TY - JOUR
T1 - Paleoenvironmental evolution of Picos de Europa (Spain) during marine isotopic stages 5c to 3 combining glacial reconstruction, cave sedimentology and paleontological findings
AU - Ballesteros, Daniel
AU - Álvarez-Vena, Adrián
AU - Monod-Del Dago, Mael
AU - Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Laura
AU - Sanjurjo-Sánchez, Jorge
AU - Álvarez-Lao, Diego
AU - Pérez-Mejías, Carlos
AU - Valenzuela, Pablo
AU - DeFelipe, Irene
AU - Laplana, César
AU - Cheng, Hai
AU - Jiménez-Sánchez, Montserrat
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/11/15
Y1 - 2020/11/15
N2 - In glaciated areas, the environmental evolution before MIS 2 is usually poorly constrained mainly due to the later glacial erosion during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, in carbonate areas, karst caves can preserve records of pre-LGM paleoenvironment. We studied a cave (1350 m altitude) to establish the paleoenvironmental evolution of a glaciated karst area in Picos de Europa (SW Europe). For this objective, a glacial reconstruction, cave sedimentology analyses, and macro- and micromammal remains are com bined with ten U–Th, OSL and AMS 14C ages. The paleo-glacial reconstruction indicates glaciers descended down to 810–1040 m of altitude covering an area of 36.18 km2 in the surroundings of Covadonga Lakes during the glacial local maximum, with the equilibrium line altitude located at 1524 ± 36 m. The geomorphological study of the cave and the U–Th and OSL dates reveal the presence of three allochthonous alluvial sediment sequences at 132–135, 98–60 and ca. 36 ka. These last two sequences would come from the erosion of fluvioglacial sediments including teeth fragments of Pliomys coronensis (=P. lenki), an unusual species in high areas of NW Spain during the Upper Pleistocene. In addition, remains of chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) dated in 37–33 cal ka BP constitutes the oldest evidence of chamois above 800 m asl in the region. All the presented data indicate the development of alpine glacier-free areas covered by fluvioglacial sediments at ca. 1450 m altitude at 98–60 and 37–33 ka, corresponding to glacial retreat stages.
AB - In glaciated areas, the environmental evolution before MIS 2 is usually poorly constrained mainly due to the later glacial erosion during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, in carbonate areas, karst caves can preserve records of pre-LGM paleoenvironment. We studied a cave (1350 m altitude) to establish the paleoenvironmental evolution of a glaciated karst area in Picos de Europa (SW Europe). For this objective, a glacial reconstruction, cave sedimentology analyses, and macro- and micromammal remains are com bined with ten U–Th, OSL and AMS 14C ages. The paleo-glacial reconstruction indicates glaciers descended down to 810–1040 m of altitude covering an area of 36.18 km2 in the surroundings of Covadonga Lakes during the glacial local maximum, with the equilibrium line altitude located at 1524 ± 36 m. The geomorphological study of the cave and the U–Th and OSL dates reveal the presence of three allochthonous alluvial sediment sequences at 132–135, 98–60 and ca. 36 ka. These last two sequences would come from the erosion of fluvioglacial sediments including teeth fragments of Pliomys coronensis (=P. lenki), an unusual species in high areas of NW Spain during the Upper Pleistocene. In addition, remains of chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) dated in 37–33 cal ka BP constitutes the oldest evidence of chamois above 800 m asl in the region. All the presented data indicate the development of alpine glacier-free areas covered by fluvioglacial sediments at ca. 1450 m altitude at 98–60 and 37–33 ka, corresponding to glacial retreat stages.
KW - Glacial reconstruction
KW - Karst
KW - Paleoenvironment
KW - Pliomys coronensis
KW - Rupicapra pyrenaica
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U2 - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106581
DO - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106581
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85092035617
SN - 0277-3791
VL - 248
JO - Quaternary Science Reviews
JF - Quaternary Science Reviews
M1 - 106581
ER -