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2009 SEQS CONFERENCE, ORCE AND LUCENA, SPAIN

PEDO-SEDIMENTARY FINGERPRINTS OF RECURRENT EXCEPTIONAL


EVENTS DURING THE EARLY PLEISTOCENE AT BARRANCO LEÓN SITE
(ORCE BASIN, GRANADA, SPAIN).

Marie-Agnès COURTY, UMR 5198-CNRS. IPH. Paris, FR., IPHES. Institut Català de
Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social Imperial Tarraco, 1 Univ. Rovira I Virgil.
ES43005, Email: courty@mnhn.fr Tarragona

Jorge RODRIGUEZ, IPHES. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució


Social Imperial Tarraco, 1 Univ. Rovira I Virgil. ES43005 Tarragona.

Nicolas FEDOROFF, IPHES. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució


Social Imperial Tarraco, 1 Univ. Rovira I Virgil. ES43005 Tarragona.

Josep VALLVERDU POCH, IPHES. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i


Evolució Social Imperial Tarraco, 1 Univ. Rovira I Virgil. ES43005 Tarragona. Email:
j osep@prehistoria.urv. es

Multidisciplinary palaeoenvironmental study have now widely documented the great


potential offered by the continental Plio-Pleistocene deposits rich in fossil mammal sites
occurring thoughout the Guadix-Baza intra-mountain basin in the Betic range (SE
Spain).This nearly continuous sequence of ca 20m thick succession is one of the few
reference site for refining the chronology and occupational conditions encountered by
the first humans when expanding throughout Southern Europe. The endoreic filling of
the Guadix-Baza basin displays the subhorizontal alternation throughout the region of
alluvial, fluvial and lacustrine deposits. The cyclical accumulation from the Neogene to
the Early Pleistocene is interpreted to have formed under considerably more humid
climate (700-1000 mm) than the present aridity (300 mm/year) in response to climate
oscillations and related environmental changes. This cumulative record ended at around
600 Kya due to tectonic movements that initiated irreversible entrenchment and
prolonged erosion (Gibert et al., 2007)

We focus here on the archaeo-palentological layers encountered at the Barranco Léon


site close to the Orcé town. Archaeological excavation has allowed to identify a series
of seven paleontological units (Turq et al. 1996) with variable amount of
micrommamifers and large mammals that contain at present only one 30 cm thick
archaeological layer reported as layer E or BL-5. Previous magnetostratigraphic data
helps to frame the layer E within a Reverse magnetochron presumably C1r.2r (late
Matuyama) below the Jamarillo episode (0,99-1,07 Ma), possibly at ca. 1.25 Ma broad
age of the two short polarity events identified in the Orcé basin (Scott et al. 2007). ESR
and OSL datings have been unable to refine the previous time range due to marked
chemical desequilibrium in the related layers that yet remains to be elucidated in terms
of syn and post-depositional processes (Duval, 2008).

The abundant lithic assemblage was assigned to a preoldowayen technological complex


or Mode 1 (Toro et al., 2003; Carbonell and Pedro Rodriguez, 2006). The joint
occurrence of fresh materials with rounded elements suggested a possible contamination
of the well preserved occupation strata by materials reworked from previous
archaeological layers. Based on the lithostratigraphic characteristics and the fauna
assemblage layer E was previously identified as a drying episode with torrential

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2009 SEQS CONFERENCE, ORCE AND LUCENA, SPAIN

fluviatile discharge and channel erosion between two high lacustrine water stands
associated to humid forested environments (Turq et al., 1996; Palmqvist et al., 2005).

Our main goal is to refine the paleoenvironmental interpretation of the archaeological


layer E and the associated lacustrine D and F layers by performing a high resolution
sequential analysis of the related pedo-sedimentary facies. This was achieved by
combining a micromorphological study of a continuous sampling column through D, E
and F layers and a multi-analytical characterization adjusted to the specific components
encountered (Courty, 2001; Courty et al., 2008). Our first results confirm the
exceptional quality of the archaostratigraphic sequence (layer E) with respect to the time
period considered. This is reflected by the repeated occurrence of microstratified lenses
formed of pale grey calcitic fine silt, yellowish brown iron-rich organic clay with
abundant in situ fragmented terrestrial shells that are embedded in loosely packed
quartzitic sands. This distinctive pedo-sedimentary facies (msFF) reflects dust
accumulation in shallow depressions that recorded seasonal fluctuations between
development of shallow soils under grass cover and low energy flooding by gentle
rains. The msFF alternates with discontinuous lenses of loosely packed, rounded to
subrounded coarse calcareous gravels (lpCF) showing a wide range of pale grey to
yellowish brown micritic facies that are typical of lacustrine to palustrine conditions.
Their morphology and overall heterogeneity reflect the reworked origin of the coarse
facies (lpCF), most probably derived from collapsed overbanks of the small channels
that incised the previously formed lacustrine deposits (layer F). The lpCF traces
episodes of extensive sheet flooding due to sudden water discharge, possibly related to
rapid snow melt. The marked corrosion of the micritic facies corroborates their
remobilization by rainwater with a low carbonate charge, compatible with the one from
snowfalls. The integration of the the reworked archaeological materials within the well
preserved occupation layers appears to more likely relate to the water discharge
episodes. In addition to the contrasting assemblage and texture, the msFF
microstratified units present throughout layer E a high amount of exogenous
components that range from fine silt to coarse sands, and more rarely gravels. Their
angular morphology, the textural continuum and the petrographic coherence of the
related exotic assemblage suggest an origin from debris-fall episodes then followed by
their in situ fragmentation and low energy redistribution before rapid burial of the
exposed surface. The repeated presence of vitrous vesicular carbon and charred plant
fragments, together within the incorporation of black carbon to the organic clay
suggests the joint occurrence of flash burning to the debris-fall episodes. The exotic
assemblage is dominated by components of igneous origin together with scoriaceous
volcanic elements, dolomitic carbonate, glass shards and devitrified glass spherules. The
high amount of native metals at their surface together with the occurrence of
carbonaceous polymorphous are the diagnostic characteristics for interpreting the
debris-fall episodes during the course of layer E to a series of impact events. High
resolution sampling through the microstratified sequence is required for identifying the
exact number of exceptional events and to recognize their distinctive facies pattern.
They could provide reliable time markers for supporting spatial correlation at local to
global scales. This multi-scalar control is crucial for debating the consequences of the
exceptional debris-fall events on human behavior and ecological equilibrium. in the
Guadix-Baza basin during the Early Pleistocene.

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2009 SEQS CONFERENCE, ORCE AND LUCENA, SPAIN

REFERENCES

Carbonell, E. and Pedro Rodriguez, X. (2006). The first human settlement of


Mediterranean Europe. C. R. Palevol, 5, 291±298.
Courty M.-A. (2001). Micro-facies analysis assisting archaeological stratigraphy. In
« Earth Science and Archaeology », P. Goldberg, V.T. Holliday and R. Ferring
(eds). Plenum Publishing CO. 205-239.
Courty M.-A., Crisci A., Fedoroff M., Greenwood P., Grice, K., Mermoux, M. , Smith,
D.C. , Thiemens M.. Regional manifestation of the widespread disruption of
soil-landscapes by the 4 kyr BP impact-linked dust-event using pedo-
sedimentary micro-fabrics. In New Trends in Soil Micromorphology, S. Kapur,
A. Memut and G. Stoops (eds.), Springer, 211-236.
Duval, M. (2008). Evaluation du potentiel de la méthode de la datation par Résonance
de Spin Electronique (ESR) appliquée aux gisements du Pléistocène inférieur :
pWXGH q GHV q JLVHPHQW V q G¶2UFH q-BazaN, Espagne) et b ta ion à
OD q FRQQDLVVD^QFH q GHV q SUHPLHUV q SH Thèse du Muséum q O¶(XURSH q
+
1DWLRQDO q G¶ LVWRLUH q 1DWXUHOOH q q q q q q S q
Gibert, L., Scott, G. and Ferrandez-Cañadell, C. (2006). Evaluation of the Olduvai
subchron in the Orce ravine (SE Spain). Implications for Plio-Pleistocene
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1 i
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Rodriguez Vidal, J. (1996). Le Plio-30pLVM WgQH q GH q OD q UpJLRQ q GT2UFH q q SURYL
Grenade, Espagne: bilan et perspectives de recherche. Paléo, 8, 161±204.
Scott, G., Gibert, L. & Gibert, J. (2007). Magnetostratigraphy of the Orce region (Baza
Basin), SE Spain : New chronologies for Early Pleistocene faunas and hominid
occupationsites. Quaternary Science Reviews, 26, 415±435.
Toro, I., Agusti, J. & Martinez-Navarro, B. (2003a). El pleistoceno inferior de Barranco
Leon y Fuente Nueva 3, Orce (Granada). Memoria cientifica campañas 1999-
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