Miguel Arbizu

Palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate of the Mousterian-Aurignacian transition in northern Iberia: the small-vertebrate assemblage from Cueva del Conde (Santo Adriano, Asturias).

The transition from the Middle Palaeolithic (Mousterian) to the Upper Palaeolithic (Aurignacian) has been one of the prominent themes in the archaeology of the European Palaeolithic for more than 20 years. One of the most controversial questions concerning this period is the extinction of the Neanderthals and their replacement by modern humans. In this context, Cueva del Conde, located in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, is an archaeo-palaeontological site that records the Mousterian to Aurignacian transition. It has been excavated since the beginning of the 20th century, first by the Conde de la Vega del Sella and systematically by a team from the University of Oviedo since 2001. Three main zones have been identified: the External Zone, dated to approximately 39,110 ± 520 BP (level N104); the Entrance Platform, dated between 38,250 ± 390 BP and 34,730 ± 500 BP; and Gallery A with a radiocarbon date of approximately 31,540 ± 400 BP (level N2a2). The small-vertebrate assemblages recovered from the water-screening of all sediment from the excavation campaigns represent at least 21 small mammal, amphibian and squamate taxa. The small-vertebrate associations in the three zones suggest a patchy landscape, dominated by humid meadows and woodland areas with the existence of water in the vicinity of the cave. The climate shows a more continental pattern during the Mousterian, though it was milder during the Aurignacian. The small vertebrates of the Cueva del Conde Mousterian and Aurignacian levels suggest a climate that differed from modern day temperatures, between -1.1 and -4.4 °C (mean annual temperature), placing these assemblages during Interstadials 9 to 7 (Is9 to 7).

CHRONOLOGICAL CHANGES IN UPPER PALEOLITHIC FISHERIES REVEALED BY MUSEUM ARCHIVAL MATERIAL

ABSTRACT Salmonid vertebrae in mixed faunal remains from North Iberian archaeological sites of the upper Paleolithic were analyzed to determine specimen age, migratory status, and the seasonality of catch, based on annual growth marks. Fish size was back calculated from vertebra size using published equations. Although sample size is very small, significant changes in the average size and migratory status of fished specimens, and in the seasonality of fishing were detected. Salmonids (Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta) were present as a resource in human diet in different climatic conditions. However, preferential winter harvest was prevalent starting after the Last Glacial Maximum, although this may be an artifact of the data related to sea-level rise. The main potential impact of prehistoric fishing habits on salmonid populations was the removal of the larger breeders from the rivers, thus indirectly promoting the reproduction of smaller fish (i.e., selection for small size, although most likely unintended). The methodology described in this study, if applied to larger collections and/or samples, can provide information on how salmonids reacted to past changes in harvest or climate, and could help to predict the consequences of current environmental and climatic changes.

Early Silurian conodonts from the Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain

Abstract Extensive black shale formations occur throughout most of the Lower Silurian in SW Europe. However, a wider array of facies and the presence of stratigraphic gaps in the interval covered by the Ordovician/Silurian transition, make for complications in the stratigraphic succession. Directely underlying the Silurian graptolitic black shales of the Formigoso Formation, two small intervals of carbonate rocks occur in certain localities. These are the Viodo Member of the Castro Formation, formally defined here, and the upper part of the Getino beds, both dated here for the first time. Eleven limestone samples from the Viodo Member, and one dolostone sample from the Getino beds, have yielded a relatively abundant conodont fauna of low diversity, which can be referred to the A. petila and A. fluegeli Zones, respectively. By comparison with faunas from North Greenland and the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Rhuddanian to Aeronian ages seem to be present.

El Patrimonio Natural y Cultural de Castrillón (Asturias): Geología, Fósiles e Historia Minera

Con el objetivo de poder disenar y llevar a cabo las actuaciones necesarias para garantizar la integridad del patrimonio geologico, el Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Vivienda de la Generalidad de Cataluna ha impulsado la redaccion de un estudio que identifica los impactos y las amenazas sobre los afloramientos del Inventario de Espacios de Interes Geologico de Cataluna asi como y propone las medidas convenientes para su conservacion y recuperacion.

Fossil communities in the Aguión formation (Lower Devonian) of the Arnao Platform (Asturias, NW Spain)

Abstract This paper analyzes the evolution of faunal communities from the lower part of the Aguion Formation (LowerDevonian, Upper Emsian) of the Arnao Platform (north side of the Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain). Three informal units of beds with different lithological and faunal characteristics are described. In these units several communities developed in different environmental conditions. In the basal calcareous unit communities were related to a patch-reef biostrome developed on bioclastic bars; in the second marly-shaly unit the communities characterized sheltered environmental conditions; the third unit of green and red marls, shows communities that were clearly related to platform environments with a high rate of terrigenous supply.