Lake Banyoles (northeastern Spain): A Last Glacial to Holocene multi-proxy study with regard to environmental variability and human occupation.

Abstract

Analyses of a 67-m long sediment core from Lake Banyoles (northeastern Spain) have revealed evidence
for the palaeoclimate history of the northern Iberian Peninsula. Investigations have included highresolution and non-destructive sediment-physical, geochemical, and optical methods to generate
proxies indicative of sedimentologic variability and climate change. Primary stratigraphic control is based on 14 C and U-series dates of organic and inorganic material, as well as tephra from the Late Pleistocene Olot volcanic episode.
While preliminary ages obtained for the core base date back to approximately 60 ka, the Last Glacial
Maximum (23e19 ka) interval ends at 15 m. The top 8 m of deposits accumulated in the Holocene.
Several slump events were observed in the core section, as were microtectonic structures, which
constrain the movement. Evidence for palaeoclimate variations in element ratios is interpreted to
represent effects of Heinrich Events H0eH5. Associated changes in environmental conditions (e.g.,
humidity) may have affected human occupation during the PalaeolithiceNeolithic period. Implications
on human occupation in northeastern Iberia due to climate changes are discussed from archeological
findings and cave sediments in neighboring areas and are analyzed with respect to the palaeolimnologic
data of Lake Banyoles.

Resources

• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618212003710

Bibliography

Höbig, N., Weber, M., Kehl, M., Weniger, G., Julia, R., Melles, M., Vogel, H., Reicherter, K., Fülöp, R. (2012): Lake Banyoles (northeastern Spain): A Last Glacial to Holocene multi-proxy study with regard to environmental variability and human occupation.. – In: Quaternary International, Vol. 274, p: 205-218, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2012.05.036