loess Plateau indicates that the Mangshan loess has been supplied from a proximal dust source, the Huang He floodplain, during major dust outbreaks. The high accumulation rates, the composition of the loess components, and especially the high proportions of a sandy loess component support this. Owing to the exceptionally high accumulation rates, the Mangshan grain size, magnetic susceptibility and carbonate records provide a high‐resolution archive of environmental and climate change. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The shaft‐based methodological approach to the quantification of long limb bones and its relevance to understanding hominid subsistence in the Pleistocene: application to four Palaeolithic sites - J. Yravedra; M. Domínguez‐Rodrigo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
The present work contributes to the debate of skeletal part use in archaeology to reconstruct hominid economic behaviour during the Pleistocene. It doubles the sample of sites where comparison of long limb bone element quantification is made by using alternative identification techniques based on epiphyses and epiphyses plus shafts. A refined method of long limb element quantification using shafts is discussed and applied to four sites representing different time periods from the end of the Middle Pleistocene to the end of the Upper Pleistocene. It is shown that when long limb elements are properly quantified a hypothesis of early access to carcasses at these sites can be supported. The data thus drawn are also used to compare skeletal part evenness across the time periods represented by the four sites selected. The results indicate low‐cost transport decisions by hominids at these sites. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene climate inferred from glacier extent, lake sediment and tree rings at Goat Lake, Kenai Mountains, Alaska, USA - Thomas A. Daigle; Darrell S. Kaufman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
Lake sediment, glacier extent and tree rings were used to reconstruct Holocene climate changes from Goat Lake at 550 m asl in the Kenai Mountains, south‐central Alaska. Radiocarbon‐dated sediment cores taken at 55 m water depth show glacial‐lacustrine conditions until about 9500 cal. yr BP, followed by organic‐rich sedimentation with an overall increasing trend in organic matter and biogenic silica content leading up to the Little Ice Age (LIA). Through most of the Holocene, the northern outlet of the Harding Icefield remained below the drainage divide that currently separates it from Goat Lake. A sharp transition from gyttja to inorganic mud about AD 1660 signifies the reappearance of glacier meltwater into Goat Lake during the LIA, marking the maximum Holocene (postglacial) extent. Meltwater continued to discharge into the lake until about AD 1900. A 207 yr tree‐ring series from 25 mountain hemlocks growing in the Goat Lake watershed correlates with other regional tree‐ring series that indicate an average summer temperature reduction of about 1°C during the 19th century compared with the early–mid 20th century. Cirque glaciers around Goat Lake reached their maximum LIA extent in the late 19th century. Assuming that glacier equilibrium‐line altitudes (ELA) are controlled solely by summer temperature, then the cooling of 1°C combined with the local environmental lapse rate would indicate an ELA lowering of 170 m. In contrast, reconstructed ELAs of 12 cirque glaciers near Goat Lake average only 34 ± 18 m lower during the LIA. The restricted ELA lowering can be explained by a reduction in accumulation‐season precipitation caused by a weakening of the Aleutian low‐pressure system during the late LIA. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stratigraphy, pollen and 14 C dating of Johnston's Gum Hole, a late Quaternary fossil kauri ( Agathis australis ) site, Northland, New Zealand - D. M. D'Costa; J. Palmer; A. Hogg; C. Turney; L. K. Fifield; J. Ogden (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
Johnston's Gum Hole provides a discontinuous pollen record commencing late in Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5). In combination with other published records from the region, the Aupouri Peninsula is reconstructed to have been continuously forested through much of the last glacial cycle with the oscillation of Agathis ‐ and Nothofagus ‐dominated forest corresponding to stadials and interstadials, respectively. A northward latitudinal expansion of beech forest to 35° S is demonstrated. Kauri demise at the close of MIS 5 appears to have been due to flooding of the site. The elimination of kauri in MIS 3 was also associated with rewetting of the substrate, but could have been a more catastrophic event. The presence of both MIS 5 and MIS 3 kauri wood at the site suggests that other Aupouri peat swamps may also preserve timber of these ages, and demonstrate the potential of this area for providing MIS 3 and MIS 5 tree ring records. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Formal definition and dating of the GSSP (Global Stratotype Section and Point) for the base of the Holocene using the Greenland NGRIP ice core, and selected auxiliary records - Mike Walker; Sigfus Johnsen; Sune Olander Rasmussen; Trevor Popp; Jørgen‐Peder Steffensen; Phil Gibbard; Wim Hoek; John Lowe; John Andrews; Svante Björck; Les C. Cwynar; Konrad Hughen; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)
The Greenland ice core from NorthGRIP (NGRIP) contains a proxy climate record across the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary of unprecedented clarity and resolution. Analysis of an array of physical and chemical parameters within the ice enables the base of the Holocene, as reflected in the first signs of climatic warming at the end of the Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 cold phase, to be located with a high degree of precision. This climatic event is most clearly reflected in an abrupt shift in deuterium excess values, accompanied by more gradual changes in δ 18 O, dust concentration, a range of chemical species, and annual layer thickness. A timescale based on multi‐parameter annual layer counting provides an age of 11 700 calendar yr b2 k (before AD 2000) for the base of the Holocene, with a maximum counting error of 99 yr. A proposal that an archived core from this unique sequence should constitute the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Holocene Series/Epoch (Quaternary System/Period) has been ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences. Five auxiliary stratotypes for the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary have also been recognised. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - Chris Caseldine; Don Rodbell; Chris Turney (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009)

Sub‐millennial climate shifts in the western Mediterranean during the last glacial period recorded in a speleothem from Mallorca, Spain - Edward J. Hodge; David A. Richards; Peter L. Smart; Angel Ginés; David P. Mattey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Very few high‐resolution and directly dated terrestrial archives of the last glacial period exist for the western Mediterranean region, yet this is a key locality for recording sub‐millennial North Atlantic and Mediterranean climate change. Here, we present evidence of effective precipitation changes based on growth history and δ 13 C of calcite in a Mallorcan stalagmite that grew between 112 and 48 ka. Effective precipitation in Mallorca appears to have been sensitive to proximal sea surface temperature variations and at certain times, ca. 76 ka for example, changed rapidly from moist to arid conditions in only a few centuries. A sea‐level highstand during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a interrupted growth. Regrowth started promptly after this, but effective precipitation decreased markedly for much of the later part of MIS 5a, and also for shorter periods correlative with Heinrich events H8 (ca. 90 ka) and H6 (ca. 65 ka), with growth ceasing during H5 (ca. 48 ka). Arid episodes in Mallorca appear to be expressions of extremely cold periods recorded further north in Europe and occur contemporaneously with rapid decreases in Greenland temperature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterizing changes in the sedimentary environment of a varved lake sediment record in southern central Finland around 8000 cal. yr BP - Antti E. K. Ojala; Atko Heinsalu; Tommi Kauppila; Teija Alenius; Matti Saarnisto (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The varved lake sediment record of Lake Nautajärvi in southern central Finland indicates fluctuations in the annual sedimentation pattern and lake environment around 8000 cal. yr BP. Annual accumulation of catchment‐derived mineral matter peaks a number of times and there are changes in the deposition rate of organic matter. Based on evidence from the Lake Nautajärvi sediment record, the climate was characterised by a millennial‐scale colder period that terminated at one or several cooling events around 8000 cal. yr BP. During one of these events, diatom composition undergoes a change from planktonic species dominance to more littoral species dominance at 8160 cal. yr BP, and a recovery around 8010 cal. yr BP. The timing of this 150‐year‐long diatom anomaly is convergent with increased catchment erosion and decreased organic matter accumulation. We interpret that during such a period, the environment was characterised by colder winter temperatures, prolonged duration of ice cover, higher than normal spring discharge and rapid development of thermal stratification in the spring, coupled with reduced water circulation and shorter growing seasons. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply: Postglacial relative sea‐level observations from Ireland and their role in glacial rebound modelling - Robin Edwards; Antony Brooks; Ian Shennan; Glenn Milne; Sarah Bradley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

First cosmogenic 10 Be constraints on LGM glaciation on New Zealand's North Island: Park Valley, Tararua Range - Martin S. Brook; James Shulmeister; Tyne V. H. Crow; Albert Zondervan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
We report the first direct ages for late Quaternary glaciation on the North Island of New Zealand. Mt Ruapehu, the volcanic massif in the North Island's centre, is currently glaciated and probably sustained glaciers throughout the late Quaternary, yet no numeric ages have been reported for glacial advances anywhere on the North Island. Here, we describe cosmogenic 10 Be ages of the surface layers of a glacially transported boulder and glacially polished bedrock from the Tararua Range, part of the axial ranges of the North Island. Results indicate that a limited valley glaciation occurred, culminating in recession at the end of the last glacial coldest period (LGCP, ca. 18 ka). This provides an initial age for deglaciation on the North Island during the last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT). It appears that glaciation occurred in response to an equilibrium‐line altitude (ELA) lowering of ∼1400 m below the present‐day mean summer freezing level. Ages for glaciation in the Tararua Range correspond closely to exposure ages for the last glacial maximum (LGM) from the lateral moraines of Cascade Valley in the South Island, and in Cobb Valley, in northern South Island. The corollary is that glaciation in the Tararua Range coincided with the phase of maximum cooling during MIS 2, prior to the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR), during the LGCP. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climate variability during the Last Glacial Maximum in eastern Australia: evidence of two stadials? - Lynda Petherick; Hamish McGowan; Patrick Moss (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
A high‐resolution, multiproxy record encompassing the last glacial–interglacial transition is presented for Native Companion Lagoon, a coastal site in subtropical eastern Australia. Rates of aeolian sedimentation in the lake were established by trace element analyses of lacustrine sediments and used as a proxy for aridity. In conjunction with sediment moisture content, charcoal and pollen these provide a multi‐decadal record of palaeoenvironmental variability for the period 33–18 k cal. yr BP. Results indicate that the Last Glacial Maximum in eastern Australia spanned almost 10 k cal. yr, and was characterised by two distinct cold dry events at approximately 30.8 k cal. yr BP and 21.7 k cal. yr BP. Provenance of selected sediment samples by trace element geochemical fingerprinting shows that continental sourced aeolian sediments originated primarily from South Australia during these cold events and from sites in central Australia during the intervening time. Used in combination with a pollen record, the provenance of long‐travelled dust to mainland sites shows that the two cold events were characterised by frequent meridional dry southwesterly winds rather than zonal westerly airflow as previously believed. The intervening period was cool and humid, which we infer as being associated with more frequent southeasterly winds of maritime origin. These results lend support to previous research that indicates the Southern Hemisphere experienced a period of widespread climatic amelioration at the height of the last glacial known as the Antarctic Isotopic Maximum. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Systematic biotic responses to palaeoenvironmental change in the Late Pleistocene southern South China Sea: a preliminary study - Muhong Chen; Qianyu Li; Lanlan Zhang; Fan Zheng; Jun Lu; Rong Xiang; Lili Zhang; Wen Yan; Zhong Chen; Shangbin Xiao (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Oxygen and carbon isotopes from the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer , trace element contents, calcium carbonate, biogenic silica, grain size, and abundances of diatoms, radiolarians and foraminifera in a deep‐sea core from the southwestern South China Sea were analysed to investigate the response of various marine ecological communities to environmental changes over the last 200 ka. The synthesised results show that the quality of the palaeoecological environment for biological growth is primarily affected by nutrient supply and terrigenous disturbance. Ba and P are important nutrient elements for the growth of diatoms, radiolarians and planktonic foraminifera. Together with dissolved silica and calcium carbonate in sea water, these elements may control microbiotic development. However, variations in Fe content appear to affect diatom and radiolarian abundance. Optimal biotic growth occurs when nutrients are abundant and when there is minimal terrigenous disturbance. Biotic growth decreases when sea water is highly oligotrophic and terrigenous input is high. Maximum biological growth occurred in the mid Holocene, but deteriorated soon afterwards owing to increased terrigenous input, causing a decrease of biological abundance and productivity in the late Holocene. The results also indicate how the Toba volcanic eruption ca. 74 ka ago contributed to changing the ecological environment in the southern South China Sea. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Local disappearance of bivalves in the Azores during the last glaciation - Sérgio P. Ávila; Patrícia Madeira; C. Marques da Silva; Mário Cachão; Bernard Landau; Rui Quartau; A. M. de Frias Martins (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The Pleistocene (Eemian) outcrops of Lagoinhas and Prainha, located at Santa Maria Island (Azores), were investigated and their fossil mollusc content reported. These studies revealed that the last glaciation affected two groups of molluscs: the ‘warm‐guest’ gastropods with West African or Caribbean affinities (e.g. Conus spp., Cantharus variegatus, Bulla amygdala, Trachypollia nodulosa ) and shallow bivalve species mainly associated with sandy habitats ( Ensis minor, Lucinella divaricata , and probably Laevicardium crassum ). In this paper we focus on this group of bivalves, which has since locally disappeared from the Azores. We relate the local disappearance of these bivalves in the Azores with the lack of sand in the shelf. The specific characteristics of the Santa Maria shelf combined with the sea‐level drop during the Weichselian prevented deposition of the lowstand deposits and permitted erosion of the previous ones, leaving the shelf without a sediment cover. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comment: Postglacial relative sea‐level observations from Ireland and their role in glacial rebound modelling. A. J. Brooks, S. L. Bradley, R. J. Edwards, G. A. Milne, B. Horton and I. Shennan (2008). Journal of Quaternary Science 23 : 175–192 - A. M. McCabe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Two decadally resolved records from north‐west European peat bogs show rapid climate changes associated with solar variability during the mid–late Holocene - Dmitri Mauquoy; Dan Yeloff; Bas Van Geel; Dan J. Charman; Antony Blundell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Two 14 C accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) wiggle‐match dated peat sequences from Denmark and northern England record changes in mire surface wetness reconstructed using plant macrofossil and testate amoebae analyses. A number of significant mid–late Holocene climatic deteriorations (wet shifts) associated with declines in solar activity were recorded (at ca. 2150 cal. yr BC, 740 cal. yr BC, cal. yr AD 930, cal. yr AD 1020, cal. yr AD 1280–1300, cal. yr AD 1640 and cal. yr AD 1790–1830). The wet shifts identified from ca. cal. yr AD 930 are concurrent with or lag decreases in solar activity by 10–50 years. These changes are replicated by previous records from these and other sites in the region and the new records provide improved precision for the ages of these changes. The rapidly accumulating (up to 2–3 yr cm −1 , ∼1310 yr old, 34 14 C dates) Danish profile offers an unprecedented high‐resolution record of climate change from a peat bog, and has effectively recorded a number of significant but short‐lived climate change events since ca. cal. yr AD 690. The longer time intervals between samples and the greater length of time resolved by each sample in the British site due to slower peat accumulation rates (up to 11 yr cm −1 , ∼5250 yr old, 42 14 C dates) acted as a natural smoothing filter preventing the clear registration of some of the rapid climate change events. Not all the significant rises in water table registered in the peat bog archives of the British and Danish sites have been caused by solar forcing, and may be the result of other processes such as changes in other external forcing factors, the internal variability of the climate system or raised bog ecosystem. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene vegetation and climate dynamics of the boreal alpine ecotone of northwestern Fennoscandia - Christin Jensen; Karl‐Dag Vorren (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Climate change with respect to summer temperature throughout the Holocene is inferred from oscillations in the local Pinus sylvestris , Alnus incana and Betula pubescens forest‐lines, as recorded by fossil pollen and plant macrofossils in lake sediments at four altitudinal levels. Mt Skrubben (848 m a.s.l.), in Dividalen, was deglaciated down to below 280 m a.s.l. during 10 800–10 300 cal. yr BP. Betula pubescens established 10100 cal. yr BP at 280 m a.s.l. and expanded up to near the summit during the next 700 years. Birch woodland prevailed on the mountain plateau until 3300 cal. yr BP. Local Pinus sylvestris stands are recorded up to 400 m a.s.l. at 8450 cal. yr BP and >548 m a.s.l. about 8160 cal. yr BP. Alnus incana expanded from 400 to nearly 790 m a.s.l. during the period 7900–7600 cal. yr BP. The maximum forest distribution lasted until ca. 6000 cal. yr BP. Marked climatic deteriorations caused lowering of the forest‐lines around 4600 and 3000 cal. yr BP. Reconstruction of the summer temperature indicated mean July temperatures at 400 m a.s.l. of 1.5–3°C above the present during the period of maximum forest expansion, whereas >3°C above the present temperature at 548 m a.s.l. This is in accordance with other regional temperature reconstructions from northern Europe. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Review of Holocene glacial chronologies based on radiocarbon dating in Tibet and its surrounding mountains - Chaolu Yi; Hualiang Chen; Jianqiang Yang; Bin Liu; Ping Fu; Kexin Liu; Shijie Li (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
A compilation of 53 14 C ages on moraines constrains the Holocene glacial history of Tibet and the surrounding mountains. Several Holocene glacial stages are identified. The Little Ice Age had three substages at 1.0–0.13 cal. ka BP. However, the glacial advances may have occurred 200–600 a earlier in southern and eastern bordering mountains than in the northern bordering mountains. The earlier glacial advance might have been driven by humid conditions in bordering areas of Tibet. Most glacial advances in the Neoglaciation occurred at 3.5–1.4 cal. ka BP. They can be identified in almost every mountain range. An early Holocene glacial advance occurred 9.4–8.8 cal. ka BP, in both central Tibet and bordering mountains. The timings of Holocene glacial advances are synchronous with the cooling periods in the δ 18 O record from ice cores and with the results of optically stimulated luminescence dating and cosmogenic exposure dating in Tibet. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Timing of the late Quaternary glaciation in the Andes from ∼15 to 40° S - Roland Zech; Jan‐Hendrik May; Christoph Kull; Jana Ilgner; Peter W. Kubik; Heinz Veit (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The Central Andes play a pivotal role for glacier and climate reconstruction along the American Pole–Equator–Pole transect. Nevertheless, knowledge about late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental changes in this region is extremely limited. With the advent and application of surface exposure dating during the last few years, the establishment of more detailed glacial chronologies could provide important insights into forcings and mechanisms of glaciation and climate change. This paper reviews previously published exposure ages and compares them with independent age control on glacial chronologies and with information about the palaeohydrological conditions. Although available data are still very limited and there are remaining systematic uncertainties related to surface exposure dating, the following simplified palaeoglacial/palaeoclimate model is presented to serve as a testable hypothesis for future studies. (i) Glaciers in the humid tropical Andes were mainly temperature sensitive and therefore advanced during temperature minima. Advances are dated to 20–25 ka, ∼15 ka and 11–13 ka, i.e. synchronous to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Dryas/Antarctic Cold Reversal. (ii) Further south and west, precipitation decreases and glaciers therefore become more precipitation sensitive. Maximum or at least prominent glacial advances as far south as 30° S are dated into the Lateglacial, i.e. synchronous with lake transgression phases (Tauca: 14–18 ka, and Coipasa: 11–13 ka). (iii) Between ∼30 and 40° S, glaciers reached their maximum extent much earlier during the pre‐LGM (∼35–40 ka). This is attributed to a northward shift and/or intensification of the westerlies, whereas conditions during the global LGM were too dry to allow for significant glacial advances. (iv) South of 40°, glaciers become temperature sensitive again and reached their maximum accordingly synchronous to the global LGM. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ages and inferred causes of Late Pleistocene glaciations on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i - Jeffrey S. Pigati; Marek Zreda; Chris Zweck; Peter F. Almasi; David Elmore; Warren D. Sharp (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Glacial landforms on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, show that the summit area of the volcano was covered intermittently by ice caps during the Late Pleistocene. Cosmogenic 36 Cl dating of terminal moraines and other glacial landforms indicates that the last two ice caps, called Older Makanaka and Younger Makanaka, retreated from their maximum positions approximately 23 ka and 13 ka, respectively. The margins and equilibrium line altitudes of these ice caps on the remote, tropical Pacific island were nearly identical, which would seem to imply the same mechanism for ice growth. But modelling of glacier mass balance, combined with palaeotemperature proxy data from the subtropical North Pacific, suggests that the causes of the two glacial expansions may have been different. Older Makanaka air atop Mauna Kea was likely wetter than today and cold, whereas Younger Makanaka times were slightly warmer but significantly wetter than the previous glaciation. The modelled increase in precipitation rates atop Mauna Kea during the Late Pleistocene is consistent with that near sea level inferred from pollen data, which suggests that the additional precipitation was due to more frequent and/or intense tropical storms associated with eastward‐moving cold fronts. These conditions were similar to modern La Niña (weak ENSO) conditions, but persisted for millennia rather than years. Increased precipitation rates and the resulting steeper temperature lapse rates created glacial conditions atop Mauna Kea in the absence of sufficient cooling at sea level, suggesting that if similar correlations existed elsewhere in the tropics, the precipitation‐dependent lapse rates could reconcile the apparent difference between glacial‐time cooling of the tropics at low and high altitudes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glacial geology and geomorphology. The landscapes of Ireland. M. McCabe. Publisher: Dunedin, Edinburgh, 2008 ISBN: 978‐1‐90376‐587‐6 - Jaap JM van der Meer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Late Quaternary glaciations in northeastern Russia - G. Stauch; L. Gualtieri (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
A summary of the extent and chronology of Quaternary glaciations in NE Russia is presented in this paper. The complex timing and style of glaciations include asynchronous development of alpine glaciers in the western and eastern part of the area. While in the eastern part of NE Russia well‐preserved moraines have been dated to the global Last Glacial Maximum (18–24 ka), in the westernmost part of the area no glacial advance took place at this time. In general, glacial advances were more extensive earlier rather than later, in the last glacial cycle. Although only a handful of studies with reliable absolute ages in the vast area of NE Russia exist, it is clear that the number of advances throughout the region varies. Variable glacial response to global climate patterns is attributable to contrasting sources of precipitation. An Atlantic moisture source dominates in the western part of NE Russia, while a Pacific source influences the eastern part of the region. The glacial advances in the interior of NE Russia are largely unexplored and further research is needed in order to understand Quaternary climate change in the region. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glacial dynamics in southernmost South America during Marine Isotope Stage 5e to the Younger Dryas chron: a brief review with a focus on cosmogenic nuclide measurements - Michael R. Kaplan; Patricio I. Moreno; Maisa Rojas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The timing of major glacial changes between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e and the Younger Dryas chron (YD) in southern South America is reviewed. Focus is placed on studies that use cosmogenic nuclide measurements. However, other dated records and modelling results are also discussed to provide the broader glacial geological context. Limits on the state of glacial geologic knowledge are examined and suggestions are made as to how some of these can be addressed in future studies. Studies show that on the east side of the Andes at Lago Buenos Aires (45° S) there is evidence indicating that following a MIS 6 glaciation ice was less extensive during MIS 4 than MIS 2. In contrast, on the west side of the Andes in the Chilean Lake District area, MIS 4 ice may have been more extensive than during MIS 2. Although Patagonia experienced an MIS 2 glaciation broadly in phase with that in other areas around the globe, there are differences in glacial histories between areas on millennial timescales. Climate reversals are evident in many records between ca. 17 and 10 ka. The timing of such Lateglacial activity, which included less extensive advances than during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), varies somewhat between areas. This could be due to the relative influence of middle‐ to high‐latitude climatic regimes. At present, chronological uncertainties prevent confident assignment of cosmogenic ages for glacial events at the millennial timescale and defining associated climate variability between different study areas. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Timing and nature of late Quaternary mountain glaciation - Glenn D. Thackray; Lewis A. Owen; Chaolu Yi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Compilations of regional‐ to subcontinental‐scale mountain glacier chronologies from five continents, plus Hawaii, examine the temporal and spatial patterns of mountain glaciation. The compilations yield key insights into the nature of past fluctuations in temperature and precipitation in mountains and adjacent regions, and provide baseline data for examining the dynamics of glacier responses to climate change. Key insights from these compilations include the wide variability of glacier responses to fluctuations in insolation, temperature and precipitation and the regionally specific variations in climatic variables through late Quaternary time. The compilations highlight the need to improve the density and quality of geochronological data and to enhance the understanding of the links between climate and glaciation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The timing and magnitude of mountain glaciation in the tropical Andes - Jacqueline A. Smith; Bryan G. Mark; Donald T. Rodbell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The Andes of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia host the majority of the world's tropical glaciers. In the tropical Andes, glaciers accumulate during the wet season (austral summer) and ablate year‐round. Precipitation is delivered mainly by easterlies, and decreases both N–S and E–W. Chronological control for the timing of glacial advances in the tropical Andes varies. In Ecuador, six to seven advances have been identified; dating is based on radiocarbon ages. Timing of the local Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the existence of Younger Dryas advances remain controversial. In Peru, local variability in glaciation patterns is apparent. Surface exposure dating in the Cordillera Blanca and Junin Plain suggests that the local LGM may have been early (∼30 ka), although uncertainties in age calculations remain; the local LGM was followed by a Lateglacial readvance/stillstand and preceded by larger glaciations. In contrast, preliminary data from an intervening massif indicate that the largest moraines are Lateglacial. Chronologies from Bolivia also suggest local variability. In leeward Milluni and San Francisco Valleys, local LGM moraines descend to ∼4300 m above sea level (a.s.l.), whereas in windward Zongo Valley Lateglacial moraines reach ∼3400 m a.s.l. Atlantic and Pacific sea surface temperatures, El Niño–Southern Oscillation and insolation changes all likely play roles in mediating tropical Andean glacial cycles. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Varied climatic and topographic influences on Late Pleistocene mountain glaciation in the western United States - Glenn D. Thackray (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The timing of Late Pleistocene mountain glacier fluctuations varied widely across the western United States. Glaciers in the maritime Olympic Mountains reached local maxima 125–60 ka and 34–31 ka, and were far less extensive during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Glaciers in the Cascade Mountains showed a similar general pattern but with contrasts in detailed timing. Most mountain glacier systems further inland exhibited maximum ice extent during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2. In the Wallowa, Wind River, and possibly the Sawtooth Mountains, maximum ice extent occurred ca. 20–23 ka. Mountain glacier systems of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (Puget Lobe), greater Yellowstone region and Uinta Mountains reached maximum extent ca. 19–16 ka, and those in the Wallowa, Sawtooth and Wind River Ranges were at near‐maximum positions ca. 17 ka. The variable timing of maximum and near‐maximum ice advances appears to be related to climatic setting and glacier mass balance characteristics. Mountain glacier systems under the strongest maritime influences reached maximum extent at times of strong westerly atmospheric flow. Olympic and Cascades glaciers appear to have been negatively influenced by weakened westerly flow at the time of the global LGM, perhaps associated with ice‐sheet‐induced anticyclonic flow. Glacier systems with maximum advances correlative with the global LGM appear to have responded more strongly to depressed temperature. The ca. 17 ka ice advances of several glacier systems are broadly correlative with Heinrich Event 1 in the North Atlantic region, and imply a cooling event and reinvigoration of moisture transport into the region. Post‐LGM advances of Uinta Mountain glaciers appear to have arisen from moisture influences of pluvial Lake Bonneville. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Myth and geology. L. Piccardi and W. B. Masse (eds). Publisher: Geological Society, London, 2007 ISBN: 978‐1‐86239‐216‐8 - David J. Horne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Late Pleistocene mountain glaciation in Alaska: key chronologies - Jason P. Briner; Darrell S. Kaufman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Moraine sequences of mountain glaciers can be used to infer spatial and temporal patterns of climate change across the globe. Alaska is an accessible high‐latitude location in the Northern Hemisphere and contains a rich record of alpine glaciation. Here, we highlight the key chronologies from three mountain ranges in Alaska that reveal the timing and spatial extent of Late Pleistocene glaciation, and pay particular attention to age of the penultimate glaciation. The most extensive glacier advance of the last glaciation occurred prior to the last global glacial maximum. Cosmogenic exposure ages from moraine boulders in three sites spanning 800 km indicate that this penultimate advance most likely culminated during marine isotope stage (MIS) 4 or early MIS 3. During MIS 2, more limited glacier expansion generated multiple moraines that span from prior to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) through the Lateglacial period. Glaciers retreated from their terminal positions ca. 27–25 ka in arctic Alaska and ca. 22–19 ka in southern Alaska. Moraines in at least two ranges date to 12–11 ka, indicating a glacial advance during the Younger Dryas period. Reconstructed equilibrium‐line altitudes of both penultimate and MIS 2 glaciers were lowered only 300–600 m – much less than elsewhere in the Americas. Alaska is documented to have been more arid during MIS 2, perhaps due in large part to the exposure of the Bering–Chukchi platform during eustatic sea‐level lowering. The restricted ice extent is also consistent with the output of climate models that simulate a lack of significant summer cooling. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A tribute to Henry Arthur Osmaston (1922–2006) - Bryan G. Mark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Geology of the Lampeter district‐a brief explanation of the geological map. Sheet Explanation of the British Geological Survey. 1:50 000 Sheet 195 Lampeter (England and Wales). J. R. Davies, D. I. Schofield, T. H. Sheppard, R. A. Waters, M. Williams and D. Wilson (eds). Publisher: British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2006 ISBN: 978‐0‐85272‐565‐8.. Geology of the Llangranog district‐a brief explanation of the geological map. Sheet Explanation of the British Geological Survey. 1:50 000 Sheet 194 Llangranog (England and Wales). J. R. Davies, T. H. Sheppard, R. A. Waters and D. Wilson (eds). Publisher: British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2006 ISBN: 978‐0‐85272‐566‐5 - Mike Walker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Quaternary glaciation of the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen - Lewis A. Owen; Marc W. Caffee; Robert C. Finkel; Yeong Bae Seong (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Glacial geological evidence from throughout the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen is examined to determine the timing and extent of late Quaternary glaciation in this region and its relation to similar changes on a global scale. The evidence summarised here supports the existence of expanded ice caps and extensive valley glacier systems throughout the region during the late Quaternary. However, it cannot yet be determined whether the timing of the extent of maximum glaciation was synchronous throughout the entire region or whether the response was more varied. The lack of organic material needed for radiocarbon dating has hindered past progress in glacial reconstruction; however, application of optically stimulated luminescence and terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide methods has recently expanded the number of chronologies throughout the region. Limits to the precision and accuracy available with these methods and, more importantly, geological uncertainty imposed by processes of moraine formation and alteration both conspire to limit the time resolution on which correlations can be made to Milankovitch timescales (several ka). In order to put all studies on a common scale, well‐dated sites have been re‐evaluated and all the published terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide ages for moraine boulders and glacially eroded surfaces in the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen have been recalculated. Locally detailed studies indicate that there are considerable variations in the extent of glaciation from one region to the next during a glaciation. Glaciers throughout monsoon‐influenced Tibet, the Himalaya and the Transhimalaya are likely synchronous both with climate change resulting from oscillations in the South Asian monsoon and with Northern Hemisphere cooling cycles. In contrast, glaciers in Pamir in the far western regions of the Himalayan–Tibet orogen advanced asynchronously relative to the other regions that are monsoon‐influenced regions and appear to be mainly in phase with the Northern Hemisphere cooling cycles. Broad patterns of local and regional variability based on equilibrium‐line altitudes have yet to be fully assessed, but have the potential to help define changes in climatic gradients over time. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Darkening peaks. Glacier retreat, science and society. B. Orlove, E. Wiegandt and B. H. Luckman (eds). Publisher: University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 2008 ISBN: 978‐0‐520‐25305‐6 - Colin Ballantyne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Chronology of the last glacial cycle in the European Alps - Susan Ivy‐Ochs; Hanns Kerschner; Anne Reuther; Frank Preusser; Klaus Heine; Max Maisch; Peter W. Kubik; Christian Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Chronological data for glacier advances in the European Alps between the Last Interglacial (Eemian) and the Holocene are summarised (115 to 11 ka). During this time glaciers were most extensive, extending tens of kilometres out onto the forelands, between 30 and 18 ka, that is, synchronous with the global ice volume maximum of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2. Evidence for ice expanding to just past the mountain front for an earlier major glacier advance comes from Swiss sites, where advances have been luminescence dated to MIS 5d (100 ka) and MIS 4 (70 ka). Up to now no such evidence has been found in the Eastern Alps. By 18 ka, more than 80% of the Late Würmian ice volume had gone. Subsequently glaciers readvanced, reaching into the upper reaches of the main valleys during the Lateglacial Gschnitz stadial, which likely occurred around 17 ka, with final moraine stabilisation no later than 15.4 ka. The link of the Egesen stadial with the Younger Dryas climate deterioration is supported by exposure ages from four sites as well as minimum‐limiting radiocarbon dates from bogs within former glacier tongue areas. Key questions on the spatial and temporal variability of ice extents throughout the last glacial cycle have yet to be answered. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary glaciation in Africa: key chronologies and climatic implications - Bryan G. Mark; Henry A. Osmaston (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Multiple episodes of Quaternary glaciation are evidenced on >10 distinct mountain localities throughout Africa, with the best dated sites from Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya in equatorial East Africa. A general paucity of radiogenic dates constrains the glacial chronology, and regional sequences have largely been based on correlations by relative weathering of features. Excellent glacial moraine preservation and other features of erosion put limits on the spatial extent of palaeoglaciers, and have facilitated advances in palaeo‐equilibrium line altitude (ELA) analyses. All radiocarbon dates ( n 36 Cl exposure ages on glacial erratics and bedrock from Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya date 16 landforms, confirming maximum glacial extent prior to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 10. No glacial geological features have been dated to MIS 6. While on Kilimanjaro the CRN ages confirm a clear LGM (MIS 2) maximum, Mt Kenya lacks definitive LGM moraines. Lateglacial advances or stillstands on both mountains are suggested by low‐relief moraines dating to 14.6 ± 1.2 ka (two boulders) on Mt Kenya and 16.3 ± 1.9 ka and 15.8 ± 2.5 ka on Kilimanjaro. Multiple moraines upvalley have early Holocene ages ranging from 11.2 ± 0.8 to 8.6 ± 0.2 ka. Isolated and equivocal dates on both mountains also provide speculative evidence that the maximum extent since MIS 5e may have occurred close to 30 ka, similar to sites in South America. New palaeoclimatic understanding from lake and ocean proxies suggests hypotheses for the source of low‐latitude climate changes causing the advances that can be tested with improved dates. A high degree of intra‐regional variance in ELA is observed, with differences by aspect reflecting precipitation gradients. Future work should include more CRN dates, improved mapping and inverse climate–mass balance modelling. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Llangranog. England and Wales sheet 194. Bedrock and superficial deposits. 1:50 000 Scale Geology Series. Publisher: British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2006, ISBN: 978‐0‐7518‐3448‐2.. Lampeter. England and Wales sheet 195. Bedrock and superficial deposits. 1:50 000 Scale Geology Series. Publisher: British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2006, ISBN: 978‐0‐7518‐3467‐3 - Mike Walker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Sustainability or collapse? An integrated history and future of people on Earth. R. Costanza, L. J. Graumlich and W. Steffin (eds). Publisher: MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2007 ISBN: 978‐0‐262‐03366‐4 - Chris Caseldine (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Archaeology from the wetlands. Recent perspectives. Proceedings of the 11th WARP conference, Edinburgh 2005. J. Barber, C. Clark, M. Cressy, A. Crone, A. Hale, J. Henderson, R. Housley, R. Sands and A. Sheridan (eds). Publisher: Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh, 2007 ISBN: 0‐903903‐40‐7 - Chris Caseldine (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

British regional geology: Wales. M. F. Howells (ed.). Publisher: British Geological Survey, Keyworth, 2007 ISBN 978‐0‐85272‐584‐9 - Simon Lewis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Timing of glaciation in the Mediterranean mountains during the last cold stage - Philip D. Hughes; Jamie C. Woodward (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Recent research in the mountains of the Mediterranean has attempted to establish the timing of the maximum extent of glaciers during the last cold stage. Several dating methods have been utilised and new dating frameworks have emerged in key areas. In several places, multiple dating techniques (radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence, U‐series) applied to glacial and associated sediments suggest that local glacier maxima preceded the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ca. 18 14 C ka BP/ 21 cal. ka BP) by at least several thousand years. Studies in Spain, the Pyrenees, the Maritime Alps and Turkey utilising cosmogenic isotope analyses ( 10 Be and 36 Cl), have yielded glacial geochronologies with maxima that correlate closely with the marine isotope record of ice volume and the global LGM. In some cases, the use of different geochronological techniques has led to conflicting evidence for the timing of the local last glacier maxima in the same area. From a palaeoclimate perspective, glacier–climate reconstructions for the local last glacier maxima in the mountains of central Italy, northern Greece and western Turkey indicate that climate was wet and cold. In Italy and Greece the local glacier maxima preceded the driest part of the last cold stage – as indicated by palaeoecological records – by several thousand years. For western Turkey, however, recent cosmogenic exposure ages combined with glacier modelling suggest a local last glacier maximum characterised by cold and wet conditions coinciding with the global LGM. The available evidence indicates that a dichotomy is emerging, not only in our understanding of the timing of glaciation across the Mediterranean, but also in the palaeoclimatic interpretations derived from glacial and palaeoecological records. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An evolutionary study of some archaeologically significant avian taxa in the Quaternary of the Western Palaearctic. J. R. Stewart. Publisher: Archaeopress, Oxford, 2007 ISBN: 978‐1‐4073‐0089‐4 - Hannah J. O'Regan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Alluvial fans. Geomorphology, sedimentology, dynamics. Geological Society, Special Publication no. 251. A. M. Harvey, A. E. Mather and M. Stokes (eds). Publisher: Geological Society, London, 2005 ISBN: 978‐1‐86239‐189‐5. - Pete Coxon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Identification of the Fugloyarbanki tephra in the NGRIP ice core: a key tie‐point for marine and ice‐core sequences during the last glacial period - S. M. Davies; S. Wastegård; T. L. Rasmussen; A. Svensson; S. J. Johnsen; J. P. Steffensen; K. K. Andersen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
A visible tephra horizon in the NGRIP ice core has been identified by geochemical analysis as the Fugloyarbanki Tephra, a widespread marker horizon in marine cores from the Faroe Islands area and the northern North Atlantic. An age of 26 740 ± 390 yr b2k (1 σ uncertainty) is derived for this tephra according to the new Greenland Ice Core Chronology (GICC05) based on multi‐parameter counting of annual layers. Detection of this tephra for the first time within the NGRIP ice core provides a key tie‐point between marine and ice‐core records during the transition between MIS 3 and 2. Identification of this volcanic event within the Greenland records demonstrates the future potential of using tephrochronology to precisely correlate palaeoarchives in widely separated localities that span the last glacial period, as well as providing a potential method for examining the extent of the radiocarbon marine reservoir effect at this time. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene environmental change in the West African Sahel: sedimentological and mineral‐magnetic analyses of lake sediments from Jikariya Lake, northeastern Nigeria - H. Wang; J. A. Holmes; F. A. Street‐Perrott; M. P. Waller; R. A. Perrott (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Previous studies have demonstrated long‐term changes in effective moisture in sub‐Saharan Africa. Here, we reconstruct Holocene environments using a ∼7 m lake‐sediment sequence recovered from the northeastern Nigerian Sahel and attempt to distinguish basin‐specific changes from regional climatic variations. The sequence was analysed for sedimentological properties, mineral magnetism and pollen, and dated by 137 Cs, 210 Pb excess and 14 C. Extremely arid conditions of the terminal Pleistocene ended ca. 11 500 cal. BP (calendar years) when climate ameliorated and a lake developed until the occurrence of an arid event leading to lake desiccation at ∼11 200 cal. BP. Following this, climate ameliorated and a water body re‐emerged. Very wet conditions predominated 11 200–5600 cal. BP, followed by drought between 5600 and 5500 cal. BP and a return to moderate humidity from 5500 to 4000 cal. BP. After 4000 cal. BP, a marked deterioration occurred, culminating in lake desiccation at ca. 800 cal. BP. After this time the climate remained generally dry and the re‐emerging lake was shallow. Comparison of these results with other well‐dated sequences in the region demonstrates the importance of basin‐specific influences on the palaeolimnological records in addition to regional climatic controls. Disentangling these different controls, as well as the reconstruction of Holocene climate, therefore requires a multiple‐basin approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ice caps existed throughout the Lateglacial Interstadial in northern Scotland - Tom Bradwell; Derek Fabel; Martyn Stoker; Hannah Mathers; Lanny McHargue; John Howe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
We constrain, in detail, fluctuations of two former ice caps in NW Scotland with multibeam seabed surveys, geomorphological mapping and cosmogenic 10 Be isotope analyses. We map a continuous sequence of 40 recessional moraines stretching from ∼10 km offshore to the Wester Ross mountains. Surface‐exposure ages from boulders on moraine ridges in Assynt and the Summer Isles region show that substantial, dynamic, ice caps existed in NW Scotland between 13 and 14 ka BP. We interpret this as strong evidence that large active glaciers probably survived throughout the Lateglacial Interstadial, and that during the Older Dryas period (ca. 14 ka BP) ice caps in NW Scotland were thicker and considerably more extensive than in the subsequent Younger Dryas Stadial. By inference, we suggest that Lateglacial ice‐cap oscillations in Scotland reflect the complex interplay between changing temperature and precipitation regimes during this climatically unstable period (ca. 15–11 ka BP). © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rapid change in early Holocene environments inferred from Lake Pupuke, Auckland City, New Zealand - Paul Augustinus; Nerida Bleakley; Yanbin Deng; Phil Shane; Ursula Cochran (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Sediment cores from Lake Pupuke in Auckland City, New Zealand, contain a high‐resolution millennial to centennial‐scale record of changing climate and catchment hydrology spanning the past ca. 10 000 years. Here, we focus on the period between 9500 ± 25 and 7000 ± 155 cal. yr BP during which grain size, diatom palaeoecology, biogenic silica concentrations, sediment elemental and carbon isotope geochemistry reflect changes in sediment sources and lake conditions, with a significant event commencing at ca. 8240 cal. yr BP, commensurate with a lowering of lake level, faster erosion rates and increased sediment influx with a duration of ca. 360 yrs. However, the changes in the lake are not reflected in the terrestrial vegetation, where the pollen record indicates that podocarp forest dominated the Auckland region, with apparent environmental stability during this part of the early Holocene. The synchronous change in most of the proxies between ca. 8240 and 7880 cal. yr BP at Lake Pupuke indicates the presence of a sustained episode of relatively low lake level and concomitant increased rate of erosion in the early Holocene that appears to be at least partly coeval with the 8200 cal. yr BP meltwater event proposed for the North Atlantic region. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stone run (block stream) formation in the Falkland Islands over several cold stages, deduced from cosmogenic isotope ( 10 Be and 26 Al) surface exposure dating - Peter Wilson; Michael J. Bentley; Christoph Schnabel; Richard Clark; Sheng Xu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Cosmogenic isotope ( 10 Be and 26 Al) surface exposure dating has been applied to valley‐axis and hillslope stone runs (relict periglacial block streams) and their source outcrops in the Falkland Islands, South Atlantic. The data indicate that stone runs are considerably older landforms than previously envisaged and afford no evidence that they are a product of the Last Glacial Maximum; the samples range in apparent 10 Be age from 42k to 731k yr BP, but some of these are minima. The results indicate that valley‐axis stone runs may be up to 700–800k yr old, have simple exposure histories and are composite landforms that developed over several cold stages. Analyses of some hillslope and outcrop samples also demonstrate simple exposure histories with 10 Be ages from 42k to 658k yr BP. In contrast, isotopic ratios from other hillslope and outcrop samples reveal they have had a complex exposure history involving periods of burial or shielding; the samples range in 10 Be age from 59k to 569k yr BP and these are regarded as minimum age estimates. Larger stone runs may be older than smaller runs and there is a possibility that stone runs older than 800k yr exist in other parts of the Falklands. The assertion that glaciation in the Falklands was restricted to the highest uplands is supported by the data, and the potential for age determination of other boulder‐strewn and bedrock landforms, using cosmogenic isotope analysis, in order to extend the geochronology of Quaternary events and processes is noted. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative sea‐level change and postglacial isostatic adjustment along the coast of south Devon, United Kingdom - Anthony C. Massey; W. Roland Gehrels; Dan J. Charman; Glenn A. Milne; W. Richard Peltier; Kurt Lambeck; Katherine A. Selby (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Previous sea‐level studies suggest that southwest Britain has the fastest subsiding coastline in the United Kingdom, but tide‐gauge data, GPS and gravity measurements and geophysical models show little evidence of anomalous subsidence in this region. In this paper we present 15 new sea‐level index points from four coastal barrier systems in south Devon. Eight are from compaction‐free basal sediments and others were corrected for autocompaction. Our data suggest that relative sea level along the south Devon coastline has risen by 21 ± 4 m during the past 9000 years. Sea‐level rise slowed during the middle and late Holocene and a rise of 8 ± 1 m has occurred since ca. 7000 cal. yr BP. Anomalous ages for many rejected points are attributed to sediment reworking during barrier transgression. The relative sea‐level history during the early and middle Holocene shows a good fit with geophysical model predictions, but the geological and modelled data diverge in the later Holocene. Unlike the geophysical models, sea‐level index points cannot differentiate between late Holocene relative sea‐level histories of south Devon and southwest Cornwall. It is suggested that this discrepancy can be resolved by obtaining additional high‐quality sea‐level index points covering the past 4000 years. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New insights on late Quaternary palaeogeographic setting in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Italy) - Sara Picone; Francesca Alvisi; Enrico Dinelli; Caterina Morigi; Alessandra Negri; Mariangela Ravaioli; Carmela Vaccaro (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Sedimentological, geochemical and micropalaeontological data from sediment cores in the northwestern Adriatic Sea were obtained to reconstruct the stratigraphic framework and palaeogeographic setting during the last post‐glacial sea‐level rise (14000–6000 yr BP). Four lithostratigraphic units were identified: (a) distal plain deposits (>14000 yr BP), submerged during the first phases of marine ingression; (b) coastal lagoon system; (c) barrier‐lagoon system, which is dated back to between 10019 ± 61 and 10228 ± 174 cal. yr BP from 14 C dating on peat and shell remains; (d) marine prodelta deposits (

Quaternary deformations along the ‘Engadine–Gruf tectonic system’, Swiss–Italian Alps - Alessandro Tibaldi; Federico A. Pasquarè (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The Engadine Line (EL) is a seismically active fault in southeastern Switzerland. In the field we studied its western segment, presently not affected by seismicity but characterised by features suggesting neotectonic motions, and the coterminous Gruf Line. Uphill‐ and downhill‐facing scarps, offset rivers, non‐equilibrium hydrological conditions and aligned deep‐seated gravitational slope deformations are dominant in the western sector of the EL in the Inn Valley. Landform offsets and the most recent fault striations point to oblique left‐lateral strike‐slip. Close to the EL, at the Maloja Pass, a huge collapse beheaded the Inn Valley. Trench excavation with palaeoseismic analysis, stratigraphic correlations of Quaternary deposits and optically stimulated luminescence dating indicate that the collapse and faulting mostly occurred in the Late Pleistocene. In the Bregaglia Valley, the Gruf Line stretches along the southwestern extension of the EL. Six deep‐seated gravitational slope deformations developed along the Gruf Line and were dated to pre‐ and post‐Last Glacial Maximum times. We suggest that the western sector of the EL moved also in a Pleistocene time interval during which tectonic forces in the area were probably larger than at present, favouring local uplift, widespread gravity deformation, and retrogressive slope failure at the Inn Valley head. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reconstructing hydrological variability in Lake Baikal during MIS 11: an application of oxygen isotope analysis of diatom silica - Anson W. Mackay; Eugene Karabanov; Melanie J. Leng; Hilary J. Sloane; David W. Morley; Virginia N. Panizzo; Galina Khursevich; Douglas Williams (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
In this paper we reconstruct hydrological variability in Lake Baikal during Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11) (427–362 ka BP) from oxygen isotope analysis of diatom silica. Highest δ 18 O diatom values are found during MIS 11.3, highlighting the dominance of hydrological input from rivers flowing into the south and central basins of Lake Baikal, especially the Selenga River. Hydrological input from south basin rivers dominated for over 30 ka. However, there is evidence from both biogenic silica and δ 18 O diatom records for an abrupt cooling event at ca. 390 ka BP. Stadial conditions at this time are coincident with an iceberg discharge event into the North Atlantic. The decline in δ 18 O diatom values suggests increasing proportion of hydrological input from rivers to the north of Lake Baikal, due to greater influence of winter precipitation and snow‐melt. After a period of interstadial conditions during the early stages of MIS 11.1, biogenic silica and δ 18 O diatom values decline, mirroring the slow growth in Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Despite rigorous cleaning procedures, palaeoclimatic inferences need to be treated with caution due to contamination of the δ 18 O diatom record; during stadial and glacial periods, contamination of the δ 18 O diatom record is even more significant. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Isotope offsets in marine diatom δ 18 O over the last 200 ka - George E. A. Swann; Melanie J. Leng; Hilary J. Sloane; Mark A. Maslin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Previous work has suggested that a species effect may be present in diatom oxygen isotope ratios ( δ 18 O diatom ). While predominantly attributed to be a size‐related species effect, currently the precise mechanism remains unknown. Here, two size fractions of diatoms (38–75 µm and >100 µm) covering the last 200 ka are analysed for δ 18 O from ODP Site 882 in the North‐West Pacific Ocean. Synchronous variations of up to 13‰ occur in both size fractions. However, large isotope offsets (mean = 2.02‰) exist between the two fractions with no relationship between their magnitude and the overlying palaeoenvironmental conditions. In contrast to earlier work from the same site, no one size fraction is constantly higher or lower in δ 18 O relative to the other. As such, the dominant mechanism is most likely separate to the size effect previously detected. In addition, no relationship exists between the magnitude of the offsets and the species composition of the two size fractions. The presence of these isotope offsets imposes significant constraints upon the future use of δ 18 O diatom in palaeoceanographic reconstructions and reiterates the need to extract and analyse only species‐ and size‐specific diatom samples. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Isotopes in Biogenic Silica (IBiS) - Melanie J. Leng; F. Alayne Street‐Perrott; Philip A. Barker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
This special issue of the Journal of Quaternary Science comprises a selection of papers from the third meeting of a series on ‘ISOtopes in PALaeoenvironmental reconstruction’ (ISOPAL), themed around Isotopes and Biogenic silica (IBiS). The meeting was held at the British Geological Survey (Nottingham, UK) in April 2007, and consisted of a series of presentations giving methodological approaches to using isotopes in biogenic silica but also specific examples of the application, the majority of which are presented in this issue. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Oxygen isotope ratios of sedimentary biogenic silica reflect the European transcontinental climate gradient - J. J. Tyler; M. J. Leng; H. J. Sloane; D. Sachse; G. Gleixner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Oxygen isotope ratios of biogenic silica offer considerable potential in tracing past climate change using both marine and lacustrine sediment records. Despite recent improvements and standardisation in preparatory and analytical methods, evidence for a systematic relationship between climate parameters and the oxygen isotope composition of sedimentary diatom silica ( δ 18 O silica ) is contradictory. In particular, observed differences between the δ 18 O silica of living and sedimentary diatom silica in both lake and marine environments question the validity of applying isotope fractionation models derived from living diatoms to reconstructing climate from sediment records. In order to address this issue, oxygen isotope ratios of biogenic silica ( δ 18 O silica ) are examined from a suite of lake surface sediment samples which span a large climatic gradient across western Europe. δ 18 O silica values are strongly correlated with air temperature and the isotope composition of precipitation ( δ 18 O P ). When evaporation of lake waters is accounted for, the time‐averaged surface sediment data suggest a fractionation of ∼35‰ between water and biogenic silica. However, the effect of temperature appears less marked than that observed between contemporary diatoms and lake water over short timescales, suggesting that diagenetic processes may lead to a reduction in the temperature sensitivity of sediment δ 18 O silica records. Comparison of δ 18 O silica data with δ D analysed from n ‐alkanes of aquatic origin ( n ‐C17, n ‐C21 and n ‐C23) demonstrates that the slope of the regional δ 18 O: δ D water line is preserved within the sediment record, offering exciting potential for palaeoclimate research. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Silicon, oxygen and carbon isotope composition of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) phytoliths: implications for palaeoecology and archaeology - Martin J. Hodson; Adrian G. Parker; Melanie J. Leng; Hilary J. Sloane (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Six mature wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) plants from one crop were collected one week before harvest, and organs were separated as follows: culm, rachis, leaf sheaths, leaf blades and inflorescence bracts. Percentage silica (% SiO 2 ), % C, % N and δ 13 C were determined in these samples. Phytoliths isolated from the individual organs were subsequently analysed for δ 29 Si, δ 30 Si, and δ 18 O, as well as % C, % N and δ 13 C from occluded organic material within the phytoliths. Percentage silica was highest in the leaf sheaths and leaf blades and lower in the inflorescence bracts, culm and rachis. δ 30 Si and δ 29 Si were highly correlated, and both increased in the upper parts of the plant. It appears there are two routes for Si transport within the plant, and that heavier isotopes increase towards the end of both routes. The δ 18 O results indicate that the culm and the leaf blades were the sites of highest δ 18 O, with lower values in the rachis, leaf sheath and inflorescence. There was no correlation between the accumulation of either heavy silicon isotope ( 29 Si and 30 Si) and heavy oxygen accumulation ( 18 O). δ 13 C values were typical of C3 species, and whole plant and isolated phytolith values were similar. Low % N concentrations were detected in phytoliths. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Combined oxygen and silicon isotope analysis of biogenic silica - Melanie J. Leng; Hilary J. Sloane (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
There is increasing interest in the use of biogenic silica O and Si isotope ratios to understand climate and environmental processes. Virtually all of the fairly substantial body of literature deals with either oxygen or silicon. This is partly because measurement of oxygen isotope composition is done using either vacuum dehydration, isotope exchange or stepped fluorination techniques, while increasingly researchers are turning to multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC‐ICP‐MS) for Si isotope analysis, even though Si isotope analysis can be done using fluorination methods used for the oxygen isotope measurements. Here we describe a procedure for simultaneous determination of isotopic abundances of oxygen and silicon from the same aliquot of biogenic silica. Pure silica is dissociated into O and Si compounds using a fluorination technique, in which reaction with bromine pentafluoride (BrF 5 ) produces oxygen (O 2 , subsequently converted to CO 2 ), silicon tetrafluoride (SiF 4 ) and other fluorine by‐products (e.g. BrF 3 ). These compounds are cryogenically separated using cold traps. Yields for oxygen and silicon recovery are 70–80% for biogenic silica depending on the nature of the hydrous layer and 97–99% for pure quartz. Reproducibility of the oxygen isotopic composition is ca. 0.3‰ and silicon between 0.06–0.12‰. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unravelling contamination signals in biogenic silica oxygen isotope composition: the role of major and trace element geochemistry - Tim S. Brewer; Melanie J. Leng; Anson W. Mackay; Angela L. Lamb; Jonathan J. Tyler; Nicholas G. Marsh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The oxygen isotope composition of diatom silica ( δ 18 O diatom ) provides valuable information for palaeoclimate studies where carbonate proxies are either rare or absent in many lakes and ocean sediments. Unfortunately, mineral and rock fragments found alongside diatoms in most sediments can be problematic as the method used will liberate oxygen from all components within the sediment, producing both high‐frequency noise and low‐frequency excursions that can resemble climate signals. Removal of mineral contamination to date has largely relied upon the combination of chemical leaching and physical separation techniques (e.g. sieving, density). This combination can be inefficient and often significant proportions of contaminants are present in the ‘purified’ diatom sample. Using electron optical imaging and whole‐rock geochemistry on previously ‘purified’ diatom samples, a mass balance approach has been developed whereby the types and proportions of residual contaminants are identified. By integrating this information with measured oxygen isotope ratios of the contaminants, it is then possible to remove contamination effects from the δ 18 O diatom record. Contamination effects relating to carbonates, tephra and silt are modelled for cores from Lake Tilo (Ethiopia) and Lake Baikal (Siberia). In both lakes the new modelled δ 18 O diatom curves show less high‐frequency noise, thus enabling better resolution of low‐frequency climate signals. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The palaeohydrological evolution of Lago Chungará (Andean Altiplano, northern Chile) during the Lateglacial and early Holocene using oxygen isotopes in diatom silica - Armand Hernández; Roberto Bao; Santiago Giralt; Melanie J. Leng; Philip A. Barker; Alberto Sáez; Juan J. Pueyo; Ana Moreno; Blas L. Valero‐Garcés; Hilary J. Sloane (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Oxygen isotopes of diatom silica and petrographical characterisation of diatomaceous laminated sediments of Lago Chungará (northern Chilean Altiplano) have allowed us to establish its palaeohydrological evolution during the Lateglacial–early Holocene (ca. 12 000–9400 cal. yr BP). These laminated sediments are composed of light and dark pluriannual couplets of diatomaceous ooze formed by different processes. Light sediment laminae accumulated during short‐term diatom blooms whereas dark sediment laminae represent the baseline limnological conditions during several years of deposition. Oxygen isotope analysis of the dark diatom laminae show a general δ 18 O enrichment trend during the studied period. Comparison of these δ 18 O diatom values with the previously published lake‐level evolution suggests a correlation between δ 18 O diatom and the precipitation:evaporation ratio, but also with the evolution of other local hydrological factors as changes in the groundwater outflow as well as shifts in the surface:volume ratio of Lago Chungará. The lake expanded (probably increasing this ratio) during the rising lake‐level trend due to changes in its morphology, enhancing evaporation. Furthermore, the lake's hydrology was probably modified as the groundwater outflow became sealed by sediments, increasing lake water residence time and potential evaporation. Both factors could cause isotope enrichment. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards an understanding of late Quaternary variations in the continental biogeochemical cycle of silicon: multi‐isotope and sediment‐flux data for Lake Rutundu, Mt Kenya, East Africa, since 38 ka BP - F. Alayne Street‐Perrott; Philip A. Barker; Melanie J. Leng; Hilary J. Sloane; Matthew J. Wooller; Katherine J. Ficken; David L. Swain (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Silicon is an essential nutrient for marine diatoms, which dominate the export of organic carbon to the deep ocean. Despite the dominance of the oceanic Si budget by fluvial inputs and the role of the land biosphere in controlling Si losses from rocks and soils to rivers, few studies have considered how continental bio geochemical Si fluxes varied on an orbital timescale. We reconstruct changes in Si cycling by the catchment‐lake ecosystem of Lake Rutundu, Mt Kenya (3078 m a.s.l.), over the last ca. 38 ka, using a novel combination of lake‐sediment fluxes and stable‐isotope ( δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O, δ 30 Si) data. Under glacial conditions (38.3–14.3 ka BP), high diatom productivity was maintained by substantial losses of dissolved SiO 2 and soil nutrients from a sparse, leaky, terrestrial ecosystem. During the following period of enhanced monsoon rainfall and seasonality (14.3–9.5 ka BP), rapid Si cycling by fire‐prone, mesic grassland was associated with substantial aeolian transport of opal phytoliths by smoke plumes, but greatly reduced nutrient losses in runoff. Invasion of tall, subalpine shrubs after 9.5 ka BP further enhanced landscape stability, leading to very low sediment fluxes of both phytoliths and diatoms. This case study offers new insights into processes that may have operated at biome to continental scales during the late Quaternary. © Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comment: New OSL dating of UK loess: indications of two phases of Late Glacial dust accretion in SE England and climate implications. Michèle L. Clarke, Antoni E. Milodowski, Jon E. Bouch, Melanie J. Leng and Kevin J. Northmore (2007). Journal of Quaternary Science 22: 361–371 - John A. Catt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Reply: Evidence for episodic dust accretion in SE England - Michèle L. Clarke; Antoni E. Milodowski; Kevin J. Northmore; Melanie J. Leng; Jon E. Bouch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Homo britannicus: the incredible story of human life in Britain. C. Stringer. Publisher: Penguin, London, 2006 (319 pp.) ISBN 0‐713‐99795‐8 - Mike Walker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Landform and sediment imprints of fast glacier flow in the southwest Laurentide Ice Sheet - David J. A. Evans; Chris D. Clark; Brice R. Rea (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Evidence for former fast glacier flow (ice streaming) in the southwest Laurentide Ice Sheet is identified on the basis of regional glacial geomorphology and sedimentology, highlighting the depositional processes associated with the margin of a terrestrial terminating ice stream. Preliminary mapping from a digital elevation model of Alberta identifies corridors of smoothed topography and corridor‐parallel streamlined landforms (megaflutes to mega‐lineations) that display high levels of spatial coherency. Ridges that lie transverse to the dominant streamlining patterns are interpreted as: (a) series of minor recessional push moraines; (b) thrust block moraines or composite ridges/hill–hole pairs constructed during readvances/surges; and (c) overridden moraines (cupola hills), apparently of thrust origin. Together these landforms demarcate the beds and margins of former fast ice flow trunks or ice streams that terminated as lobate forms. Localised cross‐cutting and/or misalignment of flow sets indicates temporal separation and the overprinting of ice streams/lobes. The fast‐flow tracks are separated by areas of interlobate or inter‐stream terrain in which moraines have been constructed at the margins of neighbouring (competing) ice streams/outlet glaciers; this inter‐stream terrain was covered by more sluggish, non‐streaming ice during full glacial conditions. Thin tills at the centres of the fast‐flow corridors, in many places unconformably overlying stratified sediments, suggest that widespread till deformation may have been subordinate to basal sliding in driving fast ice flow but the general thickening of tills towards the lobate terminal margins of ice streams/outlet glaciers is consistent with subglacial deformation theory. In this area of relatively low relief we speculate that fast glacier flow or streaming was highly dynamic and transitory, sometimes with fast‐flowing trunks topographically fixed in their onset zones and with the terminus migrating laterally. The occurrence of minor push moraines and flutings and associated landforms, because of their similarity to modern active temperate glacial landsystems, are interpreted as indicative of ice lobe marginal oscillations, possibly in response to seasonal climatic forcing, in locations where meltwater was more effectively drained from the glacier bed. Further north, the occurrence of surging glacier landsystems suggests that persistent fast glacier flow gave way to more transitory surging, possibly in response to the decreasing size of ice reservoir areas in dispersal centres and also locally facilitated by ice‐bed decoupling and drawdown initiated by the development of ice‐dammed lakes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Seasonality of modern pollen and sediment deposition in an estuarine context: the Severn Estuary Levels, southwest England - J. R. L. Allen; Petra Dark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Recent sedimentological and palynological research on subfossil Holocene banded sediments from the Severn Estuary Levels suggested seasonality of deposition, registered by variations in mineral grain‐size and pollen assemblages between different parts of the bands. Here we provide data that strengthen this interpretation from sampling of modern sediments and pollen deposition on an active mudflat and saltmarsh on the margin of the Severn Estuary, and comparison with a vegetation survey and contemporary records of climate, river and tidal regimes. The results of grain‐size analysis indicate deposition of comparatively coarse‐grained silts during the relatively cool and windy conditions of winter and comparatively fine‐grained sediments during relatively warm and calm summer months. Pollen analysis demonstrates the significance of long‐term storage of pollen grains and fern spores in the estuarine waterbody, superimposed on which seasonal variations in pollen inputs from local and regional vegetation remain detectable. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A case for a downwasting mountain glacier during Termination I, Verçenik valley, northeastern Turkey - N. Akçar; V. Yavuz; S. Ivy‐Ochs; P. W. Kubik; M. Vardar; C. Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Field evidence of palaeoglacial records in the Verçenik valley in the Eastern Black Sea Mountains was examined and 19 samples for surface exposure dating with cosmogenic 10 Be were collected with the aim of increasing knowledge on the amplitude and frequency of palaeoglacier advances in Anatolia. Glacial erosional features were mapped and the flow directions of the palaeoglaciers were determined. The Verçenik palaeoglacier advanced before 26.1 k ± 1.2 k yr. The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) advance continued until 18.8 k ±1.0 k yr. The Verçenik palaeoglacier collapsed during Termination I. After 17.7 k ± 0.8 k yr there was no more ice in the main valley. The Verçenik palaeoglacier most probably then separated into five small glaciers that were restricted to the tributary valleys. Among these, the Hemşin palaeoglacier completed its recession around 15.7 k ± 0.8 k yr. On the basis of glacial erosion features, a Lateglacial glacier advance can be identified. Evidence of the Little Ice Age advance appears to be absent. The results from this valley system seem to be consistent with the first results from the adjacent Kavron valley and with the Anatolian LGM palaeoclimate, the sea surface temperature minima in the western Mediterranean, the deposition of red clay layers in the Black Sea and deposition of the Heinrich‐1 layer in the North Atlantic. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Microtextural analysis of a glacially ‘deformed’ bedrock: implications for inheritance of preferred clast orientations in diamictons - Emrys Phillips; Clive Auton (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Although analysis of clast macrofabrics has been used to differentiate between different types of glacial diamictons and to determine palaeo‐ice flow directions, no account appears to have been made of preferred clast orientations inherited from the parental source material. Clast macrofabrics in tills are typically interpreted as having developed in response to an imposed subglacial deformation and as such provide a link between the sedimentary record and glacier dynamics. They rely on the assumption that any preferred clast orientation is a result of deformation/flow. The results of the micromorphological study of the Langholm Till exposed at North Corbelly near Dumfries (southwestern Scotland) clearly demonstrate that bedrock structure can influence clast orientation (macrofabric) within diamictons. In the lower part of the till, the orientation of elongate clasts preserves the geometry of the tectonic cleavage present within the underlying bedrock. The intensity of this steeply inclined, ‘inherited’ clast fabric decreases upward through the till, to be replaced by a more complex pattern of successive generations of clast microfabrics developed in response to deformation/flow. These results indicate potential limitations of applying clast macrofabric or microfabric analysis in isolation to establish till genesis or palaeo ice‐flow directions. Consequently, due account should be made of other glacial palaeo‐environmental and ice flow indicators, as well as rockhead depth and morphology in relation to the selection of fabric measurements sites. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Last Glacial Maximum British–Irish Ice Sheet: a reconstruction using digital terrain mapping - P. T. Fretwell; D. E. Smith; S. Harrison (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The use of digital terrain mapping in determining the anatomy of the Late Devensian British–Irish Ice Sheet at a resolution of 500 m cell size is illustrated for Boulton et al .'s 1985 and 1991 models and Lambeck's 1995 model of the ice sheet at its maximum extent as an independent ice mass. Area and volume of the ice sheet are given for each model and the spatial pattern of ice thickness shown in maps. The analyses show that if no account is taken of topography beneath the ice surface, models will seriously overestimate ice volume. It is suggested that as reconstructions of the ice sheet improve, detailed models of ice thickness at the resolution given in this paper may be of value in determining the contribution of the ice sheet to sea surface changes as well as in determining the effects of ice loading on glacio‐isostasy, neotectonics and possibly on paraglacial processes in areas of high relief. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relict rock glaciers and protalus lobes in the British Isles: implications for Late Pleistocene mountain geomorphology and palaeoclimate - Stephan Harrison; Brian Whalley; Edward Anderson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Many relict rock glaciers and protalus lobes have been described in mountainous areas of the British Isles. This paper reviews their distribution, chronology, supposed origin and development, and places the research within current investigations and knowledge. Rock glaciers and protalus lobes are located in a number of different topographic locations and settings. They developed at the base of steep cliffs following the catastrophic failure of rock faces, at the base of scree slopes following the gradual accumulation of rock debris and in association with glaciers. Protalus lobes probably developed in response to the permafrost creep of talus material while rock glaciers formed through the deformation and sliding of large bodies of buried ice. Rock glaciers probably developed, or were last active, during the Younger Dryas, although the possibility exists that some of these landforms are Dimlington Stadial in age. The development of protalus lobes during the Younger Dryas suggests that precipitation levels were low and permafrost was widespread during this time. The lack of rock glaciers ( sensu stricto ) in the British Isles compared with other mountain areas is believed to be a consequence of the rock type and relative scarcity of weathered debris for their formation rather than a lack of suitable sites or appropriate environmental conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary vegetation, climate and fire dynamics inferred from the El Tiro record in the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes - Holger Niemann; Hermann Behling (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
In order to study the stability and dynamics of mountain rainforest and paramo ecosystems, including the biodiversity of these ecosystems, the Holocene and late Pleistocene climate and fire variability, and human impact in the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes, we present a high‐resolution pollen record from El Tiro Pass (2810 m elevation), Podocarpus National Park. Palaeoenvironmental changes, investigated by pollen, spores and charcoal analysis, inferred from a 127 cm long core spanning the last ca. 21 000 cal. yr BP, indicate that grass‐paramo was the main vegetation type at the El Tiro Pass during the late Pleistocene period. The grass‐paramo was rich in Poaceae, Plantago rigida and Plantago australis , reflecting cold and moist climatic conditions. During the early Holocene, from 11 200 to 8900 cal. yr BP, subparamo and upper mountain rainforest vegetation expanded slightly, indicating a slow warming of climatic conditions during this period. From 8900 to 3300 cal. yr BP an upper mountain rainforest developed at the study site, indicated by an increase in Hedyosmun , Podocarpaceae, Myrsine and Ilex . This suggests a warmer climate than the present day at this elevation. The modern subparamo vegetation became established since 3300 cal. yr BP at El Tiro Pass. Fires, probably anthropogenic origin, were very rare during the late Pleistocene but became frequent after 8000 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Extent of the last ice sheet in northern Scotland tested with cosmogenic 10 Be exposure ages - William M. Phillips; Adrian M. Hall; Colin K. Ballantyne; Steven Binnie; Peter W. Kubik; Stewart Freeman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The extent of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) in northern Scotland is disputed. A restricted ice sheet model holds that at the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ca. 23–19 ka) the BIIS terminated on land in northern Scotland, leaving Buchan, Caithness and the Orkney Islands ice‐free. An alternative model implies that these three areas were ice‐covered at the LGM, with the BIIS extending offshore onto the adjacent shelves. We test the two models using cosmogenic 10 Be surface exposure dating of erratic boulders and glacially eroded bedrock from the three areas. Our results indicate that the last BIIS covered all of northern Scotland during the LGM, but that widespread deglaciation of Caithness and Orkney occurred prior to rapid warming at ca. 14.5 ka. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Erratum: Holocene coastal environmental changes on the periphery of an area of glacio‐isostatic uplift: an example from Scapa Bay, Orkney, UK - A. C. de la Vega‐Leinert; D. E. Smith; R. L. Jones (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Postglacial relative sea‐level observations from Ireland and their role in glacial rebound modelling - Anthony J. Brooks; Sarah L. Bradley; Robin J. Edwards; Glenn A. Milne; Ben Horton; Ian Shennan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The British Isles have been the focus of a number of recent modelling studies owing to the existence of a high‐quality sea‐level dataset for this region and the suitability of these data for constraining shallow earth viscosity structure, local to regional ice sheet histories and the magnitude/timing of global meltwater signals. Until recently, the paucity of both glaciological and relative sea‐level (RSL) data from Ireland has meant that the majority of these glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) modelling studies of the British Isles region have tended to concentrate on reconstructing ice cover over Britain. However, the recent development of a sea‐level database for Ireland along with emergence of new glaciological data on the spatial extent, thickness and deglacial chronology of the Irish Ice Sheet means it is now possible to revisit this region of the British Isles. Here, we employ these new data to constrain the evolution of the Irish Ice Sheet. We find that in order to reconcile differences between model predictions and RSL evidence, a thick, spatially extensive ice sheet of ∼600–700 m over much of north and central Ireland is required at the LGM with very rapid deglaciation after 21 k cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary terrestrial tephrochronology of Iceland—frequency of explosive eruptions, type and volume of tephra deposits - Gudrún Larsen; Jón Eiríksson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Close to 100 silicic tephra layers have been identified in Icelandic terrestrial soils of Holocene age. The majority of these tephras were erupted at the Hekla, Torfajökull, Öræfajökull, Askja, Snæfellsjökull, Eyjafjallajökull and Katla central volcanoes. By far the most active is Hekla with close to 50 identified silicic tephra layers in ∼8000 years, showing an inverse relationship between eruption frequency and volume of erupted tephra. Volumes of uncompacted silicic tephra layers range from 3 to >10 km 3 , with nearly 50% of known tephra volumes lying between 0.1 and 0.5 km 3 . Seven closely spaced Hekla eruptions in the period 950–550 BC with identical major element composition illustrate the need of stratigraphic control in short and long distance correlations. A 2600 year old tephra geochemically indistinguishable from the Borrobol tephra is a reminder that no tephra is geochemically unique. The major producers of basaltic tephra are the volcanic systems that are partly covered by ice, or partly lying within areas of high groundwater or extending offshore, i.e. the Grímsvötn, Katla, Veidivötn‐Bárdarbunga, Reykjanes, Kverkfjöll and Vestmannaeyjar volcanic systems. The best known eruption record is that of the Katla system with over 170 identified basaltic tephra layers and more than 300 estimated in 8400 years. The Grímsvötn system is currently the most active volcanic system with over 70 eruptions during the last 1100 years. Volumes of uncompacted basaltic tephra layers range from 3 to >20 km 3 , the majority of known tephra volumes lying between 0.1 and 1 km 3 . The most voluminous basaltic tephra deposit, the ∼10 200 yr old Saksunarvatn tephra, may however represent more than one eruption on the Grímsvötn system. Deposition of approximately 800 basaltic tephra layers during the last 9000 14 C years is estimated but many of those erupted from volcanoes within ice caps have not been preserved. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative surface age‐dating of rock glacier systems near Hólar in Hjaltadalur, northern Iceland - Andreas Kellerer‐Pirklbauer; Bjørn Wangensteen; Herman Farbrot; Bernd Etzelmüller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Schmidt‐hammer rebound values and photogrammetric measurements of surface displacement were used to date two active polymorphic (high‐altitude) and two relict monomorphic (low‐altitude) rock glaciers near Hólar in Hjaltadalur, Tröllaskagi peninsula, northern Iceland (65° 40′ N, 19° 00′ W). Both low‐altitude rock glaciers are of Late Weichselian or Preboreal origin (ca. 10.3–9.2 k yr BP) with minor later reshaping until the early Neoglacial period (‘Vatnsdalur I’; ca. 5.2 k yr BP). Both high‐altitude rock glaciers consist of an upper lobe overriding a lower lobe corresponding to initiation during different cool phases. The initiation of the lower lobes can possibly be attributed to the ‘GH‐8.2 event’ (8.6–8.0 k cal. yr BP). They reached their terminal position at the end of the ‘Vatnsdalur I’ stage. The upper lobes of the high‐altitude rock glaciers were initiated sometimes between the ‘Vatnsdalur I’ but substantially before the ‘Vatnsdalur II’ (ca. 3.0–3.2 k yr BP) stages and underwent modification during each following Holocene glacier expansion episode, culminating the last time in the Little Ice Age. Thus, it is suggested that similar looking rock glaciers occurring elsewhere in the Tröllaskagi peninsula may have a similar complex history. Therefore, they may not be seen as rather simple landforms developed during the Little Ice Age. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary tectonics in a passive margin: Marajó Island, northern Brazil - Dilce F. Rossetti; Ana M. Góes; Márcio M. Valeriano; Maria Carolina C. Miranda (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Marajó Island is located in a passive continental margin that evolved from rifting associated with the opening of the Equatorial South Atlantic Ocean in the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous period. This study, based on remote sensing integrated with sedimentology, as well as subsurface and seismographic data available from the literature, allows discussion of the significance of tectonics during the Quaternary history of marginal basins. Results show that eastern Marajó Island contains channels with evidence of tectonic control. Mapping of straight channels defined four main groups of lineaments (i.e. NNE–SSW, NE–SW, NW–SE and E–W) that parallel main normal and strike‐slip fault zones recorded for the Amazon region. Additionally, sedimentological studies of late Quaternary and Holocene deposits indicate numerous ductile and brittle structures within stratigraphic horizons bounded by undeformed strata, related to seismogenic deformation during or shortly after sediment deposition. This conclusion is consistent with subsurface Bouguer mapping suggestive of eastern Marajó Island being still part of the Marajó graben system, where important fault reactivation is recorded up to the Quaternary. Together with the recognition of several phases of fault reactivation, these data suggest that faults developed in association with rift basins might remain active in passive margins, imposing important control on development of depositional systems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The relationship between rock glacier and contributing area parameters in the Front Range of Colorado - Jason Janke; Regula Frauenfelder (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Rock glaciers are an end unit of the coarse debris system that links frost weathering and rockfall to debris transport in mountainous environments. By examining topographic and climatic controls on creep, a better understanding of rock glacier formation and evolution could be obtained. A series of statistical tests were run comparing contributing area parameters (width, length, area, slope, headwall height, etc.) and rock glacier variables (width, length, area, thickness, slope, creep and temperature) in the Front Range of Colorado. Results showed that rock glacier width had the strongest correlation with contributing area width due to an abundance of lobate rock glaciers ( r = 0.78). Rock glacier area and contributing area size were also related ( r = 0.74), but are also a function of talus production factors. Mean surface velocity appears to be better correlated with thickness ( r = 0.58) and length ( r = 0.62), rather than slope ( r = 0.33). Mean annual air temperature had a stronger exponential relationship with maximum velocities ( r = 0.76) compared to mean annual velocity ( r = 0.60). Front Range rock glacier velocities tend to decrease with warming, suggesting that the volume of ice and debris, rates of shear in plastic layers, or melt water may have a greater influence on deformation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary speleothem pollen in the British Isles - Christopher J. Caseldine; Siobhán F. McGarry; Andy Baker; Chris Hawkesworth; Peter L. Smart (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
As with many terrestrial areas, the British Quaternary sequence is characterised by incomplete, fragmentary records, whose correlation is based on stratigraphic or biostratigraphic techniques due to the lack of radiometric ages beyond the ∼40 kyr limit of 14 C dating. Speleothems (secondary cave calcite deposits) offer a significant advantage over many sources of palaeoenvironmental information; they can be dated to a high precision and accuracy by uranium‐thorium ( 238 U‐ 230 Th) thermal ionisation and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry in the time period back to 500 kyr. They may also contain sufficient well‐preserved pollen representative of contemporary vegetation above the cave to allow palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. This study adopts the novel approach of combining pollen and thermal ionisation mass spectrometric (TIMS) U‐Th dating of British speleothems to produce well‐constrained palaeoenvironmental records. We report for the first time precisely dated records of pollen assemblages from speleothems suggesting the presence of thermophilous arboreal species in phases previously considered to have been consistently cool or cold and devoid of trees. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cirque infills in the Khibiny Mountains, Kola Peninsula, Russia — palaeoglaciological interpretations and modern analogues in East Antarctica - Clas Hättestrand; Vasili Kolka; Nina Johansen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
We report here on cirque infills mapped in the Khibiny Mountains, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Cirque infills are morainic deposits located near the headwalls of valleys and cirques. Their location and shape, often with concave margins towards the valley side, indicate that they were deposited by ice flowing up‐valley, into the mountains, rather than by local glaciers. We suggest that they formed during the last deglaciation, when Khibiny was a nunatak and Fennoscandian ice sheet lobes extended into valleys and cirques of the massif. The formation of cirque infills is probably more related to ice sheet dynamic factors, occurring when the ice margin retreated from the cirques, than to climate‐driven interruption in the ice‐marginal retreat. Glacial conditions similar to those prevalent when the Khibiny cirque infills were formed, occur today in Antarctica where the ice sheets engulf nunatak ranges. In Heimefrontfjella, Antarctica, the formation of supraglacial moraines at the head of cirques are linked to blue‐ice conditions, indicating locally low accumulation rates, a dry continental climate and sublimation dominated ablation. We suggest that these Antarctic moraines are modern analogues of cirque infills on the Kola Peninsula, and possibly, that the cirque infills may be used as palaeoenvironmental indicators. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Pleistocene loess‐palaeosol sequences in the Vojvodina region, north Serbia - Slobodan B. Marković; Mark P. Bokhorst; Jef Vandenberghe; William D. McCoy; Eric A. Oches; Urlich Hambach; Tivadar Gaudenyi; Mladjen Jovanović; Ludwig Zöller; Thomas Stevens; Björn Machalett (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Late Pleistocene loess‐palaeosol sequences are widespread in the Vojvodina region, with thicknesses reaching a maximum of about 20 m. Our investigations include more than 40 of these loess sections. Geochronology of the last glacial loess‐palaeosol sequences, based on luminescence dating and amino acid racemisation, provides correlations between Upper Pleistocene loess‐palaeosol sediments in Vojvodina and comparable deposits at other European localities. Sedimentary logs of magnetic susceptibility, grain‐size measurements and carbonate content, combined with malacological evidence, indicate two main relatively cold and arid phases during the last glacial period, related to intensive accumulation of loess units L1L1 and L1L2, as well as many brief episodes of dry and windy climatic conditions, suggesting a possible relationship with cold events recorded in the North Atlantic region. Generally, late Pleistocene climate in the region was dry and relatively warm, compared with glacial period sites in central Europe, and was characterised by sharp differences between glacial and interglacial modes. New data and interpretations presented in this study emphasise the significance of loess‐palaeosol sequences in Vojvodina for the reconstruction of the temporal and spatial evolution of late Pleistocene palaeoclimate in this part of Europe. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - C.J. Caseldine; D. Rodbell; C.S.M. Turney (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

The role of the Iceland Ice Sheet in the North Atlantic during the late Quaternary: a review and evidence from Denmark Strait - John T. Andrews (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Investigations indicate that the Iceland Ice Sheet was reduced in size during MIS 3 but readvanced to the shelf break at the LGM. Retreat occurred very rapidly around 15 k–16 k cal. yr BP. By contrast, the margin of the ice sheet on the East Greenland shelf, north of the Denmark Strait, was at or close to the shelf break during MIS 3 and 2 and retreat starting ∼17 k cal. yr BP. Quantitative X‐ray diffraction analysis of the ε Nd(0) values close to ±0. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Testate amoebae as proxies for mean annual water‐table depth in Sphagnum ‐dominated peatlands of North America - Robert K. Booth (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Peatland‐inhabiting testate amoebae are sensitive indicators of substrate‐moisture conditions and have increasingly been used in palaeohydrological studies. However, to improve accuracy of testate‐amoeba‐based hydrological inferences, baseline ecological data on rare taxa, a larger geographic network of calibration sites, and incorporation of long‐term estimates of water‐table depth are needed. Species–environment relationships at 369 sites from 31 peatlands in eastern North America were investigated. Long‐term estimates of water‐table depth were obtained using the method of polyvinyl (PVC) tape‐discolouration. Transfer functions were developed using a variety of models, and validated through jackknifing techniques and with an independent dataset where water‐table depths were directly measured throughout the growing season. Results indicate that mean annual water‐table depth can be inferred from testate amoeba assemblages with a mean error of 6 to 8 cm, although there is a slight systematic bias. All transfer function models performed similarly and produced similar reconstructions on a fossil sequence. In a preliminary effort towards development of a comprehensive North American calibration dataset, data from this study were combined with previous studies in Michigan and the Rocky Mountains ( n = 650). This combined dataset had slightly larger mean errors of prediction (8–9 cm) but includes data for several rare taxa. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply: Middle Pleistocene sedimentation at Pakefield, Suffolk, England: a response to Lee et al . (2006) P. L. Gibbard, A. Moscariello, H. W. Bailey, S. Boreham, C. Koch, A. R. Lord, J. E. Whittaker, C. A. Whiteman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Journal of Quaternary Science Published online 9 August 2007. DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1118 The above paper was incorrectly titled. The correct title should be: Comment: Middle Pleistocene sedimentation at Pakefield, Suffolk, England J. R. LEE, J. ROSE, I. CANDY and R. W. BARENDREGT (2006) Journal of Quaternary Science 21 : 155–179 The error will be corrected prior to print publication.

The REVEALS model, a new tool to estimate past regional plant abundance from pollen data in large lakes: validation in southern Sweden - Sofie Hellman; Marie‐José Gaillard; Anna Broström; Shinya Sugita (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
The REVEALS model was developed to reconstruct quantitatively regional vegetation abundance (in a 10 4 –10 5 km 2 area) from pollen assemblages in large lakes (≥100–500 ha). This model corrects for biases in pollen percentages caused by inter‐taxonomic differences in pollen productivity and dispersal. This paper presents the first case study to validate REVEALS, using empirical data from southern Sweden. Percentage cover of modern regional vegetation in Skåne and Småland, two contrasting vegetation regions, was predicted with REVEALS for 26 key taxa, using pollen assemblages from surface sediments in 10 large lakes, and compared to the actual vegetation within 10 4 km 2 compiled from satellite data, forestry inventories, crop statistics, aerial photographs, and vegetation inventories. REVEALS works well in predicting the percentage cover of large vegetation units such as total trees (wooded land), total herbs (open land), total conifers and total broad‐leaved trees, and it provides reasonable estimates for individual taxa, including Pinus , Picea , Betula , Corylus , Alnus , Tilia , Salix spp., Juniperus , Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Cerealia and Secale . The results show great potential for REVEALS applications, including (1) quantitative reconstructions of past regional land cover important for palaeoclimatology and nature conservation, and (2) local‐scale reconstruction of vegetation ( 2 up to ∼ 5 km 2 area) relevant for palaeoecology and archaeology. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply: Middle Pleistocene sedimentation at Pakefield, Suffolk, England - Jonathan R. Lee; James Rose; Ian Candy; Rene W. Barendregt; Brian S. P. Moorlock; James B. Riding; Richard J. O. Hamblin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Comment: Middle Pleistocene sedimentation at Pakefield, Suffolk, England. J. R. Lee, J. Rose, I. Candy and R. W. Barendregt (2006). Journal of Quaternary Science 21: 155–1791 - P. L. Gibbard; A. Moscariello; H. W. Bailey; S. Boreham; C. Koch; A. R. Lord; J. E. Whittaker; C. A. Whiteman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Multiproxy late Holocene peat records from Ireland: towards a regional palaeoclimate curve - Antony Blundell; Dan J. Charman; Keith Barber (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)
Two new peat‐based climate records from Ireland covering the late Holocene are presented. The sequences are dated by a strong chronological framework formed by AMS radiocarbon dates and SCPs. Three proxy indicators (testate amoebae, macrofossils and humification) have been determined allowing the limitations and strengths of each to be identified and utilised to provide a bog surface wetness (BSW) record for both sites. Age–depth models take into account the potential for accumulation rates to vary with bog vegetation. The records from each site have been used to derive a combined BSW record that displays changes to a wetter/cooler climate from ca. AD 30 (1920 BP), ca. AD 310 (1640 BP), ca. AD 805 (1145 BP), ca. AD 1040 (910 BP) and ca. AD 1300 (650 BP). Changes follow closely those identified in a northern Britain composite BSW record and largely correspond with lake‐level data in central France suggesting the main changes in water balance were coherent over a large region. Correspondence with increases in IRD and slower Iceland‐Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) suggests that these changes were related to oceanic forcing influencing the track of dominant westerly air flow over Ireland. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Isotopes in palaeoenvironmental research. M. J. Leng (ed.). Publisher: Springer, Heidelberg, 2006 (307 pp.) ISBN: 1‐4020‐2503‐3 - Ian Candy (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2008)

Luminescence chronology of late Holocene extreme hydrological events in the upper Penner River basin, South India - Puthusserry J. Thomas; Navin Juyal; Vishwas S. Kale; Ashok K. Singhvi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Field stratigraphy, sedimentology and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating have been used to reconstruct the southwest monsoon variability in the semi‐arid region of southern India during the late Holocene. Facies architecture and OSL dating of the water‐lain sediment suggest prevalence of a weak hydrological regime around 3 ka. Following this, a progressive strengthening of monsoon occurred till 2 ka. After 2 ka and until 1 ka fluvial activity was nearly dormant, indicating weakening of the monsoon. Presence of high‐magnitude flood deposits, overbank sedimentation and pedogenesis during 1–0.6 ka indicate intensification of the southwest monsoon in the basin. The onset of aridity was associated with episodic storm surge events that are manifested in the pond sedimentation and localised aeolian accretion. This phase is bracketed between 0.5 ka and 0.2 ka. A renewed phase of monsoonal activity was observed in the form of floodplain aggradation between 180 and 90 years ago. In the past 70 years no significant change in the monsoon performance has been observed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply: Late Quaternary deglacial history of the Mérida Andes, Venezuela: response to comment - Nathan D. Stansell; Mark B. Abbott; Pratigya J. Polissar; Alexander P. Wolfe; Maximiliano Bezada; Valenti Rull (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

First cosmogenic 10 Be age constraint on the timing of Younger Dryas glaciation and ice cap thickness, western Scottish Highlands - Nicholas R. Golledge; Derek Fabel; Jeremy D. Everest; Stewart Freeman; Steven Binnie (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
We use cosmogenic 10 Be surface exposure age techniques at a locality close to Rannoch Moor, western Scottish Highlands, in order to establish the age and chronology of its most recent glaciation. Glacial erratics and an in situ bedrock quartz vein sampled from this site—the summit of Beinn Inverveigh—have yielded zero‐erosion exposure ages of 12.9 ± 1.5 ka to 11.6 ± 1.0 ka, implying complete ice cover of the mountain during the Younger Dryas, or Loch Lomond Stadial. These results fit closely with published 14 C dates that bracket the maximum (lateral) extent of ice cap outlet glaciers, and are the first internally consistent ages to specifically address this period of glaciation in Scotland. Furthermore, the dates imply that previous palaeoglaciological reconstructions for this area may have underestimated both the thickness of the former ice cap and, by implication, its volume. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Donegal ice dome, northwest Ireland: dimensions and chronology - Colin K. Ballantyne; Danny McCarroll; John O. Stone (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Geomorphological evidence indicates that Donegal was formerly occupied by an ice dome that extended offshore to the west, northwest and north and was confluent with adjacent ice masses to the east and south. Erosive warm‐based ice over‐rode almost all the highest mountains, implying an ice‐divide altitude greater than 700 m. Only six peripheral summits escaped glacial modification, implying either that they remained above the ice surface as nunataks or supported a thin cover of protective cold‐based ice. Gibbsite, a pre‐last glacial weathering product, is preferentially represented on summits that escaped glacial modification. Cosmogenic 10 Be exposure ages of 18.6 ± 1.4 to 15.9 ± 1.0 k yr for coastal sites confirm that Donegal ice extended offshore at the last glacial maximum. Reconstruction of the form of the Donegal ice dome suggests a former minimum ice thickness of ∼500 m close to the present coastline in the west and northwest, and ∼400 m near the coast of the Inishowen Peninsula in the north, with the ice extending at least 20 km across the adjacent shelf to the west and northwest. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene coastal environmental changes on the periphery of an area of glacio‐isostatic uplift: an example from Scapa Bay, Orkney, UK - A. C. de la Vega‐Leinert; D. E. Smith; R. L. Jones (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The first detailed investigation of a deep, coastal, sedimentary basin in Orkney reveals a complex Holocene history of back‐barrier morphodynamics. At Scapa Bay, the sea flooded a freshwater marsh after ca. 9400 yr BP at ca. −5.4 m OD. Before ca. 7800 BP, abundant sediment from nearby cliffs was mobilised inland into a series of gravel barriers across the valley mouth. By ca. 7500 BP, direct marine influence was restricted in the back‐barrier area, although saltmarsh persisted until ca. 5900 BP. By then, at least four gravel ridges had enclosed the backing lagoon, where freshwater inputs became dominant. As terrestrial sediments filled the basin, another freshwater marsh developed. The multiple barrier complex demonstrates progradation resulting from continuous sediment supply in a sheltered embayment. The progressively rising height of the barrier crests seawards probably resulted from a combination of factors such as barrier morphodynamics, increased storminess and long‐term rising relative sea levels. The dominant vegetation surrounding Scapa Bay changed from open grassland to scrub ca. 9400 BP, then to deciduous woodland ca. 7800 BP, and to dwarf‐shrub heath ca. 2600 BP, the latter probably a response to a combination of climate change and human activity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comment: Late Quaternary deglacial history of the Mérida Andes, Venezuela. N. D. Stansell, M. B. Abbott, P. J. Polissar, A. P. Wolfe, M. Bezada and V. Rull (2005) Journal of Quaternary Science 20: 801–812 - William C. Mahaney; Randy W. Dirszowsky; Volli Kalm (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Recent TIMS dating results from British Late Pleistocene vertebrate faunal localities: context and interpretation - Mabs Gilmour; Andy Currant; Roger Jacobi; Chris Stringer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
New TIMS dates from British sites underpin and extend the growing model of mammalian faunal history during the Late Pleistocene. The sequence of British faunas during the three successive warm phases of MIS 5 presents a challenging model in which the mammal faunas of the first two temperate phases, 5e and 5c is dominated by species of a classically interglacial character, while that of the final phase, sub‐stage 5a, is dominated by bison and reindeer. This we see as the ‘cold fauna’ appearing in Britain during the cool isotope sub‐stage 5b and subsequently isolated by the rising sea level of isotope sub‐stage 5a. All these three faunas are true island faunas. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A morphometric analysis of tunnel valleys in the eastern North Sea based on 3D seismic data - Thomas B. Kristensen; Mads Huuse; Jan A. Piotrowski; Ole R. Clausen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
A 1250 km 2 3D seismic volume is used to provide a detailed spatial and geometrical analysis of fifteen Pleistocene tunnel valleys in the Danish North Sea. All the valleys are buried; they are up to 39 km long, 3–4 km wide and up to 350 m deep. The valleys are part of a vast tunnel valley province covering an area of some 0.5 million km 2 of the formerly glaciated lowland areas of North West Europe. The valleys consist of non‐branching, non‐anastomosing troughs; they exhibit strongly undulating bottom profiles with numerous sub‐basins and thresholds, and are characterised by adverse end slopes. Cross‐cutting relationships and theoretical considerations suggest the occurrence of seven major episodes of valley incision attributed to ice marginal oscillations within a few glacials. Calculations considering the valley end gradients and theoretical ice‐surface profiles suggest that the valleys were formed by pressurised subglacial meltwater erosion. Given a range of theoretical ice‐surface profiles, the adverse end slopes are well beyond the supercooling threshold, which suggests that the water was not in thermal equilibrium with the basal ice and that flow was concentrated in substantial conduits with sufficient mass and flux to maintain water temperature well above the freezing point. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Weichselian fluvio‐aeolian sands and coversands of the type locality Grubbenvorst (southern Netherlands): sedimentary environments, climate record and age - C. Kasse; D. Vandenberghe; F. De Corte; P. Van Den Haute (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The Weichselian Late Pleniglacial and Lateglacial aeolian stratigraphy (Older Coversand I, Beuningen Gravel Bed, Older Coversand II, Younger Coversand I, Usselo Soil, Younger Coversand II) in the southern Netherlands has been reinvestigated in its type locality (Grubbenvorst). Sedimentary environments have been reconstructed and related to their climatic evolution based on periglacial structures. In addition, 22 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages have been determined that provide an absolute chronology for the climatic evolution and environmental changes of the coversand area. From this work it appears that, prior to 25 ka fluvial deposition by the Maas dominated. After 25 ka fluvial activity reduced and deposition occurred in a fluvio‐aeolian environment with continuous permafrost (Older Coversand I). This depositional phase was dated between 25.2 ± 2.0 and 17.2 ± 1.2 ka. The upward increase of aeolian activity and cryogenic structures in this unit is related to an increase of climatic aridity and a decrease in sedimentation rate during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Beuningen Gravel Bed, that results from deflation with polar desert conditions and that represents a stratigraphic marker in northwestern Europe, was bracketed between 17.2 ± 1.2 and 15.3 ± 1.0 ka. Based on this age result a correlation with Heinrich event H1 is suggested. Permafrost degradation occurred at the end of this period. Optical ages for the Older Coversand II unit directly overlying the Beuningen Gravel Bed range from 15.3 ± 1.0 ka at the base to 12.7 ± 0.9 ka at the top. Thus this regionally important Older Coversand II unit started at the end of the Late Pleniglacial and continued throughout the early Lateglacial. Its formation after the Late Pleniglacial (LP) maximum cold and its preservation are related to rapid climatic warming around 14.7 ka cal. BP. The Allerød age of the Usselo Soil was confirmed by the optical ages. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climatic change during the last 4000 years in the southern Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, northwest China - Wei Zhong; Ji Bin Xue; Qiang Shu; Li Guo Wang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
In this study, a ca. 4000 cal. yr ancient lacustrine (or wetland) sediment record at the southern margin of Tarim Basin is used to reconstruct the history of climate change. Six radiocarbon dates on organic matter were obtained. δ 18 O and δ 13 C of carbonate, pollen and sediment particle size were analysed for climate proxies. The proxies indicate that a drier climate prevailed in the area before ca. 1010 BC and during period 1010 BC–AD 500 climate then changed rapidly and continuously from dry to moist, but after about AD 500 climate generally shows dry condition. Several centennial‐scale climatic events were revealed, with the wettest spell during AD 450–550, and a relatively wetter interval between AD 930–1030. Pollen results show that regional climate may influence human agricultural activities. Spectral analysis of mean grain size (MGS) proxy reveals statistically pronounced cyclic signals, such as ca. 200 yr, ca. 120 yr, ca. 90 yr, ca. 45 yr and ca. 33 or 30 yr, which may be associated with solar activities, implying that solar variability plays an important role in the decadal‐ and centennial‐scale climate variations in the study area. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tephrabase: tephrochronology and the development of a centralised European database - Anthony J. Newton; Andrew J. Dugmore; Bruce M. Gittings (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Tephrabase was launched on the World Wide Web in 1995 as a tool for tephrochronological research. In order to facilitate the identification, correlation and dating of tephra deposits, this database may be interrogated through multiple routes, including by source volcano, date, location, and tephra chemistry; datasets include stratigraphy, geochemistry, chronology and spatial information. Currently all the European data refer to Late Quaternary Icelandic‐sourced tephras, post‐12 k yr BP. The sites (62) where the tephra deposits are found include Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden and Russia. In addition, there are also data on tephra layers in central Mexico. Use of Tephrabase highlights the importance of selected geochemical data, but this has to be used with care as major element characteristics alone do not always produce unique definitions for single tephra deposits. For the most accurate results multiple criteria must be used. Tephrabase can be found at http://www.tephrabase.org . Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A multiproxy climate record from a raised bog in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland: a critical examination of the link between bog surface wetness and solar variability - Graeme T. Swindles; Gill Plunkett; Helen M. Roe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
A proxy climate record from a raised bog in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is presented. The record spans the interval between 2850 cal. yr BC and cal. yr AD 1000 and chronological control is achieved through the use of tephrochronology and 14 C dating, including a wiggle‐match on one section of the record. Palaeoclimatic inferences are based on a combination of a testate amoebae‐derived water table reconstruction, peat humification and plant macrofossil analyses. This multiproxy approach enables proxy‐specific effects to be identified. Major wet shifts are registered in the proxies at ca. 1510 cal. yr BC, 750 cal. yr BC and cal. yr AD 470. Smaller magnitude shifts to wetter conditions are also recorded at ca. 380 cal. yr BC, 150 cal. yr BC, cal. yr AD 180, and cal. yr AD 690. It is hypothesised that the wet shifts are not merely local events as they appear to be linked to wider climate deteriorations in northwest Europe. Harmonic analysis of the proxies illustrates statistically significant periodicities of 580, 423–373, 307 and 265 years that may be related to wider Holocene climate cycles. This paper illustrates how the timing of climate changes registered in peat profiles records can be precisely constrained using tephrochronology to examine possible climatic responses to solar forcing. Relying on interpolated chronologies with considerable dating uncertainty must be avoided if the climatic responses to forcing mechanisms are to be fully understood. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Strong correlation between summer temperature and pollen accumulation rates for Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula spp. in a high‐resolution record from northern Sweden - L. Barnekow; N. J. Loader; S. Hicks; C. A. Froyd; T. Goslar (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Highly resolved pollen spectra analysed from a 47 cm peat monolith recovered from a mire in northern Sweden exhibit climatic sensitivity in the pollen accumulation rates (PAR) of boreal treeline species. Robust temporal control, afforded through multiple AMS radiocarbon dating of the post‐atomic‐bomb‐test period (AD 1961–2002), provides a unique opportunity to compare pollen accumulation rates with the instrumental meteorological record. Strong correlations are observed between summer temperature and PAR for Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula spp. (excluding B. nana ). Despite well constrained, contiguous (‘annual’) sampling, the temporal resolution of the pollen signal preserved within each sample appears to be degraded to ca. 3–5 year resolution. This is likely to reflect processes occurring during peat accumulation and pollen deposition, as well as dating uncertainties and the effects of subsampling. These findings identify limitations to the maximum resolution that may realistically be recovered from the peat archive using high‐resolution sampling protocols and AMS 14 C dating. We also identify the need for additional work to quantify the role of climate on peat accumulation and the resultant impact on assemblage‐based palaeoenvironmental reconstructions within mire sequences. The strongest climate association observed for Picea abies ( r = 0.53; n = 36) was extended through the monolith beyond the 42 year period of ‘annual’ sampling and the response successfully correlated with the Bottenviken historical instrumental record to AD 1860. Although only presenting data from a single site, and requiring wider replication, we conclude that for sites close to the ecological limits of tree species, where levels of anthropogenic/non‐climatic forcing on pollen production are low, well‐dated records of PAR may potentially provide a proxy for reconstructing past summer temperature variability. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Correlation and characterisation of individual glass shards from tephra deposits using trace element laser ablation ICP‐MS analyses: current status and future potential - Nicholas J. G. Pearce; Joanna S. Denton; William T. Perkins; John A. Westgate; Brent V. Alloway (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) is a high spatial resolution analytical method which has been applied to the analysis of silicic tephras. With current instrumentation, around 30 trace elements can be determined from single glass shards as small as ∼ 40 µm, separated from tephra deposits. As a result of element fractionation during the ablation process using a 266 nm laser, a relatively complex calibration strategy is required. Nonetheless, such a strategy gives analyses which are accurate (typically within ±5%) and have an analytical precision which varies from ∼ ±2% at 100 ppm, to ∼ ±15% at 1 ppm. Detection limits for elements used in correlation and discrimination studies are well below 1 ppm. Examples of the application of trace element analysis by LA‐ICP‐MS in tephra studies are presented from the USA, New Zealand and the Mediterranean. Improvements in instrumental sensitivity in recent years have the potential to lower detection limits and improve analytical precision, thus allowing the analysis of smaller glass shards from more distal tephras. Laser systems operating at shorter wavelengths (e.g. 193 nm) are now more widely available, and produce a much more controllable ablation in glasses than 266 nm lasers. Crater sizes of

People and large carnivores as biostratinomic agents in Lateglacial cave assemblages - T. C. Lord; T. P. O'Connor; D. C. Siebrandt; R. M. Jacobi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Biostratinomic analysis (processes acting between death and burial) of Lateglacial mammal bone assemblages from three caves in northern England demonstrates the value of re‐examining archived assemblages. With AMS radiocarbon dating of key specimens, these assemblages shed light on the ecology of a region at the northern limit of Lateglacial human activity in Britain. During the Lateglacial Interstadial bears, wolves and humans expanded into the region, bears by around 12 500 14 C yr BP, and the earliest evidence for human presence is around 12 300 14 C yr BP. At Victoria Cave, wolf activity included predation and scavenging of large ungulates and scavenging bear carcasses apparently resulting from hibernation deaths. The scavenging of bear carcasses is possibly confined to the first part of the Lateglacial Interstadial, whereas evidence for wolf scavenging large ungulates increases later in the Interstadial, after about 11 800 14 C yr BP, perhaps reflecting changes in the productivity of the Lateglacial ecosystem, and in human subsistence patterns. The assemblage from Sewell's Cave is wolf den debris from the very end of the Lateglacial Interstadial around 10 800 14 C yr BP, whilst that from Kinsey Cave is dominated by large‐bodied carnivores, and is argued to have a quite different taphonomic history. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary river development in the southwest Chad Basin: OSL dating of sediment from the Komadugu palaeofloodplain (northeast Nigeria) - Maren Gumnior; Frank Preusser (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The Komadugu river system is the major Nigerian tributary to Lake Chad. Its large alluvial complex represents an important archive of the late Quaternary environmental history of the Chad Basin. Modern floodplains are incised into an older fluvial terrace that extends over 5000 km 2 . Evidence from satellite images suggests that the ancient river system was dammed up by the Bama Beach Ridge during high stands of mega Lake Chad. This caused the formation of extensive wetlands with a chaotic network of relic channels. The first set of luminescence ages presented here fits well into the previously established environmental history of the Chad Basin. Both the early and mid‐Holocene pluvial periods as well as a final relatively humid period during the late Holocene are reflected by point bar to overbank deposits or channel fills. The onset of the Holocene was characterised by erosion of older dune fields as indicated by grain‐size distributions of the alluvium. Satellite images and sedimentological observations show that the floodplain was dominated by meandering channels shifted by frequent avulsion, reflecting a high variability in precipitation and discharge patterns at the beginning and end of Holocene humid periods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental archaeology. Theoretical and practical approaches. N. Branch, M. Canti, P. Clark and C. Turney (eds). Publisher: Hodder Arnold, London, 2005 (240 pp.) ISBN: 0‐340‐80871‐3 - Jane Sidell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Holocene colluvial (debris‐flow and water‐flow) processes in eastern Norway: stratigraphy, chronology and palaeoenvironmental implications - K. Sletten; L. H. Blikra (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Very little is known about the temporal pattern and the palaeoenvironmental implications of Holocene colluvial processes (debris‐flow and water‐flow processes) in eastern Norway. In this study, well‐dated sedimentary successions from 19 deep excavations are used to reconstruct Holocene colluvial activity in upper Gudbrandsdalen, eastern Norway. Following deglaciation, debris‐flow and water‐flow events have been common in upper Gudbrandsdalen throughout the Holocene, with 62% of the recognised debris‐flow and water‐flow units deposited prior to 5000 cal. yr BP. Relatively high colluvial activity is recorded at ca. 8600–7400, 2400–1900 and 800–400 cal. yr BP, with a conspicuous peak at ca. 8500–8100. Periods of relatively low colluvial activity are recorded at ca. 7100–6500, 5900–5300 and 3500–2500 cal. yr BP. Two different weather situations, unusually heavy rains and warm periods during the snowmelt season, are responsible for triggering colluvial processes in this area. These different weather situations may in turn be related to different climatic conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geomorphological signature and flow dynamics of The Minch palaeo‐ice stream, northwest Scotland - Tom Bradwell; Martyn Stoker; Rob Larter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Large‐scale streamlined glacial landforms are identified in 11 areas of northwest Scotland, from the Isle of Skye in the south to the Butt of Lewis in the north. These ice‐directional features occur in bedrock and superficial deposits, generally below 350 m above sea level, and where best developed have elongation ratios of >20:1. Sidescan sonar and multibeam echo‐sounding data from The Minch show elongate streamlined ridges and grooves on the seabed, with elongation ratios of up to 70:1. These bedforms are interpreted as mega‐scale glacial lineations. All the features identified formed beneath The Minch palaeo‐ice stream which was ca. 200 km long, up to 50 km wide and drained ca. 15 000 km 2 of the northwest sector of the last British‐Irish Ice Sheet (Late Devensian Glaciation). Nine ice‐stream tributaries and palaeo‐onset zones are also identified, on the basis of geomorphological evidence. The spatial distribution and pattern of streamlined bedforms around The Minch has enabled the catchment, flow paths and basal shear stresses of the palaeo‐ice stream and its tributaries to be tentatively reconstructed. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessment of δ 13 C and C/N ratios in bulk organic matter as palaeosalinity indicators in Holocene and Lateglacial isolation basin sediments, northwest Scotland - Elizabeth A. V. Mackie; Jeremy M. Lloyd; Melanie J. Leng; Michael J. Bentley; Carol Arrowsmith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Carbon isotopes (δ 13 C) and C/N ratios from bulk organic matter have recently been used as alternative proxies for relative sea‐level (RSL) reconstruction where there are problems associated with conventional biological indictors. A previous study on a single isolation basin (Upper Loch nan Eala) in northwest Scotland has shown a clear relationship between δ 13 C, C/N ratios and palaeosalinity from Younger Dryas and Holocene aged sediments. In this paper we present results of δ 13 C and C/N ratio analyses from other isolation basins in northwest Scotland over the Holocene and the Lateglacial period in order to validate this technique. The results from the Holocene sequences support the earlier findings that this technique can be used to identify RSL change from isolation basins over the Holocene in this region. The relationship between δ 13 C, C/N ratios and RSL change is not apparent in sediments of Lateglacial age. Other environmental variables such as atmospheric CO 2 concentration, poor vegetation development and temperature influence δ 13 C values during this period. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Formalising an inversion methodology for reconstructing ice‐sheet retreat patterns from meltwater channels: application to the British Ice Sheet - Sarah L. Greenwood; Chris D. Clark; Anna L. C. Hughes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Glacial meltwater channels yield important information regarding patterns of palaeo‐ice‐sheet retreat. However, it is important to distinguish between channels formed at different positions in relation to the ice mass (e.g. lateral, subglacial). In Britain, whilst meltwater channels have been widely reported in the literature, such categorisation is often lacking. Here we develop an inversion methodology for extracting ice margin retreat patterns from meltwater channels. Diagnostic geomorphological criteria are presented, derived from published descriptions of meltwater channel form, by which a channel of unknown origin may be assigned to its appropriate category. These criteria are applied to channels recorded in the BRITICE GIS database of glacial landforms and we find most channels to be of lateral or subglacial origin. The categorisation of channels enables palaeomargin positions and the direction of retreat‐stage ice flow to be approximated, and a preliminary reconstruction is made of fragments of the ice‐sheet retreat pattern. Further mapping and integration of melt traces with other geomorphic data will permit a more complete palaeo‐glaciological reconstruction of the last British Ice Sheet. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Paleontological data analysis. Ø. Hammer and D. Harper (eds). Publisher : Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2005 (351 pp.) ISBN: 1‐4051‐1544‐0 - David Polly (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Microstructural evidence of low‐strain, time‐transgressive subglacial deformation - N. K. Larsen; J. A. Piotrowski; J. Menzies (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Microstructural analyses were used to investigate the formation of a macroscale‐massive till at Knud Strand in Denmark. More than 100 thin sections were examined and microstructures mapped and counted for quantitative comparison and interpretation. Microstructures indicative of both brittle (grain lineations, edge‐to‐edge crushed grains) and ductile (turbate structures) deformation are evenly distributed in vertical profiles through the till, suggesting that strain contributed to its formation. Discrete shears (grain lineations and plasmic fabric) probably accommodated most deformation, whereas rotational deformation was less prominent. The microshear geometry fits the predicted Coulomb–Mohr failure criterion, indicating that till behaves as a plastic material. Strain estimate of ca. 10 1 from micromorphological proxies is two–three orders of magnitude lower than expected if the till was subjected to pervasive deformation. A hybrid of lodgement and time‐transgressive deformation is envisaged as the till‐forming processes. Our data suggest that even abundant evidence of microscale deformation at continuing high levels of strain may only record the latest process of deposition and deformation and therefore not fully reflect the complexity of till genesis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Three new distal tephras in sediments spanning the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition in Scotland - Sean D. F. Pyne‐O'Donnell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Three new microtephras are reported from a number of lake sites from the Inner Hebrides and Scottish mainland. One occurs stratigrapically in the middle of Greenland Interstadial 1 (GI‐1) and has been named the Penifiler Tephra. It is rhyolitic and possesses a geochemical signature that is very similar to that of the Borrobol Tephra, which also occurs in three of the sequences reported here, but which lies close to the lower boundary of GI‐1. The second occurs stratigraphically in the early Holocene below the Saksunarvatn Ash and is named the Ashik Tephra. This tephra is geochemically bimodal, with a rhyolitic component comparable to the An Druim Tephra that occurs later in the Holocene, and a basaltic component which is similar to the Saksunarvatn Ash. A third tephra occurs stratigraphically above the Saksunarvatn Ash and is provisionally named the Breakish Tephra. The consistent inter‐site correlation demonstrated for these new tephras at several sites enhances the regional tephrostratigraphic framework, and increases the potential for correlating palaeoenvironmental events during GI‐1 and the early Holocene. However, the occurrence of multiple tephras with similar geochemistry in close stratigraphic and temporal proximity has implications for the rigour with which tephrostratigraphic investigations must be performed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The importance of local‐scale openness within regions dominated by closed woodland - Ralph Fyfe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
New and existing pollen data from Wales, UK, are used to assess the level of landscape openness at the regional and local scale. At the regional scale, the existing pollen data support the high‐forest model of vegetation structure by 6000 cal. yr. BC prior to any palynological signal for anthropogenic impact in the region. New data from two sites in southwest Wales follow the general regional pattern of early to middle Holocene vegetation succession, but are striking owing to maintenance of high non‐arboreal pollen percentages (NAPs) throughout the mid‐Holocene. It is argued that these NAPs indicate that a significant degree of openness can be found at the local level (and beyond the confines of the peat‐forming site) within regions characterised by closed woodland. It is possible that woodland development in these areas may have been suppressed by reduced drainage, although the role of grazing animals in maintenance of clearings cannot be assessed. Implications for this local degree of openness are discussed, in particular the significance of vegetation heterogeneity at the local scale for the construction of place or locale for prehistoric communities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Middle Weichselian interstadial lake deposit on Sejerø, Denmark: macrofossil studies and dating - Ole Bennike; Michael Houmark‐Nielsen; Peter Wiberg‐Larsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Studies of lake sediments on Sejerø in southern Kattegat indicate a treeless arctic environment with the dwarf shrub Salix polaris , herbs and wetland mosses. The mean July temperature was around 8 to 10°C. An AMS radiocarbon age determination of a Salix twig yielded an age of around 36 000 14 C yr BP, which is in accordance with previous conventional dating of bulk sediment samples. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pre‐Quaternary landscape inheritance in Australia - Brad Pillans (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Palaeogeographic reconstructions indicate that parts of the Australian continent have been subaerially exposed for hundreds of millions of years. Some landforms and regolith are demonstrated to be at least 300 million years old, but their persistence at or near the surface is inconsistent with long‐term denudation rate estimates based on cosmogenic nuclides and apatite fission track thermochronology. Burial and exhumation are suggested as significant preservation factors, in conjunction with prolonged tectonic stability and a shift to more arid climatic regimes in the Cenozoic. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An MIS 5a to MIS 4 (or early MIS 3) environmental and climatic reconstruction from the northwest South Island, New Zealand, using beetle fossils - P. I. Burge; J. Shulmeister (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
A fossil beetle study is presented from the northwest coast, South Island, New Zealand. The samples were recovered from overbank deposits on a marine terrace situated 4 km east of Westport, New Zealand (41° 45' S, 171° 36' E). The age of the site is constrained to between 74 and 40 ka but discrepancies between luminescence and radiocarbon age results prevent more precise age control. The older of two samples indicates a closed canopy Nothofagus (southern beech) forest with deep litter and dead wood on the forest floor. The younger sample yields a similar Nothofagus forest environment with subalpine affinities and nearby tussock grassland. For the older sample, mean summer and winter minimum temperatures were similar to modern values. Mean summer temperature was ca. 3.0°C cooler than modern during the younger phase while mean minimum winter temperature was ca. 5.0°C cooler than present indicating both cooling and increased seasonality. Both samples suggest a 30–40% decrease in mean annual precipitation from modern values. Persistence of closed canopy Nothofagus forest during the period of 74–40 ka contrasts with regional pollen studies which imply widespread shrub‐land at these times. This implies that this site may have served as a glacial refugium for Nothofagus forest. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A high‐resolution record of vegetation and climate through the last glacial cycle from Caledonia Fen, southeastern highlands of Australia - A. P. Kershaw; G. M. McKenzie; N. Porch; R. G. Roberts; J. Brown; H. Heijnis; M. L. Orr; G. Jacobsen; P. R. Newall (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
A blocked tributary has provided a rare site of long‐term sediment accumulation in montane southeastern Australia. This site has yielded a continuous, detailed pollen record through the last ca. 140 000 years and revealed marked vegetation and environmental changes at orbital to sub‐millennial scales. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL, or optical) ages provide some chronological control for the last ca. 70 000 years. Most of the sediment is inorganic but with well preserved pollen that accumulated under unproductive and probably largely ice‐covered lake conditions. The lake was surrounded by low‐growing plants with an alpine character. Exceptions include three discrete periods of high organic sedimentation in the basin and forest development in the surrounding catchment. The two major periods of forest expansion are related to the last interglacial and the Holocene, with the third, shorter period considered to represent an interstadial in the early part of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. The latter part of the last glacial period is characterised by abrupt sub‐millennial, amelioration events that may relate to documented global oscillations emanating from the North Atlantic. There are systematic changes through the record that can be partly attributed to basin infilling but the progressive reduction and regional extinction of some plant taxa is attributed to a long‐term trend towards climatic drying. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sediment mixing at Nonda Rock: investigations of stratigraphic integrity at an early archaeological site in northern Australia and implications for the human colonisation of the continent - Bruno David; Richard G. Roberts; John Magee; Jerome Mialanes; Chris Turney; Michael Bird; Chris White; L. Keith Fifield; John Tibby (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Archaeological excavations in sediments dating to between 60 000 and 40 000 years ago are rare in Australia. Yet this is precisely the period in which most archaeologists consider that Aboriginal people arrived on the continent. In the few cases where such early sites have been investigated, questions have invariably been raised as to the reliability of stratigraphic associations between cultural items and the surrounding sediments. This paper describes a method for examining sediment mixing in a stratigraphic sequence using the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals from individual sand‐sized grains of quartz. We apply this method to the archaeological site of Nonda Rock (north Queensland), in combination with radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments, to construct chronologies for human occupation and for the preceding, culturally sterile, deposits. Our age estimates have implications for the timing of first human arrival in Australia. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vegetation and climate of Auckland, New Zealand, since ca. 32 000 cal. yr ago: support for an extended LGM - Rewi M. Newnham; David J. Lowe; Teresa Giles; Brent V. Alloway (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Auckland occupies a climatically sensitive position close to a major biogeographic boundary in the southern mid‐latitudes. A new pollen record from Kohuora maar crater, Auckland, displays vegetation and climatic changes for the past ca. 32 000 years. Of particular interest are the inferred climatic patterns for the first part of the interval, encompassing the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Kohuora record corresponds closely with pollen records from other Auckland sites indicating that the patterns observed are at least regional in extent. It is also broadly consistent with a variety of palaeoenvironmental evidence from across New Zealand, including the glacial record from Westland, other palynological records from North Island, other palaeoecological records from the South Island, and aeolian quartz sequences from western North Island. These records show that glacial conditions prevailed across most, if not all, of New Zealand during the interval ca. 29–19 k cal. yr BP, longer and earlier than the LGM sensu stricto . We suggest that the term extended LGM (eLGM) may be more appropriate for the New Zealand region. Within this predominantly cold interval, the Auckland pollen records indicate a climatic amelioration for the interval ca. 26–24 k cal. yr BP, also consistent with other palaeocological data from Canterbury, that fall within a period of climate amelioration recognised between the first two eLGM glacial advances in Westland. We refer to this warming interval as the eLGM Interstadial. The ca. 27 k cal. yr BP Kawakawa/Oruanui tephra is instrumental in most of these inter‐site comparisons and occurs after the first peak of eLGM cooling in a short‐lived comparatively mild phase. A subsequent return to apparently colder climate in the Auckland records may indicate a volcanic cooling effect or, more likely, widespread landscape disturbance following this major eruption event. Strong correspondence between biotic responses, glacial fluctuations and aeolian quartz deposition linked to major shifts in strength and latitudinal extent of the southern westerlies suggest that both the eLGM and eLGM Interstadial may be more widely registered, at least across the Southern Ocean. Support for this assertion comes from parallel investigations in western and southernmost South America and isotopic and palaeoecological records from Southern Ocean marine cores. Recent reconstructions of the globally averaged ice‐equivalent sea‐level history are in line with this evidence from the Southern Hemisphere, suggesting that the eLGM may have a global registration. In light of these observations, we suggest a re‐examination of the defined timing of the LGM along with renewed effort to establish climatic patterns during this period and understand their causes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A pre‐deforestation pollen‐climate calibration model for New Zealand and quantitative temperature reconstructions for the past 18 000 years BP - Janet M. Wilmshurst; Matt S. McGlone; John R. Leathwick; Rewi M. Newnham (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Quantification of modern pollen rain–vegetation–climate relationships in New Zealand has been complicated by human destruction of at least 75% of the original forest cover since ca. 750 years BP, causing contemporary pollen rain over large areas to bear little resemblance to the pre‐human vegetation. We use a pre‐deforestation pollen database to circumvent this complication. The relationships between the pre‐deforestation pollen assemblages and six climatic variables were explored using principal components analysis and constrained regressions (redundancy analyses). Quantitative estimates of the most significant climate variable (mean annual temperature) were made at seven lowland to montane fossil pollen sites from throughout New Zealand using the modern analogue technique and a transfer function. These showed an initial increase in mean annual temperature after 18 000 cal. yr BP, a cooling at the time of the Antarctic Cold Reversal (centred on 13 500 cal. yr BP) and continuation of warming from ca. 12 000 cal. yr BP across the Younger Dryas chronozone, reaching a Holocene thermal optimum that may have been between 1.5 and 3°C warmer than present and lasted from 9000 to 7000 cal. yr BP depending on the site. Cooling to present‐day temperatures was well advanced by 4000–3000 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relationships between desert dunes during the late Quaternary in the Lake Frome region, Strzelecki Desert, Australia - Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons; James M. Bowler; Edward J. Rhodes; John M. Magee (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Transverse and linear dunes near the ephemeral Lake Frome in the Strzelecki Desert of Australia provide evidence for a genetic geomorphic relationship between desert dune types. Transverse dunes, overlying palaeoshorelines, lie upwind from linear dunes. The sedimentology of both dune types is similar, suggesting reworking or downwind transport of the same source material over time. Clay pellets from several horizons within the linear and transverse dunes provide evidence for fluctuating water tables and high evaporation rates during those periods of aeolian activity, along with salt influx associated with the deflation of Lake Frome. We conclude that the nature and initiation of dune activity is controlled not only by aridity, but by local hydrology. OSL ages from both transverse and linear dunes indicate aeolian activity at 66–57 ka and 22–11 ka. Transverse dune building took place around 106–111 ka. Linear dune activity initiated at least 66 ka ago, with reactivation around 43–28 ka, followed by pedogenesis in response to humid conditions. Widespread dune reactivation from around 22 ka correlates broadly with the Last Glacial Maximum and late glacial period, consistent with evidence of cold, arid conditions and dune activity in Australia. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evidence for regionally wet conditions before the LGM in southeast Australia: OSL ages from a large palaeochannel in the Lachlan Valley - Justine Kemp; Nigel A. Spooner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques have been used to obtain the first ages on Late Pleistocene channels in the Lachlan Valley, southeastern Australia. Two OSL ages from channel sand and overlying source‐bordering dune sand indicate that large sinuous channels, with bankfull discharges six to eight times greater than the present river, were fully established by 34 ka BP. This conclusion is consistent with regional lake level and geomorphic evidence of cool, pluvial conditions that preceded the last glacial maximum (LGM), providing new information on a long‐standing palaeohydrological problem caused by the apparent synchroneity of large river systems and regional aridity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary climatic, environmental and archaeological change in Australasia - Chris S. M. Turney; James Scourse; Don Rodbell; Chris Caseldine (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Initial speleothem results from western Flores and eastern Java, Indonesia: were climate changes from 47 to 5 ka responsible for the extinction of Homo floresiensis ? - K. E. Westaway; J.‐x. Zhao; R. G. Roberts; A. R. Chivas; M. J. Morwood; T. Sutikna (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Little is known about climate changes on Flores that influenced Homo floresiensis during the period of occupation of Liang Bua (95–12 ka) or the late‐surviving pygmy Stegodon lineage; both species became locally extinct at ca. 12 ka. Previous palaeoclimate analysis in this region has established that a prolonged dry period (ca. 45–12 ka) was followed by a rapid increase in rainfall, but lacks a firm chronology. Here we report initial results for stalagmites from western Flores and eastern Java. Using δ 18 O data from contemporaneous records, a series of isotopic shifts has been identified that reflects changes in the amount of rainfall, and in moisture sources. The isotopic signals from oxygen and carbon suggest differing ages for the rapid increase in rainfall, at ca. 13 ka and 17–16.5 ka, respectively. Thus, it cannot be determined from this evidence whether the abrupt disappearance of Stegodon and Homo floresiensis in western Flores was coincident with a major change in climate, or was caused instead, or as well, by a volcanic eruption at ca. 12 ka, or was related to the arrival of Homo sapiens at Liang Bua by ca. 10.5 ka. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cryospheric systems: glaciers and permafrost. C. Harris and J. B. Murton (eds), Publisher : Special Publication of the Geological Society of London no. 242, 2005 (161 pp.) ISBN: 1‐86239‐175‐0 - Richard Hodgkins (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Using fossil spring deposits in the Death Valley region, USA to evaluate palaeoflowpaths - R. E. Miner; S. T. Nelson; D. G. Tingey; M. T. Murrell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Spring deposits reveal the timing and environment of past groundwater discharge. Herein, however, the potential for fossil spring deposits to infer water sources and palaeoflowpaths through trace elements and stable and radiogenic isotopes is examined. Past discharge (70 to 285 ka) in the Tecopa Basin in the Death Valley region of southeastern California is represented by tufa deposits, including mounds, pools, cemented ledges and rare calcite feeder veins. δ 18 O values indicate that spring discharge was a mixture of far‐travelled (regional) water with a significant, and perhaps dominant contribution of local recharge on a nearby range front and alluvial pediment, rather than simply representing an elevated regional water table. δ 13 C values indicate regional water had a high TDS, whereas solute data imply low overall solute contents, consistent with dilution by a large component of local recharge. Radiogenic isotope data (U‐series, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) for tufa indicate that siliciclastic rocks (a regional aquitard) interacted with discharging water. To access this aquitard, regional flow was probably partitioned into a permeable north–south damage zone of a north–south range‐bounding fault along the foot of the Resting Spring Range, which ultimately controlled the location of groundwater discharge. Existing models for modern discharge in the Tecopa Basin, by contrast, call upon westward interbasin flow in carbonate rocks from the Spring Mountains through the intervening (and nearly perpendicular) Nopah and Resting Spring Ranges. Understanding the controls on regional groundwater flow is critical in this and other arid regions where water is, by definition, a scarce resource. Thus, although it is a case study, this report highlights a fruitful approach to palaeohydrology that can be widely applied. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comment: Tephrochronological dating of varved interglacial lake deposits from Piànico‐Sèllere (Southern Alps, Italy) to around 400 ka. Achim Brauer, Sabine Wulf, Clara Mangili and Andrea Moscariello Journal of Quaternary Science 22 : 85–96 - Daniele L. Pinti; Virgile Rouchon; Xavier Quidelleur; Pierre‐Yves Gillot; Sergio Chiesa; Cesare Ravazzi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Dating Quaternary volcanism and incision by the River Tigris at Diyarbakır, southeast Turkey - David R. Bridgland; Tuncer Demi̇r; Ali̇ Seyrek; Malcolm Pringle; Rob Westaway; Anthony R. Beck; George Rowbotham; Sema Yurtmen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
New high‐precision Ar‐Ar dating of basalt underlying the city of Diyarbakır, southeast Turkey, constrains the Quaternary incision history of the River Tigris, strengthening the pre‐existing chronology based on magnetostratigraphy and K‐Ar dates. The basalt, which overlies Tigris terrace gravel 70 m above the river, is part of the Karacadağ shield volcano complex centred ca. 60 km to the southwest. The reverse‐magnetised Diyarbakır basalt, one of relatively few flow units to reach the Tigris valley axis, has been dated to 1196 ± 19 ka (±2 σ ). Two lower terraces have been recognised in the Diyarbakır area, 46 and 32 m above the present river, with at least one other further downstream. From this evidence the rate of Middle‐Late Pleistocene incision by the Tigris can be estimated; it probably reached ca. 0.07 mm a −1 , reflecting the characteristic global increase in uplift rates observed at that time. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New OSL dating of UK loess: indications of two phases of Late Glacial dust accretion in SE England and climate implications - Michèle L. Clarke; Antoni E. Milodowski; Jon E. Bouch; Melanie J. Leng; Kevin J. Northmore (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Windblown dust deposits or loess, locally known in the UK as brickearth, blanket many parts of southern England outside the limits of the British and Irish Ice Sheet. The best‐studied loess exposures occur in Kent, southeast England, where the deposits are believed to be Late Glacial in age. New sedimentological evidence is presented for phases of accretion with two distinct units, a calcareous brickearth exhibiting periglacial cryoturbation and a non‐calcareous, massive brickearth. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating has been applied to chemically isolated modal quartz silts to derive a chronology for sediment accretion and to better understand the palaeoclimatic significance of these deposits. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply: Tephrochronological dating of varved interglacial lake deposits from Piànico‐Sèllere (Southern Alps, Italy) to around 400 ka - Achim Brauer; Sabine Wulf; Clara Mangili; Oona Appelt; Andrea Moscariello (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Holocene climate change in the eastern Mediterranean region: a comparison of stable isotope and pollen data from Lake Gölhisar, southwest Turkey - Warren J. Eastwood; Melanie J. Leng; Neil Roberts; Basil Davis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Stable isotope and pollen data from Gölhisar Gölü, a small intramontane lake located in southwest Turkey, provide complementary records of Holocene climate change. Modern oxygen and hydrogen isotope water data are used as a means of comparing present‐day isotope composition of the lake water to the past oxygen isotope composition of the lake water as calculated from 18 O/ 16 O ratios in calcite precipitated in the summer months. Despite the lake system being chemically dilute, the modern isotope data clearly establish that the lake water is evaporated in relation to its spring input, suggesting that the palaeo data can be interpreted primarily in terms of changing precipitation/evaporation ratios. δ 18 O and δ 13 C values from authigenic calcite through the Holocene show predominantly negative values indicating climatic conditions wetter than today. Particularly notable are low (depleted) isotope values during the earliest Holocene (ca. 10 600–8800 cal. yr. BP), a period for which pollen data imply drier conditions than at present. This divergence between pollen‐inferred and stable isotope palaeoclimate data is found in other east Mediterranean lake sediment records, and suggests that vegetation may have taken several millennia to reach climatic equilibrium at the start of the Holocene. Isotopic fluctuations during the early‐to‐mid Holocene (8800–5100 cal. yr. BP) suggest oscillations between aridity and humidity. Higher δ 18 O and δ 13 C values for the second half of the Holocene indicate generally drier conditions than during the period before ca.5100 cal. yr BP although there is some evidence for increased humidity coinciding with pollen evidence for increasing human impact and intensification of agriculture, notably during the so‐called Beyşehir Occupation Phase (Classical and early Byzantine periods). The modern trend towards aridity started about 1300 yr ago. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Using geochemistry as a tool for correlating proximal andesitic tephra: case studies from Mt Rainier (USA) and Mt Ruapehu (New Zealand) - Susan L. Donoghue; James Vallance; Ian E. M. Smith; Robert B. Stewart (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Volcanic hazards assessments at andesite stratovolcanoes rely on the assessment of frequency and magnitude of past events. The identification and correlation of proximal and distal andesitic tephra, which record the explosive eruptive history, are integral to such assessments. These tephra are potentially valuable stratigraphic marker beds useful to the temporal correlation and age dating of Quaternary volcanic, volcaniclastic and epiclastic sedimentary deposits with which they are interbedded. At Mt Ruapehu (New Zealand) and Mt Rainier (USA), much of the detail of the recent volcanic record remains unresolved because of the difficulty in identifying proximal tephra. This study investigates the value of geochemical methods in discriminating andesitic tephra. Our dataset comprises petrological and geochemical analyses of tephra that span the late Quaternary eruptive record of each volcano. Our data illustrate that andesitic tephra are remarkably heterogeneous in composition. Tephra compositions fluctuate widely over short time intervals, and there are no simple or systematic temporal trends in geochemistry within either eruptive record. This complexity in tephra geochemistry limits the application of geochemical approaches to tephrostratigraphic studies, beyond a general characterisation useful to provenance assignation. Petrological and geochemical data suggest that the products of andesite systems are inherently variable and therefore intractable to discrimination by simple geochemical methods alone. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Loch Lomond Readvance on north Arran, Scotland: glacier reconstruction and palaeoclimatic implications - Colin K. Ballantyne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Geomorphological mapping of northern Arran provides evidence for two advances of locally nourished glaciers, the younger being attributable to the Loch Lomond Stade (LLS) of ca. 12.9–11.5 k yr BP, primarily through the mutually exclusive relationship between glacial limits and Lateglacial periglacial features. The age of the earlier advance is unknown. Inferred LLS glacier cover comprised two small icefields and eight small corrie or valley glaciers and totalled 11.1 km 2 . ELAs reconstructed using area–altitude balance ratio methods range from 268 m to 631 m for individual glaciers, with an area‐weighted mean ELA of 371 m. ELAs of individual glaciers are strongly related to snow‐contributing areas. The area‐weighted mean ELA is consistent with a north–south decline in LLS ELAs along the west coast of Great Britain. This decline has an average latitudinal gradient of 70 m 100 km −1 , equivalent to a mean southwards ablation‐season temperature increase of ca. 0.42°C 100 km −1 . Mean June–August temperatures at the regional climatic ELA, estimated from chironomid assemblages in SE Scotland, lay between 5.7 ± 0.1°C and 4.1 ± 0.2°C. Empirical relationships between temperature and precipitation at modern glacier ELAs indicate equivalent mean annual precipitation at the ELA lay between 2002 ± 490 mm and 2615 ± 449 mm. These figures suggest that stadial precipitation on Arran fell within a range between +8% and −33% of present mean annual precipitation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Growth rates of Rhizocarpon geographicum lichens: a review with new data from Iceland - Tom Bradwell; Richard A. Armstrong (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
This paper reviews evidence from previous growth‐rate studies on lichens of the yellow‐green species of Subgenus Rhizocarpon —the family most commonly used in lichenometric dating. New data are presented from Rhizocarpon section Rhizocarpon thalli growing on a moraine in southern Iceland over a period of 4.33 yr. Measurements of 38 lichen thalli, between 2001 and 2005, show that diametral growth rate (DGR, mm yr −1 ) is a function of thallus size. Growth rates increase rapidly in small thalli ( −1 ) and then decrease gradually in larger thalli (>50 mm diameter). Mean DGR in southern Iceland, between 2001 and 2005, was 0.64 mm yr −1 (SD = 0.24). The resultant growth‐rate curve is parabolic and is best described by a third‐order polynomial function. The striking similarity between these findings in Iceland and those of Armstrong ( 1983 ) in Wales implies that the shape of the growth‐rate curve may be characteristic of Rhizocarpon geographicum lichens. The difference between the absolute growth rate in southern Iceland and Wales (ca. 66% faster) is probably a function of climate and micro‐environment between the two sites. These findings have implications for previous lichenometric‐dating studies, namely, that those studies which assume constant lichen growth rates over many decades are probably unreliable. © British Geological Survey/Natural Environment Research Council copyright 2006. Reproduced with the permission of BGS/NERC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

First indication of Storegga tsunami deposits from East Greenland - Bernd Wagner; Ole Bennike; Martin Klug; Holger Cremer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
A 2.73 m long sediment sequence from Loon Lake, located at 18 m a.s.l. on outer Geographical Society Ø, East Greenland, was investigated for its chronology and changes in physical and biogeochemical properties, macrofossils, and grain‐size distribution. The predominance of marine fossils throughout the sequence, dated by 14 C AMS to between 8630 and 7535 cal. yr BP, shows that the Loon Lake at that time was a marine basin, which according to existing sea‐level curves was about 15–35 m deep. The sequence mainly consists of fine grained homogeneous sediments, which are interrupted by a 0.72 m thick sandy horizon with erosive basis and distinct fluctuations in the grain‐size distribution and in the physical and biogeochemical properties. According to the radiocarbon dates, this sandy horizon was deposited after 8500–8300 cal. yr BP and is interpreted as originating from the Storegga tsunami. The record from Loon Lake provides the first indication of Storegga tsunami deposits from East Greenland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary environments, vegetation and agriculture in northern New Zealand - M. Horrocks; S. L. Nichol; P. C. Augustinus; I. G. Barber (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
A sedimentological and plant microfossil history of the Late Quaternary is preserved in two sediment cores from early Polynesian ditch systems on southern Aupouri Peninsula. The study places human activities into a geomorphological and ecological context and allows comparison of natural and anthropogenic effects on two different geological settings: a floodplain and a relatively closed peat swamp. The data fill part of the current gap in the environmental record from northern New Zealand, namely MIS 3 (57k–26k yr BP). There is evidence for an increase in fire frequency in the region after 40k 14 C yr BP, suggesting a shift to drier (and cooler) conditions. Pollen records show that conifer‐hardwood forest dominated by podocarps (especially Dacrydium ) prevailed prior to Polynesian arrival and deforestation within the last millennium, with Fuscopsora insignificant throughout. Both cores show sections with gaps in deposition or preservation, possible flood‐stripping of peat during the pre‐Holocene and mechanical disturbance by early Polynesians. The identification of prehistoric starch grains and other microremains of introduced Colocasia esculenta (taro) in both cores supports indirect evidence that the ditch systems of far northern New Zealand were used for the extensive cultivation of this crop. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ice‐borne prehistoric finds in the Swiss Alps reflect Holocene glacier fluctuations - Martin Grosjean; Peter J. Suter; Mathias Trachsel; Heinz Wanner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
During the hot summer of 2003, reduction of an ice field in the Swiss Alps (Schnidejoch) uncovered spectacular archaeological hunting gear, fur, leather and woollen clothing and tools from four distinct windows of time: Neolithic Age (4900 to 4450 cal. yr BP), early Bronze Age (4100–3650 cal. yr BP), Roman Age (1st–3rd century AD), and Medieval times (8–9th century AD and 14–15th century AD). Transalpine routes connecting northern Italy with the northern Alps during these slots is consistent with late Holocene maximum glacier retreat. The age cohorts of the artefacts are separated which is indicative of glacier advances when the route was difficult and not used for transit. The preservation of Neolithic leather indicates permanent ice cover at that site from ca. 4900 cal. yr BP until AD 2003, implying that the ice cover was smaller in 2003 than at any time during the last 5000 years. Current glacier retreat is unprecedented since at least that time. This is highly significant regarding the interpretation of the recent warming and the rapid loss of ice in the Alps. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The late Quaternary tephrostratigraphical record of the San Gregorio Magno basin (southern Italy) - R. Munno; P. Petrosino (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Twenty‐one primary pyroclastic layers were found embedded in the lacustrine sediments of the San Gregorio Magno basin (Southern Apennines). These sand‐sized layers were characterised by a noticeable juvenile fragments content and by a sharp basal contact with the underlying clay and silt sediments. The tephra layers have been correlated with terrestrial counterparts from well‐known eruptive events of the Campanian volcanic area, or with reference layers from deep sea sediment cores and from the Monticchio maar sequence. The investigation of the San Gregorio Magno tephra layers made it possible to deduce that lacustrine sedimentation at San Gregorio Magno basin began before 170k yr BP and lasted at least until the emplacement of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, which occurred about 15k yr BP. The tephrochronology allowed determination of the varying sedimentation rate that occurred in the basin. Correlation of the lacustrine record with marine sequences has allowed development of a late Quaternary tephrostratotype for southern Italy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evolution of the late Quaternary San Gregorio Magno tectono‐karstic basin (southern Italy) inferred from geomorphological, tephrostratigraphical and palaeoecological analyses: tectonic implications - G. Aiello; A. Ascione; D. Barra; R. Munno; P. Petrosino; E. Russo Ermolli; F. Villani (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The Pantano di San Gregorio Magno is a 4.7 km 2 large tectono‐karstic basin located in the axial belt of the Southern Apennines, an area affected by intense seismicity. The basin was formed in the Middle Pleistocene and is presently undissected. It is filled by lacustrine sediments (clays, silts and pyroclastic sands) passing laterally into alluvial fan deposits. Geomorphological investigations were integrated with tephrostratigraphical, palynological and palaeoecological analyses of a 61 m thick core (not reaching the bedrock). The multiproxy analysis of the S. Gregorio Magno record shows that, over the last 200k yr, the basin hosted a freshwater lake with an oscillating level. Age constraints provided by the tephrostratigraphic record allowed estimation of the sedimentation rate, which varied strongly through time. Evolution of the basin resulted from the complex combination of tectonic subsidence, karst processes and changing amounts of sedimentary inputs. The latter was influenced by allogenic contributions related both to primary and reworked volcanoclastic inputs and was climate‐driven. The overall evidence, which indicates that in the long‐term the accumulation rate substantially counterbalanced the accommodation space created by faulting, suggests that the basin evolution was also modulated by changing subsidence rates. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new European testate amoebae transfer function for palaeohydrological reconstruction on ombrotrophic peatlands - Dan J. Charman; Antony Blundell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Proxy climate data can be obtained from reconstructions of hydrological changes on ombrotrophic (rain‐fed) peatlands using biological indicators, such as testate amoebae. Reconstructions are based on transfer functions, relating modern assemblage composition to water table and moisture content, applied to fossil sequences. Existing transfer functions in Europe and elsewhere are limited geographically and there are often problems with missing or poor analogues. This paper presents a new palaeohydrological transfer function based on sampling raised mires from across Europe. Relationships between assemblages and hydrological variables are described using ordination analyses. Transfer functions are developed for depth to water table ( n = 119) and moisture content ( n = 132) with root mean squared errors (RMSEP) of 5.6 cm and 2.7% respectively. Both transfer functions have an r 2 of 0.71, based on ‘leave one out’ cross‐validation. Comparisons with an existing transfer function for Britain show that the European transfer function performs well in inferring measured water tables in Britain but that the British data cannot be used to infer water tables for other European sites with confidence. Several of the key missing and poor analogue taxa problems encountered in previous transfer functions are solved. The new transfer function will be an important tool in developing peat‐based palaeoclimatic reconstructions for European sites. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Weichselian Late Pleniglacial surface winds over northwest and central Europe: a model–data comparison - H. Renssen; C. Kasse; J. Vandenberghe; S. J. Lorenz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Reconstructions of the Weichselian Late Pleniglacial wind direction in northwest and central Europe are reviewed and compared with palaeoclimate simulations performed with an atmospheric general circulation model. These reconstructions are based on proxy data containing information on former wind directions, such as relic dune forms, sediments and wind‐polished rock surfaces. The objective is to investigate whether: (1) the proxy information is internally consistent; and (2) in agreement with the model simulations. We find a general consensus in the proxy‐based reconstructions, indicating a dominant westerly to northwesterly wind in winter during the Late Pleniglacial. The model results indicate over the study area an atmospheric circulation in winter that is dominated by southwesterly to west‐northwesterly winds, which are stronger than the southwesterly winds in the present‐day climate. The main driving factors behind the anomalous atmospheric circulation in the Late Pleniglacial are the Laurentide Ice Sheet and a colder North Atlantic Ocean with a relatively extensive sea‐ice cover, leading to an eastward relocation of the Icelandic Low and an enhanced pressure gradient over northwest Europe. The minor difference in Late Pleniglacial wind direction between the reconstructions and model can be explained by a combination of uncertainties in the proxy data and the relatively low spatial resolution of the applied climate model. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An MIS 3 age organic deposit from Balglass Burn, central Scotland: palaeoenvironmental significance and implications for the timing of the onset of the LGM ice sheet in the vicinity of the British Isles - Eleanor J. Brown; James Rose; Russell G. Coope; John J. Lowe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
This paper reports the analysis of a glaciotectonised organic deposit located between a lower weathered till and an upper unweathered till at Balglass Burn, north of the Campsie Fells in central Scotland, UK, close to the centre of ice accumulation in Scotland. Sedimentology, pollen, macroscopic plant remains and Coleoptera indicate accumulation in a small pond, as part of an open, tundra landscape with low floral diversity. MCR palaeotemperature reconstructions for the Coleoptera give a mean temperature for the warmest and the coldest months of 8 to 10°C and −26 to −10°C respectively, indicating the presence of at least discontinuous permafrost. Six AMS dates on Carex fruit and Coleoptera fragments give ages between 34 480 and 28 050 14 C yr BP (ca. 39.8 to ca. 32.8 cal. yr BP; Fairbanks et al . ( 2005 )). The upper till and the glaciotectonism are attributed to glaciation during the LGM. Glaciotectonic deformation means that the ages do not indicate sequential development and it is not possible to relate this palaeo‐evidence to the fine resolution palaeoclimatic signature for MIS 3. However, the fact that this part of central Scotland was ice‐free at this time means that some recent proposals suggesting that the British ice sheet began to accumulate around the middle of MIS 3 are unlikely to be correct. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The last hunter‐gatherer‐fishermen in Sandy Flanders (NW Belgium). The Verrebroek and Doel excavation projects. Volume 1: Palaeo‐environment, chronology and features. Archaeological Reports Ghent University, 3. P. Crombé (ed.). Publisher: Academia Press, Ghent, 2005 (334 pp.) ISBN: 90‐382‐0679‐0 - Alan Saville (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

The deglaciation of Clyde Inlet, northeastern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada - Jason P. Briner; Irina Overeem; Gifford Miller; Robert Finkel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The behaviour of ice sheets as they retreated from their Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) positions provides insights into Lateglacial and early Holocene ice‐sheet dynamics and climate change. The pattern of deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) in arctic fiord landscapes can now be well dated using cosmogenic exposure dating. We use cosmogenic exposure and radiocarbon ages to constrain the deglaciation history of Clyde Inlet, a 120 km long fiord on northeastern Baffin Island. The LIS reached the continental shelf during the LGM, retreated from the coastal lowlands by 12.5 ± 0.7 ka ( n = 3), and from the fiord mouth by 11.7 ± 2.2 ka ( n = 4). Rapid retreat from the outer fiord occurred 10.3 ± 1.3 ka ( n = 6), with the terminus reaching the inner fiord shortly after 9.4 ka ( n = 2), where several moraine systems were deposited between ca. 9.4 and ca. 8.4 ka. These moraines represent fluctuations of the LIS during the warmest summers since the last interglaciation, and this suggests that the ice sheet was responding to increased snowfall. Before retreating from the head of Clyde Inlet, the LIS margin fluctuated at least twice between ca. 7.9 and ca. 8.5 ka, possibly in response to the 8.2 ka cold event. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The case for significant numbers of extraterrestrial impacts through the late Holocene - Mike Baillie (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
When astronomers tell us that there should have been numerous impacts from space during the last five millennia, when impact craters exist on land and more impacts can be assumed over the oceans, why are historians, archaeologists and palaeoecologists not diligently seeking evidence for these impacts, and their effects? This article reviews just some of the relevant evidence for impacts. In turn this suggests that ablation material, background material from space, and micro‐tektites, should all be present in ocean cores, ice cores, peat, and lake sediments. It seems that almost no efforts have been made to find evidence that might link to the known crater fields, or to identify and date periods of enhanced cosmic activity. The question must be, why? Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deposition and taphonomy of earthworm granules in relation to their interpretative potential in Quaternary stratigraphy - M. G. Canti (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Calcium carbonate granules up to 2.5 mm in size are commonly found in Quaternary soils and sediments but have only rarely been used for any form of interpretation. Growing interest in recent years has focused on the concentration patterns in stratigraphy containing buried land surfaces, and the possibility of dating the granules. Making sense of either of these approaches requires a basic understanding of granule types, together with their modes of accumulation and destruction in stratigraphy. Details of the formation, morphology, deposition and post‐depositional changes are discussed along with the necessary ecological and pedological information on earthworm behaviour and effects, then summarised into a framework for interpretations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene landscapes in central Iberia inferred from pollen analysis of hyena coprolites - J. S. Carrión; L. Scott; A. Arribas; N. Fuentes; G. Gil‐Romera; E. Montoya (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
New pollen data from hyena coprolites from central Spain are presented. The fossil faecal material has been recovered from two karstic systems in different localities, Villacastín and Los Torrejones, which are both around 1000 m a.s.l. The combined findings of bone remains and coprolites in both locations suggest the following chronology: late Middle Pleistocene for Villacastín and early Upper Pleistocene for Los Torrejones. The environments inferred from pollen are broadly in keeping with evidence from associated vertebrate fossil remains, and include a shifting mosaic of open and wooded habitats with abundant pine and juniper species, steppe‐grassland areas with composites and chenopods, and enclaves with mixed oak forests. However, Los Torrejones appears to have been less forested than Villacastín. The abundance of oaks in Villacastín may imply the presence of refugia within an interconnected network of several enclaves during the glacial stages in the Upper Pleistocene. A possible explanation for the patchiness of the landscape may be in the role of herbivores, although the long distances and variety of habitats that hyenas had to roam through could be another explanation for the heterogeneous pollen contents in their dung. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea‐level changes on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK - Katherine A. Selby; David E. Smith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Detailed litho‐ and biostratigraphical analyses from three coastal sites in contrasting coastal settings on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK, reveal evidence for several changes in relative sea level during the Late Devensian and Holocene. At the start of the record, relative sea level in the area was high at ca. 12 500 14 C (ca. 14 800 cal.) yr BP but then fell, reaching a low point during the Younger Dryas, at ca. 11 000–10 000 14 C (ca. 13 000–11 600 cal.) yr BP, when a rock platform, correlated with the Main Rock Platform, was formed. In the early–middle Holocene, relative sea level was rising by ca. 8000 14 C (ca. 8800 cal.) yr BP and in northeast Skye a lagoonal surface, correlated with the Main Postglacial Shoreline, was formed at ca. 6600 14 C (ca. 7500 cal.) yr BP. By the late Holocene, relative sea level was again falling, but a rise, registered at at least two sites, began probably before ca. 4000 14 C (ca. 4500 cal.) yr BP, and a second lagoonal surface in northeast Skye, correlated with the Blairdrummond Shoreline, was formed, although by ca. 3000 14 C (ca. 3200 cal.) yr BP relative sea level in the area had resumed its downward trend. The pattern of relative sea‐level changes disclosed is compared with evidence elsewhere in Scotland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Inferences about winter temperatures and summer rains from the late Quaternary record of C 4 perennial grasses and C 3 desert shrubs in the northern Chihuahuan Desert - Camille A. Holmgren; Jodi Norris; Julio L. Betancourt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Late Quaternary histories of two North American desert biomes—C 4 grasslands and C 3 shrublands—are poorly known despite their sensitivity and potential value in reconstructing summer rains and winter temperatures. Plant macrofossil assemblages from packrat midden series in the northern Chihuahuan Desert show that C 4 grasses and annuals typical of desert grassland persisted near their present northern limits throughout the last glacial–interglacial cycle. By contrast, key C 3 desert shrubs appeared somewhat abruptly after 5000 cal. yr BP. Bioclimatic envelopes for select C 4 and C 3 species are mapped to interpret the glacial–interglacial persistence of desert grassland and the mid‐to‐late Holocene expansion of desert shrublands. The envelopes suggest relatively warm Pleistocene temperatures with moist summers allowed for persistence of C 4 grasses, whereas winters were probably too cold (or too wet) for C 3 desert shrubs. Contrary to climate model results, core processes associated with the North American Monsoon and moisture transport to the northern Chihuahuan Desert remained intact throughout the last glacial–interglacial cycle. Mid‐latitude effects, however, truncated midsummer (July–August) moisture transport north of 35° N. The sudden expansion of desert shrublands after 5000 cal. yr BP may be a threshold response to warmer winters associated with increasing boreal winter insolation, and enhanced El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability. Published in 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A lacustrine record of early Holocene watershed events and vegetation history, Corvara in Badia, Dolomites (Italy) - Lisa Borgatti; Cesare Ravazzi; Marta Donegana; Alessandro Corsini; Mauro Marchetti; Mauro Soldati (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The early–middle Holocene lacustrine succession of Corvara in Badia (Italian Dolomites, 1521 m a.s.l.) records landslides and other watershed events before the onset of human pressure. The sensitivity of this archive to relate climate change, watershed processes and vegetation dynamics in the catchment has been explored through a stratigraphic study, including the analysis of sedimentological features, magnetic properties, palaeobotanical records and radiocarbon dating. A palaeolake existed between 10.1 k and 7 k cal. yr BP and was surrounded by a dense conifer forest. Long‐term forest dynamics driven by ecological processes and by climatic conditions favourable to upward forest expansion is recorded throughout the pollen record. Within the fine clastic sedimentation, distinct layers enriched in organic debris of terrestrial origin have been attributed to instant events produced by mass movements. Their age fits the chronology of large landslide events already known in the catchment, enabling correlation of the field evidence of landslides with the lacustrine record. Landslide frequency is controlled by geological and structural factors, but it is significantly modulated by the centennial–millennial climatic phases that characterise the Holocene in the Alps. The taphonomical properties of pollen and macroremains provided valuable insight on the mechanism of watershed processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Compositional variability of ice‐rafted debris in Heinrich layers 1 and 2 on the northwest European continental slope identified by environmental magnetic analyses - John Walden; Emilie Wadsworth; William E. N. Austin; Clare Peters; James D. Scourse; Ian R. Hall (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The composition of ice‐rafted debris (IRD) within a sediment core from the European continental slope (core OMEX‐2K; 49° 5′ N, 13° 26′ W) has been examined using environmental magnetic analyses. The data demonstrate compositional variability of the IRD within Heinrich layers 2 (H2) and 1 (H1) and these differences are most readily explained by changes in the contribution of different IRD sources to the core site. Some IRD within the main Heinrich layers show magnetic signatures that are similar to IRD derived from the Laurentide ice sheet found in cores from within the main North Atlantic IRD‐belt. In contrast, other IRD‐rich layers, both prior to and within the main Heinrich layers, demonstrate different magnetic behaviour, suggesting a contribution from a non‐Laurentide sourced IRD, most likely derived from ice streams discharging from northeast Atlantic ice sheets such as the British and Fennoscandian ice sheets. These data are consistent with published compositional data from the same core and, given the rapid, highly sensitive and non‐destructive nature of the method, suggest that environmental magnetic analysis has considerable potential for characterising IRD materials within Heinrich layers for the purposes of defining provenance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Test of AMS 14 C dating of pollen concentrates using tephrochronology - Rewi M. Newnham; Marcus J. Vandergoes; Mark H. Garnett; David J. Lowe; Christine Prior; Peter C. Almond (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
Previous attempts to radiocarbon date sediments >10 kyr from the high rainfall region of Westland, New Zealand, a critical location for investigation of interhemispheric patterns of climate change, have been problematic. This study, building on recent work by Vandergoes and Prior ( 2003 ), shows that AMS 14 C dating of pollen concentrates has potential to provide more reliable ages than other sediment constituents, including plant macrofossils. The method was applied to sediments from three sites containing the 22.6k 14 C yr Kawakawa Tephra, which provided an independent test of the 14 C ages. Although some minor laboratory contamination was detected in tests on background standards, the modelled relationship between sample mass and measured 14 C content permitted an appropriate correction to be determined. Improved pollen concentrations derived by density separation between 1.4 and 1.2 specific gravity and sieving in the range 10–50 μm provided either older ages than other fractions of the same sample or, where in situ contamination was not evident, equivalent ages. Differences in degree of in situ contamination between depositional environments indicated that, in Westland, lake sites may be less susceptible to contamination by younger carbon than peat sites, where this process may be facilitated by root penetration into underlying sediments. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Quaternary is here to stay - D. Q. Bowen; Philip L. Gibbard (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The proposals to drop the name Quaternary, to extend the Neogene Period to the present day, and to confirm the base of the Pleistocene at 1.8 Ma are reviewed. It is concluded that there is no scientific case for dropping the name Quaternary and that an overwhelming volume of evidence points to 2.6 Ma as the most appropriate base for the Quaternary/Pleistocene, when extensive Northern Hemisphere mid‐latitude glaciation occurred under what were essentially similar physical boundary conditions of continents, oceans, seaways and mountain ranges that characterise, and are unique to, the Quaternary. It is desirable that all stratigraphical and geochronological evidence is tied rigorously into the Global Stratigraphic Timescale. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Radiocarbon and archaeology. Proceedings of the 4th symposium, Oxford, 2002. Oxford University School of Archaeology, Monograph 62. T. Higham, C. Bronk‐Ramsay and C. Owen (eds). Publisher: Oxford University School of Archaeology, Oxford, 2004 (348pp) ISBN 0 947816 65 8 - Mike Walker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Editorial—INQUA year 2007 - Chris Caseldine; Don Rodbell; Chris Turney (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Tephrochronological dating of varved interglacial lake deposits from Piànico‐Sèllere (Southern Alps, Italy) to around 400 ka - Achim Brauer; Sabine Wulf; Clara Mangili; Andrea Moscariello (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The sediment record from the Piànico palaeolake in the southern Alps is continuously varved, spans more than 15 500 years, and represents a key archive for interglacial climate variability at seasonal resolution. The stratigraphic position of the Piànico Interglacial has been controversial in the past. The identification of two volcanic ash layers and their microscopic analysis provides distinct marker layers for tephrochronological dating of these interglacial deposits. In addition to micro‐facies analyses reconstructing depositional processes of both tephra layers within the lake environment, their mineralogical and geochemical composition has been determined through major‐element electron probe micro‐analysis on glass shards. Comparison with published tephra data traced the volcanic source regions of the Piànico tephras to the Campanian volcanic complex of Roccamonfina (Italy) and probably the Puy de Sancy volcano in the French Massif Central. Available dating of near‐vent deposits from the Roccamonfina volcano provides a robust tephrochronological anchor point at around 400 ka for the Piànico Interglacial. These deposits correlate with marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 11 and thus are younger than Early to Middle Pleistocene previously suggested by K/Ar dating and older than the last interglacial as inferred from macrofloral remains and the geological setting. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary dating methods. M.J.C. Walker. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 2005 (286pp) ISBN 0 470 86927 5 - Frank Preusser (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Separating climatic and possible human impacts in the early Holocene: biotic response around the time of the 8200 cal. yr BP event - Kevin J. Edwards; Peter G. Langdon; Heather Sugden (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The early Holocene is characterised by rapid climate change events, which in the North Atlantic region are often associated with changes in thermohaline circulation. Superimposed on this in northwest Europe is localised evidence for human impact on the landscape, although separating climatic and anthropogenic mechanisms for environmental change is often difficult. Biotic and sedimentological evidence from a lacustrine sequence from the Inner Hebrides, Scotland, shows a considerable reduction in inferred local woodland centred upon 8250 cal. yr BP. These data correlate precisely with a distinctive rise in the charcoal:pollen ratio and hence suggest a possible Mesolithic human impact upon the vegetation around this time. A quantitative temperature reconstruction from chironomid analyses from the same sequence, supported by sedimentological data, indicates that the fall in arboreal pollen taxa occurred as climate warmed significantly during the early Holocene. This warming was followed by a significant cold event, with mean July temperatures reduced by 2°C, that lasted for at least 320 years ca. 7790–7470 cal. yr BP. Woodland recovered during this phase suggesting that the vegetation during the 8250 cal. yr BP interval was likely to have been responding to human activity, and not climate, and hence it is possible at specific sites to separate the influence of these key drivers of environmental change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental change: key issues and alternative approaches. F. Oldfield. Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2005 (384pp) ISBN 0521 53633 2 (pb) - Frank Chambers (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)

Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ‐INTIMATE project) - Brent V. Alloway; David J. Lowe; David J. A. Barrell; Rewi M. Newnham; Peter C. Almond; Paul C. Augustinus; Nancy A. N. Bertler; Lionel Carter; Nicola J. Litchfield; Matt S. McGlone; Jamie Shulmeister; Marcus J. Vandergoes; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
It is widely recognised that the acquisition of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records from southern mid‐latitude sites is essential for establishing a coherent picture of inter‐hemispheric climate change and for better understanding of the role of Antarctic climate dynamics in the global climate system. New Zealand is considered to be a sensitive monitor of climate change because it is one of a few sizeable landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere westerly circulation zone, a critical transition zone between subtropical and Antarctic influences. New Zealand has mountainous axial ranges that amplify the climate signals and, consequently, the environmental gradients are highly sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Since 1995, INTIMATE has, through a series of international workshops, sought ways to improve procedures for establishing the precise ages of climate events, and to correlate them with high precision, for the last 30 000 calendar years. The NZ‐INTIMATE project commenced in late 2003, and has involved virtually the entire New Zealand palaeoclimate community. Its aim is to develop an event stratigraphy for the New Zealand region over the past 30 000 years, and to reconcile these events against the established climatostratigraphy of the last glacial cycle which has largely been developed from Northern Hemisphere records (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Termination I, Younger Dryas). An initial outcome of NZ‐INTIMATE has been the identification of a series of well‐dated, high‐resolution onshore and offshore proxy records from a variety of latitudes and elevations on a common calendar timescale from 30 000 cal. yr BP to the present day. High‐resolution records for the last glacial coldest period (LGCP) (including the LGM sensu stricto ) and last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) from Auckland maars, Kaipo and Otamangakau wetlands on eastern and central North Island, marine core MD97‐2121 east of southern North Island, speleothems on northwest South Island, Okarito wetland on southwestern South Island, are presented. Discontinuous (fragmentary) records comprising compilations of glacial sequences, fluvial sequences, loess accumulation, and aeolian quartz accumulation in an andesitic terrain are described. Comparisons with ice‐core records from Antarctica (EPICA Dome C) and Greenland (GISP2) are discussed. A major advantage immediately evident from these records apart from the speleothem record, is that they are linked precisely by one or more tephra layers. Based on these New Zealand terrestrial and marine records, a reasonably coherent, regionally applicable, sequence of climatically linked stratigraphic events over the past 30 000 cal. yr is emerging. Three major climate events are recognised: (1) LGCP beginning at ca. 28 000 cal. yr BP, ending at Termination I, ca. 18 000 cal. yr BP, and including a warmer and more variable phase between ca. 27 000 and 21 000 cal. yr BP, (2) LGIT between ca. 18 000 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, including a Lateglacial warm period from ca. 14 800 to 13 500 cal. yr BP and a Lateglacial climate reversal between ca. 13 500 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, and (3) Holocene interglacial conditions, with two phases of greatest warmth between ca. 11 600 and 10 800 cal. yr BP and from ca. 6 800 to 6 500 cal. yr BP. Some key boundaries coincide with volcanic tephras. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A high‐resolution multi‐proxy stalagmite record from Mechara, Southeastern Ethiopia: palaeohydrological implications for speleothem palaeoclimate reconstruction - Asfawossen Asrat; Andy Baker; Mohammed Umer Mohammed; Melanie J. Leng; Peter Van Calsteren; Claire Smith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
An annually laminated stalagmite from Southeastern Ethiopia grew for 443±8 yr starting at 5023 yr BP (±160 yr) as determined by lamina‐tuned U‐Th dating. The speleothem shows three growth phases: (1) an initial phase where the stalagmite has a candlestick shape, deposited by relatively slow rate drip water; (2) a middle growth phase where laminae grow on the flanks, suggesting faster drip rates; and (3) a final growth phase where the speleothem becomes narrower owing to a decrease in drip water supply towards the end of deposition. Morphometry, annual growth rate, fluorescence index, and 234 U/ 238 U isotope ratio show marked differences between the growth phases, while δ 13 C and δ 18 O do not show significant variation, except within the third phase towards the top of the stalagmite, where they have higher values. The study indicates that the multiproxy approach is crucial as the different proxies respond to single climate forcing in different manners. Our results can be widely applied to speleothem studies distinguishing the relative importance of the various proxies in recording cave ‘external’ (climate, hydrology) and cave ‘internal’ (e.g. evaporation) processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Problems with identifying the ‘8200‐year cold event’ in terrestrial records of the Atlantic seaboard: a case study from Dooagh, Achill Island, Ireland - Katie Head; Chris S. M. Turney; Jon R. Pilcher; J. G. Palmer; M. G. L. Baillie (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2007)
The Northern Hemisphere cooling event 8200 years ago is believed to represent the last known major freshwater pulse into the North Atlantic as a result of the final collapse of the North American Laurentide ice sheet. This pulse of water is generally believed to have occurred independently of orbital variations and provides an analogue for predicted increases in high‐latitude precipitation and ice melt as a result of anthropogenically driven future climate change. The precise timing, duration and magnitude of this event, however, are uncertain, with suggestions that the 100‐yr meltwater cooling formed part of a longer‐term cold period in the early Holocene. Here we undertook a multiproxy, high‐resolution investigation of a peat sequence at Dooagh, Achill Island, on the west coast of Ireland, to determine whether the 8200‐year cold event impacted upon the terrestrial vegetation immediately ‘downwind’ of the proposed changes in the North Atlantic. We find clear evidence for an oscillation in the early Holocene using various measures of pollen, indicating a disruption in the vegetation leading to a grassland‐dominated landscape, most probably driven by changes in precipitation rather than temperature. Radiocarbon dating was extremely problematic, however, with bulk peat samples systematically too young for the North Atlantic event, suggesting significant contamination from downward root penetration. The sustained disruption to vegetation over hundreds of years at Dooagh indicates the landscape was impacted by a long‐term cooling event in the early Holocene, and not the single century length 8200‐year meltwater event proposed in many other records in the North Atlantic region. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glacial modification of granite tors in the Cairngorms, Scotland - A. M. Hall; W. M. Phillips (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
A range of evidence indicates that many granite tors in the Cairngorms have been modified by the flow of glacier ice during the Pleistocene. Comparisons with SW England and the use of a space–time transformation across 38 tor groups in the Cairngorms allow a model to be developed for progressive glacial modification. Tors with deeply etched surfaces and no, or limited, block removal imply an absence of significant glacial modification. The removal of superstructure and blocks, locally forming boulder trains, and the progressive reduction of tors to stumps and basal slabs represent the more advanced stages of modification. Recognition of some slabs as tor stumps from which glacial erosion has removed all superstructure allows the original distribution of tors to be reconstructed for large areas of the Cairngorms. Unmodified tors require covers of non‐erosive, cold‐based ice during all of the cold stages of the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Deformation beneath cold‐based glacier ice is capable of the removal of blocks but advanced glacial modification requires former wet‐based glacier ice. The depth of glacial erosion at former tor sites remains limited largely to the partial or total elimination of the upstanding tor form. Cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages (Phillips et al. , 2006) together with data from weathering pit depths (Hall and Phillips, 2006), from the surfaces of tors and large erratic blocks require that the glacial entrainment of blocks from tors occurred in Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 4–2, 6 and, probably, at least one earlier phase. The occurrence of glacially modified tors on or close to, the main summits of the Cairngorms requires full ice cover over the mountains during these Stages. Evidence from the Cairngorms indicates that tor morphology can be regarded as an important indicator of former ice cover in many formerly glaciated areas, particularly where other evidence of ice cover is sparse. Recognition of the glacial modification of tors is important for debates about the former existence of nunataks and refugia. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 100 000‐year record of annual and seasonal rainfall and temperature for northwestern Australia based on a pollen record obtained offshore - Sander van der Kaars; Patrick De Deckker; Franz X. Gingele (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Pollen recovered from core tops of deep‐sea cores from offshore northwestern Western Australia were used to build climatic transfer functions applied to sediment samples from major rivers bordering the ocean in the same region and a deep‐sea core offshore Northwest Cape. Results show for the last 100 000 years, with a gap in the record spanning the 64 000 to 46 000 years interval, that from about 100 000 to 82 000 yr BP, climatic conditions represented by rainfall, temperature and number of humid months, were significantly higher than today's values. For the entire record, the coldest period occurred about 43 000 to 39 000 yr BP but it was wetter than today, whereas the Last Glacial Maximum saw a significant reduction in summer rainfall, interpreted as a result of the absence of monsoonal activity in the region. The Holocene can be divided into two distinct phases: one peaking around 6000 cal. yr BP with highest rainfall and summer temperatures; the second one commencing at 5000 cal. yr BP and showing a progressive decrease in summer rainfall in contrast to an increase in winter rainfall, paralleled by a progressive decrease in temperatures. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quantitative palaeotemperature records inferred from fossil pollen and chironomid assemblages from Lake Gilltjärnen, northern central Sweden - Karin Antonsson; Stephen J. Brooks; Heikki Seppä; Richard J. Telford; H. John B. Birks (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Palaeotemperature reconstructions based on radiocarbon‐dated fossil pollen and chironomid stratigraphies obtained from Lake Gilltjärnen provide evidence of climate changes during the last 11 000 years in the boreal zone of northern central Sweden. The records show consistent trends during the early and mid‐Holocene, indicating low temperatures at 11 000–10 000 cal. yr BP, followed by a rising trend and a period of maximum values from about 7000 to 4000 cal. yr BP. At 3000 cal. yr BP the chironomid‐inferred temperature values rise abruptly, deviating from the late‐Holocene cooling trend indicated by the pollen‐based reconstruction and most of the other palaeotemperature records from central Scandinavia, probably as a result of local limnological changes in Lake Gilltjärnen and its catchment. Comparison of the present results with a lake‐level reconstruction from Lake Ljustjärnen, ca. 100 km southwest of Lake Gilltjärnen, shows that the low early‐Holocene temperatures were associated with high lake‐levels at 10 500–8500 cal. yr BP, whereas low lake‐levels and dry conditions prevailed during the period of high temperatures at between 7500 and 5000 cal. yr BP, probably due to high summer evapotranspiration and lower precipitation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene environmental changes in the coastal zone of northwestern Portugal - G. Soares de Carvalho; H. M. Granja; E. Loureiro; R. Henriques (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper examines the Quaternary changes in the coastal zone of northwestern Portugal through the relationship between sediments and landforms. By interpolating the available data from geomorphology, lithostratigraphy, sedimentology and geochronology, it was possible to reconstruct existing palaeoenvironments, the oldest of which date back to the last interglacial. The main landforms are a high and a low platform bounded by scarps. River sands and silty sediments formed in a lacustrine environment (Antas Formation, MIS 5) are associated with the high platform. Two deposits are associated with the low platform: the Cepães Formation (MIS 3) consisting of a lower set of river sand beds and an upper gravel beach bed, and the Aguçadoura Formation (MIS 1) consisting of Holocene lagoonal beds. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quaternary glaciations—extent and chronology. Part I: Europe, J. Ehlers and P. L. Gibbard. Developments in Quaternary Science, no. 2. Publisher Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2004 (488pp) ISBN 0 444 51462 7. Quaternary glaciations—extent and chronology. Part II: North America, J. Ehlers and P. L. Gibbard. Developments in Quaternary Science, no. 2. Publisher Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2004 (440pp) ISBN 0 444 51592 5. Quaternary glaciations—extent and chronology. Part III: South America, Asia, Africa, Australasia, Antarctica, J. Ehlers and P. L. Gibbard. Developments in Quaternary Science, no. 2. Publisher Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2004 (388pp) ISBN 0 444 51593 3 - Kenneth F. Rijsdijk (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Quaternary corals from reefs in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, SE Sulawesi, Indonesia, show similar growth rates to modern corals from the same area - M. James C. Crabbe; Moyra E. J. Wilson; David J. Smith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We have used digital photography, image analysis and measurements in the field to determine the growth rates of Quaternary corals in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia, and compared them to growth rates of similar corals in the same area. In the Quaternary deposits it was possible to measure the growth rates of two massive coral genera Porites and Favites . For each genus, the corals reworked from better‐illuminated upslope environments had higher growth rates than the in situ fossil corals. The calculated radial growth rates for the in situ Porites are slightly lower than, but of the same order of magnitude as, the modern Porites growing in 10 m water depth at Hoga (10.04 ± 3.34 mm yr −1 ± 1 s.d.; n = 3) and Kaledupa (15.26 ± 4.83 mm yr −1 ± 1 s.d.; n = 3). Sedimentation rates and underwater visibility are inferred to have been similar in the fossil site to that at the modern Kaledupa site. Decreasing light penetration due to increased water depth is inferred to have been a major influence on growth rates. The in situ massive corals with good growth banding are inferred to have grown in a comparable environment to modern Kaledupa and Hoga. The study highlights that it is possible to compare coral growth rates, and their influencing parameters, from modern and well‐preserved ancient examples. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene marine terraces on two salt diapirs in the Persian Gulf, Iran: age, depositional history and uplift rates - Jiří Bruthans; Michal Filippi; Milan Geršl; Mohammad Zare; Jaroslava Melková; Anna Pazdur; Pavel Bosák (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Slightly inclined Holocene marine terraces cover parts of two circular salt diapirs (Hormoz and Namakdan) in the Persian Gulf. Their relative altitude above present sea level results from a combination of general marine transgression/regression affecting the whole area, and of local uplift related to salt diapirism. Differential uplift rate of the studied diapirs in centre‐to‐rim profiles was calculated from results based on: (i) radiocarbon ages of skeletal remains of benthic faunas (19 samples), which originally grew close to sea level; (ii) original altitude of samples, estimated from general sea‐level oscillation curves for the last 10 kyr, and (iii) present sample altitude measured in the field. Calculated uplift rates increase from rim to centre on both diapirs in the range from: 2 mm yr −1 at the rim to 5–6 mm yr −1 at the interior of Hormoz, and 1–3 mm yr −1 at the rim to 3–5 mm yr −1 at the interior of Namakdan. Such uplift rate distributions fit into the parabolic profile of Newtonian fluid rather than to profiles typical for pseudoplastic fluids. The increase in uplift rate with distance from rim to centre of diapirs is gradual as demonstrated also by generally smooth surface of marine terraces. No tectonic dissections were found. The depositional history on both salt diapirs is similar although they are situated more than 100 km apart. Marine sedimentation started at about 9.6k cal. yr BP on Hormoz and at 8.6k cal. yr BP on Namakdan. Owing to rapid transgression, the sea partially truncated both salt diapirs and rapidly deepened, and carbonate mud was deposited on the peripheries of both salt diapirs. Between 7 and 5k cal. yr BP beach deposition replaced carbonate mud. Soon after 5k cal. yr BP, the sea retreated from most of the marine terraces on both salt diapirs. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene subglacial tunnel valleys in the central North Sea basin: 3‐D morphology and evolution - Lidia Lonergan; Susannah C. R. Maidment; Jenny S. Collier (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Four phases of cross‐cutting tunnel valleys imaged on 3‐D seismic datasets are mapped within the Middle–Late Pleistocene succession of the central North Sea basin (Witch Ground area). In plan the tunnel valleys form complex anastomosing networks, with tributary valleys joining main valleys at high angles. The valleys have widths ranging from 250 to 2300 m, and base to shoulder relief varying between 30 and 155 m, with irregular long‐axis profiles characteristic of erosion by water driven by glaciostatic pressures. The youngest phase of tunnel valleys are smaller and have a thinner infill than the older generations. The fill of the larger valleys comprises three seismic facies, the lowermost of which has high amplitudes and is discontinuous. The middle facies consists of wedge‐shaped packages of low‐angle dipping reflectors and is overlain by a facies characterised by sub‐horizontal reflectors, which onlap the valley margins. The seismic character, and comparison with lithologies identified in other northwest European Pleistocene tunnel valleys both onshore and offshore, suggests that the lower two seismic facies are most likely sand and gravel‐dominated, while the uppermost facies consists of glaciolacustrine and marine muds. The 3‐D morphology of the valley margins combined with the geometry of the infill packages suggest that episodic discharge of subglacial meltwater was responsible for incising the valleys and depositing at least some of the infill. Proglacial glaciofluvial deposits are inferred to account for some of the fill overlying the subglacial deposits. Glaciolacustrine and marine muds filled remaining valley topography as the ice sheet retreated. The preserved valley margins are shown to be time‐transgressive erosion surfaces that record changes in geometry of the tunnel valley system as it evolved through time, implying that valleys associated with each ice‐sheet advance/retreat cycle were dynamic and probably long‐lived. Within the constraints of the existing stratigraphy the oldest tunnel valleys in the Witch Ground area of the central North Sea are most likely to be Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 (Elsterian, ca. 470 ka) in age and the youngest pre‐MIS 5e (last interglacial, ca. 120 ka). If each tunnel valley phase was formed during the retreat of a major ice sheet then four glaciations with ice coverage of the central North Sea are recorded in the pre‐Weichselian, Middle–Late Pleistocene stratigraphy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Storminess variation during the last 6500 years as reconstructed from an ombrotrophic peat bog in Halland, southwest Sweden - Rixt de Jong; Svante Björck; Leif Björkman; Lars B. Clemmensen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Cores taken from an ombrotrophic peat bog in the coastal zone of Halland, southwest Sweden, were examined for wind transported mineral grains, pollen and humidity indicators. The core covers the period from 6500 cal. yr BP to present. Ombrotrophic conditions existed from ca. 4200 cal. yr BP onwards. Bog surface wetness fluctuated strongly until ca. 3700 cal. yr BP, with an apparent dominance of dry summer conditions from 4800–4500 cal. yr BP. Local wet shifts occurred around 4300, 2800, 2400 and 1500 cal. yr BP, whereas the most recent 600 years of the record show increasingly dry conditions. Mineral grain content, interpreted as aeolian sand influx (ASI), was used as a proxy for (winter) storm frequency and intensity until ca. 1500 cal. yr BP, after which increasing human impact, as reconstructed by pollen analysis, became a second important potential cause for increased sand drift. Strongly increased storminess occurred at 4800, 4200, 2800–2200, 1500, 1100 and 400–50 cal. yr BP, indicating a dominance of cold and stormy winters during these periods. Many of these storm periods apparently coincide with storm events in other sites in southwestern Scandinavia, suggesting that our ASI record reflects a regional scale climatic signal. Furthermore these stormy periods correlate to well‐known cold phases in the North Atlantic region, suggesting a link to large‐scale fluctuations in atmospheric circulation patterns. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Millennia‐long tree‐ring records from Tasmania and New Zealand: a basis for modelling climate variability and forcing, past, present and future - Edward R. Cook; Brendan M. Buckley; Jonathan G. Palmer; Pavla Fenwick; Michael J. Peterson; Gretel Boswijk; Anthony Fowler (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Progress in the development of millennia‐long tree‐ring chronologies from Australia and New Zealand is reviewed from the perspective of modelling long‐term climate variability there. Three tree species have proved successful in this regard: Huon pine ( Lagarostrobos franklinii ) from Tasmania, silver pine ( L. colensoi ) from the South Island of New Zealand, and kauri ( Agathis australis ) from the North Island of New Zealand. Each of these species is very long‐lived and produces abundant quantities of well‐preserved wood for extending their tree‐ring chronologies back several millennia into the past. The growth patterns on these chronologies strongly correlate with both local and regional warm‐season temperature changes over significant areas of the Southern Hemisphere (especially Huon and silver pine) and to ENSO variability emanating from the equatorial Pacific region (especially kauri). In addition, there is evidence for significant, band‐limited, multi‐decadal and centennial timescale variability in the warm‐season temperature reconstruction based on Huon pine tree rings that may be related to slowly varying changes in ocean circulation dynamics in the southern Indian Ocean. This suggests the possibility of long‐term climate predictability there. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Integration of ice‐core, marine and terrestrial records for the Australian Last Glacial Maximum and Termination: a contribution from the OZ INTIMATE group - C. S. M. Turney; S. Haberle; D. Fink; A. P. Kershaw; M. Barbetti; T. T. Barrows; M. Black; T. J. Cohen; T. Corrège; P. P. Hesse; Q. Hua; R. Johnston; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The degree to which Southern Hemisphere climatic changes during the end of the last glacial period and early Holocene (30‐8 ka) were influenced or initiated by events occurring in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere is a complex issue. There is conflicting evidence for the degree of hemispheric ‘teleconnection’ and an unresolved debate as to the principle forcing mechanism(s). The available hypotheses are difficult to test robustly, however, because the few detailed palaeoclimatic records in the Southern Hemisphere are widely dispersed and lack duplication. Here we present climatic and environmental reconstructions from across Australia, a key region of the Southern Hemisphere because of the range of environments it covers and the potentially important role regional atmospheric and oceanic controls play in global climate change. We identify a general scheme of events for the end of the last glacial period and early Holocene but a detailed reconstruction proved problematic. Significant progress in climate quantification and geochronological control is now urgently required to robustly investigate change through this period. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Extension of New Zealand kauri ( Agathis australis ) tree‐ring chronologies into Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3 - Jonathan Palmer; Andrew Lorrey; Chris S. M. Turney; Alan Hogg; Mike Baillie; Keith Fifield; John Ogden (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
New Zealand kauri ( Agathis australis ) is both long‐lived and sensitive to climate so during the past two decades an extensive network of sites has been sampled for dendrochronological analyses. The network can be divided into three general groups based on the time period they cover—‘modern’ kauri (MK), late‐Holocene kauri (HK) and ‘ancient’ kauri (AK) from before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Although the groups are restricted to northern New Zealand (i.e. having overlapping ranges) they occur at different elevations. Modern kauri sites tend to be along ridges and much higher than the two subfossil groups (i.e. HK and AK sites). We propose the modern kauri situation to be a typical artefact of anthropogenic activities. In contrast, the subfossil groups are the result of a complex process of dune migration, levee formation and water‐table rise leading to bog formation driven by rising sea levels. Most of the 16 AK sites have radiocarbon ages clearly within Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3 and a preliminary group of chronologies have been developed that collectively cover 10 719 yr. Analysis is ongoing, but there is clear potential to span a much greater time period and recover detailed palaeoclimatic information. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Five centuries of climate change in Australia: the view from underground - Henry N. Pollack; Shaopeng Huang; Jason E. Smerdon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Fifty‐seven borehole temperature profiles from across Australia are analysed to reconstruct a ground surface temperature history for the past five centuries. The five‐hundred‐year reconstruction is characterised by a temperature increase of approximately 0.5 K, with most of the warming occurring in the 19th and 20th centuries. The 17th century was the coolest interval of the five‐century reconstruction. Comparison of the geothermal reconstruction to the Australian annual surface air temperature time series in their period of overlap shows excellent agreement. The full geothermal reconstruction also agrees well with the low‐frequency component of dendroclimatic reconstructions from Tasmania and New Zealand. The warming of Australia over the past five centuries is only about half that experienced by the continents of the Northern Hemisphere in the same time interval. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development and testing of transfer functions for generating quantitative climatic estimates from Australian pollen data - Ellyn J. Cook; Sander van der Kaars (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We review attempts to derive quantitative climatic estimates from Australian pollen data, including the climatic envelope, climatic indicator and modern analogue approaches, and outline the need to pursue alternatives for use as input to, or validation of, simulations by models of past, present and future climate patterns. To this end, we have constructed and tested modern pollen–climate transfer functions for mainland southeastern Australia and Tasmania using the existing southeastern Australian pollen database and for northern Australia using a new pollen database we are developing. After testing for statistical significance, 11 parameters were selected for mainland southeastern Australia, seven for Tasmania and six for northern Australia. The functions are based on weighted‐averaging partial least squares regression and their predictive ability evaluated against modern observational climate data using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation. Functions for summer, annual and winter rainfall and temperatures are most robust for southeastern Australia, while in Tasmania functions for minimum temperature of the coldest period, mean winter and mean annual temperature are the most reliable. In northern Australia, annual and summer rainfall and annual and summer moisture indexes are the strongest. The validation of all functions means all can be applied to Quaternary pollen records from these three areas with confidence. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Time‐slice analysis of the Australian summer monsoon during the late Quaternary using the Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model - A. G. Marshall; A. H. Lynch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We use the Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model (FOAM) to investigate the variation in the Australian summer monsoon over the last 55 000 years. A synthesis of palaeoenvironmental observations is used to constrain the model for six time slices: 55, 35, 21, 11, 6 and 0 ka. Both inter‐hemispheric forcing and the seasonal timing of local insolation changes play key, and interacting, roles on the evolution and intensity of the monsoon. During the onset to the monsoon, a heat low develops to the west of Australia over the Indian Ocean in all time slices, but with varying strengths. Divergent outflow from Asia converges with the cyclonic flow to bring increased rainfall to northern Australia and the maritime continent. The relative importance of a low pressure ‘pull’ and the high pressure ‘push’ varies according to the strength of the pressure anomalies. Only in the middle Holocene is the low pressure ‘pull’ the dominant forcing mechanism. At 21 ka, the climate shift to colder mean temperatures determines the large‐scale dynamics of the monsoon. The general picture that emerges from these results is consistent with available palaeodata but highlights the importance of a broad regional perspective to ascribe the driving mechanisms at different times. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary palaeoceanography of the Circumpolar Deep Water from the South Tasman Rise - Andrew D. Moy; William R. Howard; Michael K. Gagan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We use sediment cores from the South Tasman Rise (STR) to reconstruct deep‐ water circulation in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Sediment cores MD972106 (45° 09′ S, 146° 17′ E, 3310 m water depth) and GC34 (45° 06′ S, 147° 45′ E, 4002 m water depth) preserve records covering the last 160 k yr, with chronology controlled by calibrated accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates and benthic foraminiferal δ 18 O tied to SPECMAP. The STR benthic foraminiferal δ 13 C records provide new δ 13 C values for Southern Ocean deep water spanning the last 160 k yr at sites unlikely to be affected by variations in productivity. The records establish that glacial benthic foraminifera ( Cibicidoides spp.) δ 13 C values are lower relative to interglacial values and are comparable to previous glacial benthic δ 13 C records in the Indian and Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean. Comparisons of the benthic foraminiferal δ 13 C time series at the STR are made with the equatorial Pacific (V19‐30 and Site 846) and the equatorial Atlantic (GeoB1115). The similarity of benthic δ 13 C records at the STR to the equatorial Pacific suggest the Southern Ocean deep‐water mass closely tracked those of the deep Pacific, and the presence of a δ 13 C gradient between the STR and the equatorial Atlantic suggests there was continual production of northern source deep water over the past 160 k yr. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The vegetation history of the last glacial–interglacial cycle in eastern New South Wales, Australia - N. J. Williams; K. J. Harle; S. J. Gale; H. Heijnis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
We present a reconstruction of the vegetation history of the last glacial–interglacial cycle (ca. 75 k cal. yr BP–present) at Redhead Lagoon, an enclosed lake basin in coastal, eastern New South Wales, Australia. The sequence of vegetation change at the site is broadly comparable with the pattern of climatically induced changes observed in many other pollen records in southeast Australia. Open woodland–herbland and woodland–forest communities correspond with glacial and interglacial periods respectively, with an additional change towards a more open understorey vegetation assemblage over the last 40 000 yr. The driest conditions appear to have occurred during the height of the last glacial (some time between 30 and 20 k cal. yr BP). This is consistent with other records from southeast Australia, and provides support for a poleward shift in the subtropical anticyclone belt and, less certainly, for the thesis that the Southern Hemisphere westerlies intensified during this period. In marked contrast to most sites in southeast Australia, Casuarinaceae dominates the pollen record through the height of the last glacial period and into the Holocene. The postglacial climatic amelioration is accompanied by the general reappearance of tree pollen in the record, by the disappearance of several open and disturbed environment indicator taxa, by increases in organic sediment deposition and pollen taxon diversity, and by higher water balances. While climate appears to have been the major control on patterns of vegetation change at this site throughout most of the last glacial–interglacial cycle, changes in depositional environment and hydrology have also played a role. Significantly, substantial increases in the rate and magnitude of many indicators of environmental disturbance since European settlement suggest that humans are now the most important mechanism for environmental change. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Introduction: Integrating high‐resolution past climate records for future prediction in the Australasian region - Chris S. M. Turney; A. Peter Kershaw; Amanda Lynch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Historical instrumental climate data for Australia—quality and utility for palaeoclimatic studies - Neville Nicholls; Dean Collins; Blair Trewin; Pandora Hope (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The quality and availability of climate data suitable for palaeoclimatic calibration and verification for the Australian region are discussed and documented. Details of the various datasets, including problems with the data, are presented. High‐quality datasets, where such problems are reduced or even eliminated, are discussed. Many climate datasets are now analysed onto grids, facilitating the preparation of regional‐average time series. Work is under way to produce such high‐quality, gridded datasets for a variety of hitherto unavailable climate data, including surface humidity, pan evaporation, wind, and cloud. An experiment suggests that only a relatively small number of palaeoclimatic time series could provide a useful estimate of long‐term changes in Australian annual average temperature. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reconstructing El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) from high‐resolution palaeoarchives - Joëlle Gergis; Karl Braganza; Anthony Fowler; Scott Mooney; James Risbey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the most important coupled ocean–atmospheric phenomena to cause global climate variability on interannual timescales. Efforts to understand recent, apparently anomalous ENSO behaviour are hampered by the phenomenon's unstable (non‐stationary) nature and the limitations inherent in palaeoclimate records. In this paper, the complexities associated with isolating ENSO signals in observational and palaeoclimate records are reviewed. The utility and limitations of high‐resolution (tree‐ring, coral, speleothems, ice and documentary) proxy data for ENSO reconstruction are discussed. To overcome the regional biases contained within each palaeoclimatic source, it is necessary to compare complementary signals derived from multiple proxy climate records. To date, there have been limited attempts to reconstruct large‐scale ENSO using these ‘multiproxy’ methodologies. A critique of the complexities associated with previous approaches of reconstructing discrete ENSO events and atmospheric/oceanic indices is provided. Abundant potential remains to better characterise teleconnection patterns, propagation signatures and non‐stationary features of large‐scale ENSO behaviour. If key uncertainties in ENSO dynamics (such as the response of extreme events to natural/human forcing) are to be adequately assessed, then complementary attempts must be made to model the historic synoptic conditions with apparent changes in reconstructed indices. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pollen‐inferred palaeoclimate reconstructions in mountain areas: problems and perspectives - Elena Ortu; Simon Brewer; Odile Peyron (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Transfer functions are an efficient tool for the quantitative reconstruction of past climate from low to mid‐elevation pollen sites. However, the application of existing methods to high‐altitude pollen assemblages frequently leads to unrealistic results. In the aim of understanding the causes of these biases, the standard ‘best modern analogue’ method has been applied to two high‐altitude pollen sequences to provide quantitative climate estimates for the Lateglacial and Holocene periods. Both pollen sequences (Laghi dell'Orgials, 2130 m, SW aspect and Lago delle Fate, 2240 m, E aspect) are located in the subalpine belt, on opposing sides of the St. Anna di Vinadio Valley (Italian Maritime Alps). Different results were obtained from the two sequences. The largest differences occurred in palaeotemperature reconstruction, with notable differences in both the values and trends at each site. These biases may be attributed to: (1) a lack of high elevation ‘best modern analogues’ in the database of modern samples; (2) the problem of pollen taxa that have multiple climatic significance; (3) problems related to the complexity of mountainous ecosystems, such as the phenomenon of uphill transport of tree pollen by wind. Possible improvements to the reconstruction process are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Episodic Quaternary volcanism in France and Germany - David A. G. Nowell; M. Chris Jones; David M. Pyle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Intra‐plate volcanism in western Europe shows statistically significant episodicity during the Quaternary period. By comparing the known ages for eruptions in France and Germany, which are compiled here, with a composite oxygen isotope record, we have investigated the link between this episodic volcanism and the climate record over the last two million years. We show that increased volcanism between 415–400 ka and 17–5 ka correlates with warming phases at the end of the last Weichselian (Devensian) and earlier Elsterian (Anglian) glacial stages. The three significant caldera explosions in the eastern Eifel, Germany, are all associated with warming phases at the onset of interglacials. The growth and decay of nearby ice sheets suggest that surface changes in continental mass distribution during glacial Milankovich cycles could provide a mechanism for this correlation by means of the distal effects of flexural loading on the lithosphere. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative sea‐level observations in western Scotland since the Last Glacial Maximum for testing models of glacial isostatic land movements and ice‐sheet reconstructions - Ian Shennan; Sarah Hamilton; Caroline Hillier; Amanda Hunter; Ruth Woodall; Sarah Bradley; Glenn Milne; Anthony Brooks; Sophie Bassett (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Observations of relative sea‐level change and local deglaciation in western Scotland provide critical constraints for modelling glacio‐isostatic rebound in northern Britain over the last 18 000 years. The longest records come from Skye, Arisaig and Knapdale with a shorter, Holocene, record from Kintail. Biostratigraphic (diatom, pollen, dinoflagellate, foraminifera and thecamoebian), lithological and radiocarbon analyses provide age and elevation parameters for each sea‐level index point. All four sites reveal relative sea‐level change that is highly non‐monotonic in time as the local vertical component of glacio‐isostatic rebound and eustasy (or global meltwater influx) dominate at different periods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The geomorphology and sedimentology of the ‘Témpanos’ moraine at Laguna San Rafael, Chile - Neil F. Glasser; Krister Jansson; Wishart A. Mitchell; Stephan Harrison (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The San Rafael Glacier is one of the largest and most dynamic outlet glaciers of the North Patagonian Icefield, Chile. The contemporary glacier calves into a large tidal laguna, which is partially impounded by a large arcuate moraine. This moraine, termed the ‘Témpanos’ moraine, marks the former extent of an expanded San Rafael Glacier and is of an unknown age. Here we describe the geomorphology and sedimentology of the ‘Témpanos’ moraine and relate these to styles of glacier advance and recession. The ‘Témpanos’ moraine attains a maximum height in excess of 40 m and is either single‐crested with a gentle ice‐proximal face and steep distal face, or consists of multiple crests superimposed on a gentle slope. The internal composition of the moraine is variable, comprising diamicton, sorted sedimentary facies (silts, sands and gravel) and laminites. We interpret these sediments as evidence that the San Rafael Glacier advanced over a former proglacial area, culminating in the formation of the ‘Témpanos’ moraine. This advance deformed a carpet of lacustrine or marine mud, which was eroded from its original location, transported and smeared over the glacier bed as a subglacial deposit. We use these sedimentary descriptions as the basis for a reconstruction of the Holocene fluctuations of the glacier. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative sea‐level changes, glacial isostatic modelling and ice‐sheet reconstructions from the British Isles since the Last Glacial Maximum - Ian Shennan; Sarah Bradley; Glenn Milne; Anthony Brooks; Sophie Bassett; Sarah Hamilton (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
While contributing

Episodic Quaternary volcanism in France and Germany. David A. G. Nowell, M. Chris Jones and David M. Pyle. Journal of Quaternary Science Vol 21 No 6 2006, pages 645–675. - David A. G. Nowell; M. Chris Jones; David M. Pyle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Journal of Quaternary Science Vol 21 No 6 2006, pages 645–675. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The human colonisation of Europe: where are we? - Wil Roebroeks (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper focuses on the earlier parts of the human colonisation of Europe and its wider setting and addresses the two basic tasks of archaeologists working in this field: (1) to identify the spatio‐temporal patterns of human presence and absence, i.e. getting the pattern ‘ right ’; (2) to explain these patterns. Archaeologists have invested mostly in the first task, while the second one takes us to the field of biogeography. Study of biogeographical limits of hominins necessitates integration of many aspects of a species, e.g. diet, life history and social organisation, and the way environmental factors shape these. Palaeoanthropologists need to combine these with establishing data on the chronology of hominin presence, on palaeoenvironment and climatic oscillations, on emergence and disappearance of land bridges, and so on. They further have to acknowledge the fact that only very small parts of the former ranges of the species have been sampled ‘adequately’. The paper explores some of the key issues at stake in dealing with the human colonisation of Europe. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Lower Palaeolithic industry from the Cromerian (MIS 13) Baginton Formation of Waverley Wood and Wood Farm Pits, Bubbenhall, Warwickshire, UK - David H. Keen; Terry Hardaker; Alexander T. O. Lang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Artefacts of Cromerian (MIS 13) age recovered from extensions to the classic site of Waverley Wood Farm Pit, Warwickshire, give new insights into the Lower Palaeolithic and Pleistocene geological record of the English Midlands. The Baginton Formation in the area to the south and southwest of Coventry has been the major source of Lower Palaeolithic artefacts in the Midlands since the first discoveries in the 1930s. Current sand and gravel workings at Waverley Wood and Wood Farm Pits near the village of Bubbenhall, have provided artefacts of quartzite, andesite and flint together with sparse large mammal material. Some of the Lower Palaeolithic finds were in situ in the succession providing, for the first time, firm evidence of their geological provenance. The variety and number of the artefacts allows detailed evaluation of the largest group of Lower Palaeolithic tools to be found in the West Midlands. The petrology of some of the tools and associated clasts in the gravels at the base of the Baginton Formation allow speculation on the origin of the rock types from northwest and eastern England which may have been brought to the West Midlands by a pre‐Anglian glaciation or just possibly by human transport. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Humans in the Hoxnian: habitat, context and fire use at Beeches Pit, West Stow, Suffolk, UK - R. C. Preece; J. A. J. Gowlett; S. A. Parfitt; D. R. Bridgland; S. G. Lewis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
A Lower Palaeolithic industry at Beeches Pit, West Stow, Suffolk, occurs within an interglacial sequence that immediately overlies glacial deposits, referable to the Anglian Lowestoft Formation. There is strong biostratigraphical evidence from both vertebrates and molluscs that the interglacial represented is the Hoxnian (MIS 11). This conclusion is supported by uranium series dates from carbonate nodules (>400 kyr), TL dates from burnt flint (414 ± 30 kyr) and a range of amino acid racemisation data. The archaeology consists of flint artefacts of Acheulian character, including many refitting examples. Charred material is abundant in three stratigraphical units and many bones and flints have been burnt, indicating repeated occurrence of fire. Several discrete areas of burnt sediment appear to be hearths. This interpretation is supported by: (1) the intensity of burning (600–800°C) implied by the charred and calcined bones; (2) the intersection of two of the burnt areas, implying separate burning events at slightly different, overlapping locations; (3) the discovery of two burnt flakes that refit onto an adjacent group that are unburnt, indicating that the burning was highly localised; and (4) the spatial distribution of artefacts respects the features interpreted as hearths, suggesting fireside knapping. Fossils associated with the archaeology indicate occupation within closed deciduous forest in a fully temperate climate. Attractions to this unusual environment would have included the fresh water provided by springs, a rich supply of potential food and a prolific source of good quality flint for tool manufacture. The archaeological evidence therefore suggests that the site repeatedly served as an area of focused activities (perhaps a ‘home‐base’) during much of the interglacial. The upper levels of the sequence provide clear faunal evidence of climatic deterioration during which human occupation and fire use persisted. Biostratigraphical correlations with other Lower Palaeolithic sites lend support to the suggestion that Acheulian and Clactonian industries occurred in Britain during the same substage of the Hoxnian, although not necessarily at precisely the same time. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The taphonomy of a Middle Devensian (MIS 3) vertebrate assemblage from Lynford, Norfolk, UK, and its implications for Middle Palaeolithic subsistence strategies - Danielle C. Schreve (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The association of a rich lithic assemblage with a Middle Devensian mammalian assemblage at Lynford was initially thought indicative of a mammoth butchery locality, a rare occurrence for a European Middle Palaeolithic open site. However, taphonomic analyses suggest that the specimens have very different depositional histories and were incorporated into a palaeochannel in several stages. Most specimens are extremely fragmentary, probably the result of extensive trampling, and signs of weathering and root‐damage provide further indications of exposure before burial. Carnivore damage is minimal but establishing the degree of interaction between the mammal fauna and alternative predators, such as Neanderthals, is problematic. Direct evidence of butchery is not present and the best indication of any form of mammoth exploitation lies in more circumstantial evidence such as the virtual absence of long bones from the main channel deposit and the mammoth age profiles. Instances of pathologies are also unusually common in the mammoths, implying that their greater vulnerability may have led to an accelerated demise either naturally or at the hands of a predator. The best evidence for direct faunal exploitation at the site is from green bone fractures and broken teeth that suggest marrow extraction in horse, reindeer and woolly rhinoceros. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An optically stimulated luminescence dated Middle to Late Pleistocene fluvial sequence from the western Solent Basin, southern England - Rebecca M. Briant; Martin R. Bates; Jean‐Luc Schwenninger; Francis Wenban‐Smith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper presents numerical dating from a Middle to Late Pleistocene terrace deposit sequence in the Solent Basin, southern England. The sequence from the western part of the former Solent river system is one of the longest in Britain, with 18 mapped terrace aggradations. A set of 23 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates aim to provide dated tie‐points within the lower part of the sequence at five stratotype locations. These dates are replicated at single sites, providing age estimates for fewer members, but increasing the reliability for those members that have been dated. The results provide two reliably dated tie‐points within the sequence and suggest that (i) the lowest six terrace aggradations all postdate ca. 275 kyr (MIS 8), (ii) terraces may have aggraded during cold phases within the penultimate interglacial (MIS 7) and (iii) the interglacial deposits at Stone Point whose age has previously been contested are likely to be of Ipswichian (last interglacial, MIS 5e) age. These findings are compared to previous age models in the western Solent basin, with which they agree in part. They may suggest that fluvial activity in the Solent was particularly dynamic during MIS 7. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Introduction: the Palaeolithic occupation of Europe. A tribute to John J. Wymer, 1928–2006 - Nick Ashton; Simon G. Lewis; Chris Stringer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)

Riparian landscapes and human habitat preferences during the Hoxnian (MIS 11) Interglacial - Nick Ashton; Simon G. Lewis; Simon Parfitt; Mark White (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
The archaeological, environmental and geological data from Hoxnian Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11) sites from Britain are examined to elucidate the type of habitats that humans preferred during this temperate episode. The conclusion is that humans avoided lacustrine situations, but did make use of the full range of resources that fluvial environments provide. This model is strengthened by the examination of other non‐archaeological Hoxnian sites. The problem of archaeological visibility in lacustrine sediment sequences is also discussed and methods of identifying other evidence of human presence are suggested that may offset the deficiencies in the lithic record. These include presence of cut‐marked bone, micro‐debitage and possibly charcoal in fine‐grained sediments deposited in distal settings. The reasons for human selection of fluvial situations are discussed. It is concluded that these environments provide a greater diversity of animal, plant and lithic resources, but also are major route‐ways through the landscape. Patterns of human site use are identified, which seem to be triggered by local changes in hydrology and drainage, themselves possibly caused by regional changes in climate. Finally, Lower Palaeolithic sites on the interfluves are discussed. Although they lack environmental or dating evidence, it is tentatively suggested that they were used during cooler episodes, when more open conditions prevailed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AMS radiocarbon dating of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic bone in the British Isles: improved reliability using ultrafiltration - R. M. Jacobi; T. F. G. Higham; C. Bronk Ramsey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Recent research at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU) has shown that ultrafiltration of gelatin from archaeological bone can, in many instances, remove low molecular weight contaminants. These can sometimes be of a different radiocarbon age and, unless removed, may severely influence results, particularly when dating bones greater than two to three half‐lives of 14 C. In this study this methodology is applied to samples of Late Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic age from the British Isles. In many instances the results of redating invite serious reconsideration of the chronology for these periods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The chronology of abrupt climate change and Late Upper Palaeolithic human adaptation in Europe - S. P. E. Blockley; S. M. Blockley; R. E. Donahue; C. S. Lane; J. J. Lowe; A. M. Pollard (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
This paper addresses the possible connections between the onset of human expansion in Europe following the Last Glacial Maximum, and the timing of abrupt climate warming at the onset of the Lateglacial (Bölling/Allerød) Interstadial. There are opposing views as to whether or not human populations and activities were directly ‘forced’ by climate change, based on different comparisons between archaeological and environmental data. We review the geochronological assumptions and approaches on which data comparisons have been attempted in the past, and argue that the uncertainties presently associated with age models based on calibrated radiocarbon dates preclude robust testing of the competing models, particularly when comparing the data to non‐radiocarbon‐based timescales such as the Greenland ice core records. The paper concludes with some suggestions as to the steps that will be necessary if more robust tests of the models are to be developed in the future. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, UK - F. F. Wenban‐Smith; P. Allen; M. R. Bates; S. A. Parfitt; R. C. Preece; J. R. Stewart; C. Turner; J. E. Whittaker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
Archaeological excavations at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, Kent, have revealed a complex sequence of fossiliferous Middle Pleistocene sediments containing lithic artefacts. An incomplete skeleton of straight‐tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus was found in lacustrine sediments in close association with a cluster of mint condition cores, flakes and notched flake‐tools, some with evidence of use‐damage. These finds appear to reflect in situ tool production and butchery of the elephant carcass. A far larger concentration of similar artefacts, again in mint condition, occurred nearby in the same horizon. These finds were overlain by a fluvial gravel containing abundant handaxes, some also in mint condition. A range of fossils, including pollen, molluscs and small vertebrates, indicates temperate conditions with local woodland coeval with the elephant butchery. The sediments appear to have formed during the early part of an interglacial, almost certainly MIS 11. As well as providing rare undisturbed evidence of human behaviour, the site supports the existence of a distinctive non‐handaxe Clactonian core/flake‐tool industry in southeast England at this period. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Early Middle Palaeolithic in Britain: archaeology, settlement history and human behaviour - Mark White; Beccy Scott; Nick Ashton (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
A number of archaeological sites dated to MIS 8 and MIS 7 and containing Early Middle Palaeolithic Levalloisian assemblages can now be identified within the British Palaeolithic record. These provide a mixture of high‐ and low‐resolution signatures, which together permit the reconstruction of aspects of early Neanderthal behaviour, settlement history and technological organisation within the British Isles. Much is certainly missing, but it is now possible to begin the task of disentangling the previously conflated Middle Palaeolithic, separating those sites belonging to the Middle Pleistocene from those dating to the last climatic cycle. This paper presents the first attempt to synthesise the data from the Early Middle Palaeolithic and presents some of our preliminary and tentatively held interpretations of what it might mean. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Palaeolithic occupation of Europe as revealed by evidence from the rivers: data from IGCP 449 - David R. Bridgland; Pierre Antoine; Nicole Limondin‐Lozouet; Juan I. Santisteban; Rob Westaway; Mark J. White (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2006)
IGCP 449 (2000–2004), seeking to correlate fluvial records globally, has compiled a dataset of archaeological records from Pleistocene fluvial sequences. Many terrace sequences can now be reliably dated and correlated with marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS), allowing potentially useful patterns in artefact distribution to be recognised. This review, based on evidence from northwest European and German sequences (Thames, Somme, Ilm, Neckar and Wipper), makes wider comparisons with rivers further east, particularly the Vltava, and with southern Europe, especially Iberia. The northwest and southern areas have early assemblages dominated by handaxes, in contrast with flake‐core industries in Germany and further east. Fluvial sequences can provide frameworks for correlation, based on markers within the Palaeolithic record. In northwest Europe the first appearance of artefacts in terrace staircases, the earliest such marker, dates from the mid–late Cromerian Complex. Flake‐core industries may have significantly preceded handaxe industries in southern Europe. An important technological innovation—Levallois technique—occurs at the Lower‐Middle Palaeolithic boundary, correlated with MIS 9–8. Humans deserted northern Europe during MIS 6, apparently returning to central Germany and northern France (Somme valley) by MIS 5e but not reaching southern England until the appearance of Mousterian culture during MIS 4–3. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.