10Be dating of the Main Terrace level in the Amblève valley (Ardennes, Belgium): new age constraint on the archaeological and palaeontological filling of the Belle-Roche palaeokarst
It is still disputed whether very old archaeological and palaeontological remains found in the Belle-Roche palaeocave (eastern Belgium) pertain to the Early ( 1 Ma) or Middle ( 0.5 Ma) Pleistocene. Here, in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be concentrations from a depth profile in nearby sediments of the Belle-Roche terrace (Amblève Main Terrace level) are used as an indirect solution of this chronological issue. The distribution of 10Be concentrations in the upper 3 m of this profile displays the theoretically expected exponential decrease with depth. Assuming a single exposure episode, we obtain a... Mehr ...
Verfasser: | |
---|---|
Dokumenttyp: | conference poster not in proceedings |
Erscheinungsdatum: | 2014 |
Schlagwörter: | Physical / chemical / mathematical & earth Sciences / Earth sciences & physical geography / Physique / chimie / mathématiques & sciences de la terre / Sciences de la terre & géographie physique |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Permalink: | https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28542502 |
Datenquelle: | BASE; Originalkatalog |
Powered By: | BASE |
Link(s) : | https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/189048 |
It is still disputed whether very old archaeological and palaeontological remains found in the Belle-Roche palaeocave (eastern Belgium) pertain to the Early ( 1 Ma) or Middle ( 0.5 Ma) Pleistocene. Here, in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be concentrations from a depth profile in nearby sediments of the Belle-Roche terrace (Amblève Main Terrace level) are used as an indirect solution of this chronological issue. The distribution of 10Be concentrations in the upper 3 m of this profile displays the theoretically expected exponential decrease with depth. Assuming a single exposure episode, we obtain a best fit age of 222.5 31 ka for the time of terrace abandonment. However, below 3 m, the 10Be concentrations show a marked progressive increase with depth. This distinctive cosmogenic signal is interpreted as the result of slow aggradation of the fluvial deposits over a lengthy interval. Modelling of the whole profile thus suggests that the onset of the terrace formation occurred at around 550 ka, with a sediment accumulation rate of 20 mm/ka. Based on two slightly different reconstructions of the geomorphic evolution of the area and a discussion of the temporal link between the cave and Main Terrace levels, we conclude that the fossil-bearing layers in the palaeokarst pertain most probably to MIS 14–13 (or possibly MIS 12–11) and the artifact-bearing layer to MIS 13 (or possibly MIS 11). This age estimate for the large mammal association identified in the Belle-Roche palaeokarst and the attribution to MIS 14–13 of a similar fauna found in the lowermost fossiliferous layers of the Caune de l’Arago (Tautavel) are in mutual support. Our results therefore confirm the status of the Belle-Roche site as a reference site for the Cromerian mammal association and the Early Palaeolithic industry in NW Europe.