Last Glacial palaeoenvironments at Lascaux, southwest France, with special emphasis on MIS 4 (Ognon II interstadial)

A deep sequence of Last Glacial peats and slope deposits at the foot of the Lascaux hill was investigated using a large array of methods (geology, geophysics, C-14 and OSL dating, palynology, macro-remain analysis, entomology). The peaty levels, OSL dated to between similar to 73 and 60 ka, are found Within a doline developed in a fluvial terrace of the Vezere River. These gyttja and chalky gyttja deposits covered by fen peat yielded abundant beetle and plant (seeds, pollen) remains. Palaeoecological reconstructions suggest a cool steppe with willow stands compatible with an interstadial of marine isotopic stage (MIS) 4, probably Ognon II (GI-192). Aquatic and hygrophilous plants (sedges), which reflect local vegetation, and their dependent insects are equally well represented in the record. The peats are covered by a sequence of slope deposits: a coarse-grained lower unit deposited during late MIS 4, overlain by a heavily decalcified sandy unit with a boreal soil complex correlated with early MIS 3, and finally, a coarse grained, calcareous unit formed during late MIS 3 and MIS 2 in connection with slope dynamics typical of periglacial environments. The palaeosols yielded a small Middle Palaeolithic lithic assemblage.

Keyword(s)

MIS 4 peat, Ognon II interstadial, Weichselian slope deposits, Southwest France, Palaeoecology, Palaeotemperatures

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175 Mo
Appendix A. Supplementary data
63 Mo
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417 Mo
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Bertran Pascal, Allenet Gisele, Brenet Michel, Chadelle Jean-Pierre, Dietsch-Sellami Marie-France, Hebrard Jean-Pierre, Madelaine Georges, Mercier Norbert, Pasquet Vincent, Ponel Philippe, Queffelec Alain, Sirieix Colette (2016). Last Glacial palaeoenvironments at Lascaux, southwest France, with special emphasis on MIS 4 (Ognon II interstadial). Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. 449. 149-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.02.008, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00421/53248/

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